Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 178 Milestone

At the dinner table, Zhang Yan and Zhang Guoli had the most conversation.

The main reason is that Lao Zhang has been pestering Zhang Yan recently, wanting to film "The Dragon and the Phoenix".

However, in front of everyone, Zhang Guoli didn't talk about the drama "Playing Dragon and Phoenix" at all. Instead, he discussed with Zhang Yan the drama "Loving You Without Hesitation" that had just aired on CCTV.

This drama was written by Wang Shuo and starred Song Dandan, Xie Yuan, and Ying Da. The plot and filming techniques were not very innovative, and it still had Wang Shuo's signature style.

However, the broadcast of this drama can be called a milestone in the history of Chinese television - because it was the first domestic TV series that did not lose money!
The total investment cost was 200 million yuan, but it was eventually acquired by CCTV for a hefty price of 350 million yuan.

Even hit dramas like "Aspiration," "Tianjin Satellite TV," and "Stories from the Editorial Department" were all huge losses in terms of production costs and broadcast revenue.

Of course, since these days TV dramas are mainly produced by production centers under major TV stations, the production companies generally still make a profit if advertising revenue is taken into account.

However, this model is not conducive to the entry of private capital, since the advertising fees received by the TV station will not be shared with private capital.

If broadcasting rights don't fetch a good price, it will be difficult for private capital to enter the market.

This will also deter most TV stations from investing heavily in high-quality dramas.

The sudden emergence of "I Love You Without Hesitation" broke this constraint—although it was mainly due to the reputation Wang Shuo had built up. But since CCTV had set this precedent, it was a good opportunity to make a splash.

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhang Yan did not return to CCTV, but instead went back to his courtyard near the China World Trade Center, where he took out paper and pen and began writing his proposal.

This time, in addition to proposing to open up to private capital, he added the content of marketizing broadcasting fees.

At Zhang Yan's current age, becoming a national representative is definitely out of the question, but once he becomes a municipal representative in March, he will be qualified to make a proposal to the national delegation from Tianjin.

Because Yao Ke didn't have any broadcasting assignments recently and left work promptly at 6 PM, Zhou Tao didn't have time to bother him. He just called him and made an appointment to go to Tianjin after the New Year to finalize the specific rules for the "Chinese Poetry Competition".

So Zhang Yan ate mutton hot pot with Tao Hong that night.

After six months of school life, Tao Hong has become noticeably thinner. She says that before, she would only move her arms and legs without using her brain, but now it's completely the other way around.

"Can you adapt?"

"I wasn't used to it at first, but I'm much better now." Tao Hong said eagerly, "I think if we were to remake 'Tianjin Wei' now, I definitely wouldn't perform much worse than Chen Hong!"

There's nothing to be proud of, after all, Chen Hong's acting skills are just so-so. Among actors of the same age, she's basically a goalkeeper—of course, compared to the later "flower vase" actresses, Chen Hong is still considered to have acting skills.

"You, you're always so competitive."

Zhang Yan picked up a napkin from the table and vigorously wiped the grease from her mouth, then asked with a smile, "So when are you planning to make a name for yourself?"

"The Central Academy of Drama is quite strict. Freshmen definitely can't do it, and sophomores can only film during winter and summer vacations. However, if it's a project approved by the school, you can ask for a longer leave if you haven't finished filming during winter or summer vacation."

After considering all this, she knew she was out of luck with "The New Dragon and Phoenix," since this kind of fictionalized TV series was unlikely to receive official approval from the Central Academy of Drama.

After briefly explaining the matter to Tao Hong, she immediately jumped up and said, "I can take sick leave without telling the school!"

Teacher Zhang is willing to kick that vixen out and cast me as the leading lady. What a great opportunity this is!

She would rather take a break from school than miss out on this opportunity.

"Don't get agitated."

Zhang Yan pressed her back into her chair and said, "It's not like I'm retiring after filming this movie. There will definitely be other opportunities in the future..."

"But……"

"There are no 'buts'. You should focus on your studies right now!"

Once Zhang Yan hardened his stance, Tao Hong could only reluctantly nod in submission.

However, she must have been harboring a lot of grievances, which was evident from the intense exploitation she endured at night.

Speaking of which, the women around Zhang Yan each have their own unique characteristics.

