Chapter 1: The Program Group to be Disbanded (part 2 out of 3)
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Yang An quietly whispered, “Gu Ge[1], Aren"t variety shows below 0.3% ratings cut? We will soon hit 0.3% of the “Jianghu Talk Show”, how can everyone not worry?”
Gu Yunfeng carefully maintained[2] the camera and did not raise his head. “Director Duan will retire just within two months. “Jianghu Talk Show” has been shown for three years, so it"s about time to stop broadcasting. The new producer will definitely not continue this project. Anyway, the ending is like this. What would we still struggling with it? Wait for these two months to idly pa.s.s by, a new producers will come, and we will start another show and start sailing again. The broadcasting station will not pay us one less cent of wages! "
”Gu Ge isn"t wrong. When the new producers form a team, I am determined not to make entertainment programs. The program is too difficult to come up with. The audience is too difficult to wait for, the ratings are too low, and the advertisers are too few to name. Who wants to do something so hard to please? “This was the screenwriter Li Yang, a young man in his early thirties. Unfortunately, his head was bald with only three or five hairs left. According to him, it was due to how much brainpower it took to come up with a script.
Li Yang"s words resonated with everyone. Most of the formally employed workers on staff held similar att.i.tudes of waiting for the "Jianghu Talk Show" to stop broadcasting.
Rather, it was contractors like Yang An who were worried. Once the show stopped, they may even lose their jobs.
Yang An was speechless. The program group cooperated well together for three years. How could people have such defeated, dead att.i.tudes.
”Jianghu Talk Show” mainly invited some domestic guests star to make fun of and explain hot topics in the society, tell some jokes, sing songs, and hold interactive events while recommending the stars" movie, the published books, the music alb.u.ms, etc.
In the first year, Hongfeng TV gave great support. All the invited stars were first-line stars. The recommended movies were blockbuster movies. The songs were also on fire song with gold-level sales. The host was also very strong. The program was very good that the program ratings reached as high as 1.5%. It ranked among the top five shows in the country.
However, each year was not as good as the previous year. The host changed a few times. The first-line stars were not willing to come. The second and third-line stars could not attract views. The content of the program remained unchanged. Every year, the freshness of the show decreased, and the audience did not enjoy watching. The advertisers did not wish to invest, so it went downhill to the point of needing to stop broadcasting.
At this time, Director Duan Haishan and Li Song, the deputy director of the production department came in together. Duan Haishan clapped his hands: “Everyone put down whatever you have in hand. Director Li has something to say.”
Yang An noticed that Duan Haishan and Li Song"s expressions were not so good. He quickly put down the camera and, like everyone else, stood next to the part.i.tion.
Li Song was a middle-aged man in his forties. He was the deputy director of the production department of the TV station and also the producer of “Jianghu Talk Show”.
He shouted, “The ratings of “Jianghu Talk Show” have been counted yesterday. The national satellite variety show has a rating of 0.295%. Everyone knows what this figure means.”
Everyone"s heart trembled. It was really under 0.3%!
Once the 0.3% red line was crossed, the program will stop broadcasting immediately. Even though the 3 – 4 pm slot on Sundays was a chicken rib[3], many programs without the opportunity to broadcast still coveted the timeslot. They would break their brains to figure out how to squeeze into the spot.
Li Song"s angry voice became higher and higher in pitch: “Director Duan has two months before retirement. What do you want to do? You can"t even let him retire in peace and comfort? You have also followed Director Duan"s leadership for three years, but you cannot even hold on in the last two months? All of this gives me energy. This is the last change I will give you. If the ratings continue to fall under 0.3 this week, everyone will roll out of TV station!”
No one in the office dared speak aloud. Li Song snorted and left, leaving Duan Haishan alone to face his team.
[1] Ge means older brother; it a way to indicate a close/ friendly relationship with people outside of your immediate family
[2] Doing maintenance like a car check up
[3] A chicken rib means having not much mean, but it would still be a pity to throw it. Basically, it"s a thing with little value but one still is unwilling to waste it.