Chapter 185: Exclusive Spring Festival Gala Sponsorship

"On behalf of all the staff and their families at our Factory 760, I'd like to thank Director Liang for his support. I'd like to offer you a toast, Director Liang."

Zhou Ming and Su Han raised their glasses to Liang Gang. The negotiations were going very smoothly, which was to be expected, as Liang Gang's presence at this dinner already signaled his stance. As long as there were no principle issues, things could proceed. Otherwise, if someone came and got entangled in trivial matters or, like Director Deng from Yangbei County, asked for bribes, it would only be seen as contemptible.

After the toast, Liang Gang said to Zhou Ming, "I know Boss Zhou is a rare business genius in the country, but I want to offer a word of advice. The standards for advertisements on CCTV are quite high. If you don't have a good production unit, we can assist with that."

"You handle the filming, and you handle the broadcasting. Director Liang, you're taking all the benefits for your unit!" Zhou Ming laughed.

Liang Gang, unfazed, replied, "There's no choice. In this era of reform and opening up, everything is innovating. We at CCTV must keep up and find ways to generate revenue!"

Zhou Ming nodded in understanding. In this era, televisions were not yet widespread, and CCTV's influence was far less than it would be in the future. Therefore, revenue from various sources was not high, and Liang Gang, as a deputy director, indeed needed to help generate income for the station.

"Understood. Since Director Liang has brought this up, I'll definitely support CCTV's development," Zhou Ming said.

"Thank you very much, Boss Zhou! On behalf of all the staff and their families at CCTV, I also offer you a toast!" Liang Gang raised his glass to Zhou Ming, returning the gesture.

After the toast, Liang Gang continued, "Boss Zhou, although I know I've already troubled you a lot, I have one more small request."

"Director Liang, you should know I'm a capitalist, not a philanthropist," Zhou Ming said. "But go ahead and tell me what you need, and I'll consider it."

Liang Gang nodded eagerly, "Actually, it's not a big deal, and it's related to your advertisement. I'm sure you're aware of our CCTV Spring Festival Gala, right? I wanted to discuss with you whether you'd be willing to do some advertising during our Spring Festival Gala or even consider being our exclusive sponsor!"

Zhou Ming was momentarily stunned by Liang Gang's unexpected request. He exchanged a surprised glance with Su Han. They had come to discuss the advertisement, but more importantly, they wanted to talk about exclusive sponsorship of the Spring Festival Gala. Now Liang Gang had brought it up on his own before they even started the discussion. This was a stroke of luck!

Zhou Ming had hesitated to bring up this topic because he didn't know how to start. As someone reborn, Zhou Ming had a deep impression of the Spring Festival Gala. The colossal influence of the later Spring Festival Gala was unforgettable, and he was cautious about whether it was possible to sponsor such a politically significant event. He needed to be careful.

Now that Liang Gang had brought it up first, Zhou Ming felt relieved and was fully in control of the situation.

With that in mind, Zhou Ming leaned back in his chair and asked Liang Gang, "Director Liang, I'm aware of the Spring Festival Gala, and as far as I know, CCTV's Spring Festival Gala is quite well-organized. Isn't it still a political task of the central government? How can Director Liang dare to offer an exclusive sponsorship? Aren't you worried about potential trouble?"

Liang Gang sighed, "Boss Zhou, you don't know the whole story. We've been organizing the Spring Festival Gala for five years now. Although it's well-received and loved by the public, the support from higher-ups is gradually decreasing. Last year, we invited several Hong Kong and Taiwan stars, and the funds were stretched thin, even leaving us unable to pay many of the performers. This year, the funding has further decreased, and the few of us in charge are worried daily, almost pulling our hair out."

"As for trouble, you can rest assured," Liang Gang guaranteed. "I've already asked some central leaders, and they clearly told me that commercial operations for the Spring Festival Gala are allowed. So, when you came to discuss advertising today, I thought I should bring it up."

Zhou Ming was surprised to learn about the difficulties behind the familiar Spring Festival Gala. He hadn't realized that the beloved event had such a challenging backstory.

Reflecting on it, Zhou Ming understood that aside from a few memorable performances from past years, he couldn't recall much about the later Spring Festival Galas. This was possibly due to a lack of funds.

