Chapter 171: Bringing You to the News

[Chapter 171: Bringing You to the News]

In the office, Ian closed his eyes as he listened to his secretary's report.

"Gannett Group rejected your offer. They believe that your 70% stake in the Los Angeles Times, combined with the Los Angeles Herald, is not worth $2 billion, but they are open to cross-holding shares."

"DuPont Group expressed dissatisfaction with the development of the Los Angeles Times, stating that you have not fulfilled previous commitments."

"Corsa Media indicated that unless you promise not to manage the newspaper like how you did with Signet Daily, they will not agree to sell their media to you."

"The CBS board approved the sale of Channel 4 to Carr Media, but they expressed dissatisfaction with your price, feeling it could be worth more. They also mentioned your favoritism towards LANN..."

Listening to this series of reports, Ian couldn't help but chuckle. "The problem is, CBS isn't mine; LANN is."

At this stage, Ian was fully committed to developing LANN, as it was Carr Media's own television and news network. As such, he targeted CBS and acquired some of its assets.

Of course, he did it much more tastefully than Signet Daily, considering he wasn't the chairman of CBS and couldn't unilaterally make decisions.

Even so, the CBS board still felt some discontent. After pondering for a moment, Ian stated, "Tell them that this year I will increase CBS's market value to no less than $18 billion. CBS can still expand externally; I'm just looking for my small share in contributions. Also, Carr Media will eventually start financing, at which point they can all join in, including merging LANN with CBS."

His secretary, Ida, responded, "Can I speak frankly?"

Ian glanced at her. "What is it?"

Ida said, "I don't think they will believe those empty promises."

Ian laughed heartily, "They only need to believe that CBS's market value can increase to $18 billion, and that's enough."

Then he stood up and said, "Tell Gannett Group that the price won't change, but all reports from Ian Carr and Butterfly can be shared by all of Gannett's media outlets. As for the shares, I will only accept 15%. Additionally, we will not take on any debts incurred by Gannett."

Despite being the largest newspaper group in America, Gannett's actual size was not that large; it continued to shrink, with a current market value of around $1.6 billion.

This meant that Ian's two newspapers had already surpassed Gannett's total value, which made Gannett no longer the largest newspaper group -- unsurprisingly, as the Herald and Times had become the two highest circulating newspapers in the country.

However, that didn't mean they couldn't afford to buy. They could borrow money.

Ian wouldn't mind being swallowed by them. He was resolute in giving up the newspaper industry, wanting Gannett's 15% share merely to retain some influence in the media sector, rather than relying on it for profit. In that case, having more didn't matter.

According to Ian's assessment, both newspapers were actually valued at $1.46 billion.

Ian himself would additionally gain a 15% share of Gannett, potentially restoring Gannett's position as the leading newspaper group, which would be beneficial for their stock prices.

That was adequate.

Moving forward, no matter how much they shrank, Ian stood to lose very little money.

With Ian's exclusive news support, Gannett's decline could be slowed significantly.

But Gannett wasn't foolish.

The billion-dollar value of the Herald was supported by profits rather than its own assets, and those profits were heavily tied to Ian himself, a non-systematic operation. Unlike Gannett, they were truly systematic, not reliant on any one individual. Therefore, despite Gannett's average profitability, they managed to maintain their leading position as the largest newspaper group.

The situation with the Herald implied that as soon as the newspaper changed hands, profits would significantly drop.

This was Ian's greatest weakness currently, which was also why he needed to continue acquiring other enterprises. He didn't need to be adept at systematic construction; he just needed to buy those who were good at it and add his own strengths to them.

Ida hurriedly took notes. "Anything else?"

Ian thought for a moment. "Tell DuPont Group that if they're willing, they can sell their shares in the Times to Gannett, and I'll share Gannett's shares with them. Controlling a newspaper group is more valuable than controlling a single newspaper, isn't it? Besides, I can offer them bundled advertising in return for their past support!"

