America 1982

"Welcome to "Black News Today", I'm your host Ron, let's take a look at the first black news of the day..."

Tommy stared at the TV screen with an expressionless face. On the screen, a black host wearing a suit and glasses was clearly speaking and reporting the news in an orderly manner.

This is an audition video made by BT TV station to select presenters for its news programs.

"Next game." Tommy said decisively before the other party finished reading the first piece of news.

Martin hurriedly walked to the TV and helped Tommy change another plate.

This time, there was a black female host inside. Before the other party even said the name of the program, he just glanced at the black woman with exquisite makeup, and Tommy simply waved his hand, indicating to Martin to continue changing.

"Boss, it's the last tape. All seventeen audition tapes have been played." Martin took out the tape, shook it at Tommy in his hand, and reminded him.

Rick, who had watched all the audition videos with Tommy, uncrossed his hands on his lower abdomen and sat upright: "These seventeen candidates all have work experience in hosting news programs. The worst one has been a newscaster on a small TV station for at least five years. The best one is the black woman you didn't even give her a chance to speak. She previously served as the host of the late-night news program for CBS's partner station in Ohio. People and News Director, you should watch her audition, she’s great.”

"Rick, I can see your efforts. Their resumes certainly meet our needs, but..." Tommy put his fisted hand to his mouth mid-sentence, stopped, and stared. The TV turned into a blue screen and I was lost in thought.

Rick understood Tommy's dilemma, but he continued to work hard, hoping that Tommy could choose one of the seventeen people: "They can broadcast various news according to the requirements of our TV station, maybe not so eye-catching, But it’s definitely not going to hurt the black audience.”

In Rick's view, BT TV's program reserves are sufficient now, and they mainly focus on self-made variety shows that can attract advertisers to spend money on advertising. Self-made dramas and news programs are just dispensable. Find a black host. People want to read the press release to show the outside world that BT TV has its own news program, and it is not just using vulgar self-made programs to compete for ratings. It is also willing to assume social responsibility.

As a result, he did not expect that although Tommy praised the previous self-made variety shows that were obviously more eye-catching, such as "The Most Powerful Pregnancy Makeup King" and "Swap Couple", he never interfered. Only the last self-made news program, Tommy actually gave his thoughts seriously.

First, he asked that the news program, which would be seamlessly connected after the gathering during prime time, be called "Black News Today" and only broadcast daily news related to black people.

Secondly, he asked to personally review the host's audition video and related materials so that he could decide on the final candidate.

He has no interest in participating in programs that can obviously make advertisers spend money. Instead, he is very interested in news programs that are clearly used to deal with garbage time. Rick had always thought that he had seen through the boss, but now, he found that he still could not understand it. Tommy's behavior.

"They are professional, but they won't get the ratings of black people at the bottom." Tommy was silent for a while before saying the second half of the sentence.

Rick looked at Tommy: "The ratings of the black people at the bottom should not rely on a boring news program. Tommy, our homemade dramas and variety shows are the best weapons to attract viewers."

"I understand, give me a few minutes to think about how I imagine this black news program should be presented." Tommy did not discuss the ratings issue with Rick, but asked the other party to give himself a little time, He closed his eyes and leaned on the back of the chair in silence for three or four minutes before opening his eyes again and facing Rick:

"The problem with these black anchors is that they are too professional. That's the problem. Cover their faces and just listen to their voices. Can you tell the difference between them and the white elite news anchors of CBS, NBC and even CNN? No. Probably, because there is no difference between them at all.”

"What do you mean, I want to help you find a black man who stutters and takes out hemp to get high in the middle of the broadcast?" Rick frowned and asked with some confusion: "All the news anchors on the TV network are Such a face."

Tommy held out his hand to Rick: "Give me the press release for the audition."

After receiving the press release, Tommy quickly read it, then turned around and quickly wrote a press release with a marker on the mobile whiteboard next to him. Then, he threw away the marker and looked at the black host who was communicating with Page. Martin looks more pleasing to the eye:

"Martin, move a chair and sit in front of the TV, and then read out the news written on the whiteboard. You can read, right?"

"Yes, sir." Although Martin didn't understand the purpose of Tommy asking him to do this, he still moved a chair and sat in front of the TV.

