Chapter 432: Just Having Some Fun

Los Angeles, morning.

"Pocahontas?"

Arthur sat on the balcony of a villa in Beverly Hills, flipping through a newspaper. Disney really knew how to do business, releasing hit animations year after year.

No wonder its market value skyrocketed over ten times in just a decade; back in the mid-1980s, Disney's value was only around two billion dollars, and now it was nearly twenty-five billion!

Before long, Yu Feihong, who had been swimming in the pool, walked over, looking even more tempting in her sexy bikini.

"Hey," Yu Feihong said, settling onto Arthur's lap and pulling him in for a passionate kiss.

After the kiss, Arthur wrapped his arms around her, "This is the last summer vacation. Do you have any plans or arrangements?"

Yu Feihong was set to graduate from USC next year. "I'll keep interning, but this year I want to spend more time back home," she said, hugging his neck. 

Arthur understood, "So, are you thinking about investing in films when you go back?"

Yu Feihong nodded, "I just want to try."

"Alright, if you want to give it a shot, go ahead," Arthur said nonchalantly.

"By the way, you can also reach out to Rosamund Kwan. I have a Sky Entertainment company in Japan aimed at the East Asian market. I'll let the people there know to support you in establishing an entertainment company," he explained. "As for talents, you'll need to figure that out yourself!"

Yu Feihong looked at Arthur, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I've got the money -- at least over 1.2 million USD," she said. "But isn't Rosamund Kwan a few years older than you?"

Arthur blinked, "It's not much, only six or seven years. We're friends!"

"Friends?" Yu Feihong smiled, "Forget it, I get it. She's definitely beautiful. You are connected to both Vivian Chow and Rosamund Kwan. No wonder you are heading to Asia a lot, huh?"

"Hey, I'm going to work. I've got a lot of industries in Japan that generate good revenue," Arthur said, as he playfully teased Yu Feihong.

"Whatever, I don't care how many women you have outside as long as you treat me well," Yu Feihong shrugged off the thought. 

"Let's see how it goes. It's my last year in college; I'll have a lot of free time. I want to try working on a couple of films and TV shows!"

"Exactly, that's the spirit," Arthur said, leaning down to kiss her chest. "You should wear more bikinis; don't waste that great body."

"Alright, I'll listen to you," Yu Feihong said as she held Arthur's face tightly. "But it's getting late; let's eat something first. Wait, I have to go back to my school apartment to grab some things..."

...

In the morning, at a Beverly Park villa, Arthur Smith woke up fresh, hugging Yu Feihong, and then headed to the Galaxy office in Glendale.

A major event in American journalism appeared in the newspapers: NBC teamed up with Microsoft to establish a cable news channel, MSNBC!

"Nick, what do you think?" Arthur asked Nick Davis, the chairman of USA Network, while sitting on the sofa in the office.

Nick Davis chuckled, "NBC and Microsoft are coming in hot to challenge CNN's dominance!"

Right now, CNN was the undisputed leader in American cable news, and the broadcast news from the four major networks posed little threat to it.

Cable news channels provided 24-hour, uninterrupted news programming for cable and satellite TV users. A few years ago, NBC and CVC had formed a joint venture to launch the Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC), leading to the bankruptcy of its competitor, the Financial News Network (FNN).

CNBC acquired and merged with FNN, then NBC bought out the remaining stake from CVC, gaining full ownership of CNBC. Roger Ailes became the chairman of CNBC in 1993.

"This year, CNBC's head, Roger Ailes, got ousted by General Electric due to a sexual misconduct claim within," Arthur said with a smirk, "I heard Roger is getting cozy with Rupert Murdoch!"

Nick Davis nodded, "That's a blunder on Bob Wright's part. When he fired Roger, he made sure he couldn't work for any existing news channel."

"Too bad they exploited that loophole. FOX is planning to launch a new cable news channel, FNC!"

Bob Wright, the vice chairman of General Electric and CEO of NBC, fired Roger Ailes to prevent Ailes' scandal from affecting their partnership with Microsoft.

