American Gossip King

Chapter 85 Good News Requires Controlling the Pace

After watching Lena leave, Ian went to greet her.

He walked over to Kreps without saying a word, and Kreps followed silently behind him.

Stroll along the luxurious avenue and gaze at the surrounding scenery.

As a neighborhood for the wealthy, Kripps's image is somewhat conspicuous.

He said softly, "You can make a phone call."

Kripps said in a low voice, "I didn't mean to follow you. There are just some things that are hard to say over the phone. You said that we should try not to talk about illegal things over the phone."

"Okay, go ahead." Ian and Kreps stopped by a fountain.

Kreps said, "We've found where those guys are."

Those guys were bank robbers; sometimes it's easier for gangs to find people than for the police. After all, in the US, a major method for police to solve cases is to enlist the help of gangs.

"The address," Ian said.

Kripps gave him the address: "What are you planning to do?"

Ian put away the address: "That's not something you should be asking."

Kripps immediately lowered his head and said, "Kempe has sent someone."

Ian looked at him, his gaze cold, and said nothing.

Kripps said helplessly, "I betrayed Kemble, and he won't let it go so easily. Killing Bates now would mean going to war with the Cripples, and we don't have enough manpower."

Ian asked in surprise, "Not enough manpower?"

The Cripples Gang has several thousand members, and you're telling me they don't have enough manpower?

Kreps shook his head slightly: "Gangs have their own management style. The vast majority of them are just thugs who can't do anything big. When something really happens, you can only muster a few hundred men, and among them, there are probably only a few dozen truly seasoned fighters. I'm missing nearly twenty of my best men, so it'll be difficult for me to deal with them."

Ian blurted out, "How is it so little?"

Kreps looked at him speechlessly: "You killed him."

Ian: "..."

I didn't know those guys were actually quite skilled.

After thinking for a moment, Ian said, "What do you need me to do? Give you some money to arm more men, or take care of them for you?"

Kreps looked at him: "Can you help?"

That's a very clever rhetorical question.

Kreps wanted Ian to take action because he still couldn't understand how Ian had managed to do those things in the first place.

But Kreps couldn't directly say, "Boss, you make your move, let me confirm your strength again," so he simply used a rhetorical question instead.

Ian did indeed seem inclined to make a move.

As Gaskell said, to truly make someone like Kreps obey, you must instill extreme fear in him, making him completely devoid of any resistance towards you.

Last time, he might have thought to some extent that it was his own people who were careless, but this time the people who killed Bates are coming, and the guys coming to start a war can't be careless.

If this is resolved again, it will completely dissuade Kreps.

So Ian said softly, "Tell Kemble that you're willing to pay compensation, and apologize or anything like that, just delay it for a while."

Kreps was taken aback. What did that mean?

Ian glanced at Kripps and smiled, "Good news needs to be timed. A series of violent incidents will make readers tired of it... The Palos Bank case is still hot, and there's no need to dilute it with other big news at this stage."

Kreps was completely dumbfounded.

In your eyes, is the existence of a powerful gang and a heinous act of violence enough to be considered a high-quality news story?

The only reason you're unwilling to act now is because you don't want to waste the sensational impact of the Palos bank robbery.

Even though he already knew what kind of person Ian was, at this moment Kripps still wanted to shout: Madman! Pervert!

After a long pause, he finally said, "Okay, boss, I'll try to stall for time."

………………

Delaware.

WND News Network Chairman's Office

Ian sat in his office, accompanied by his new secretary, Sunny, a beautiful redhead.

A young man in his thirties with curly hair stood in front of Ian and said respectfully, "You've come at the perfect time. Just yesterday, WND landed a great GG deal. Our expected profit for this year is $6.5 million."

This young man is Jason Francis, the founder of WND News, who still owns 5% of the company.

When Ian acquired WND, he promised that Jason would continue to be in charge of WND News, and he kept his promise, only providing news and basically not getting involved in the operation and management of the website.

Ian was unmoved by the figure of six and a half million.

The true value of media lies in its influence, not its profitability.

If a media outlet can earn four million on paper, it can earn forty million or even more off the books.

Under Gaskell's influence, Ian's development path has shifted towards investment and financial operations centered on media influence.