"Imagine that you are the host of a news show and read out the news I wrote on the whiteboard." Tommy tapped the whiteboard with his finger and said to Martin.

Martin looked at the dense text on the whiteboard where Tommy indicated that he wanted to read. He had no aura of a host, and said with a pained expression: "Darn it! This news is easier to read than the most difficult question in my reading class." difficulty."

But then, he took a deep breath: "Welcome to "Today's Negro...", no, "Today's Negro News". Of course, viewers in front of the TV, if your eyes are fine, I hope you will confirm yours first Is your skin color the same as mine? If your skin color is different from mine, I suggest you change the channel, because... white people will not be interested in news about black people, 3, 2, 1, okay, white people or others should have changed it. Channel, watch the first nigga news today.”

"Tallahassee, Florida, two years ago, Mike Barnes, the city's city council candidate, narrowly defeated his white opponent Horace by a narrow margin of one vote and became the city's first black councilman. At that time, Horace Horace accused Mike Barnes of cheating on the ballot because, as a black man, his vote count was much higher than the survey data given by previous polls. Horace applied to launch an investigation. Now two years later, the investigation has finally In the end, there is good news and bad news. The bad news is, my black compatriots, I must declare with sadness that the white man Horace did not lie. There was indeed fraud in the election two years ago. The good news is that the investigation evidence shows that, The people who cheated on the votes were supporters of Horace. These bastards voted for Horace continuously in the name of their dead relatives. They cheated on the votes and failed to win against the black people. Mr. Horace, why don't you run for office next time? If you use this sentence as a campaign slogan, maybe many white people will vote for you because of your experience and low intelligence."

"It can be seen from this news that it is not easy for us black people to be the masters of America. If we are better than the white people, the white people will fucking accuse us of cheating. In fact, they are the clowns who have not wiped their asses clean. This This kind of cheating only needs to count the votes to get the answer. It took two years to give the investigation results. Of course, it was because the other party was white. If it was a nigger, I am sure that if he cheated in the morning, he would be in jail in the afternoon. The second piece of news comes from New York..."

After Martin finished reading the press release on the whiteboard, Tommy looked at Rick: "Did you notice? For the black people at the bottom, we need to be more colloquial and not elitist. They will not be interested. Our host must be like them." Get close to the big-mouthed neighbors in your community and tell them in a joking tone what black fellow Americans have done today that deserves their attention.”

"..." Rick looked at Tommy with a troubled expression: "The news should be more serious."

Tommy ignored Rick's expression and continued: "The host should be a fat black man who likes to make jokes. If you can't find a suitable candidate on a news program, go to a sports program to cast a net, and then find a few editors. Re-edit and edit the black news compiled every day. It should not be in-depth or rigid, and the news comment section should also be light-hearted. The uneducated black people at the bottom cannot understand the truth."

"Although I haven't had much exposure to news programs, as far as I know about news programs after joining BT TV station, news needs fairness and balance, not ratings, and news needs editors to write articles, which will make those news critics The news being written is not news, but a talk show." Rick advised Tommy seriously.

If your boss likes to make pranks, you can use variety shows to do it, but news programs should be more serious because they bear social responsibilities. If even the news style leans towards vulgarity or frivolity, it will easily make the TV station lose the trust of the audience. .

"No one stipulates that the angle of reporting news must be neutral. Rick, I believe that news critics will not trouble us, because they have to focus on those TV organizations that have the right to interview the White House and find fault with those serious news. In the White House, There is not a single black person. "Black News Today" may not be qualified to obtain the White House news interview rights for many years to come. News critics will not care about us who only deserve to be watched by black people at the bottom. We need ratings, ratings for all programs. ." Tommy said to Rick.

Seeing that Tommy was determined, Rick shrugged: "Of course, you are the boss, you have the final say."

"That's it, do as I say, I won't work overtime tonight, there is an important person waiting for me." After Tommy finished speaking, he got up and walked outside.

…

Dorothy stood beside the kitchen at a loss, watching in fear as Tommy put on an apron and delivered the dinners he cooked to the table. This made her feel that this was a sign that her employer was going to fire her.

