ABC and MGM reached an agreement, with MGM acquiring a 20% stake in ABC TV for US$14.5 million.
At the same time, the two companies reached a deep cooperative relationship. MGM has the largest film source in Hollywood, and its film source library will be open to ABC in the future. Now even if ABC plays a movie every night, it will not be the same for two years.
If you show a movie every week, it will last for 10 years.
MGM has the strongest program production capabilities in Hollywood and will help ABC produce programs at the same time. "Bewitched" became a hit, and people found that serial TV series are more suitable for family viewing than movies.
MGM will invest a lot of energy in producing television series in the future.
The broadcasting rights of "Cat and Jerry" were sold to ABC, and production continued.
ABC's trump card "Super Talent" has not been used yet. When this program starts, MGM can help produce it.
The cooperation between MGM and ABC is definitely a powerful combination. Once this news came out, it was another heavy blow to BC.
It seems that the gap is getting bigger and bigger.
At the same time, Hardy acquired 11% of the Los Angeles Times in the name of his investment company.
As for the private deals between the two companies, those were just verbal agreements, such as helping Hardy get the position of president of the Screen Actors Guild, which could not be made public.
After reaching an agreement with MGM, the specific transaction was handed over to Andy, while Hardy took the women to play in the casino.
What.
Don't women fight or have conflicts?
At least not on the surface.
Everyone knows who they are.
Hardy never made any woman feel that he belonged to her alone, and he never talked about love and commitment with women.
He didn't care to think about what the women thought.
If someone says he is a ruthless scumbag.
Hardy just smiled faintly.
Irresponsibility is actually a form of responsibility.
If you don't accept, you don't have to join. No one is forcing you. Anyone who follows him does so voluntarily.
Hardy never stopped anyone from leaving.
After a few days in Las Vegas, the casino business gradually stabilized, Hardy returned to Los Angeles, and Mike followed him.
This time, Mike was scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show with Elaine.
Recording live.
Mike participated as the owner of the largest TV manufacturer in the United States. Elaine and her team designed a perfect set of questions and communicated with Mike in advance.
Mike graduated from New York University and joined the army after the outbreak of World War II. He was promoted to second lieutenant and won a battle medal. After being injured and discharged from the army, he worked as a magazine editor. Later, he started his own business and now owns the largest television factory in the United States.
This resume is absolutely beautiful.
And clean.
If the Corrion family really breaks away from the Mafia in the future, it can completely transform itself into an American political family.
Don't be surprised.
Such examples are not uncommon in this magical country.
After historical changes and constant whitewashing, many people have forgotten their past history and think they have been so glamorous since birth.
Zhou Shuren once said: All nobles started out as robbers.
"Mr. Mike, can you tell us about what happened on the battlefield?" Elaine asked.
"I participated in the Normandy landings. It was a tough battle. Many of my comrades died. We rushed forward under the enemy's powerful artillery fire. In the end, we won. However, I was also injured in that battle and had to leave the battlefield."
"Mr. Mike, can you please tell me about your initial founding of the Meibo TV Factory and how it became the largest TV factory in the United States in such a short period of time?"
"When I acquired the Meibao TV factory, it was a factory that had closed down during the war. I bought it from a bank and renovated it to resume production. Later, everyone knew that we launched a '30% down payment installment payment' business, and there was also a 'no down payment installment payment' for military personnel. This business was welcomed by many people, and the TVs sold well. All TVs were sold out within a few days. I came up with the idea of expanding production capacity. Now our TV factory can reach an annual production of 400,000 sets, with annual sales of more than 50 million US dollars."
"Are you optimistic about the television industry?" Yilian asked.
Mike smiled and said, "I am more optimistic about the future of the United States. After the Second World War, the United States entered a period of rapid development. People need a better life, so the entertainment industry will be very important in the future. Television is one of the people's livelihood industries."
“I heard that you are running for the California State Assembly. Can you tell me why?”
Michael paused and said affectionately, "I chose to join the army to defend this country, and I started a business after retiring to build this country."
"The United States is our common home. We love it, but the country also has an obligation to help every citizen and family live a better life."
"I see the employment, health care, education, environment, social security, public safety, and women's protection issues in society. I know that no society is perfect, but I hope to change something through my own efforts."
"If I become a member of parliament, I will do my best to solve problems and make people's lives better."
The show was a success.
ABC TV station has nationwide coverage in the United States, and its ratings have now far surpassed those of the other two major TV stations. After the broadcast, many Americans got to know this young and promising owner of the largest TV factory in the United States.
Many people in New York also know Mike.
Previously, he ranked first in the vote in his constituency, which was mainly due to the old godfather. Through this talk show, more people got to know Mike.
Discovering that he is such an outstanding person, people are naturally willing to vote for him.
There is another group of people who support Mike even more, and that is veterans.
The policy launched by Meibao TV for military personnel to purchase TVs in installments without down payment is definitely a welfare policy for military personnel. Anyone who buys a TV will naturally be grateful to Mike.
During World War II, 12 million young men and women joined the US military. After the war, more than 10 million retired. These people are now the backbone of society and their families. These veterans alone can drive a lot of votes.
Mike and Hardy said goodbye, hugged each other and boarded the plane.
Ten hours later, the plane landed and Mike returned to the Corrion family mansion to meet his father, the Godfather.
The father and son sat down.
Today, many businesses of the Corrion family have been divided out. The old Godfather asked Tessio and Clementa to form their own families, and the family business was given to Tom Hagen. The Corrion family is working hard to whitewash itself.
The old godfather now has a new goal. He fully supports Michael and makes the Corrion family move in another direction.
He thought that road was broader and brighter.
