Chapter 167: Record-Breaking Listenership
"Dear listeners, this is the Hong Kong Commercial Radio Station. We will be broadcasting daily at 96.5 Hz…"
"Now, here is the seven-day weather forecast for Hong Kong and major international cities. To better serve local residents and traveling business professionals, weather updates will be aired daily at 8 a.m., 12 noon, 4 p.m., and 8 p.m…"
"Hong Kong will remain sunny for the next seven days. As there has been no rainfall for an extended period, we advise all residents to store water in advance. Now, let's move on to the international forecast…"
The radio station was broadcasting its standard programming. Weather updates were among the most basic yet essential content on both radio and TV.
Then came local news, international news, property prices, cost of living updates, and stock market analysis—interspersed with quality music selections.
...
In a small office in Admiralty, a group of young men listened to the radio while playing cards.
"Come on, bet up!" one man said with a grin. "Ah Long, don't be a coward. I'm putting up five dollars—are you in or not?"
"I'm in. Who do you think I am?" said Ah Long, tossing down a roll of five-dollar notes and sliding two of them into the center pot. "Ten bucks from me."
"Whoa, Ah Long, where have you been making all this money? You used to be super stingy," another guy asked in surprise.
Ah Long laughed. "I landed a big job recently. Ever heard of Changxing Industrial?"
"Changxing? You mean the Post-it King, Yang Wendong's company?" someone asked uncertainly.
"Exactly. The Post-it King," Ah Long said proudly. "Ah Wai, you know how big their factory is, right? Probably the biggest one in all of Kowloon."
"You got a contract with them? That's huge!" Ah Wai said, clearly envious.
"Well, not directly," Ah Long admitted. "I'm working with one of their suppliers. But you guys wouldn't believe it—every factory in Tsim Sha Tsui is trying to work with Changxing now.
Their orders are massive, they pay on time, and everything is done by contract. Tons of people are getting rich off this."
"Really? Think I could get in on that?" Ah Wai asked hopefully.
Ah Long shook his head. "Probably not. They prefer working with suppliers based in Tsim Sha Tsui or nearby. Your factory's over on the Island. Too much hassle with cross-harbor shipping."
"Yeah, true," Ah Wai nodded. "I've been thinking of moving to Kowloon anyway. Rent on the Island is getting ridiculous."
"Then do it," Ah Long said. "Especially since you run an injection molding factory. You'd get work right away."
"Oh, by the way, have you seen property prices lately? Skyrocketing. Think we should jump in too?" Ah Wai asked.
"It's true prices are going up, but I don't know which one to buy. Same with stocks," Ah Long frowned.
"There's a ton of info in the newspapers, but it's all over the place. Makes my head spin," Ah Wai added.
They were both eager to invest—but didn't know where to start. Not every rising market was a safe bet.
Suddenly, a new voice came through the radio:
"Next, please welcome our special guest, Professor Li Qiubing from the University of Hong Kong's Department of Finance, who will be sharing insights on Hong Kong's property and stock markets…"
"A finance professor?" The guys immediately perked up.
"He's real, right?" Ah Wai asked.
"He has to be," Ah Long replied. "Even big newspapers wouldn't fake something like this. If it's a lie, the station could get shut down."
"Let's listen," Ah Wai said quickly. "I've never heard an expert like this on the radio before."
"Get a pen and take notes," Ah Long said.
Throughout the day, Hong Kong Commercial Radio aired a wide range of programming:
"Economic Outlook," "Hot Headlines from Hong Kong Island," "Film Reviews," "Gourmet Features," "Voices in Music," and "Weather Reports."
Hong Kongers were suddenly discovering how rich and varied radio content could be.
Most importantly, the announcers' vocal delivery was polished and engaging—unlike the previous era's dull, robotic narration.
...
In a high-rise office in Central, He Zuozhi sat in silence, puffing on a cigar as he listened to the radio, scribbling notes in a notebook.
An assistant came in. "Mr. He, you've been listening all day. Want to break for dinner?"
"No," He waved him off. "Not hungry. Xiao Li, you should start tuning in too. This new Hong Kong Commercial Radio Station is something else.
The announcers are excellent—much better than the team we had in Macau."
Xiao Li said, "Mr. He, probably because that Post-it King, Yang Wendong, is richer than us. With that kind of money, the radio station is bound to be better."
