Mei Man: I drew Superman during the Great Depression

Chapter 243 Acquisition of Newspapers
"newspaper?"

Controlling the steering wheel to avoid pedestrians basking in the sun, John Daly glanced at Colin in the back seat, and said after deliberation: "The San Francisco Observer should be the newspaper with the largest circulation in San Francisco. It is said that , even people in many counties outside of San Francisco can buy the San Francisco Examiner."

Colin: "Other than that?"

John Daly: "In addition to the Observer, only the San Francisco Chronicle is left. It is currently the second largest newspaper in San Francisco except the Observer. Others are like the San Francisco Chronicle. Although the Independent or the San Francisco Weekly are also sold, they obviously cannot compare with the Observer and the Chronicle in terms of circulation..."

Colin: "What's the relationship between the Observer and the Chronicle?"

In the driver's seat, upon hearing Colin's inquiry, John Daly tried to recall it, and then said in an uncertain tone: "It shouldn't be too good, the Observer has always been the number one newspaper in terms of circulation. Occupying the first position, "Chronicle" seems to be quite dissatisfied with this. I heard that when the competition was the most intense, the two newspapers also launched offensive and defensive battles on their respective pages, but similar offensive and defensive battles have decreased a lot in recent years. , it should be affected by the Great Depression, the sales of newspapers are generally not very good..."

It's no wonder, after all, when you open a newspaper, there is only bad news. If things go on like this, it's strange that the sales of the newspaper can be good.

In the back seat of the car, Colin nodded thoughtfully after listening to John Daly's description of the situation in the San Francisco newspaper.

The purpose of his trip to San Francisco was not only the cooperative patent of television, but also the idea of ​​developing the newspaper market.

The distance between New York and San Francisco is more than 4000 kilometers, but they are already two completely different markets.

Here, most people run dance marathons, read the San Francisco Examiner, and many have never even heard the name of the Daily Courier.

They may know the existence of Superman, but they obviously don't have the fanaticism or pursuit of New York.

Without the support of the story background of the comics, the weekly radio drama of CBS's "Superman Adventures" alone seems not enough to spread the influence of Superman.

During the conversation with John Daly, Colin also learned about it.

Currently the most popular radio play in San Francisco is a radio play called "The Lone Ranger", which describes a tough guy from the west and is very popular with the audience in San Francisco. It is said that more than half of the audience in San Francisco are from the play Loyal listeners, even John Daly.

However, from John Daly's introduction, Colin somewhat heard the shadow of "Superman" in "The Lone Ranger".

Obviously, in terms of the content design of the play, although it is mainly based on western tough guys, it more or less refers to the core of "Superman".

However, a radio drama "The Lone Ranger" mixed with "Superman" is more popular than the original "Superman" in San Francisco, which is obviously not acceptable to Colin.

Especially thinking that because of the relationship with "The Lone Ranger", the [Faith] he has gained has decreased, and this emotion has become a little bit stronger.

"Here we are, Mr. Colin Looper."

During the conversation, John Daly had already taken Colin to the hotel he had booked.

Getting out of the car, John Daly glanced at the suitcase in Colin's hand and then turned his head to look at the hotel in front of him, with a look of envy on his face.

Fairmont, this is currently one of the most upscale hotels in San Francisco.

When will he be able to live in such a luxurious hotel.

"Mr. Colin Luper, what time is it tomorrow?"

In front of the Fairmont Hotel, Colin gave the time after a little thought.

"One o'clock in the afternoon."

As he spoke, he reached out and took out a ten-dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to John Daly in front of him.

"Thank you for your hard work, this is your reward."

Reaching out to take the banknote in Colin's hand, the smile on John Daly's face became a little more obvious.

"This is my job, sir, so see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

After saying goodbye, Colin turned and walked into the hotel.

John Daly's eyes also stayed on the suitcase in his hand for a moment before he retracted his gaze and carefully put away the banknotes.

