The Tyrant Billionaire

CBS executives were also studying ABC, feeling the threat deeply. They even felt that they weren't in the same league. CBS executives held a meeting until 3 a.m, finally deciding on a few directions.

The duration of programming must increase, at least during prime time. Creating high quality programs on a large scale wasn't realistic, but ABC's educational programs inspired them.

They could have two people play chess with commentary, calling it an international chess tutorial. Or have three people play a card game, four people play bridge—all could become programs. They could even offer French or Spanish language lessons or fishing shows. Someone even suggested a home appliance repair tutorial.

As for high quality programs, they needed to produce one or two to retain viewers. Ultimately, they decided to imitate ABC's programs without infringing on copyrights, just borrowing ideas.

Film industry moguls watching the TV industry were also shaken. Previously, NBC and CBS didn't pose a threat, but after seeing ABC, they realized the potential danger. If given the choice between movies and TV, they might prefer staying home to watch TV.

Why? Going to the movies was inconvenient, requiring driving to the theater, buying tickets, dealing with the weather, and ensuring safety. In contrast, TV required none of that. They could comfortably enjoy their favorite shows at home in their pajamas.

The next day, several major newspapers reported on ABC's launch.

"ABC TV's programs are innovative and engaging, capable of tightly holding the audience's attention. If the other two TV stations don't change, they will be left far behind."

"By increasing the duration by 11 hours and significantly improving program quality, ABC's ambitious boss has clearly out shined NBC and CBS. However, we welcome this situation because it means better entertainment for viewers."

ABC TV continued its broadcast. People knew that other TV stations had no daytime programs, so they naturally tuned into ABC. Today's segment wasn't "Estée Lauder Teaches You How to Apply Makeup," but a show called "Beautiful Kitchen," teaching housewives how to cook delicious food.

A gentle looking woman in her thirties spoke to the audience in a conversational tone while teaching how to make cakes, bread, egg tarts, sandwiches, salads, roasted meats, vegetable dishes, pork ribs, and more.

The show featured various ingredients and appliances, for which the TV station had secured advertisements from distributors. Just this kitchen alone featured over a hundred different items. Each appearance cost $2,000 in advertising fees—cheap, considering the exposure.

Calculating this, the Beautiful Kitchen show could earn $2 million annually in advertising revenue—a staggering amount.

After the cooking show, a documentary was aired: "The Battle of Iwo Jima." This documentary recorded the brutal fight between American and Japanese forces for Iwo Jima. Hardy had this documentary specially made.

The U.S. military had never lacked war correspondents, capturing many images. Hardy, through General Williams, obtained a copy from the military and had HD Films produce it. For HD Films, making such a documentary was easy, with footage and narration completed in just a few days.

The documentary showed how many Americans were killed and injured by the Japanese, creating a strong anti Japanese sentiment among American viewers.

Yesterday was "The Bombing of Pearl Harbor," and today was "The Battle of Iwo Jima." Some people thought to themselves, "Just how much does ABC TV dislike the Japanese?"

The ABC television network's noon news not only reported domestic and international news but also featured a rather interesting story.

At the Estée Lauder cosmetics store, the influx of customers was so overwhelming that it caused significant congestion. Yesterday, due to the overwhelming number of orders from "television shopping," many customers went to the counter today to purchase items, keeping the staff extremely busy.

The television network recorded a half minute clip.

Women holding numbers in their hands approached the counter, and after verifying the numbers, they could buy their desired perfumes, lipsticks, and makeup kits at television shopping prices. Each woman left with a bright smile after making their purchase.

"Did you buy anything?" the male news anchor asked the female anchor.

The female anchor smiled gently and said, "Hehe, I really did. With such a great deal, how could I not?"

"What merchandise is being sold this afternoon? Do you have any insider information?"

"No, I don't. I'm looking forward to it just as much as everyone else."

Many people were eagerly waiting to find out what would be sold in the afternoon and whether they could get a good deal through television shopping.

As the noon news ended, the television shopping segment began.

"Dear viewers, today's 'television shopping' session has started. Our rules remain the same—orders are placed over the phone. However, we have some unfortunate news: due to transportation reasons, this product is only available in Los Angeles and San Francisco."

"This scooter is called the 'Bumblebee.'" There are three colors to choose from: green, yellow, and red. You can give the operator your preferred color."

The female host beside him asked, "These types of scooters typically cost between $120 and $150 on the market. I wonder how much of a discount we're offering today?"

The male host smiled and said loudly to the camera, "Today's price isn't set by me, it's set by the customers. How do customers set the price?"

"This scooter's original price is $118, but our television shopping offers it at a flat rate of $98, which is $20 less than the original price."

"But that's not all. Why do we say the price is set by the customers? Because the boss has provided a tiered pricing rule: if today's sales exceed 500 units, the price will drop to $88 per unit."

"If the number of sales today exceeds 1,000, the price will be reduced to $78"

"What if we sell even more? Will there be a bigger discount?"

The male host shook his head. "Selling 1,000 units is already quite a lot."

"But what if we can sell even more?" the female host persisted.

The male host gritted his teeth and said, "If we sell 2,000 units, the price will drop to $68."

"And what if we sell 3,000 units?" the female host asked again.

"Then we'll give you an explosive price of $58 per unit."

"Wow, that's almost half off! Is that enough to cover costs?" Another female host said it in surprise.

The male host loudly proclaimed to the camera, "Alright, the ordering starts now! Just make a call to place your order. Let's begin!"