America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 648 Chaos

Ernst never expected to be able to acquire CBS.

No matter how big his appetite was, he swallowed up long-term capital, temporarily dominated the online payment field, China Telecom ripped off Wall Street, and also acquired the broadband business of Telephone and Telegraph Group, as well as the financing and development of AI Technology.

He was already very satisfied; the gains far exceeded his expectations.

Unexpectedly, Morgan Stanley approached him, proposing to sell CBS entirely to MGM.

He couldn't possibly refuse a piece of fatty meat offered to him.

But this piece of meat wasn't that tasty.

In March, Los Angeles has shed its winter chill. Sunlight filters through the palm leaves lining the streets, casting dappled shadows, and the entire city is immersed in the rich atmosphere of spring.

However, inside the MGM headquarters building, there was no trace of springtime comfort; instead, there was a scene of busyness and chaos.

The integration work following the acquisition of CBS has been fully launched, and all departments are facing enormous pressure in terms of organizational restructuring, personnel adjustments, and business integration.

The previously orderly work rhythm has been completely disrupted, and an invisible power struggle and battle for interests is quietly unfolding.

The atmosphere in the meeting room of MGM's content production department was somewhat tense.

Department head Barack slammed a stack of scripts for CBS's new series, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," onto the conference table. "The script must be revised!"

Barack's voice carried an undeniable authority as his gaze swept over the assembled department members, finally settling on Sabrina Delaney. "Increase the intensity of the action scenes, and arrange for James Bond to make a cameo appearance. Today's audiences want to see crossover IP collaborations, not lengthy and tedious evidence-gathering processes."

Sabrina Delaney gripped the pen tightly in her hand, her brow furrowed.

She knew that Barack's proposed modifications were clearly intended to align with the promotional schedule of MGM's classic IP film, "The World Is Not Enough".

CBS's new "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is scheduled to air this September.

The highly anticipated James Bond film, The World Is Not Enough, will be released in North America at the end of the year.

The script for "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is excellent and has the potential to be a huge hit. Including James Bond's scenes would not only drive viewership for the series but also generate buzz for the movie.

This tactic is common at MGM and is considered a relatively successful collaboration.

However, every problem has two sides, and not every publicity campaign can achieve good results.

"Manager Barack, I must remind you that CBS's core audience is different from MGM's. It mainly consists of people over 35, and this audience values ​​the logic and professionalism of the storyline more."

Sabrina composed herself and cited an example: "Last year's high ratings for 'Law & Order' fully prove this point. The show won the wide recognition of its target audience with its rigorous legal process and profound exploration of social issues, becoming the dark horse of the year's ratings."

"The creative logic of 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' is consistent with that of 'Law & Order.' Forcibly inserting the James Bond IP could disrupt the continuity of the plot and provoke resentment from the core audience."

"But you can't prove that the ratings won't explode after the collaboration." Barack showed no sign of backing down, his tone becoming increasingly assertive. "CBS has no experience in IP crossover collaborations, but MGM has a mature operating system and successful cases."

"We have proven time and again that mutual empowerment between high-quality IPs will not only not lead to the loss of the original audience, but will also attract more viewers from different circles, achieving a double boost in viewership and reputation."

"But don't forget that after Disney acquired ABC in 1995, it forcibly inserted Disneyland's logo into the 'Good Morning America' program, which resulted in a 12% drop in the show's ratings, a surge in viewer complaints, and serious damage to the brand image."

These words caused Barack's expression to change slightly; clearly, this failed case had touched a nerve, but he quickly regained his composure.

"That's a completely different situation," Barak retorted. "Inserting commercial interests into serious news is a trampling on journalistic professionalism and the trust of the audience."

"The IP interaction between movies and TV series is a reasonable marketing strategy based on content relevance, and the two are fundamentally different."

"I stand by my decision. A special 007 episode of CSI must be released. This is not only a gimmick to attract market attention, but also a necessary measure to serve the group's overall strategic plan."

The heated debate lasted for more than an hour, with both sides sticking to their own arguments and refusing to give in. In the end, the meeting ended in discord without any consensus.

As Sabrina walked out of the meeting room, her heart was heavy with sorrow.