……

“…farmers lost the land on which they depended and were forced to leave their homes.”

"Since I was born, I've grown up on this farm, I've played here, I've married here, I've had children here, I thought my life would end here too, but then the Great Depression happened, we went bankrupt, the banks took away our land..."

In the early morning, in the cafeteria of the Fairmont Hotel.

Colin saw a follow-up report from the "San Francisco Chronicle" about farmers going bankrupt and fleeing famine during the Great Depression.

Unlike New York, which is a big city, agriculture in the suburbs of San Francisco is well developed, which is a good thing.

However, the occurrence of the Great Depression destroyed everything.

A large number of farmers went bankrupt due to the Great Depression, and they had to give up the land they depended on for survival and were forced to move westward. According to news reports, more than tens of thousands of farmers have left their farms, and large tracts of land have been abandoned. The line ends in California.

Yet when the San Francisco Chronicle asked them what they would do for a living in California, they had no plans.

After reading the last report on the westward migration in the "San Francisco Chronicle", Colin used a fork to pick up the eggs on the dinner plate and put them into his mouth. Suddenly, the neighing of horses and the rapid sound of hooves came from his ears.

hiss--

Looking along the trend, it penetrates the walls of the hotel.

Then I saw a policeman riding a horse and waving his whip to drive away the homeless people nearby.

Some of the fleeing farmers moved westward to other cities in California, but some came to San Francisco nearby. They could not find jobs in the city and were forced to become members of the homeless army.

The police in San Francisco have no second option other than to drive them away on a daily basis. After all, even the city government often fails to pay wages during this period, and the police department's arrears of wages to the police often happens.

Turning his eyes away from the homeless people who were driven away like cattle outside the hotel, Colin finished eating the last piece of egg on the plate, then picked up the newspaper in his hand, and left the restaurant with the waiter's respectful attitude.

The time he agreed with John Daly was in the afternoon, which meant that he had plenty of time to deal with other things in the morning.

……

"Is there any newspaper office nearby?"

"If you want a newspaper, sir, all the hotel provides are the latest San Francisco newspapers of the day."

"No, I'm asking about the newspaper office, it doesn't matter how big or small it is."

"The newspaper... wait a moment, sir, I will ask..."

"I kept you waiting, sir. The nearest newspaper office is in the corner not far from the hotel. It's called the San Jose Mercury Newspaper. Its publications mainly cover the Bay Area west of San Jose. It is one of the more famous newspapers in the area."

"The San Jose Mercury Newspaper."

When the front desk of the Fairmont Hotel heard the news from the "San Jose Mercury News", Colin nodded thoughtfully, and then nodded to the front desk.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir, this is what I should do."

Coming out of the hotel, Colin followed the direction pointed by the front desk, and soon saw the signboard of the San Jose Mercury News at the corner of the street.

In general, the entire newspaper office does not occupy a large area.

It can also be seen from the name of the newspaper that this is a local tabloid dedicated to regional news, somewhat similar to the "Courier" before the revision.

bang-

"Is there anything you want?"

Pushing open the door of the newspaper office, the first thing that greeted us was a slightly dissatisfied greeting.

Immediately afterwards, I saw a man with gray temples standing up from the newspaper desk, and asked Ke Lin.

"We don't need employees here, if you're looking for work go somewhere else!"

Not only the men, but other people in the newspaper were also quite dissatisfied with Colin's arrival.

Casting a vigilant look at him, it was obvious that he regarded him as an object to compete with him for work.

"I'm not here looking for a job."

Under the vigilant and dissatisfied eyes of the San Jose Mercury News, Colin casually explained.

"Then who are you?"

Hearing Colin's explanation, the dissatisfaction on the man's face was slightly reduced, but he still asked a little bluntly: "If you are here to provide news, the price here is 1 cent a piece, no matter the size, according to No bargaining."

As a local tabloid, the San Jose Mercury had no intention of chasing big stories.

"I'm also not here to sell news."