"Mike, I watched your show. You spoke very well. People below gave me feedback. Now more and more people support you. Your votes have far surpassed other competitors." The old godfather said with a smile.
"I didn't expect TV programs to be so powerful," said Mike.
The old godfather shook his head. "It's because ABC's publicity is strong. There have been people who gave speeches on TV before, but the effect was not as good as this time."
After saying this, the old godfather thought of Hardy again.
"Hadi controls ABC, which means he has a lot of say. You'll see, many politicians will ask for his help in the future."
"I was optimistic about Hardy before, but I still didn't expect that he would develop so fast, faster than I expected. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas are all within his sphere of influence now."
"The influence of ABC goes beyond the scope of money. Mike, you and Hardy are good friends. You should maintain a good relationship in the future. You should also learn a lot from him. Many times, Hardy sees farther, thinks more, and plans more carefully than you."
Mike nodded. "I know, Father."
Seeing his son so serious, the old godfather patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "You are already great, Mike. This state assembly election is a sure win. The next step is to run for the Senate and enter Washington. You still have a long way to go."
......
The Hardy women went back to their work.
Ava Gardner continues to film the movie, and has shot most of it across the country. It is estimated that it will be completed in more than a month.
"Ghost" has already started filming, and Hedy Lamarr is very busy now.
Taylor has already got the new script, "Beauty and the Beast", and she will play Belle. She is 15 years old now and will be almost 16 when the filming is ready.
At the age of 16, Taylor has grown into a mature girl in both figure and appearance, and is just the right person to play Belle.
Han Ye-jin continues to run her own auction house. She is a very reserved person who does not compete with others. She likes the antique business more and more and devotes herself to it. Now her auction house has grown bigger and bigger.
The auction house has built a veritable treasure trove of antique collections that is waterproof, moisture-proof and theft-proof, and with the added bonus of HD security, safety is completely assured.
Auction houses now not only purchase antiques, but also engage in auction business and make money through auctions. Han Ye-jin's ideal model is to use the money earned from auctions to purchase antiques for collection and achieve a balance.
As for Irina, she was beside him.
"Irina, I have a task for you," Hardy said to the woman.
"What's up, boss?"
"I plan to set up 'Las Vegas TV Station' and merge it into ABC after it is completed. At the same time, I will open a channel, the Las Vegas Channel, which will broadcast to the whole United States." Hardy said.
The French girl turned around and said in surprise: "Boss, if we set up a Las Vegas channel to broadcast to the whole United States, it would require a lot of programs to support it. Now we have invested a lot of manpower and resources to support the 16-hour broadcast of the ABC channel. The investment of opening a new channel is very huge."
Hardy shook his head and smiled, "Las Vegas TV is completely different from the three major TV channels. There is no news, no TV dramas, no TV shopping programs."
"So what kind of programs are you going to have on this channel?" Irina asked.
"It mainly plays the casino situation. I made a simple playlist." Hardy said as he leaned over and took out a piece of paper from the bedside table and handed it to the French girl.
The French girl took it and looked at it carefully.
"It shows the scenery of Las Vegas and introduces the Hardy Hotel, including its food, facilities, nightclubs, and striptease performances, reflecting its decadent luxury and leisure."
“Introducing the casino and various gambling methods, recording directly in the casino, the atmosphere on site is more real and intense, allowing people to see the scene of winning money.”
"Holding gambling tournaments, such as Texas Hold'em tournaments, each game can last for several hours and will definitely attract a lot of spectators."
"After establishing horse and dog racing, we will broadcast horse and dog racing situations."
"The casino broadcasts prizes live every two hours, and can broadcast live the scene of people winning prizes and awarding prizes to stimulate people's desire."
When Americans win awards, they are not as secretive as the Chinese; instead, they prefer to show off in front of the camera.
After the French girl finished reading, Hardy said, "There is one more important thing. We will open a telephone betting and lottery service, similar to a live TV broadcast. We will open the lottery every two hours, and we can accept telephone bets during this period to help people from all over the United States place bets."
"If someone wins, he has to come to the casino to claim the money."
Irina blinked.
"Boss, are you planning to start a lottery business? But lottery is illegal now," Irina reminded.
The lottery industry was once very popular in the United States, and many lottery players became addicted to gambling. Starting in 1833, some states began to ban lotteries. By 1930, a total of 45 states had passed laws declaring lotteries illegal, and the constitutions of 35 states prohibited all lottery activities.
It wasn't until 1964 that some states declared lotteries legal again. Although Nevada allowed gambling, it did not allow lottery business.
Hardy smiled.
"This is not a lottery, this is a casino betting and prize drawing, which is different from a lottery. I have asked the legal team, and this situation cannot be defined at all. After all, televised betting and prize drawing is a new thing, and it is difficult for the judge to judge."
"This is also the reason why people who win prizes must come to the casino to claim their winnings. We believe that the entire gambling process took place in the casino. We just asked people to place bets, and it had nothing to do with the lottery."
"Even if someone files a lawsuit, the lawyers can fight with them. The worst outcome is to stop the business," Hardy said with a smile.
In fact, this is just exploiting a legal loophole.
"I understand, boss. We have enough manpower at ABC. It's not difficult to build a local platform. I estimate it can be completed in less than a month." Irina said.
Hardy told Irina that he had acquired a Las Vegas radio station before. There was a guy named Colin Firth, who was the station director and had worked in a TV station before. The radio station had an office building, so the TV station could be set up directly there.
"Go and see if this Colin Firth can be used. If he can, you can focus on training him."
"Don't worry, boss. I will do it well." Irina said.
It's great to have a secretary like this.
Both capable and capable.