America's Road to Fame

Chapter 19 Meeting Kaplan

"Mr. William, if you really want to acquire the "New York Observer" and carry out follow-up operations, I recommend you to meet with Mr. Kaplan." Nelson said.

"Kaplan? The ex-editor of the New York Examiner?"

"Yes, Mr. Kaplan has been in the newspaper since its inception, and has served in the important position of editor-in-chief of the newspaper for more than 10 years. He is very prestigious in the newspaper."

"Two months ago, he had a conflict with the current boss of the newspaper, Robert De Niro, because of his business philosophy, and finally chose to resign. His resignation also had a great impact on the newspaper, causing many staff to die. turmoil."

After hearing what Nelson said, William Chen couldn't help hesitating.To be honest, since he chose to acquire the newspaper, he must hope that he can have enough control over the newspaper.

Although Chen William very much disagrees with Robert De Niro's changes to the "New York Observer", he also does not hope that after he acquires the newspaper, there will be a prestigious and stubborn editor-in-chief against him. If Kaplan is Such a person, then he will not choose to invite the other party back.

"What kind of person is Kaplan? Is there any information about him?" Thinking of this, William Chen asked.

"I will send his detailed information to your mailbox later. According to our investigation, Kaplan has a deep affection for the newspaper, and throughout his career as editor-in-chief, he has always adhered to the concept of objectivity and fairness of the newspaper. Many authors, including the original work of the American drama "Sex and the City" and the author Landis Bushnell published in the emotional column of the "New York Observer", were also excavated by him." Nelson introduced to him.

Since this is the case, William Chen is going to look at the other party's information first, and then make a decision.And in his opinion, it is also necessary to meet with Kaplan, at least in the conversation to understand the other party's character and thoughts on the newspaper, if he is not too stubborn and unwilling to change, then inviting him back can also help himself Hold on to the newspaper.

And William Chen is going to study at New York University soon, and he has other things to deal with. He won't put too much energy on the "New York Observer", and he needs someone to help him manage the newspaper.

Moreover, even if Kaplan is not suitable to be his assistant, he can still get some information about the newspaper from him, which will help him to transform and develop the newspaper in the future.

Having figured this out, William Chen opened his mailbox to check the information about Kaplan that Nelson had just sent him.After reading it, he called Nelson back: "Please contact Mr. Kaplan for me. I want to make an appointment to meet with him."

……

The meeting between William Chen and Kaplan was relatively low-key. In order to show his sincerity, William Chen met him directly at a cafe near Kaplan's home in the evening of the next day.

"Mr. Kaplan, hello, I am William Chen. Mr. Nelson should have told you that I am going to acquire the New York Observer. As the most senior employee there, I hope to meet and talk with you first." Chen William directly expressed his intentions.

"Mr. William, I know you. But to be frank, I was a little surprised when I heard that you were planning to buy the newspaper. But I hope you understand that I have resigned and am no longer a member of the newspaper. "Kaplan is 45 years old and looks energetic. What impressed William Chen most about him was his calmness and sonorous voice.

"Since you chose to meet me today, it also means that you still care about the future of this newspaper, doesn't it? Mr. Kaplan."

"Indeed, I have worked in this newspaper for more than 20 years. My first job after graduation was to come to this newspaper that was just founded. More than 20 years have passed in a flash. The most important and best time in my life has been left to This newspaper, if it says that it doesn't have the slightest concern, must be lying."

Kaplan's face showed a bit of reminiscence, and he turned to Chen William, and said: "With all due respect, Mr. William, between you and Robert, I don't think it is possible to tell who will run this newspaper. The boss will have a better future."

Heh, this guy is really straightforward. He just said that you, a black sheep, are no better than Robert. At least in terms of acting achievements, he is a veteran movie star, and in terms of investment, he has his own investment company, and It's doing well, how about you?
William Chen didn't have any special reaction because of his words. Before he came here, he had already prepared for this. After all, he had read the other party's information and knew that the other party's temper was a straighter type of person, otherwise he wouldn't have I chose to leave directly because of contradicting the new boss.

"This is a good question, Mr. Kaplan. As a journalist, you must know something about my past, and I will not hide anything. It is true that I have done many wrong things in the past. But the past things cannot 100% decide what will happen in the future, I know you have always adhered to the concept of objectivity and fairness of the "New York Observer", so we should understand that when facing anyone, we should not presuppose a position and face it with prejudice."

