Lu Mingjun was a very competent "table leader," extremely adept at creating a lively atmosphere at the dinner table. Song Yi was also skilled at social interaction, frequently raising his glass to toast everyone. Song Xiaoyun, however, had received instructions from Chen Yang beforehand, and her main target was Zhou Wen, the deputy director of the city radio station, who was sitting next to her.
Song Xiaoyun's years in the government hadn't been wasted; her toasting remarks were impeccable, each one unique. Plus, she was a beautiful woman, making it difficult for Zhou Wen to refuse. In no time, Song Xiaoyun had already clinked glasses with Zhou Wen three or four times.
Song Xiaoyun also frequently offered Zhou Wen thoughtful services, such as serving him food, pouring soup, and refilling his glass. Having such a beautiful woman serving him personally greatly satisfied Zhou Wen, making him quite pleased.
Lu Mingjun, not forgetting his mission, saw the atmosphere at the table growing increasingly lively and steered the conversation towards the main topic:
"Old Zhou, how's the business of channel 89.6 that you're in charge of?"
Zhou Wen immediately looked dejected, his face contorted with distress.
"Don't even mention it. It's losing money every month. Of all the channels I manage, 89.6 is the worst. It can't even be self-sufficient! Sigh!"
Zhou Wen finished speaking and let out a long sigh. He had racked his brains trying to find solutions for channel 89.6, but under the current system, its positioning overlapped with both the city and provincial stations, leaving him with virtually no options.
Now, every time he attended a meeting at the propaganda department, Zhou Wen felt inferior. Everyone said radio and television stations were profitable and well-funded, but the channels he managed were barely surviving, and 89.6 had been losing money year after year. Even the leaders in the propaganda department treated him with disdain, making him feel extremely aggrieved.
Within the city radio station, some people were also gossiping, saying that the station's performance was dragged down by the "89.6" incident; otherwise, the station's profits would definitely be much higher, and everyone's benefits would be significantly better.
"Director Zhou, is it really that serious?" Chen Yang asked with a smile. "Radio frequencies are a scarce resource these days! The Radio Management Committee isn't approving any new frequencies anymore. Having such an easy-to-remember and catchy FM frequency is a huge asset in itself!"
"Yes! Director Zhou is probably just being modest!" Song Xiaoyun echoed with a smile. "I remember Channel 89.6 has been running for many years. When I was little, I especially loved listening to a midnight talk show called 'Tender Night'—it was on that channel, wasn't it? Later, my decision to apply to a media university was largely influenced by Sister Yingying, the host of 'Tender Night'!"
Song Xiaoyun knew Chen Yang's intention. She had done her homework before coming. She knew that before becoming a leader, Zhou Wen had worked as the producer of the 'Tender Night' program on Channel 89.6 for many years. Therefore, she deliberately steered the conversation towards this topic, catering to Zhou Wen's interests.
Sure enough, upon hearing Song Xiaoyun's words, Zhou Wen's face revealed a hint of pride. He said, "Little Song, so you're a veteran listener of 89.6! It's not easy for anyone to still remember 'Tender Night'! That program was indeed 89.6's flagship program, winning numerous national awards back then!"
At this point, Zhou Wen couldn't help but show a touch of sadness, continuing, "Unfortunately, after several revisions, 89.6 finally had this flagship program, which had been broadcast continuously for ten years, cut. After that, the channel's influence steadily declined… A rigid system, a lack of skilled management personnel—I watched as such a good frequency gradually became mediocre, even heading towards extinction…"
Zhou Wen's expression was one of deep regret. He had worked at 89.6 for many years, and after becoming deputy director, he was responsible for liaising with the channel, so his affection for 89.6 ran very deep. Chen Yang suddenly spoke up:
"Zhou Tai, have you tried a different approach?"
"A different approach?" Zhou Wen was momentarily puzzled and subconsciously asked.
Chen Yang smiled slightly and said:
"Actually, Channel 89.6 has quite good resources. The reason it's not doing well now, I think, is simply due to the system: bloated staff, overstaffing, and uneven workloads. Am I right?"
Zhou Wen's face showed a hint of surprise. He hadn't expected Chen Yang to know so much about radio; he had basically hit the nail on the head.
Zhou Wen said with a wry smile:
"What good would finding the reason do? The staffing system isn't something we can solve. Even the leaders of the propaganda department wouldn't have any good solutions."
A permanent position is like a guaranteed job; it's always one person, one spot. And in a good unit like the city radio station, most people who get in have some connections. If Zhou Wen suggested reducing staff and streamlining, he would immediately become the target of everyone's criticism.