"Don't worry, Dorothy, Tommy won't fire you." Susan, who returned from Canada and completed the broker's license exam, was wearing a dark blue women's suit and sitting at the dining table. She noticed Dorothy's nervousness. He smiled and comforted:

"He just likes to use this kind of warm means to show goodwill to his friends to show intimacy. It's quite hypocritical, right, but everyone likes to do this. For example, at this moment, I know clearly that he will actually arrange it next It’s a lot of work that keeps me busy, but it still makes me happy to see this bastard cooking a dinner with his own hands.”

Tommy put the soup on the table, then took off his apron and threw it aside and sat down. While picking up the decanter and pouring red wine, he said dissatisfiedly to Susan: "This is not hypocrisy, Susan. Hypocrisy is for everyone." This set, but in fact only three women have enjoyed my cooking, my aunt Melony, Otilia, and then you. Of course, if my mother was still alive, she would definitely be willing to try it, It’s a pity that she left, so you are the third one.”

Susan took the wine glass handed over by Tommy: "I have had people test the CBET TV station in Windsor, Ontario, Canada many times. The TV sets in all residents' homes in Detroit, Michigan can receive its TV signal. CBET's cooperation The quoted price is 35% lower than that of American TV stations in Detroit, CICI TV in Sudbury, Ontario, and its signal can be received in most of New Hampshire, USA, and..."

Seeing Tommy, Susan habitually talked about the work she was responsible for before. Yes, the stingy Tommy has never been a lavish spender. The price offered by some large city TV stations to join the BT TV network was too high, so Susan Sent to Canada by Tommy to find some cheaper but equally effective alternatives.

"You can't find a man to marry like this. No man will like a strong woman who talks about work in front of delicious food and fine wine. Just like Otilia has a couple of friends, the husband hates his strong woman very much. Wife, because every time even if the couple is alone, his wife will talk to him about politics, business and even the international situation." Tommy stopped Susan from continuing to report on her previous work in Canada.

"Bill Clinton and his lawyer wife? Otilia mentioned it quite a few times when she called me and chatted with me over the past year." Susan asked calmly, as if she had heard it before.

Tommy nodded: "His wife is the greediest woman I have ever seen. Her offer to help Wal-Mart solve a female employee problem in Arkansas is that she pays a thousand dollars in principal and needs to get a minimum of a hundred times the return in the financial market. The rate of return, and then you can magically earn 120,000 yuan from one thousand yuan. In short, it’s best to stay away from this kind of person.”

"It sounds like you're not too far away from them."

"I don't care. On the contrary, that woman has been having some minor conflicts with her husband recently, but I am getting closer."

"Family conflicts?"

"That's right. Bill hopes to register for the party's primaries and then run for president next year, because there is a strong voice within the party to support him. Some poll data also show that he has a good chance, mainly because Gary, who previously had the highest support within the Democratic Party, -Hart couldn't control his golf clubs and was exposed to an extramarital affair scandal, so he was forced to withdraw from the election, which meant that he no longer had a decent opponent in the party. However, his wife insisted on disagreeing, so the two sides had some conflicts." Tang As if making small talk, Mi talked about the recent minor conflicts between Bill and Hillary.

Hillary will tell these problems to Otilia, and Otilia will tell Tommy as if telling a story. Of course, it’s not that Hillary can’t control her mouth and complains about her husband everywhere. Telling Tommy the news is also an attempt. Let’s see how Tommy, a financial backer who silently provides funds, takes sides when the conflict between their husband and wife emerges.

Susan asked curiously: "Why doesn't she support her husband's candidacy?"

"She feels that the time has not come yet. She hopes that Bill will devote four years to the work of the Democratic Party and truly integrate the internal faction issues before running for election. The current moderates, radicals, and reformists within the Democratic Party are only temporarily bonded because of the Gary Hart scandal. , eager to find a replacement to face the Republican Bush who succeeded Reagan. In fact, because the factional issues have not been eased, it is impossible to have real combat effectiveness. Hillary believes that Bill should now appear in the party with a more moderate image to ease the factions. Contradictions truly unite the forces within the party, and he is still young. It is still too late to wait and try to maximize benefits. However, Bill hopes to portray himself as a person who encounters difficulties within the party and actively responds to the call to stand up for the Democratic Party. And the image that came out, Ottilia said, because of this issue, the two had a big fight, and Hillary was so angry with Bill that she drank a whole bottle of red wine."

"What is the result of the quarrel?"

