American Entertainment 1982

A few days after Tommy returned to Los Angeles, Herbert called him, saying that he and Turner Jr. hoped to visit BT Entertainment Production Company, and Tommy and the head of the program production team, Rick Lu Let's have a chat and find out why the ratings of BT's self-produced programs are astonishing, while the ratings of CNN, TPS, and TNT's self-produced programs under the name of Jr. Turner have been soaring.

In the conference room of BT Entertainment, the resolute young Turner is definitely a man of action. After sitting down and greeting, the fifty-year-old white man with a beard stared straight at Tommy and asked this question, Desperate for an answer.

Tommy didn't speak in a hurry, not because he was afraid of saying the wrong thing. Little Turner would beat himself up like he did when he beat Murdoch for a disagreement. The old man's gray-blue eyes were full of sincerity, and he was real. I don't understand why the series of self-produced movies, drama series and reality shows carefully produced by his three major TV networks are not loved by the audience. He came to Los Angeles with the idea of ​​seeking medical treatment to ask the younger generation of BT TV network for advice.

This country white old man who was born in Ohio, likes to buy land when he earns money, and goes back to his hometown to ride horses and herd cattle in his spare time. He has a bad temper, loud voice, vulgar language, and often makes some strange remarks. At first glance, he is the same as Tommy in Warwick. There is not much difference between the fathers in Hengxing Township.

But in fact, Turner Jr. is an out-and-out supporter of the Democratic Party. He likes to pay attention to and think about serious issues such as environmental protection, world peace, opposition to nuclear deterrence, and the American social system.

Many Democratic Party supporters and even Democratic Party politicians like to act with slogans such as environmental protection and equal rights. Even Tommy is used to saying these words, but the problem is that Tommy and those people are just shouting slogans. Those concepts It's just a tool to beautify oneself, but this little Turner is playing for real. He really believes that the United States needs to pay attention to environmental protection, the world needs peace, and Americans need universal medical care, and he is willing to make efforts to promote these.

In addition, he likes to do things personally, and interferes with the production of specific programs at every turn, so the self-produced programs of the three major TV networks under his name are actually mixed with a lot of content that he hopes to let the audience know, which is a typical mix. Private goods, if such a program is produced, it will be good to be damned.

For example, the Fox TV network recently officially named a cartoon series that was previously a talk show warm-up skit "The Simpsons", expanded the duration of a single episode to 30 minutes, and put it in a prime-time pilot. A cartoon series about the daily life of a typical blue-collar family in Ohio, USA.

Although this cartoon series often makes jokes about the government and the capitalists, the politicians in it are corrupt, the capitalists are greedy, and the police will only shake their heads, but every story has a good ending. Yes, this cartoon series conveys a message that although the United States also has flaws, the people living here are optimistic, kind, and rich. The United States is still a strong country. Big trouble, when we look back, it's all past events that make us smile.

Even though it is a cartoon series, the characters and plots in it aroused a strong resonance among ordinary people in the United States. The ten pilot episodes that Fox temporarily prepared to test the water immediately entered the top ten of its own program ratings. This kind of pilot performance also allowed Fox to quickly form a luxurious professional content team of more than 20 people for this cartoon series, ensuring that the first season that will actually start broadcasting in the future will be more exciting than the ten episodes of the pilot episode.

Turner Jr. saw the popularity of Fox's trial broadcast of "The Simpsons", and he also acted as a screenwriter himself, and produced a cartoon series that was piloted in prime time, focusing on promoting environmental protection. The name is "Earth Superman". Let Americans understand the hazards of environmental pollution and increase awareness of environmental protection.

As a result, the results of these two cartoon series playing at the same time, Fox's "The Simpsons", whether it was newspapers, magazines or TV audiences, were full of praise, and many TV magazines gave full marks.

And Jr. Turner's "Superman on Earth", which he thinks is the perfect combination of depth and entertainment, didn't even finish the fifteen episodes of the trial broadcast, because a large number of viewers called to report that the various monsters in "Superman on Earth" were intimidating. Cried their own children, and was suspected of using the excuse of environmental pollution to create panic among children, so the broadcast was hastily stopped, and it was refurbished.