"Hiding someone's path to wealth!" At this point, everyone stopped talking and focused their attention on Chen Yang and Zhou Wen's conversation. Song Xiaoyun also looked at Chen Yang with some curiosity. She knew Chen Yang was interested in Channel 89.6, but she had no idea how he would persuade Zhou Wen.
Chen Yang smiled and said,
"That's why I said we need to change our approach! Since adjusting the organizational structure isn't working, we can try a different route!"
"Oh? I'd like to hear more!" Zhou Wen said with interest.
Chen Yang smiled and said,
"As far as I know, several premium channels on the city radio station are actually quite short-staffed. With the same number of staff, those channels far exceed 89.6 in both program volume and live broadcast time. They practically need to be in two places at once, which is a stark contrast to the relaxed schedule of channel 89.6!"
Chen Yang paused, then continued,
"So, what do you think? Outsource channel 89.6 entirely, charging a fixed annual fee. This has two advantages: first, it will definitely turn a profit completely, and it's a guaranteed income regardless of circumstances, transferring all the risk to the contractor; second, most of 89.6's existing staff can be transferred to other channels, leaving only a few managers, which would greatly alleviate the staff shortage."
Zhou Wen's eyes lit up upon hearing Chen Yang's words. This idea was indeed very novel, and something he had never considered before. But after careful consideration, he quickly calmed down and said hesitantly:
"Xiao Fang, your method sounds good, but I estimate it will be quite difficult to implement. First, neither the provincial nor the municipal station has ever contracted out an entire frequency. Whether this would violate the regulations of higher authorities is debatable. Second, our station would be taking on a huge risk. You know the media has always been the mouthpiece of the Party, and the radio station broadcasts its message daily. Handing the microphone over to outsiders rashly, if the wrong person is chosen and a political error occurs during broadcasting, it would be a major disaster! No one can bear such a heavy responsibility!"
Zhou Wen thought it over and found it increasingly reasonable. He waved his hand disappointedly and said:
"No! No! This method won't work..."
Chen Yang had already anticipated Zhou Wen's response regarding the 89.6 frequency. Chen Yang was determined to succeed and had considered every aspect of the issue. Zhou Wen had thought of these things, and Chen Yang had already considered them as well. So, as soon as Zhou Wen finished speaking, Chen Yang confidently said:
"Contracting out a channel—that's certainly a shocking proposition. I bet the propaganda department leaders will be terrified after reading the report! But Director Zhou, you can report it under the guise of market-based cooperation! Partner with external companies to provide the programming for certain time slots on channel 89.6. The partner would provide the programming for those slots, and the advertising slots would also be licensed to the partner, with the revenue going to them. The station would receive a fixed management fee annually. The same thing, phrased differently, is much more palatable, isn't it? I believe your superiors will agree!"
Zhou Wen looked tempted upon hearing Chen Yang's words. It must be said that Chen Yang had a deep understanding of the system. Zhou Wen knew that if the report was drafted according to Chen Yang's approach, it was very likely to pass the superiors' approval.
Chen Yang, observing Zhou Wen's expression, pressed his advantage, saying:
"As for your second question, that's even easier to solve. Didn't I mention before? Leave a small number of managers. These people are responsible for supervising and managing our partners. Every program broadcast daily must be reviewed by them. Every live program also has a delay. As long as the managers are on-site throughout, any problem can be immediately stopped and background music added, completely avoiding the problem you're worried about!"
Chen Yang's words truly resonated with Zhou Wen. Chen Yang had grasped the issue that officials within the system cared about most. Most of them held a "better safe than sorry" mentality, their biggest fear being political problems arising during broadcasts. If such a situation occurred, Zhou Wen, the supervisor in charge, would certainly be dismissed, and the leaders of the municipal propaganda department would also be significantly implicated.
The method Chen Yang just described could indeed prevent this from happening at its source, provided that those managers were truly dedicated and responsible.
This was not a problem at all. After so many years at the radio station, Zhou Wen still had a group of subordinates he trusted.
At this point, Chen Yang had laid out his entirely new plan. Zhou Wen had to admit that if it succeeded, although Channel 89.6 would effectively belong to someone else, it would completely turn a profit.
Of course, if the cooperation succeeded, it could also be a significant milestone in Zhou Wen's political career.
This was quite tempting for Zhou Wen!
After speaking, Chen Yang smiled as he looked at Zhou Wen, who was deep in thought. Chen Yang was very confident that Zhou Wen wouldn't be able to refuse such a golden opportunity!
At this moment, Lu Mingjun smiled knowingly and said:
"Xiao Fang, weren't you planning to register a cultural communication company in our creative park recently? Why don't you just cooperate with Lao Zhou? Everyone knows each other well, which will be more reassuring, and Lao Zhou won't have so many concerns!"