Chen Hong is the most unconventional, eager to try anything new; Tao Hong, a former athlete, emphasizes powerful, impactful punches; Zhou Tao's main tactic is subtle attentiveness, reminiscent of feudalistic dregs. As for Jiang Shan…

She's the shrew type, a classic hothead, and she always hurls incredibly nasty insults.

…………

On his way back to Tianjin the next day, Zhang Yan received a barrage of urgent calls from Wei Liben, who urged him to go straight to the guesthouse without even going home.

The first batch of "trainees" mainly came from Hebei, with a small number from Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, and Liaoning, totaling about thirty people, half from the city level and half from the county level.

Wei Liben placed the large round table at the very back of the conference room and made the podium quite large, resulting in more than 30 people crammed in the middle, making it look like a pyramid scheme.

However, these days 'pyramid schemes' are not a derogatory term. Instead, they are regarded as advanced foreign experience, and some local governments have even promoted and encouraged this new form of marketing.

Standing on the podium, Zhang Yan first gave a brief self-introduction. After finding that the students below could apply what he had learned to other situations, he stopped dawdling and began to lecture on the marketing of song request stations.

For example, in the initial promotion phase, we can mobilize local prominent entrepreneurs to request songs for free. Or, to increase the program's exposure, we can create a follow-up segment.

For example, if someone requests a love song for a romantic proposal, a reporter is sent to interview the person involved. The first person gets married, the second person insists on giving the reporter a red envelope, and the third person chases the reporter out with a broom—later, an investigation revealed that the young couple had just gotten married, and the person who requested the song was the ex-boyfriend.

Upon hearing this, several bursts of laughter erupted from the audience.

Many television professionals these days are still quite honest and simple; they conduct interviews genuinely and never think about staging a photoshoot.

Ouyang Changlin nodded secretly. This training was more down-to-earth than he had imagined, and it was quite in line with his philosophy—no matter how elaborate the process was, as long as it could create a buzz and attract attention, it was a truly good method.

The subsequent 'apology-style marketing' and 'competitive marketing' tactics really caught Ouyang Changlin's eye.

So after class, he was the first to rush up to Zhang Yan and introduce himself: "Mr. Zhang, I am Ouyang Changlin from Hunan TV. I have many questions I would like to ask you. Can we find a place to have a good talk?"

Zhang Yan looked at Wei Liben with some confusion, wondering why there was someone from the provincial TV station here.
"Director Ouyang came specifically for you."

Wei Liben hurriedly explained, "I met Director Yan yesterday. He didn't have any other requests, he just wanted to hear your lecture and then ask you a few questions."

Thinking that it seemed that more than 20 years later, the toilet station was doing quite well, Zhang Yan did not refuse and booked a room with Ouyang Changlin alone.

Ouyang Changlin didn't mince words and went straight to the point: "President Zhang, I'm currently in charge of film and television production at Hunan TV, but Hunan is a poor place, so regarding funding... what do you think I should do next to solve the funding problem?"

This guy really didn't hold back, going straight to the heart of the matter right away.

However, this was exactly what Zhang Yan wanted to hear. He countered, "Director Ouyang, does Hunan TV intend to produce its own high-quality dramas, or...?"

"Of course we want to produce high-quality dramas!"

Ouyang Changlin stated firmly, "Hunan TV is initiating reform measures and preparing to launch a series of high-quality dramas and top-rated variety shows in the coming years!"

"In that case."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan solemnly replied, "Then we can reach a consensus. Our most important task right now is actually to resolve the issue of broadcasting fees."

"The issue of broadcasting fees?"

Ouyang Changlin was no ordinary person either, and he immediately retorted, "You mean to raise the broadcasting fees paid to other TV stations, and then use that money to continue producing high-quality dramas?"

"That's right!"

Zhang Yan recounted the story of "I Love You Without Hesitation" and added, "Since CCTV has taken the lead, we TV stations that aspire to create high-quality brands should follow suit and strive to marketize broadcasting rights—this can also be considered a deepening of reforms."

When Ouyang Changlin heard that he made 150 million yuan after filming "Love You Without Hesitation," he was quite shocked.

The biggest beneficiaries of the marketization of broadcasting rights should be CCTV and Tianjin TV—these two companies have the most abundant funds and readily available production teams.

But Hunan TV is actually the most eager in this regard.

Ouyang Changlin couldn't accept that the Qiong Yao dramas he had painstakingly produced were bought and broadcast by provincial TV stations for a pittance.

(End of this chapter)