Film and television, finance, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, transportation, energy, and even arms...

Ian is willing to extend his reach into any industry that the media can touch.

So Ian simply gestured for Jason to sit down.

He personally poured Jason a drink and smiled, saying, "My requirement for WND right now isn't profitability, Jason. What I want is for WND to grow rapidly, so what you need to do is figure out how to spend the money and expand our influence! I want WND to reach a valuation of over 100 million by the end of the second quarter of this year."

Jason chuckled, "I like what you're saying. Most shareholders are after quick profits, and only those with a long-term vision are willing to invest heavily... But isn't your demand a bit excessive?"

When you bought WND, it was only worth 40 million, but after a few months of development, you're now valuing it at 100 million?

It's important to understand that Ian's $40 million wasn't an investment; it was a direct purchase. Therefore, this growth is operational growth, not investment growth!

Ian said, "I still have a few big leads to share... I've found the whereabouts of the Palos Bank robbers."

What?

Jason was taken aback.

However, he immediately shook his head and said, "That's no use. This information can't possibly be worth that much money."

"That's why I said operation! You need to know how to operate!" Ian smiled and patted Jason on the shoulder. "You're a good website administrator, but you're not a great journalist, and you're not that good at leveraging news. Do you know that before a movie is released, you need to do marketing and promotion?"

The latest novel is first published here!

Jason nodded slightly: "Of course."

"Good news is the same; processed news is like fine wine, becoming even more fragrant and mellow!" Ian laughed. "We can hype it up and make it famous!"

"How do I do it?"

Ian whispered something to Jason, whose eyes lit up.

He looked at Ian with admiration: "You're a genius, Boss!"

………………

One day later.

WND News published an announcement.

News.com CEO Jason Francis issued a statement saying they are offering a high price for information on the whereabouts of the Palos bank robbers, and are willing to pay $200,000 immediately to anyone who can provide clues.

They stated that they were looking for these robbers for two reasons: first, to fulfill Ian Carl's promise to pay the previous interview fees; and second, to write a book about these robbers, creating a joint autobiography.

The news caused an uproar around the world.

If there's no news, create it!

Even old news can be taken out and processed for use.

The Palos bank robbery is still a hot topic and remains a central subject of public discussion. After all, the case combines elements of robbery, car chases, gunfights, and on-site interviews, making it a goldmine that can be continuously mined.

In this situation, of course we should continue to exploit and squeeze them dry.

Faced with this situation, there was naturally a public outcry.

Some people are outraged and accuse this of leading to robbery becoming a new means for people to pursue wealth.

Jason Francis said: Isn't this already a daily routine?

Some people have therefore questioned: If the police arrest them first, will the money go to the police?

Jason Francis said: Of course! But only if we get to interview them.

Some people expressed envy: "Why don't I rob a bank too? Would you be willing to write my autobiography?"

Jason Francis said: Why don't you write your autobiography first before you try to steal it? These days, news is all about speed!

This has led some to wonder: Where are the butterflies?

Jason Francie said: "The butterfly is not fighting alone! Every great journalist can be a butterfly!"

Just as every excellent journalist can be anonymous or a bell.

The crowd declared: No, we don't have AIDS!

Jason Francis's remarks caused WND's traffic to surge again, with many people criticizing Jason for being shameless in his business dealings and rehashing old news.

But business elites don't think so.

From this incident, they saw a promising young man who was shameless and unscrupulous in his pursuit of money.

When a boss is willing to give up everything for making money, it means he has enormous investment value.

Jason Francis's announcement that he would write a book about the robbers signifies that WND and the Los Angeles Herald are exploring new ways to monetize their businesses.

As a result, this news alone boosted the valuation of WND and the Los Angeles Herald, and also brought Ian Carr back into the spotlight.

Today, Carl Media's valuation has reached over 500 million, with a debt ratio of 30%.

Gaskell stated that a debt ratio of 30% is not the standard expected of an excellent entrepreneur.

Excellent managers need to have a debt ratio of at least 70%, while top-notch managers can reach 120%... although the latter is a bit risky, and could easily lead to bankruptcy and imprisonment.

(End of this chapter)