"Bill will not be elected this term. He has no choice. The financial backers are all in the hands of his wife. For him to run for governor these years, the attorney general has been giving advice. In addition to his wife, there is also her wife's brother. Daughter-in-law, let’s put it this way, without his wife, it would be difficult for Bill to successfully run for governor. The best scenario envisioned by Hillary is that her husband follows her instructions and postpones running for president until 1992, and the governorship expires in 1990. After leaving office, she will no longer seek re-election. She will run for Arkansas governor to achieve a seamless transition. The advantage of this is that Bill can spend the next two years devoting himself to the affairs of the Democratic Party, integrating factional forces and ensuring that he can participate in the election. You can be more confident when choosing.”

"It sounds like you did a lot of research and thought on this couple."

"Indeed, quite a few."

"Is it going the way I thought it would?"

Tommy looked at the curious Susan and laughed: "I think you want to guess what I am thinking. At present, it is still very difficult."

Susan sniffed the aroma of the red wine in the glass, and then looked at Tommy: "I signed up for a wine tasting course before and wanted to learn how to taste wines of various vintages. It turned out that it cost several hundred yuan. With the tuition fees, I can only distinguish the taste of beer, and red wine is equally unpleasant to me."

"Most people who drink red wine are actually like you, but they won't say it directly like you. Stephen gave it to me, saying it was a high-end product brewed by a local California vineyard owned by his family, so ...Dorothy, please bring me a dozen beers, and then send the sobered red wine to Sophia. She likes to drink a glass of red wine alone before going to bed to relieve fatigue." Tommy pushed the wine glass aside and said to the woman The servant said.

When the beer was served, Susan opened it and took a sip of the cold beer, exhaling the breath of alcohol happily: "What did you just say?"

"Don't always look like a strong woman, it will frighten the men who want to pursue you." Tommy said.

Susan dismissed Tommy's words: "In the past few years when I was on the street, I had sex more times than an average woman in her life. How much interest do you think I have left in sleeping with men?"

"Take a lesson from Holly, find some cowboys to please you, recovery therapy, you know, Mark and Jason all rave about recovery therapy."

Susan shook her head slightly: "Forget it, I heard Holly say that in order to vent her pressure, she ravaged the cowherds as rag dolls. Every time, she would beat them crazily with a whip before lying on the bed exhausted. , let the poor scarred Cowherd serve her."

"That's right. She is under a lot of pressure. If she keeps suppressing it, she will go crazy sooner or later. It is normal to vent in time. If the psychological quality is not strong enough, the pressure can crush all your nerves. Why do you think those brokers on Wall Street So crazy that he can have fun while working, and immediately contact a few high-end girls to accompany him after work?" Tommy said with a smile.

Susan obviously disagreed with Tommy's words and asked instead: "Then why haven't I seen you venting your stress like Holly, Jason, or those brokers on Wall Street?"

"I have enough banknotes in my accounts to last me a lifetime. The worst outcome is to become a rich man, so I don't have so much pressure." Tommy spread his hands and said innocently: "There is no pressure, naturally. No catharsis needed.”

"I have no pressure. No matter how bad it is, it won't be worse than my life before I met you."

Tommy nodded: "Honestly, chatting with you is really boring, Susan, even more boring than talking with Sophia and I. Let's continue discussing work, those girls in Hollywood, remember? You are going to save them, don't worry Expenditure, although I have invested a lot of money in the TV station recently, I promise that there will not be any delay in your expenditure. You only need to save those girls as much as possible. The more the better. You have studied political science and do this well. After work, I will find a good position for you to use the knowledge you have learned."

"Creating a black TV station, helping injured actresses, making friends with presidential candidates... these seem to be completely impossible to string together, all completely unrelated things." Susan whispered softly about Tommy's recent investment in time. I can't figure out what I did with the banknotes at all.

If Tommy had just chatted and admitted that he guessed correctly about the purpose of approaching the couple, then it would be much clearer, but Tommy denied it. He said that he guessed the wrong direction of development, which directly made Susan unable to find any way. The clues that connect these things.

Tommy took a sip of cold beer and winked at Susan: "You will witness with your own eyes that I connected all this. When I only had 50,000 yuan in entrepreneurial funds, I greedily focused on Lotus. Now, , I have so much money, what do you think can attract my greedy eyes?"