William Chen looked at Kaplan and said with sincerity: "Everything in the world is constantly changing, just like the "New York Observer" used to be brilliant, but now it is also facing difficulties; There’s me, and even though I’ve done a lot of shitty things in the past, that doesn’t mean I won’t change. If that’s the case, why don’t you hear my thoughts on the future of newspapers first?”

Listening to Chen William's words, Kaplan still had a faint expression on his face, and said, "I'm all ears."

It’s a good thing to be willing to listen. William Chen thought for a while and said, “Maybe in your opinion, I’m too young and don’t have any experience in media publishing, if you don’t count the interviews with reporters I accepted. It seems that it is not the experience of growing up in the circle of traditional print media, but my advantage. Similarly, because I am young, I can be closer to the current Internet trend.”

Seeing Kaplan's thoughtful expression after hearing his own words, William Chen continued: "Mr. Robert De Niro's previous approach was to try to attract younger readers through entertainment. The idea is not wrong, because the newspaper needs to continue to exist, but the previous readership is getting old, and the young readership is fond of the Internet and is not interested in traditional paper media. Therefore, attracting them is what makes New York Very important thing for the Observer to survive."

"But what he did was wrong. The mistake was that he got the content wrong and didn't target specific groups. The readers of the newspaper were mainly New York's elite, and they were among the younger generation. Over 30, that part of the internet that isn't very keen on it."

"What newspapers are most attractive to them is still the idea of ​​being objective, neutral, and humorous. Therefore, making paper newspapers entertaining will only drive away these loyal readers, but it is difficult to attract those who are not interested in paper newspapers. Interested young people, because they are now accustomed to using the Internet to receive news."

"Therefore, if I buy a newspaper, I will change this way of thinking. I always believe that no matter what era it is, whether it is the era of paper media or the era of the Internet, people want to get objective and credible news. The demand will not change. I hope to regain the "New York Observer" tradition of being objective, impartial, and criticizing current problems, so that we can become a media with credibility and readers' trust."

At this moment, a bit of interest appeared on Kaplan's face, William Chen felt the change in the other party, and continued:

"Therefore, the most important thing for the paper newspaper of the "New York Observer" is to insist on serious topics, be objective and neutral, and present them to readers in a humorous style. As for entertainment, it also needs to be preserved, which is the most important thing for us to attract young readers. way, but not in the paper newspaper, but the electronic version on the website of our newspaper. I have seen the website of the "New York Observer", and I found that the content of the website is too simple, just a simple copy of the paper newspaper, This is wrong, because you need to realize that the audience of the website is different from that of the paper newspaper, so there must be differentiation in the content.”

"So if I can acquire the newspaper, I will increase the recruitment of network technicians. On the one hand, I will enhance the website technically, and on the other hand, I will present those entertainment reports mainly in the electronic version of the website. The newspapers in the newspaper must use more photos and use colloquial words as much as possible, because few young people nowadays can patiently read those pure text reports. They prefer to receive information through photos and pictures, and prefer conciseness. Easy-to-understand text, these characteristics, we need to take the initiative to cater to."

When Chen William said this, Kaplan couldn't help but nodded, and said: "William, now I really believe that you will bring changes to newspapers. I am not a person who cannot understand the past. I have understood before that the transformation to the Internet is inevitable for paper media. The way out, but I left the newspaper mainly because it can be entertained, but not only entertaining. The objectivity and neutrality we are most proud of cannot be given up, and we must not tolerate the appearance of those random news. There was hope for Robert's reforms, but in the end it was disappointment. I have worked for the New York Observer for more than 20 years and I don't want it to become a third-rate entertainment tabloid in my hands."

"I can understand your feelings, Mr. Kaplan. Just like when I left Los Angeles and returned to New York, I also reflected on my previous past. When I found that I was likely to lose the most precious legacy left by my parents I also had a similar feeling when I was at the New York Observer, so I made a decision to get back on my feet and make changes to recover from the consequences of my mistakes. Similarly, my attempt at the "New York Observer" was also my attempt to change others' perceptions of This is an important step in my opinion, and I hope more than anyone else to bring this newspaper back to its glory days," Chen William said.

(End of this chapter)