Writing Web Novels In America-Chapter 208 - 206: Crossing the Line First

Manhattan, inside ABC’s office building.

Senior executives, including the CEO, were holding a high-level meeting.

"Although ’Anomalies and Creatures’ is a ratings hit, surpassing CBS on Saturday nights for TV dramas,"

"still, CBS remains the leader among the three major broadcast networks, thanks to ’Friends’ and ’Seinfeld.’"

The CEO put down the documents and swept a serious gaze over High-level Zhang.

A minute later, he continued, "While NBC has fallen behind in dramas,"

"they have invested heavily in news broadcasting and live sports, making their impact no less than CNN and ESPN."

The CEO threw a file onto the conference table, "Look, just last week in Los Angeles, during the ’highway police car chase’ incident, their ratings were two percentage points higher than ours!"

"Are we short of helicopters, or are our cameras inferior to theirs?"

Silence fell over the office, and the president rubbed his temples with a sigh.

"As one of the three major broadcast networks, we need to be aware of the crisis."

"There are only so many viewers in the United States, more viewers for the other networks mean fewer for us!"

"Alright," he picked up the remote and turned on the TV in the room, "Today, NBC is sending a large number of reporters to cover the Olympic torch relay ceremony in New York."

"Let’s watch how they cover it." The CEO fixed his gaze on the head of the news department, "And think about why NBC’s coverage is more appealing than ours."

Sitting at the end of the conference table, James watched the TV screen intently.

However, his thoughts had already flown elsewhere.

"The first episode of ’Anomalies and Creatures’ met the ratings threshold, even before the plot had fully unfolded."

"And as the following episodes unfold completely, this show could dominate the TV screen, just like ’Friends’."

"Then... even if ABC is acquired by Disney, it might not be a bad thing."

"Who knows, I might even become the head of a production company under Disney!"

At that moment, the CEO’s voice brought him back to reality.

"Look at NBC’s coverage, how the helicopters in the sky and the reporters on the ground coordinate."

"Panoramic shots and close-up shots give the audience a feeling of being at the scene!"

"We... do the same," the news department spoke under his breath.

"That’s only when the crowds are sparse," the CEO reprimanded loudly: "The torch relay is reaching Wall Street soon. Keep your eyes wide open."

The elderly Caucasian rose from his chair, pressing hard on the TV screen, "This is in front of the NASDAQ, the busiest place in New York!"

"Look at the crowd density now; NBC’s filming is still smooth!"

However, his voice grew quieter until he stared wide-eyed at the TV screen.

And the attention of everyone else in the office became more focused.

Someone from the news department even muttered under their breath, "Ha, there’s a live broadcast accident."

A broadcasting accident during a nationwide live broadcast by one of the three major networks?

"Heh," James lifted his coffee for a sip.

His attitude now was completely one of schadenfreude.

"Ewing’s appeal is tremendous; should we also ask him to shoot a commercial?" someone from the advertising department whispered.

And from the sports department, a commotion ensued.

James listened intently for a moment; the gist was, "How could an Ewing fan possibly wear a Los Angeles Lakers jersey?"

"Actually, having Ewing make a cameo as a Demon wouldn’t be a bad idea."

"Right, contact them when we shoot ’Demon World.’" James’s eyes were wide open watching the TV, but his mind remained absorbed in his own world.

"Protest ABC’s cuts to ’Anomalies and Creatures,’ Wang, we will always support you!"

"What?" He rubbed his ears, thinking he might be experiencing auditory hallucinations.

"Ugh, recently I’ve been putting too much effort into ’Anomalies and Creatures.’"

"James." A colleague next to him patted his shoulder, finally bringing his attention back to the office.

As everyone, including the CEO, turned to look at him, James finally started paying serious attention to the TV.

Was that... Wang Jian?

His Twitter seemed to be getting listed today.

But why were those people in white T-shirts surrounding him?

"Protest ABC..."

After listening intently for a while, James finally burst out, "Bullshit!"

"I clearly communicated with Wang!"

The CEO thought for a moment and then displayed a slight smile.

"No worries, this helps increase the popularity of ’Anomalies and Creatures.’"

"Without the involvement of the ’African Civil Rights’ movement, the remaining organizations won’t have much impact."

"Moreover," the CEO calmly said as he settled back into his office chair, "according to the unspoken rules among the three major networks, we don’t attack each other."

"Don’t worry, the camera will switch back soon."

Following the CEO’s words, the camera immediately switched to a close-up of Ewing.

James sighed in relief and looked admiringly at ABC’s CEO.

The CEO smiled briefly and took a sip of coffee.

However, the next sound from the TV was, "I firmly oppose discriminatory acts against Africans. In ABC’s broadcast of ’Anomalies and Creatures,’ why cast African actors as demons?"

"And cut out a great deal of the scenes where demons help others and give back to the community?"

With a "pfft," the CEO spat out his coffee.

He suddenly turned back to the TV, just in time to see the famous sports star Ewing, holding the Olympic torch, striding toward the entrance of NASDAQ.

"Wang, I support you too," Ewing raised the left hand of a young Asian high, "in your ’Anomalies and Creatures,’ all races coexist peacefully and equally."

"And ABC’s adaptation has ruined all that!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd, and they started chanting in unison, "Wang, we support you!"

This...

James swallowed, "Mr. President, I can contact Wang Jian to make a clarifying statement."

"Look at his expression on camera..."

"I believe he will cooperate."

The CEO turned to look at the TV, only to see the Asian showing an awkward yet polite smile.

After pondering for a moment, he slowly shook his head.

"That would expose ’Anomalies and Creatures’ to attacks from all sides, leading to a decline in viewership." freewebnøvel_com

"So... do we just go along with it?" the head of the news department asked incredulously.

Holding sway over the three major networks, yet still taking the blame for others?

This young Asian is treated better than the President of the United States!

"Let’s cooperate with this Asian author and stage a drama to appease these groups."

"And on the other hand," the CEO looked at the head of the news department, "gather some dirt on NBC."

"Surely, they crossed the line first!"

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