Chapter 138: Snatching Success

Words : 1084 Updated : Oct 2nd, 2025

William White's appearance has indeed blocked Murdoch's path. Even though it didn't completely shut the door, it certainly gave the old guy a serious headache. "Boss, your call. It's Mr. Filson." "Hmm, put it through." "Filson, what's the good word?" "Boss, The Times is yours now. The current price stands at 12.5 million pounds." "Good, what made them change their minds? Murdoch was bidding for it too." "Haha, the union doesn't trust the Aussie thug. To them, your acquisitions in America looked pretty promising and you respected the editor's rights. Most importantly, they don't trust the descendants of criminals. Your ancestors were English nobility." "Haha, not bad, not bad. Speed up the negotiations with the other newspapers too. Try to have results after the New Year. The Aussie bastard will be hopping mad once he loses." "Okay, boss. With the success of The Times, they won't stand a chance." "Yes, good, but don't get complacent." ... William White wasn't wrong. Right now, Murdoch was fuming. He had been eyeing The Times for a long time. He was all set and ready for the wedding, only to have the bride run off with someone else. Being bought by an American was humiliating enough. If it were the Aussies, the British ego probably couldn't handle it. As for William White, they could very well consider him one of their own. Even if he didn't have a noble title now, what's the use of being a duke if you're broke? Although Australia officially acknowledges British rule, it's just a facade. The recognition of Britain is nearly nonexistent. To the British, that wretched place was full of exiled criminals. Not being under control was one thing, but now they're trying to boss around? That won't fly. "Damn it, what's our offer? Why didn't they agree?" "Boss, we offered 11 million pounds. The other side was definitely over 13 million, and the Brits were eager to cash out. It's irreversible now." "That cowboy must be nuts. It's worth no more than 12 million. Damn nouveau riche." "Boss, he recently raised 500 million dollars, targeting entertainment media. Talks with Disney and NBC didn't pan out, so he's starting with the smaller ones. We suspect many European newspapers will catch his eye." "500 million dollars? Damn, how does this damn rascal have so much money? Use our media tools to give him some trouble." That's usually how desperate folks act. But as for trouble, William White never lacked it. He had a team to assess trouble and another to solve it. This is how the world works; nobody looks at their own shortcomings but always comments on how others are. As for what happens if you mess with William White, the old man hasn't thought about that yet. He's been used to being domineering in Australia and doesn't know who William White really is. It's easy to provoke him, but reconciliation? Not so much. Banks that made things difficult for him or newspapers too, they didn't end well. He's known for his pettiness and holding grudges. ... "Boss, our people report that William White is buying newspapers in London. The Times has changed hands, with a transaction price close to 13 million pounds." "Tsk, he really plans to be a media mogul. Throwing that 500 million dollars in there, he might just become the biggest newspaper group." "Boss, would he really be that aggressive? He seems interested in NBC and Disney too. Is he planning a leveraged buyout?" "Haha, did he borrow a penny from us at Morgan Stanley? After this financing, money won't be an issue." "Boss, if he finishes acquiring Disney and NBC, White Media will become an empire, a global media kingdom." "Ah, to be young." ... Getting the good news right before the holidays made William White very happy. Murdoch's success was largely a gamble. After acquiring Fox, his assets almost equaled his loans. He was celebrated when he succeeded, but if he had failed, the old man would have had to return to Australia to herd sheep. Such high-risk acquisitions, if you run into someone intentionally causing trouble, you're screwed. Hmm, once he acquires Disney, he plans to start a new animation series to revive its downtrodden popularity. He'd want handsome guys and beautiful girls. Look at how Disney made their children's channel so gloomy. When making animated shows, be very cautious. The younger the audience, the more complications. You might think SpongeBob and Teletubbies are childish, but they're actually the safest kids' shows with no legal issues. With SpongeBob and Teletubbies caught by William White's eye, others didn't stand much chance. Animation is big business, with a ton of merchandise to boot. The goofy SpongeBob has plenty of adult fans. So does the Simpsons family, now being serialized in newspapers. These are things you can ride for decades. Hmm, writers. He need a bunch of writers. What's needed now is just setting up the comic characters; the rest is for the writers to handle. As for beloved sitcoms, let's go with Growing Pains. That series was just fantastic. What if Leonardo isn't there anymore? Please, he was just a supporting actor. For Leonardo, the series was just a resume booster, nothing more. Snatching success can't wait. The other actors won't change much and could extend its run. Growing Pains couldn't keep going mainly because the actors all grew up. As a shameless person, after snatching it, he naturally wants to maximize profits. He would naturally set the characters as young as possible, making those dollars last longer. With those foundations set, if Disney doesn't pick up, it's probably hopeless. As for NBC, that needs to wait a bit. Handle one mess at a time. NBC is a public channel with many restrictions, mainly for news. This function must be enhanced. In this era, news media is indeed all about the money. Without dollars, how could you set up stations worldwide? If you wait until something happens to send a reporter, the scoop's long gone. Even though William White knew some pivotal events, he wouldn't act recklessly. Guessing right once might be fine, but doing it consistently would surely cause big trouble. ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.

Chapter 138: Snatching Success

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