Dear Comrade

Chapter 17. JBS, Joseon Broadcasting System (2)

Chapter 17. JBS, Joseon Broadcasting System (2)

However, the subject of the question that came out of Junghwan’s mouth was a completely different person.

“Comrade General Hyun Yong-suk, is the propaganda and agitation department relaying the great development of this Republic’s military to all the people now?”

“…! Yes, of course, Comrade General Secretary.”

One of today’s observers, who quickly answered Jeonghwan’s question, came forward.

At the same time, Jang Seong-taek and Hong Kye-seong’s gazes on Hyun Young-sook were momentarily unwittingly touching her voluptuous breasts (visible even over a women’s suit), but a second later, fortunately, they realized their mistake and looked at each other with their faces blushing. He avoided the quarrel and stopped arguing.

Of course, Junghwan and Hyunyoungsook didn’t care either way or not.

“Then how many of the people are watching the Chosun Central Television, which broadcasts this scene live now? No, do you know what the average viewership ratings for programs produced and broadcast by Chosun Central Broadcasting are now?”

“………………”

Rarely, Hyun Young-sook’s face hardened slightly.

The reason she can’t answer for a moment, who is determined and active in everything she does with the power of self-confidence that comes from both her origins and abilities, is that of course, there is no data such as ratings in her head.

In fact, this is not to blame for her incompetence. In North Korea, a socialist country, there is only one broadcasting company, ‘Joseon Central Broadcasting’, a state-run broadcaster.

There is also only one channel of the Chosun Central Broadcasting System, ‘Chosun Central Television’, and if this channel is popular, it was a question that even Hyun Young-sook, who can be called the head of all mass media in the Republic, could hardly answer ‘yes’.

The reason is, of course…

‘Because it’s not terribly funny, I guess.’

Jeonghwan sighed inwardly as he looked at Hyungsook, unable to find a word to answer.

The reality is that Chosun Central Television, which is almost the only channel in the republic, is really, seriously uninteresting, and is being turned away from even a significant number of Pyongyang citizens who have color TVs.

First of all, all the broadcasts are over at 11 pm and there is only a short broadcast time with only the color bar until 9 am the next day, but the most important thing is that the broadcast just wasn’t fun.

The news report program, which appears three times a day, always delivers only the party and the leader’s news first and most, as well as the leader’s speech conveying the party’s policies and directions, or Kim Il-sung’s autobiography, ‘Along with the Century’, which must be played before 8 o’clock. Reading broadcasts were also far from being popular with the public.

Other current affairs programs and overseas news focused on tragedies, shocking crimes, and accidents (mainly South Korea or the United States) with the intention of letting people know that the Republic is the world’s best ‘retreat on earth’.

The funniest thing to watch is a TV series drama (sequel), but again, due to the lack of production cost and the never-ending emphasis on the theme of propaganda, it was always that way.

In such a situation, there was a saying among the people, ‘After watching Chosun Central TV for a month, you don’t have to watch it until you die’.

After returning, Jeong Hwan-do (there was a TV in Kim Myung-ae’s father’s apartment, as he said he lives in Pyongyang), watched Chosun Central Broadcasting a few times to check his curiosity and knowledge from his previous life. has been grabbed

“That’s… it’s an apologetic report, but it’s really good…”

“I can’t say any more. Even if you don’t listen, you can clearly guess what’s left.”

“Comrade General Secretary, this is all about me and the propaganda and agitation department…”

“I have no doubts about the abilities of the current manager, so there is nothing to be anxious about. The current manager and comrades in the Propaganda and Agitation Department did not know how to make a TV show, so why did this happen? This is all because the party and the leader did not make a decision.”

“…………”

In front of Hyun Young-suk, who chews his lips and doesn’t know where to put his body, and Jang Seong-taek and Hong Gye-seong, who are also bowing their heads like criminals after grasping the atmosphere, Jeong-hwan gave instructions to Yoo Hye-rim, who was waiting in the back.

“This issue needs to be addressed at the party level. Immediately tell the Secretariat to convene a meeting of the Politburo!”

Of course, Jeong-hwan did not order the reorganization of the Chosun Central Broadcasting System to improve the people’s quality of life.

Of course, there was a clear purpose for that, but the more fundamental reason was another.

‘Even now, propaganda is a tool of propaganda to seize and maintain power. And it is more effective to let propaganda seep into it without realizing it, rather than appealing with a fastball.’

But before all of that, once the propaganda people didn’t watch TV, it had no effect.

The penetration rate of the TV itself is also the penetration rate, but the problem was that there was nothing interesting about having a TV, so the general public did not collect their salaries to buy a TV.

Up to this point, Hyun Young-sook and other party officials were well aware of the problem, but until now, they only recognized the problem and could not otherwise directly deal with it.

If the contents of a broadcast, which is a tool to promote the authority of the republican leader, are produced and organized for entertainment and entertainment without the permission of the party, you will experience how cold the air conditioning floor of the labor correctional center is.

And Jung-hwan gave permission for such a problem.

“From today, Chosun Central Broadcasting has entered a period of great revolution! I’ll come up with a budget, so I’m ordering the current manager and the propaganda department to increase the number of channels and fight for 300 days of viewership.”

“That, but… Comrade General Secretary, the words…”

“First of all, the top priority is the fun of the people, no, the ‘viewers’. I mean make it fun. It is good to inform the history of the struggle for the republic and the achievements of the Party and the general, but shouldn’t anyone watch it if it’s interesting?”