He Zuozhi shook his head. "Money helps, sure. But it's not everything. The public radio station's been around for decades, and they're still broadcasting garbage.
This new station? Fantastic news coverage, professional commentary on stocks and real estate. It's clear, engaging, and even people with no background can understand it."
Xiao Li nodded. "That's true."
Just then, a new program came on:
"Exploring Wuxia."
Soon after, an audio performance of The Legend of the Condor Heroes began—voiced by a cast who delivered every line with immersive passion.
"They're airing Condor Heroes?" He Zuozhi was stunned. "I never thought of that!"
"Will people really go for that?" Xiao Li frowned. "I read novels word by word. Doesn't seem like something you'd just listen to."
"You're not everyone," He sighed. "Some people love it. I thought Yang Wendong was just a flashy businessman, but the ideas he's come up with… impressive.
No wonder he rose from the squatter huts in just two years. Truly admirable."
The Exploring Wuxia segment lasted only one hour. After that, the late-night programming began, including news recaps and the overnight "Voices in Music" program.
...
The next day, at the Hong Kong Chinese Daily building:
The staff of the Hong Kong Commercial Radio Station were all incredibly busy.
Yang Wendong personally came to the office—it was the second day since launch, and as the owner, he naturally wanted to check in.
Zhang Hui was well prepared. As soon as Yang arrived, he brought him into a side office and said:
"Mr. Yang, we've got the audience data from yesterday.
Our peak listenership hit 26,000 radios, the lowest was 7,000, and our average came out to 14,000—that's a 23.8% market share across Hong Kong. That's an explosive result."
Yang asked, "Only 14,000 radios and that's 23.8%? Does Hong Kong have so few listeners?"
Zhang explained, "Not exactly. Based on a public broadcaster's survey late last year, Hong Kong has around 150,000 radios.
But most people don't keep them on all day. The number of people actively listening is often less than half of that."
"Hmm, makes sense," Yang nodded. Radios weren't as captivating as TVs. Just because someone owned one didn't mean they used it regularly. Televisions had a stronger draw.
Zhang added, "That 26,000 peak was during the evening—prime time. And Jin Yong's novel really pulled in the audience."
"Great. Let's stick with this model for now," Yang said. "Once we have more data, we'll fine-tune the programming."
Yang had been involved in the past few weeks of content planning—drawing on his experience from his previous life, particularly regarding vocal performance and pacing.
But no one could predict the future perfectly. Audience data would guide future decisions.
"Understood," Zhang said.
Over the following days, the launch of Hong Kong Commercial Radio became a hot topic across the city.
In particular, the Condor Heroes radio drama airing each evening drew a growing number of loyal listeners.
...
At the Ming Pao headquarters:
Jin Yong listened intently to the dramatized version of his novel. Smiling, he said, "Yang Wendong's business instincts are truly sharp. He even thought of serializing a long novel over the radio."
Shen Baoxin, seated nearby, laughed. "Yeah. In the past, radio stations told stories too—but they were always short tales. A long-form story told over months? That's new."
Jin Yong nodded. "I heard Condor Heroes is getting good ratings?"
"We don't have exact figures," Shen replied. "But Hong Kong Chinese Daily mentioned it's one of the highest-rated programs.
A lot of people already know your work. But they're either too busy or too lazy to read. Now, they can just listen to it—with performers adding emotional nuance. Even folks who've already read the book are tuning in again."
Jin Yong chuckled. "Listening is passive, like watching a movie—it's enjoyable. Reading requires effort. Looks like Mr. Yang's helped me gain even more readers."
"Exactly," Shen said. "Once Condor Heroes finishes, if they run Return of the Condor Heroes, it might boost our paper's sales too."
"Very possible," Jin Yong nodded. "The printed edition of Condor Heroes is now complete. Let's ask the radio station to promote it for us."
"I'll talk to them," Shen said.
...
Several days later, at the Hong Kong Chinese Daily building:
Zhang Hui arrived with a report in hand and a smile on his face.
"Mr. Yang, yesterday's Condor Heroes episode covered the death of Guo Xiaotian and others—Guo Jing's fall from grace. The audience peaked at 41% listenership—over 40,000 radios tuned in.
We've officially broken the previous record held by the public radio station."
Yang grinned. "Jin Yong's novels really are something else."
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