Arthur sighed, "Ted Turner's pressure is coming. MSNBC, with Microsoft's resources backing it, is a force to be reckoned with."

"FNC is no joke either! Someone like Roger Ailes, devoid of morals, is crucial for the growth of commercial news!"

Originally, CNN dominated the cable news market, but suddenly it faced two formidable competitors?

"TBS Group is definitely facing difficulties. CNN's news division will be challenged ahead, and other divisions will be too," Nick reminded him.

"The sports channel is in trouble. TNT can't compete with ESPN at all. When it comes to entertainment cable channels, we have the lead; TBS can't even compare. And Cartoon Network? It has two giants, Disney Kids and Nickelodeon, to contend with!"

Arthur's lips twitched. "But as long as TBS owns CNN, that's enough. Currently, 80% of TBS's revenue originates from CNN. CNN's value is undeniably in the top tier of cable channels. Only ESPN and MTV can rival it."

Nick Davis looked at Arthur and sensed something. "Arthur, you wouldn't be interested in CNN, would you?"

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Is there anyone who wouldn't be interested in CNN?"

Forget about MSNBC and FNC; those were future concerns. CNN was the king right now.

Building a cable news channel wasn't something you could do overnight. Before MSNBC and FNC rose, they would always be beneath CNN.

Nick Davis fell silent for a moment. "You must realize the resistance you'll face. CNN's political influence can't be overlooked."

"Don't worry, I understand. I'll talk it over with Ted Turner and John Malone. If the cost is too high, I definitely won't agree," Arthur knew he couldn't let himself go too far.

John Malone's Liberty Media held some shares in TBS, and the partnership between Galaxy and Liberty Media was going well; they even co-owned the pay channel Starz.

As for Ted Turner, his TBS had once shown interest in Galaxy, but now Galaxy had surpassed TBS. The biggest obstacle to Galaxy acquiring TBS wasn't Ted Turner!

It was Time Warner. It was also a significant shareholder in TBS. And CNN was a tough nut to crack. Ted Turner's influence at CNN was under serious challenge.

It was still the Jews and their political disputes. Ted Turner was not well-liked among them. TBS had become synonymous with Jewish interests, and Ted Turner was gradually being sidelined.

During the Rodney King incident, Turner insisted CNN show the full video of police beating him, so the audience could understand the whole context.

Unfortunately, CNN's Jewish leadership ignored his plea and aired a maliciously edited version, which caused other networks to broadcast it across the nation, leading to the subsequent Los Angeles riots!

...

That evening, at Will Rogers State Beach near Pacific Palisades, Arthur was on a date with Jennifer Aniston.

"Wow, is that hairstyle Rachel's?" Arthur smiled. The first season of Friends had skyrocketed Jennifer Aniston's popularity, making Rachel the most beloved character.

"Come on, does it look good?" Jennifer Aniston sat on Arthur's lap and gave him a kiss, snuggling up with him on the beach.

"Of course it looks great," Arthur said, pulling the girl closer for a kiss.

"Mmm," once the kiss ended, Jennifer's cheeks flushed, "Arthur, I got my manager to negotiate with the other Friends cast members for equal pay."

"You might be shortchanging yourself now. It's clear to everyone that you're the standout; the title of America's sweetheart isn't just for show," Arthur chuckled. In the first season of Friends, the pay for the lead role was only so high.

"I want to fit in with the rest. For the second season, we'll all get the same salary per episode, and so on," Jennifer Aniston didn't really need the money anyway; her man was just loaded.

However, Friends now had 24 episodes per season, which could earn them over a million dollars.

"Don't sweat it; your salary will keep increasing later on," Arthur wasn't too concerned about the pay since Galaxy had signed special copyright agreements with the main stars before Friends development began.

In the future, once Friends became a massive hit, only Galaxy Television would profit; the main stars would only get a small cut off the reruns.

Arthur didn't make the same mistake as Warner Bros., which had locked the stars into a 2% full copyright profit-sharing agreement.

He knew just how huge Friends would become in the future!

*****

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