This way, his losses would be minimized, yet his influence would not be diminished, as DuPont would inevitably transfer their equity to Ian.

While the newspaper industry was in decline, simply maintaining the status quo was Ian's greatest contribution.

Using this method, he could control the media with minimal cost while also appeasing DuPont's dissatisfaction.

"Alright, boss," Ida said with a smile to Ian. "You're becoming more of a genius every day."

She gracefully exited the room.

Every secretary seemed to want to charm him; it wasn't easy, he thought.

...

Ian sighed, then picked up the phone.

"Scarlett, sweetheart, I miss you... Are you filming? Okay, then next time."

"Kate, darling, I miss you... Alright, next time."

"Jessica... okay, next time."

"Helen... Barbara... Kelsey... Shawna... Amanda... Nicole... why is everyone so busy?"

After a series of calls, Ian suddenly realized that all his girls were hard at work, and the only one who wasn't busy, Lena, was pregnant, leaving him with no outlet for his frustration.

As for Katherine, she was the one who pursued him; Ian had no interest in reaching out first.

Should he go find Olivia?

"Forget it, let's just work," Ian thought after going through the options, ultimately deciding against it.

He had just seen her recently, and it felt like overkill.

---

Stepping out of the office and leaving Trump Tower, the sun shone brightly.

It was spring, and the bustling sidewalks were filled with people.

Ian leisurely walked to the parking lot in front of the building. Just as he got into his car, he noticed a beautiful woman standing at the entrance of the building.

Ivanka Trump!

Dressed in red, her long legs visible, she stood at the front entrance, scanning the area.

Her exquisite figure and stunning face were incredibly alluring, causing many men on the street to admire her.

Ian felt a stir in his heart and parked his car outside the building.

"Hey there, gorgeous, don't tell me you're waiting for a cab!" he called out to Ivanka.

Upon seeing Ian, Ivanka smiled, "No, I'm waiting for you."

Ian was taken aback, "What did you say?"

Ivanka casually tossed her hair. "Your secretary told me you left, and my father asked me to speak to you about some advertising business... the Trump Group is looking to establish a partnership with Carr Media."

"Sounds good," Ian replied with a grin as he opened the car door. "Hop in."

Ivanka seamlessly got in, "Where to now?"

Her long legs were naturally presented before Ian's eyes.

Ian's heart skipped a beat.

Without needing to use any tricks, he drove into the street.

"Let's go gather some news; are you interested in joining me? We can discuss business while we... you know, gather news," Ian casually suggested.

Ivanka's eyes brightened.

She turned her beautiful face towards Ian, hope glimmering in her eyes, "Any leads?"

Ian shook his head lightly. "No leads are needed; my eyes are the lead."

...

The Lamborghini roared down Los Angeles Avenue, speeding past long streets.

With the wind blowing through, Ian drove with Ivanka, enjoying the ride.

Ivanka watched Ian, while he scanned the streets.

His gaze seemed to have a kind of magic that deeply enthralled Ivanka.

She softly asked, "Where are we going to sit together?"

Ian did not turn back. "You think I'm joking with you? I'm serious; I'm working, looking for news."

Ivanka chuckled, "This way, you won't find any good news."

"That's not necessarily true," Ian replied, looking into the distance. Suddenly he said, "There's good news up ahead. What do you think? Interested?"

Ivanka looked puzzled forward.

In the distance, high rises lined the skyline, traffic buzzed, yet there didn't seem to be any ideal spots for news.

She stared in astonishment at Ian: "Are you sure?"

To see Ian parking near a hotel.

He pulled Ivanka out of the car. "Let's go get a room first."

Ivanka was shocked. "Are you serious? Ian Carr, this isn't exactly how one goes about gathering news!"

Ian smiled at Ivanka, "What are you worried about? After we check in, I'm going to force myself on you, then use this for news?"

Ivanka playfully twirled her perfect waist.

In the sunshine, she looked radiant.

She giggled, "That would indeed be a sizzling scoop!"

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.