Curious, Zhou Ming asked, "Director Liang, CCTV is an important mouthpiece for the party and the state. The Spring Festival Gala is meant to respond to the party's call and enrich the people's New Year celebrations, serving as a way to unite hearts. It shouldn't be this dire, right?"

Liang Gang sighed again, "Boss Zhou, you don't understand. Although the Spring Festival Gala is excellent, it loses focus as it's held every year. Even the very first Spring Festival Gala five years ago was treated as a political task, with only about 100,000 yuan, including funds from higher-ups and what we scrambled together ourselves."

The idea of the Spring Festival Gala being done for just over 100,000 yuan was unimaginable in later years, where even a single advertisement slot could cost millions and exclusive sponsorships at least a billion.

Seeing Zhou Ming's astonished expression, Liang Gang quickly added, "Boss Zhou, I'm not trying to deceive you. The situation with our Spring Festival Gala team is genuinely difficult. This year, our budget is only about 300,000 yuan, and after accounting for costumes and venues, there's hardly anything left. We urgently need your help. We'll make sure to create a huge advertisement board for you at the gala, and the cameras will capture it repeatedly."

"I understand. Investing in the Spring Festival Gala is not a problem, but the gala must be outstanding and leave a lasting impression on the people," Zhou Ming said.

"Rest assured, Boss Zhou, we meticulously select the best performances to ensure a fantastic show," Liang Gang assured.

"Let me see the list of programs," Zhou Ming requested.

Zhou Ming asked for the program list to both confirm the quality of the performances and satisfy his curiosity about the gala.

CCTV had always kept the Spring Festival Gala's lineup confidential, but this was more for the media and the general public. Liang Gang quickly provided Zhou Ming with a rough list of the programs, noting that the specific order and content were still being finalized.

Zhou Ming looked at the unfamiliar list and shook his head, "It doesn't seem very interesting."

"You can't judge by the names alone. The performances are actually quite good," Liang Gang explained. "For example, this 'Naruwan Love Song' is a beautiful song, and the qigong performance and band medley are also fantastic and novel art forms not previously seen on the Spring Festival Gala stage. The skits are quite funny too."

Seeing Zhou Ming still indifferent, Liang Gang continued, "How about you come to a rehearsal of the Spring Festival Gala? I'm sure you'll like it."

Zhou Ming smiled, thinking of how media outlets had tried in vain to get into the Spring Festival Gala crew for over twenty years, and ordinary people who speculated about the event daily. He was now being invited by the deputy director of CCTV to see the rehearsal. It was indeed a different world!

Zhou Ming said, "I will definitely attend the rehearsal, but these programs don't quite interest me. Director Liang, you know last year's gala was very successful mainly because of dynamic songs like 'Winter Fire,' which are more appealing."

"Does that mean you want us to invite some Hong Kong and Taiwan stars to sing at this year's gala?" Liang Gang asked.

"That's right. It's not that domestic songs are not good, but people have heard them too much. We need to introduce some fresh elements," Zhou Ming said. "For instance, I ran a nightclub with Du Shao in Nanjiang, which had a dance hall. The business was booming because of the lively and rhythmic disco music we played."

"Understood. I'll make sure the Spring Festival Gala team contacts Hong Kong and Taiwan to invite some stars. We'll also include some impressive magic acts and comedic skits," Liang Gang said.

Zhou Ming waved his hand, "That's expected. But don't invite just anyone. I've been to Hong Kong and know a bit about their entertainment industry. Let me help contact a band, and if they're available, have them perform at the gala. Also, get some impressive magic tricks and humorous cross-talk skits. Got it?"

Liang Gang nodded vigorously, suddenly having a thought. He asked Zhou Ming, "Does this mean?"

"If you can make the Spring Festival Gala a success, I'll invest in the exclusive sponsorship," Zhou Ming said.

Despite having guessed this might be the outcome, Liang Gang felt ecstatic when Zhou Ming confirmed it. He said to Zhou Ming, "Thank you, Boss Zhou. On behalf of the Spring Festival Gala team and all of us at CCTV, I appreciate your strong support for our gala!"