Chapter 45: Further Rise

The next day, the revelation of the one million yuan in advertising revenue for *Jiuding Daily* caused a stir in the Hong Kong newspaper industry. The already heated discussions about *Jiuding Daily's* sales were further ignited, like throwing a bucket of oil on a blazing fire, making the situation even more intense.

One million yuan in advertising revenue for a month! 

In this era, it's a number that elicits envy and resentment! One million yuan could buy four third-rate newspapers similar to *Civilization Daily*, each with a daily circulation of three thousand. And this is just for one month's advertising revenue. Over a year, that amounts to twelve million yuan!

Even though it's just the gross profit, it's astonishing! 

Previously, *Oriental Daily*, with an average daily circulation of 170,000 copies, had an average monthly advertising revenue of about 500,000 yuan.

*Sing Tao Daily*, ranking second with a daily circulation of 160,000 copies, although with slightly lower sales, had an average monthly advertising revenue of 550,000 yuan.

*Ming Pao*, with a daily circulation of 130,000 copies, had an average monthly advertising revenue of about 430,000 yuan.

One might wonder why *Oriental Daily*, despite having the highest circulation, had lower advertising revenue compared to *Sing Tao Daily*, and why *Ming Pao*'s revenue was only 70,000 yuan less despite having 40,000 fewer copies than *Oriental Daily*.

This discrepancy is due to the value of the newspaper's audience. Advertising companies are not foolish; they understand which audience is more affluent.

The purchasing power of ordinary grassroots consumers is limited. The combined purchasing power of three or four grassroots individuals doesn't compare to that of a white-collar worker or intellectual. The majority of *Oriental Daily*'s readers are grassroots citizens, meaning the returns from advertising are relatively lower.

In contrast, *Sing Tao Daily* has been in operation for over thirty years. Its old readers are usually household heads who control family finances or white-collar workers and intellectuals.

These readers are relatively affluent, and advertisers target their pockets.

One might still question why *Jiuding Daily*, with a daily circulation of 250,000 copies, achieved an advertising revenue of 1,020,000 yuan, almost double that of *Sing Tao Daily*.

This result is due to multiple factors. As previously mentioned, advertising companies are far from naive. Successful entrepreneurs always have a long-term vision! 

Despite *Jiuding Daily*'s circulation of 250,000 copies, it exceeds the second-ranked newspaper by a significant margin. The halo of being the top newspaper naturally adds value!

A company that advertises in *Jiuding Daily* subconsciously conveys a sense of superiority, thanks to the newspaper's authority.

Just like in the past, where CCTV's advertisements could greatly boost a brand's visibility, making people associate the brand with CCTV's credibility, *Jiuding Daily* has become the most influential newspaper in Hong Kong.

Furthermore, *Jiuding Daily's* 250,000 copies prove it reaches at least 250,000 users. If we combine the total users of *Civilization Daily* and *Ming Pao*, it amounts to about 280,000. Although this seems higher than *Jiuding Daily's* 250,000, the combined advertising revenue of the two newspapers is 980,000 yuan, still 40,000 yuan less.

This discrepancy is due to overlapping readership. Many readers subscribe to both *Sing Tao Daily* and *Ming Pao*, so the combined user base doesn't add up to 280,000. Additionally, many of these readers are high-level intellectuals, so the overlap is even higher. Therefore, the actual combined user base of the two newspapers might be around 200,000.

If a company spends 980,000 Hong Kong dollars to advertise in *Sing Tao Daily* and *Ming Pao* for a month, it would only reach around 200,000 users.

On the other hand, if another company spends 1,020,000 Hong Kong dollars to advertise in *Jiuding Daily* for a month, it would reach approximately 250,000 users.

It's evident which company gets better value.

The fact that *Jiuding Daily* is newly established and its user base is not yet firmly established contributes to its current situation. Moreover, the proportion of affluent individuals, or the upper-middle class in Hong Kong, among its total readers is lower compared to *Civilization Daily* and *Ming Pao*. Otherwise, if the proportions were the same, the advertising revenue for its 250,000 copies would be at least 1.2 million yuan.

As previously mentioned, the number one newspaper is a scarce resource, with only one such newspaper. Its high circulation and advertising effectiveness far surpass other newspapers, making it a prime target for advertisers!

If *Jiuding Daily* maintains its current status or increases its circulation further, the value of its advertising slots will continue to rise, and advertising revenue will only grow higher!

...

Due to the news from yesterday morning, many evening newspapers followed suit and reported that Summer Yu earned a million from stock trading. Various stock market experts and masters were quickly associated with Summer Yu, with sensational headlines multiplying. This led to a frenzy among stock investors, who became even more convinced of the stocks recommended by Summer Yu. They believed that if Summer Yu himself was involved, it proved his confidence in his recommendations.

As a result, more people bought *Jiuding Daily* in hopes of making a profit, which led to a significant increase in its sales yesterday. It hit a new high, reaching 270,000 copies, up 20,000 copies from the initial 250,000.

With more small newspapers reporting on Summer Yu's million-dollar earnings from the stock market today, it is expected that *Jiuding Daily's* sales will rise again.

Indeed, in a place like Hong Kong, where everyone is involved in stock trading, such a situation can lead to an extraordinary boost in sales for *Jiuding Daily*.

Summer Yu was pleased to see the increased sales. However, some were not so happy, such as Boss Ma Chengkun of *Oriental Daily*.

At this moment, in the office building of Oriental Media, Ma Chengkun looked at the statistical and analysis reports submitted by his subordinates with a dark expression, his brows furrowed, and the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitching, indicating his intense anger.

Ma Chengkun's demeanor made the subordinate who submitted the report tremble in fear, not daring to breathe, afraid of being the target of his anger. The memory of his colleague Wu Neng's recent misfortune made him shiver.

"Get out! Tell all the middle and senior-level staff to come to the meeting room!" Ma Chengkun looked up at him with a glare, forcing himself to suppress his anger as he spoke coldly.

"Yes, Boss. I'll notify them right away," the employee said, lowering his head respectfully, then quickly exited, carefully closing the door behind him.

After the employee left, Ma Chengkun could no longer contain his anger. His expression turned ferocious, with veins bulging, and he looked as if he wanted to devour someone, making him look frightening.

"*Jiuding Daily*, *Jiuding Daily*… Is it really my nemesis? It's impacting my newspaper's sales. Yesterday, *Oriental Daily's* sales dropped to 120,000 copies, even lower than *Ming Pao*. In just a few days, we've fallen from first place to fourth place. Summer Yu, damn you!"

"Smash!"

Ma Chengkun's rage boiled over, and he slammed his palm on the table with a loud bang. Despite the pain in his hand, he seemed oblivious to it.

After venting his anger, Ma Chengkun took a few deep breaths to calm down, straightened his clothes, as he still had to attend the meeting.

Before leaving, Ma Chengkun glanced at the statistical data again and, thinking about the family's covert activities, a shadow of worry crossed his eyes. He muttered to himself, "I can't just sit back and wait. Otherwise, *Oriental Daily's* sales will only keep falling, which is extremely detrimental to the family. We might even lose leverage over the Hong Kong government! This is a critical period; I can't afford any mistakes!"

"I hope they come up with some solutions in the meeting, otherwise…"

As he spoke, Ma Chengkun's eyes narrowed, his teeth clenched, and a fierce light flickered in his gaze.