Another example is that the Fox Movie Channel released a TV movie "Pray for Me", which was low-cost but well-received by the audience. It tells the story of an American pilot carrying an atomic bomb to bomb Japan and finally returns safely. The protagonist recalls his brother's death in Pearl Harbor. Depicting the cruelty and ferocity of Japan, this will make the protagonist’s reason for volunteering to fly the plane and drop the atomic bomb become logical. He does not need to blame himself. He is not a murderer who killed hundreds of thousands of people. He is destroying fascism and ending the war. American hero.

Let’s take a look at the operation of the uncle Turner again. The TV movie "Long Shadow" made by TNT TV network also tells the story of nuclear weapons. The protagonist is a doctor in the United States who participated in the development and testing of nuclear weapon radiation. The soldier suffering from cancer and dying from nuclear radiation made him realize that nuclear weapons, which he believed to be supposed to maintain world peace, were the biggest obstacle to world peace. The protagonist fell into deep reflection and self-blame.

No need to go to the movies, just read the synopsis of the story. Normal Americans know which movie to choose to pass the time. After all, they watch movies for pleasure, not for depression.

After watching "Long Shadow", the editor of the "Los Angeles Times" gave the evaluation: Little Turner's brain is sick, and it is more serious than the protagonist of the movie.

"I think the most important point, just like what I talked with Mr. Siegel in New York before, is trust, trust the production team, and try to avoid too much interference with them." Tommy said to Little Turner with a smile:

"Communicate with them and discuss a general idea. If I agree, then the follow-up work will be completely entrusted to them. They will hold a serious meeting to discuss whether the idea is feasible, and then conduct market research, detailed design, etc. I will I will not participate. Generally, before the production of a self-made program is completed, I will only meet with the production team three times. The first time I discuss ideas with them, and the second time I listen to the production team report on the entire project proposal they completed based on their ideas, and decide whether to take it. Pay to make it, for the third time, and watch the rough cut with them."

Little Turner stared at Tommy fixedly: "I think you are implying that I learn to shut up, kid."

"I know that both you and your father, Mr. Turner Sr., are masters of micromanagement with a background in economics at Brown University. You can remember the positions and even the contents of advertisements on more than 3,000 billboards of Turner Advertising Company in the United States. You know them. The duration of each advertising contract, knowing which advertising space is suitable for which advertising, I really admire this, but program production does not need micromanagement, you can't be the director, producer, screenwriter, lighting, stylist yourself ...This is not an advertising industry where the boss can easily double as an advertising salesman, this is the TV industry that emphasizes teamwork." Tommy said to Little Turner after taking a sip of Coke.

"You are implying me to shut up." Little Turner repeated, but he laughed: "I have actually realized that I am not a genius, at least not in terms of program production, which is why I hope to use Warner I am afraid that I will join your board of directors, and I can't help but point fingers, and Warner, they will send a good-tempered executive to join the board of directors."

After chatting with Little Turner for a while, Rick Luthor finished arranging his work and brought his team to the meeting room to meet Little Turner.

Tommy was not interested in this kind of business discussion involving the specific production process. After Turner shifted his focus and started to ask Rick curious questions, he got up and left, and changed to a small conference room to accompany Little Turner. Herbert Siegel got up to drink coffee and asked the other party, if he had a few months of leisurely vacation, what kind of entertainment should he choose to pass the time.

As a result, they sat down for at most five minutes. When the two were arguing whether to choose to learn mountaineering skills or practice skiing skills to pass the time, they heard footsteps outside. The next second, Rick Luthor appeared with a strange expression outside the door.

"It's only five minutes." Tommy glanced at the time on his watch and said to Rick, "I don't think this is even enough time for you to introduce your team members to Mr. Turner."

Rick shrugged pitifully at Tommy, and said softly, "The chat didn't go well. Mr. Turner thinks I'm insincere, and I think he's out of his mind."

Second update~