She returned to her office, slammed the door shut, and slumped into her office chair. The anger and grievances that had been building up inside her finally erupted, and she slammed her hand heavily on the desk.

She understood that the disagreement between the two sides was not just about a script revision, but a power struggle in this personnel adjustment.

But it was precisely because of power that she was even more indignant.

After MGM acquired CBS, it merged and reorganized the content production departments of the two groups.

From an objective standpoint, the original CBS drama production department has decades of industry experience, and its staff size, asset allocation, and portfolio far exceed those of the MGM drama production department, which was established less than two years ago. It holds an absolute advantage in terms of both market influence and industry resources.

As the former head of CBS's drama production department, Sabrina should have naturally become the head of the merged department.

The reason for this outcome cannot be attributed to MGM's nepotism or its lack of competence.

The most important reason is that she is a woman, and a woman in her thirties who has never had a child.

Women are at a natural disadvantage in the workplace, and this is true everywhere in the world.

Compared to the internal conflicts within the drama department, the conflict between the GG department and the news center was more acute.

GG Department Director Morrow Steinberg, his face ashen, issued a stern order to the news center team: "I don't care what your reasons are, 60 Minutes must pull its investigative report on the safety hazards of Ford vehicles."

"Ford is a core GG customer of MGM Television Network, and they have made it clear that they are willing to invest a huge amount of additional GG funding to renegotiate a long-term GG agreement with the integrated CBS Television Network."

"We cannot let the core interests of the entire group be harmed because of one program."

"Morrow, don't forget, you came from CBS!" Hayward Evans, the program production director of the news center, could no longer contain his anger and slammed his fist on the table.

"The reason CBS News has earned such a high reputation in the industry is precisely because we have always upheld the fairness and objectivity of journalism, and have never compromised for commercial interests. Your current actions are destroying the credibility of our news work that we have built up over the years."

"Now that I'm sitting in the position of head of the GG division at MGM, I have to consider the overall interests of the entire group, not just the traditions of CBS." Morrow retorted defiantly to Hayward. "Business partnerships are the foundation of the group's survival and development. Without the support of GG revenue, you're all fucking out. Don't put the cart before the horse."

"This isn't putting the cart before the horse; it's a matter of principle!" Hayward's voice trembled slightly with emotion. "The Ford Mustang Classic's fuel tank has a serious design flaw. The fuel tank shares the same structure with the trunk floor, making it extremely easy to cause a fire in the event of a rear-end collision."

"This is a major hidden danger affecting the lives of more than 150 million car owners, and a significant social problem. As news media, we have a responsibility to reveal the truth to the public; this is our mission and the core of journalistic credibility."

"Then please transfer your so-called credibility to other areas, instead of always targeting our GG clients." Moro's emotions also became agitated, and his voice suddenly rose.

"What the group needs is stable revenue and sustainable development, not commercial disputes and public opinion storms caused by an investigative report. Your so-called social responsibility is utterly worthless in the face of the group's commercial interests."

The other employees in the meeting room all had their heads down, occasionally glancing at each other, their faces filled with embarrassment and helplessness, as if they had wandered onto the wrong movie set.

Morrow, formerly the head of the GG division at CBS, was promoted to head of the GG division at MGM after the merger, and is now turning against his former employer.

Hayward, as one of Frank Mancuso's right-hand men, was supposed to protect MGM's business interests, but now he is insisting on journalistic impartiality and is determined to target the group's important GG clients.

"CBS News has absolute editorial control." Hayward took a deep breath and threw out his last card.

Unlike other content production departments, CBS News has upheld absolute editorial autonomy as its core principle since its inception. This principle not only ensures the impartiality and independence of news but is also an important symbol of CBS News' brand image in the industry.

However, this is all for show to outsiders, to demonstrate the media's impartiality.

Internally, it's still a matter of broadcasting whatever the higher-ups want.

Upon hearing this, Moro's expression turned grim; it was clear that the other party had no intention of fulfilling his request.

"In that case, I will report this directly to the group's management and have Frank explain to the higher-ups what you call absolute editorial rights." With that, he stood up angrily, slammed the door, and left, leaving behind a room full of silent employees and a solemn-faced Hayward.

Such conflicts not only affected these two departments, but the entire MGM was in chaos.