Two days later, Liam received a file from his father during dinner.
"MusixZ, a 24 hour channel dedicated to music that we launched last year. The initial idea was to have a dedicated channel that caters to music lovers around the clock. This was a new initiative to grab the market share of the young audience from our competitors," Derek Hastings spoke plainly as the Hastings family dined.
"Unfortunately, the idea didn't translate into reality. For whatever reason, the ratings are abysmal. The channel didn't perform as we expected. While there is some traction, the response wasn't as big as we hoped. This will be your responsibility starting from Monday."
"I don't expect you to make this channel the No. 1 in our network. But, if you are able to turn this into a profitable venture, that would be enough. At the minimum, I expect you to break even within three to four years. If you do a good job, I will transfer you to our main channel."
Liam didn't reply. He pursued the file he was handed over while eating dinner relaxedly. Just a mere glance was enough to tell a lot of things. There was something very wrong with this channel.
However, Liam felt that this channel had a lot of potential and didn't know why it was in such an abysmal state. As a youth himself, he was sure that many youngsters across the country would watch such a channel dedicated to music.
Even at a glance, he could see that the channel was operating in heavy losses. Practically the channel wasn't making anything at all. The viewership in particular was disheartening.
With no viewership, there was no demand for advertising either. Without good advertising, there wasn't any revenue being generated from the channel. They couldn't even break even to support the operational costs.
If things continued along this vein, then Liam felt that this channel would be shut down in a year or two. It needed some drastic changes to reverse the trend and make a profit out of this channel.
Liam felt that his old man had dug a huge pit for him. Still, the condition of breaking even within three or four years sounded reasonable enough to him. He felt that he would be able to accomplish it.
Closing the file, he turned to the old man and spoke, "I want full control of this channel's operations. I don't want someone else obstructing what I want to do. If not, I would rather not take over this thankless job."
"Granted," his father's reply was immediate.
Liam blinked in surprise, causing his father to laugh at him slightly.
"Are you surprised? Don't be. When we began this initiative, there was already heavy opposition among the board. They didn't think such a channel could generate revenue. And this past year had only proved that," Derek Hastings spoke candidly.
"This channel was something that I began on a whim. No one supported me in creating such an unconventional channel. The prevalent consensus was that since there are already radio networks doing something similar, it would be hard to break into this market. Moreover, people buy TV to watch TV series, films, and interviews. If they want to listen to music, doesn't a radio suffice?"
"So, no one was interested in taking over this channel. This past year, everyone I put in-charge of this channel considered it to be a punishment. So, no one will be vying for power with you there. Also, consider this my test for you. If you can somehow make this channel profitable, no one would grumble when you enter our main channel."
"What will be my operating budget?" Liam asked.
"You will get 15 Million Anks as your operating budget for this channel. I know this is a pittance compared to the operating budget of our other channels, but that's all I can spare. How you develop this channel will be entirely upto you."
15 Million Anks wasn't much. Liam knew that the operational cost of the channel alone would take up at least half of it. He needs to somehow bring up the ratings with the remaining budget. It would be hard, but he felt that it was doable.
So, he simply nodded and agreed to it.
Following that, Liam spent the entire weekend watching MusixZ. His TV only had that one channel running for the entire weekend. After experiencing the channel for two whole days, he felt that he had grasped the key point to make this channel popular. So, he switched off his TV and went to sleep.
On Monday morning, Liam woke up early and set off to the channel office. Unlike other channel offices in Hastings TV Network, Musixz had a small building as their office space. Having been established for less than a year, the office facilities weren't good.
When Liam parked his brand new muscle carin the office parking lot, everyone looked up in surprise. It was clear that no one expected someone driving such a car to come to MusixZ. Liam ignored the blatant stares and walked into the office building with brisk steps.
Unlike his father, Liam didn't like wearing suits. He was dressed casually in jeans and T-shirt as he made his way into the office. A young, good-looking female receptionist greeted him and enquired about his purpose upon his entry.
"Oh, don't bother babydoll, I am Liam Hastings. This channel will be under my management from now on. You can get back to work, I will your the facilities first on my own," Liam waved her away and briskly walked past her, causing her to be surprised.
In her shock, she didn't stop Liam and allowed him to enter the office without any hurdles. Liam entered the Musixz office and observed the workers there with a critical eye. Soon, a frown formed on his face and he realized that there were a lot of changes to be made in this channel if he wanted to revamp it.
The first thing Liam noticed was the energy in the office. Or rather, the lack of it. Everyone was like a zombie with no energy. There didn't seem to be any enthusiasm present in the workers. Remembering the old man's words about how everyone thought being sent to this channel was a punishment, he somewhat understood their mentality.
But, understanding was understanding, it didn't mean he sympathised with them or approved of their attitude. These people were being paid to work. But, they were acting as if they were being sent to jail. It really displeased Liam.
The second thing that caused him to frown was that the average age of workers in the office was above forty five. It was as if this place was a retirement home for the elderly. Obviously this channel was targeted at the youth market, but none of the employees could be called youth.
This also explained the major reason behind the channel's abysmal ratings. Looking at them, Liam seemed to understand what was wrong with this channel. The channel's market positioning and channel's operation were not in sync at all. There was a huge disparity in it.
No wonder MusixZ was doing so badly.
The good mood he had while entering the office was now gone. Liam inwardly cursed his old man for being so unreliable. He knew trying to observe anymore wouldn't be of use. There were fundamental problems with the workers' attitude and mentality. Without solving them first, talking about anything else is useless.
Luckily, this was a newly established channel and the workforce wasn't big. