Chapter 242: Acquisition of Newspapers (1/2)

"newspaper?"

Controlling the steering wheel to avoid pedestrians basking in the sun on the road, John Daley glanced at Colin in the back seat and considered: "The San Francisco Observer, it should be the largest circulation newspaper in San Francisco. It is said that , even many people in counties outside San Francisco can buy the "San Francisco Observer."

Colin: "What about other than that?"

John Daly: "Apart from the Observer, the only one left is the San Francisco Chronicle. It is currently the second largest circulation newspaper in San Francisco after the Observer. Others like the San Francisco Chronicle Although the Independent or the San Francisco Weekly also sell, their circulation is obviously not comparable to that of the Observer and the Chronicle..."

Colin: "What is the relationship between the Observer and the Chronicle?"

In the driver's seat, after hearing Colin's inquiry, John Daly tried to recall it, and then said in an uncertain tone: "It shouldn't be too bad, the Observer has always been the best in terms of newspaper circulation. Occupying the first position, the "Chronicle" seems to be quite dissatisfied with this. I heard that when the competition was the most fierce, the two newspapers also launched offensive and defensive battles on their respective pages. However, in recent years, there have been many fewer such offensive and defensive battles. , probably due to the impact of the Great Depression, the sales of newspapers are generally not very good..."

It’s no wonder. After all, when you open a newspaper, you’ll find only bad news everywhere. If things go on like this, it’s strange that the sales of newspapers can improve.

In the back seat of the car, Colin nodded thoughtfully after listening to John Daly's description of the situation in San Francisco newspapers.

His purpose in coming to San Francisco was not only to cooperate on the patent for televisions, but also to develop the newspaper market.

There is a distance of more than 4,000 kilometers from New York to San Francisco, but they are already two completely different markets.

Here, most people participate in dance marathons and read the San Francisco Examiner. Many people have not even heard of the Courier Daily.

They may know about Superman's existence, but they obviously don't have the enthusiasm or following that New York does.

Without the support of the comic story background, CBS' "Adventures of Superman" weekly radio drama alone seems not enough to spread the influence of Superman.

Colin also learned about it during the conversation with John Daly.

Currently the most popular radio drama in San Francisco is a radio drama called "The Lone Ranger". The drama describes a tough guy from the West. It is very popular among San Francisco listeners. It is said that more than half of the listeners in San Francisco are fans of the drama. Loyal listeners, even John Daly.

However, from John Daly's introduction, Colin could hear a bit of "Superman" in "The Lone Ranger".

Obviously, in the content design of the show, although it is mainly about Western tough guys, it more or less refers to the core of "Superman".

However, "The Lone Ranger", a radio drama mixed with "Superman", is more popular in San Francisco than the original "Superman", which is obviously not acceptable to Colin.

Especially when he thought that the [Faith] he gained due to "The Lone Ranger" was reduced, this emotion became a little stronger.

"Here we are, Mr. Colin Looper."

During the conversation, John Daley had already taken Colin to the reserved hotel.

After getting off the car, John Daley glanced at the suitcase in Colin's hand and then turned to look at the hotel in front of him, with a bit of envy on his face.

Fairmont is currently one of the most upscale hotels in San Francisco.

When will he be able to stay in such a luxurious hotel.

"Mr. Colin Looper, what time tomorrow?"

In front of the Fairmont Hotel, Colin thought for a moment and gave the time.

"One o'clock in the afternoon."

As he spoke, he reached out and took out a ten-dollar bill and handed it to John Daly in front of him.

"Thank you for your hard work, this is your reward."

Reaching out to take the banknotes from Colin's hand, the smile on John Daly's face became a little more obvious.

"This is my job, sir. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

After saying goodbye, Colin turned around and walked into the hotel.

John Daly's eyes also paused on the suitcase in his hand for a moment before he withdrew his gaze and carefully put away the banknotes.

…

“…Farmers lost the land they relied on for survival and were forced to leave their homes.”

"I have grown up on this farm since I was born. I played here, got married here, and gave birth to children here. Originally, I thought my life would end here, but the Great Depression happened, we went bankrupt, and the bank They took away our land..."

Early morning, in the buffet restaurant of the Fairmont Hotel.

Colin read a follow-up report from the "San Francisco Chronicle" about farmers going bankrupt and fleeing during the Great Depression.

Unlike New York, which is a big city, agriculture in the suburbs of San Francisco is developed, which is originally a good thing.

However, the Great Depression destroyed everything.

A large number of farmers went bankrupt due to the Great Depression. They had to give up the land they relied on and were forced to move west. According to news reports, more than tens of thousands of farmers have left their farms, and large areas of land have been abandoned. The end of the trip is California.

However, when the San Francisco Chronicle asked them how they would make a living after going to California, they had no plan.

After reading the last report about the westward migration in the San Francisco Chronicle, Colin picked up the egg on the plate with a fork and put it into his mouth. Suddenly, he heard the neighing of a horse and the sound of rapid horse hooves.

Hiss--

Looking through the wall of the hotel.

He saw policemen riding horses and whipping away the vagrants nearby on the street.

Some of the farmers who fled the famine moved west to other cities in California, but some came to San Francisco nearby. They couldn't find jobs in the city and were forced to become part of the army of vagrants.

The police in San Francisco had no other way except to drive them away on a daily basis. After all, even the city government often couldn't pay wages during this period, and the police department often owed wages to police officers.

Taking his eyes off the vagrants who were driven away like animals outside the hotel, Colin finished the last piece of egg on the plate, then picked up the newspaper in his hand and left the restaurant with the waiter's respectful attitude.

The time he agreed with John Daly was in the afternoon, which meant he had plenty of time to deal with other things in the morning.

…

"Are there any newspapers nearby?"

"If you want a newspaper, the hotel provides the latest newspapers in San Francisco that day."

"No, I'm asking about newspapers, no matter how big or small."

"Newspaper... Wait a minute, sir, I'll go ask..."

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, sir, the nearest newspaper is just around the corner from the hotel, called the San Jose Mercury Newspaper, which mainly publishes content covering the Bay Area west of San Jose, and is one of the more famous local newspapers."

"San Jose Mercury Newspaper."

After hearing the news about the San Jose Mercury Newspaper from the front desk of the Fairmont Hotel, Colin nodded thoughtfully, and then nodded to the front desk in front of him.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir, this is what I should do."

Coming out of the hotel, Colin followed the direction indicated by the front desk, and soon saw the sign of the San Jose Mercury Newspaper at the corner of the street.

In general, the entire newspaper office does not occupy a large area.

As can be seen from the name of the newspaper, this is a local tabloid specializing in regional news, somewhat similar to the "Courier" before the revision.

Bang--

"What do you want?"

Pushing open the door of the newspaper, the first thing that came was a slightly dissatisfied greeting.

Then, a man with gray hair stood up from the table of the newspaper and asked Colin.

"We don't need employees here. If you are looking for a job, go somewhere else!"

Not only the man, but other people in the newspaper were also quite dissatisfied with Colin's arrival.

He cast a vigilant look at him, obviously treating him as a target of snatching jobs from himself.

"I'm not here to find a job."

In the vigilant and dissatisfied eyes of the San Jose Mercury, Colin explained casually.

"Then who are you?"

Hearing Colin's explanation, the man's dissatisfaction on his face was slightly reduced, but he still asked with a little stiffness: "If you are here to provide news, my price here is 1 cent per piece, no matter how big or small, no bargaining."

As a local tabloid, the San Jose Mercury Newspaper has no intention of tracking big news.

"I am also not here to sell news."

However, Colin's answer made the man's expression, which had been slightly relieved, dissatisfied again. He frowned and looked at this uninvited guy, and said in a heavier tone: "It's not work, nor is it to sell news materials. Then who are you?"

As he said, the man seemed to think of another possibility.

"If you are selling something, I'm sorry, I won't buy anything, whether it's a necklace that can bring good luck, a magical statue, or some unknown product. Of course, if you are here to advertise, then it's another matter, provided that you can afford the cost of advertising."

From the information revealed by the man, the situation of the San Jose Mercury Newspaper is obviously not good.

"I don't know, do you have any idea of ​​selling this newspaper?"

Interrupting the man, Colin gave a straightforward answer.

"Sell the newspaper!"

The man's expression paused for a moment after Colin's sudden inquiry, and then he looked at the guest in front of him as if he had come back to his senses, and asked tentatively: "So, sir, are you here for the newspaper?"

Hearing the news that the newspaper might be sold, several employees in the San Jose Mercury Newspaper who didn't care couldn't help but look at each other, with some worry on their faces.

They were worried that if the newspaper was really acquired, their work would be affected.

However, it was obvious that the employees' worries were not within the man's consideration. He opened his mouth, considered his words, and then said to Colin in front of him: "Sir, are you sure you are not joking with me, but really want to buy the newspaper?"

"What kind of joke do you think would make people come to buy a newspaper that doesn't make money?"

In response, Colin did not answer directly, but asked the man a question.

Hearing Colin's question, the man also nodded in agreement.

Indeed, as Colin said, the "San Jose Mercury News" is not a very famous newspaper in San Francisco, and I really don't know that someone would go to such trouble to make a joke on me.

So, everything is true, does anyone really value this half-dead newspaper? !

Thinking of this, the man's breathing became faster. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down his excitement.

When the man looked at Colin again, the expression on his face was already different from before.

"Excuse me, sir, what is your name?"

"Colin Looper."

"Mr. Colin Looper, would you like coffee or tea?"

"Give me a cup of coffee."

During the Great Depression, the tea market was flooded with cheap tea that tasted terrible.

Apart from being cheap, there is no second advantage, which is not a problem for Americans who don’t know how to drink tea. But Colin obviously couldn’t get used to drinking this kind of inferior tea, so he simply asked for a cup of coffee.

"Okay, why don't you go get tea quickly? What are you looking at so stupidly?"

He ordered the newspaper staff arrogantly, and when the coffee came, the man smiled flatteringly at Colin.

"Mr. Colin Looper, your coffee is here, be careful to burn your mouth."

After Colin picked up the coffee and took a sip, he spoke impatiently.

"Mr. Colin Looper, don't look at the current "San Jose Mercury News" as inconspicuous, but in fact the "San Jose Mercury News" has a history of nearly seventy years and is deeply influential in the San Francisco Bay Area. At its peak, the San Jose Mercury News could be read throughout San Jose and was one of the most influential local newspapers.”

In the San Jose Mercury News office, the man told Colin the history of the San Jose Mercury News, but the expression on Colin's face did not change at all.

"Since the San Jose Mercury News is so influential, it seems like I shouldn't take advantage of others, or should I forget it?"

After hearing what Colin said, the expression on the newspaper owner's face suddenly paused and he said quickly.

"That's all in the past. In fact, since the Great Depression, the sales of the San Jose Mercury News have been decreasing day by day. If I didn't still have this feeling for the newspaper and have employees to support, I might not have spent a day. Will continue to work here. ”

"Since Mr. Colin Looper, you want to buy the newspaper business, for only fifty thousand dollars, not forty thousand dollars, I will sell the San Jose Mercury News. From now on, it will be yours."

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