Chapter 26 : This Opportunity Cannot Be Lost
Chapter 26 - This Opportunity Cannot Be Lost
Chen Ran originally thought of arriving home on Friday and returning on Sunday evening, but things did not go as he wished.
He told his parents about it, and both elders frowned.
Chen Junhai asked, “Didn’t you say you were only leaving tomorrow afternoon? You’ve only been back for one night; that’s a bit too short.”
“Something came up at the last minute,” Chen Ran said helplessly.
Hearing it was so urgent, Song Hui hurriedly asked, “What happened? Did something go wrong at work?”
“That’s not it. The Director wants me to go to the Entertainment Channel to work on a new program. He applied to the station yesterday, and we only found out today that the Entertainment Channel has its own candidate. Now the station wants me to compete with that person, so I need to go back and prepare.” Chen Ran explained to his parents.
Chen Junhai was curious: “Didn’t you just enter the TV station? Why would they let you work on a new program?”
“Although I’ve just entered the TV station, the Director thinks highly of me and let me participate in program production. I’m in the production crew for the Public Channel’s Zhaonan Focus. That program has received a great response, and the Director feels I have potential, so he wants me to try my hand at the Entertainment Channel.”
“Zhaonan Focus is your work? That news program is very good!” Song Hui was slightly surprised.
Zhaonan Focus had not been airing for long, but both of them loved to watch it; they never expected that this was the program their son was working on.
Although they didn’t work at a TV station, in any industry, few people achieve results directly upon entering.
Furthermore, in a place like a TV station that faces the audience, experience and seniority are even more necessary; otherwise, if something goes wrong, no one can take the responsibility.
Chen Junhai was silent for a moment. After a long while, he finally said,
“This is a good thing; you should head back quickly. Since the leader thinks highly of you, work hard and don’t let people down.”
Chen Ran nodded and said, “I know, Dad.”
After dinner, Chen Ran had to leave. The two elders didn’t say much, but as he was leaving, they urged him to make sure he kept warm.
“I know, I’ll take care of myself. I’m just in Lin City; I’ll come back whenever I have time.”
Chen Ran saw that his parents were reluctant to see him go and comforted them with a few words before getting into the car and leaving.
Even though they were in the same province and it didn't seem far, once work got busy, there wouldn't be much free time.
Chen Ran knew this, and his parents understood as well.
……
By the time Chen Ran returned to Lin City, the sky was already dark.
He called Director Zhang and asked for some key information regarding the Entertainment Channel.
Making a program isn't something done by just slapping one's head and going for it; it requires a lot of preliminary research.
Just like the Public Channel—now that the viewership consists of middle-aged and elderly people, if you were to create a romance program, the audience wouldn't match, and problems would surely arise.
Chen Ran was very unfamiliar with the Entertainment Channel and had no understanding of it at all, so he had to understand it well now to avoid similar issues.
In this matter, Director Zhang was even more dedicated than Chen Ran, finding a lot of information about the Entertainment Channel.
“The rest of the information is only available at the station. I’ve made the arrangements; you can just go directly to the station tomorrow morning.”
The information Director Zhang gave was not complete. After giving instructions, he added,
“Come to my office after you get the materials tomorrow; we’ll discuss it.”
Chen Ran looked at the information Director Zhang sent over and said, “Thanks, Uncle.”
Director Zhang smiled and said, “Why are you still being polite with me? Look at the materials first; call me if you have any questions.”
The call ended, and Chen Ran began to examine the details carefully.
Zhaonan TV Station has three main pillars: Zhaonan Satellite TV, the Entertainment Channel, and the Urban Channel.
The ratings of these three channels stood head and shoulders above the rest of the station; only the suddenly rising Public Channel was now able to catch a glimpse of their shadow.
Satellite TV goes without saying; Zhaonan Satellite TV is relatively famous nationwide—regardless of whether its reputation is good or bad, at least its ratings are not poor.
Next is the Entertainment Channel; its audience share is not low, occupying the majority of its time slot.
Compared to the Public Channel, which was previously in a state of ruin, the Entertainment Channel is currently in its prime.
The audience profile mostly does not overlap with the Public Channel; the latter is dominated by middle-aged and elderly people, while the Entertainment Channel is aimed at fashionable and trendy young people.
Chen Ran also knew some information about the program he was going to make: it would be between 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM.
Because the previous program's ratings were average, there were no plans to make it a long-term show. It was currently only in its third episode, and the response was still not good, so the station was urgently preparing to create a new program to take over the slot.
Even the most mature team cannot guarantee that the program produced will definitely suit the audience's taste.
It was not uncommon for a previous program to be a huge hit, only for the next one to be mediocre and subsequently get axed.
Chen Ran looked at the programs currently airing on the Entertainment Channel; most were aimed at youth elements.
There were beauty and makeover shows, featuring makeup tutorials and look explanations.
There were youth-oriented food programs, focusing primarily on simple cooking for urbanites.
Chen Ran looked through the data one by one. After a brief thought, he opened a document and recorded his observations and takeaways from watching the programs.
He also looked at past programs; besides those with brilliant and stable ratings, there were also failed programs with poor viewership.
One must not only learn from good programs but also draw lessons from failures to avoid those points of failure as much as possible.
Though this task was difficult to do, it couldn't be left undone.
Putting the data aside for the moment, Chen Ran found these programs and watched each one seriously at 2x speed.
This was the first time Chen Ran had watched a variety show since his transmigration. This kind of purposeful viewing was no different from work; he couldn't find much of the enjoyment one would usually get from watching.
During a rare weekend off, Chen Ran still had to work overtime at home. By the time he went to bed, the document he used for notes was already packed with writing.
With so many programs, it was impossible for Chen Ran to watch every single episode. Even if he wanted to, time wouldn't permit it; he only selected a few episodes with the best ratings and responses for his research.
Even so, by the time he came back to his senses, it was already nearly four o'clock.
Chen Ran gave a stretch. Truly, pulling an all-nighter felt great in the moment, but now that he stood up, his scalp felt a bit numb, and he had a floaty, lightheaded sensation.
Letting out a yawn, Chen Ran set his alarm and fell straight asleep.
……
Chen Ran jolted awake from his sleep. Looking closely, the sky was still dark.
He pulled out his phone to check; it was actually only five fifty-six.
His alarm was set for six o'clock; he had woken up early.
Feeling a slight headache, Chen Ran pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.
He opened his laptop and carefully examined the data he had organized last night.
Along with the data, various programs appeared in his mind.
He wrote the programs on sticky notes, carefully cross-referencing them with the ones he had researched, and crossed them out one by one.
In the end, only three remained.
Putting down his pen and paper, Chen Ran watched as the sky outside grew bright.
He was not a genius, nor was he frighteningly clever. His advantage lay in the memories of his previous life, and the only thing he could personally offer was likely this bit of effort.
Going to the Entertainment Channel—this opportunity could not be lost.