“…………”

“From now on, until I take a seat, I will oversee the script being produced by myself for a certain period of time. Comrades, think of it as a ground task to make this TV that I watch at 9 PM in the secretary’s office fun and not want to leave my seat for an hour.”

When General Secretary Jeong-hwan’s order was issued, the Party’s Propaganda and Agitation Department and the Central Inspection Committee immediately took action.

The serial drama production crew and actors cheered at first that the party finally recognized our hard work due to the sudden increase in budget and increased consideration.

However, soon after, they put their heads together and pondered over and over again at the party’s direct directive to create ‘revolutionary content like never before’.

It was because Junghwan not only gave them carrots, but also beat them with a whip.

“Besides Chosun Central Broadcasting, prepare to establish two other broadcasting companies under the jurisdiction of the censorship committee. Then, divide the production workers into three groups, and let them know that the grouper with the best rating will be rewarded and the group with the lowest rating will be reprimanded.”

It was an instruction given by Junghwan, recalling the rating competition among private broadcasters in the 21st century.

It was the result of the belief that monopoly always produced inefficiency and fair competition always produced better results in any field.

Soon, under the censorship committee, in addition to Chosun Central Broadcasting, two other state-run broadcasters, Pyongyang TV (PTV) and Joseon Broadcasting System (JBS), were established.

The competition section was the most popular and therefore the most popular genre, serial drama (serial play), and the reason for this selection was unexpectedly involved in the intention of Jeong-hwan’s secretary, Yoo Hye-rim.

When asked what kind of program could motivate broadcasters to compete and win the hearts of viewers, Hyerim Yoo, who was watching him, hinted at Junghwan.

– Comrade General Secretary, this is my story when I was in the escort command, but… do you know what was the most popular book among female comrades serving in the Korean People’s Army at that time?

– I don’t know, what?

– It was ‘Anna Karenina’ imported from Russia. In the Republic of Korea, it was classified as a discordant book, so I and other comrades who came back from studying in Frunze translated and copied the Russian original book, loaned it to female military comrades and returned it to the same female military comrades. After all, I turned it around, and later the bookshelf got tattered and glued it on to carry it around.

– Well, I’ve heard of the name, but I haven’t read it… What the hell is it about it that makes it so much fun to read?

– It’s a story about a married comrade who has a husband who is cold on the outside but really loves Ahn Hae (wife), who is unfamiliar with but has an affair with another male comrade who is unfamiliar but active.

And her advice was positively reflected (although there was also the fact that it was a work of art from the same socialist country), and several copies of Anna Karenina were distributed as a ‘reference’ to each series grouper.

Two months later, it was JBS and Chosun Broadcasting Corporation’s work ‘The Love Story of the Yoo Sisters’ that won the overwhelming victory in the ratings competition.

Unusual from the title, this series contains revolutionary content that is not truly unconventional by the standards of the republic so far.

– Born as daughters of exemplary and sincere factory workers, the two sisters studied hard and entered Kim Il-sung University with the consideration of the party and general secretary. And while the sisters fall in love at the same time with a young and handsome party official who they met there, the men and women who suffered from unrequited love one day learn the shocking truth…

“……So, what the hell is that shocking truth? There are still a lot of final episodes left, so let’s listen to it, Comrade Hyungsook Hyung.”

“Actually, one of the two sisters is a direct student and brother-in-law. They were separated at a young age due to a sabotage operation by an American spy hiding in the gynecology department of the Republic Hospital.”

“Such absurd …. Do you think the current manager makes sense now?”

At a meeting of the Politburo, where the winner of the competition was decided by JBS, and the foreign training of production workers and actors was decided in order to further improve the quality and professionalism of future broadcasts, Jang Sung-taek muttered with excitement.

What on earth does an American spy who has nothing to do to gain something by replacing a baby from a factory worker who is not a party official?

However, Hyun Young-sook was calm.

“It’s difficult if you do that to me, Comrade Jang. It was Comrade General Secretary who instructed us to create a story that does not go against the party’s guidelines and norms while increasing the viewership ratings, right?”

“Ah, I am also having fun, comrade of the current manager. Thanks to the amazing performances of comrades and the propaganda and agitation department, the people will again sit in front of the TV and listen carefully to the teachings and guidance of the Party. …Of course, the form will be slightly different.”

Jung-hwan, who had been sticking his tongue out in his mind, saying that he likes extreme dramas, whether he likes dramas from the South or North Korea, also took the side of Hyun Young-sook, and other executives, including Jang Seong-taek, had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.

Since that day, ‘Sister Yoo’s Love Story’ has updated the ratings every airing day, fixing the eyes and ears of all the people in the republic to JBS.

After a female people complained that the pain of reality and the hunger, sadness and suffering caused by insufficient rations can also be forgotten by watching the love story of the Yu sisters, Jeonghwan gave orders to change the ending of the story slightly.

Hearing the pitiful circumstances of the three men and women, the party and general secretary thought about how to help these three people without breaking the laws of the republic. Finally, with the consideration of the party, the party secretly arranged the marriage and appointed a direct student as foreign ambassador to live happily ever after. It was meant to be allowed.

It was unacceptable under the conventional wisdom of North Korea, but more than any other propaganda material or 100-day battle event, everyone can say that this conclusion greatly changed the people’s image of the party and the general secretary (which until now only seemed authoritative and distant). Agreed .