American Gossip King

Chapter 126 Negotiations with CBS

July 28, CBS headquarters building, New York.

A banquet is being held in the banquet hall at the top of the building, and the protagonist this time is undoubtedly Ian Carl.

Surrounded by lights and accompanied by melodious music.

As Ian moved among the wealthy merchants, he held a glass of red wine and greeted them one by one.

"Mr. Hadfield, it's a pleasure to meet you. It's an honor to know you."

"Mr. Inez, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Mr. Gammon, I heard you have investments in Hollywood... Ah, I did recently buy a film company, but it's just a small business. Those guys are arrogant, and I haven't been able to break into their circle yet."

"The media is the core of the world; they should revolve around us."

In the luxurious and spacious banquet hall, Ian, dressed in a formal suit, spoke politely and modestly, showing no arrogance despite his young age and success.

Standing next to Ian was Gaskell, the old man had been officially discharged from the hospital, but a nurse was still by his side to take care of him at all times.

There was also a thin, middle-aged man with a small mustache.

James Paley, chairman of CBS, owns 5.3% of CBS's internal shares and 7.1% of its market shares. His net worth is around two billion dollars, and he is Jewish.

Therefore, the entire CBS tended to support Jews, and in this respect, Ian's acquisition of CBS was in huge conflict with his own values.

But he had no choice.

Today, CBS is the only major media outlet that hasn't been acquired.

Fortunately, the rumors that Ian was "hostile to Jews" were suppressed and did not spread, and Jews also prioritize their own interests.

James Perry may not know Ian’s attitude toward Jews, and even if he did, he might not care.

Everyone's commercial interests outweigh their national interests!

"It's amazing that a young man has developed to this level in less than a year. We are honored to meet you; you will be a rising star." At that moment, a chubby man smiled, gave Ian a hug, and then turned and left.

James Perry introduced him to Ichabod, saying, "The Ichabod family has a lot of influence in California. If you want to get into business, you can try to build a good relationship with him."

Ian nodded and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Paley."

Just then, another young man walked over.

He stood beside Ian and said, "Ian Carl? Hello, I'm Clemens."

Ian raised an eyebrow: "Ivo Clemens? The 91 Pulitzer Prize winner. Your reporting is excellent!"

Clemens laughed, "But not as good as you. Your reporting on the Palos bank robbery was outstanding; you'll win the Pulitzer Prize next year."

Ian shook his head: "No, they won't give me that award. Those guys are just like the old men at the Academy Awards; they like news that needs to be in-depth. Going to Africa to interview starving people, watching vultures waiting to eat carrion, or praising some saint would be easier to win an award than my news. My news is like a flashy commercial blockbuster; it can make money at the box office, but it's not enough to win an award."

The Academy Awards are like the Oscars; a bunch of old men like to pursue the core themes, so they've always looked down on commercial blockbusters.

Only a handful of films, such as The Godfather, Forrest Gump, Schindler's List, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, have achieved both commercial and artistic great success.

The Pulitzer Prize is similar; it also requires a core element.

Does the Palos bank robbery have a core theme?

It's all about sensational visual stimulation and a bunch of messy, disorganized interviews.

Hearing Ian say this, Clemens smiled slightly: "Then let's wait and see, there will be an opportunity."

After exchanging a few polite words, Clemens left.

Watching him walk away, Ian said, "He doesn't like me."

"He didn't seem to be being rude at all?" James Perry asked in surprise.

Ian shrugged: "A good journalist needs to be able to keenly perceive the other person's hidden true emotions... I recently closed a pretty good deal using that."

James Perry chuckled, "Ivo is a top reporter for CBS, and perhaps your presence makes him feel threatened. After all, you're not just a top reporter, but also the owner of a media conglomerate. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course," Ian replied. "A good businessman must learn to read people's minds, but he will never let people's minds dictate his own thoughts. In ancient Chinese terms, good is judged by intention, and evil by actions. As long as he doesn't provoke me, it doesn't matter how much he dislikes me."

James Peley chuckled, "You seem to know a lot about China."

I can speak the entire Chinese language!

At that moment, Ian gave him a look, and the two of them, along with Gaskell, walked towards the small living room on the side.

Important matters cannot be discussed when there are many people; they can only be discussed when there are few people.

The three of them then sat down in the small reception room.

The small living room has a serene and elegant ambiance, with a roaring campfire beside the fireplace.

The three of them sat down on the sofas, and pretty waitresses dressed in revealing outfits poured them drinks.

James Perry noticed Ian's gaze lingering on the waitresses and chuckled, "You can take any of the women here you want."

Ian's name sounded strangely familiar.

Oh, that's what Wang Sicong said to the sewing guy.

He smiled slightly: "No need."

Lena is still here... She's watching Ian like a wife.

The latest novel is first published here!

James Perry changed the subject: "I can accept your terms. WND will become a CBS-owned news website, you will receive two percent of CBS's shares, you will join the board of directors, and all your and Butterfly's major news stories must be submitted to CBS."

WND is currently valued at $120 million, while CBS is valued at a staggering $112 billion. These two percentage points represent a significant discount, primarily due to the partnership between Ian and Butterfly.

Ian shook his head slightly: "I'm not here to work, much less to seize power, Mr. Paley. I can accept co-publishing all the big news with CBS, but I want 14% of the insider stock and a board seat, at par."

Acquiring companies, especially those with insider shares, usually involves a premium. Ian's offer of par value is generally unacceptable.

This requires the support of other resources, the most typical of which is Ian's explosive revelations.

Furthermore, since CBS has a dual-class share structure, according to Ian Carr's request, the 14% internal shares he wants correspond to 35% of the voting rights, which is more than one-third.

For such a large company to have so many voting rights is tantamount to controlling CBS to a certain extent.

Even if Ian says the shares are given to James Paley as a nominee, it won't matter—he can give them to you and take them back!

James Peley shook his head slightly: "That's outrageous. You have to understand that CBS isn't just about news."

Ian laughed, "CBS is a news network, it's called Columbia Broadcasting System. News is always at its core, it's the most important thing influencing the world. Its three-minute news reports may not create much value, but its influence far exceeds that of three hours of soap operas. We all know what that means."

James Perry sighed softly, "I believe in your abilities, Ian, but things like Palos Bank and Dandy Tower aren't always available."

Ian said, "So we need to develop a tiered agreement. I'm committed to a significant increase in CBS News ratings over the next three years! We'll let the numbers speak for themselves!"

As one of the five major television networks in the United States, it controls a large number of users across the country. It is already difficult to improve its ratings and broadcast rates. The bosses are racking their brains on how to further squeeze the revenue from the existing users.

But a solid user base is what lasts forever.

Ian didn't consider revenue; he only talked about increasing the user base, since that was his area of ​​expertise. As for user monetization, he would leave that to these experienced veterans.

They have plenty of ways to extract money from users' pockets.

Therefore, Ian's proposal is extremely tempting when user growth is stagnant or even declining due to the impact of the internet. Of course, this proposal itself includes the internet.

Media moguls believe the internet has unlimited potential, but the internet has not yet reached its peak in this era, especially after the bursting of the bubble, so they are not optimistic enough.

Ian knew better than they did how far things could go; even if he did nothing, he couldn't possibly lose the bet.

James Perry understood his meaning and looked at Ian in surprise: "You have more big news?"

Ian responded softly, "A bombshell beyond your wildest imagination!"

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P.S.: Chapters 1, 2, and 3 won't appear. I don't understand why; they're all in red. I don't know how to edit them. Sigh.

(End of this chapter)