However, Ke Lin's answer caused the man's slightly slow expression to become dissatisfied again. He frowned and looked at the uninvited guy, and said with emphasis: "It's not work, and it's not here to sell news materials. , then you are?"

As he said that, the man seemed to think of another possibility.

"If you're selling something, I'm sorry, I don't buy anything, whether it's a necklace that can be transported, or a magical statue, or a product that doesn't know the effect. Of course, if you're here to advertise, then say something else, The premise is that you can afford to advertise.”

Judging from the news revealed by the man, the situation of the San Jose Mercury News is obviously not good.

"I don't know, do you have any idea of ​​selling this newspaper?"

After interrupting the man's words, Colin gave a straightforward answer.

"Sell the newspaper!"

Ke Lin's sudden question caused the man's expression to freeze for a moment, and then he looked at the guest in front of him as if returning to his senses, and asked tentatively, "So, sir, are you here for the newspaper office?"

Hearing the news that the newspaper might be sold, several employees in the San Jose Mercury News who didn't care at first couldn't help but look at each other, with somewhat worried expressions on their faces.

They worry that their jobs will be affected if the newspaper is indeed acquired.

However, it was obvious that the employee's worries were not within the scope of the man's consideration. He opened his mouth, considered his words, and then said to Ke Lin in front of him: "Sir, you are sure you are not joking with me, but are you serious?" Do you want to buy the newspaper?"

"What kind of joke do you think will make someone buy a newspaper that doesn't make money?"

In this regard, Ke Lin did not answer directly, but asked the man back.

Hearing Colin's question, the man nodded in agreement.

Indeed, as Colin said, the "San Jose Mercury News" in San Francisco is not a very well-known newspaper, and it is really unknown that someone has gone to such lengths to make a joke of himself.

So, everything is true, does anyone really value this half-dead newspaper? !
Thinking of this, the man's breathing couldn't help but become a little faster. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down his excitement.

When the man looked at Ke Lin in front of him again, the expression on his face was already different from before.

"Excuse me, what is your name, sir?"

"Colin Luper."

"Mr. Colin Luper, would you like coffee or tea?"

"Give me a cup of coffee."

During the Great Depression, flood teas dominated the tea market, and the cheap teas tasted pretty bad.

Apart from being cheap, there is no other advantage, which is not a problem for Americans who don't know how to drink tea, but Ke Lin is obviously not used to this kind of inferior tea, so he simply ordered a cup of coffee.

"Okay, hurry up and pour tea, what are you all looking at stupidly?"

Proudly speaking to the newspaper staff, the man smiled flatteringly at Colin after the coffee was served.

"Mr. Colin Luper, here comes your coffee, be careful not to burn your mouth."

After Colin picked up the coffee and took a sip, he couldn't wait to speak.

"Mr. Colin Luper, don't look at the current "San Jose Mercury News", which is not very eye-catching, but in fact, the "San Jose Mercury News" has a history of nearly 70 years, and is deeply influential in the San Francisco Bay Area. In its heyday, the San Jose Mercury News could be seen throughout San Jose, and it was one of the most influential local newspapers in the area.”

Inside the San Jose Mercury News office, the man told Colin about the history of the San Jose Mercury News, but the expression on Colin's face did not change at all.

"Since the "San Jose Mercury News" is so influential, it seems that I should not take people's favor, or should I forget it?"

Hearing what Ke Lin said, the expression on the newspaper boss's face suddenly paused, and he said hastily.

"That's all in the past. In fact, since the Great Depression, the sales volume of the "San Jose Mercury News" has been decreasing day by day. If I didn't still have this affection for the newspaper, and there are employees to support, I might not have a day." Will continue to work here.”

"Since you, Mr. Colin Luper, want to buy the newspaper and run it, if you only need $[-], not $[-], I will transfer the "San Jose Mercury News", and it will be yours from then on."

　Thanks to ko90 for tipping 500 starting coins.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)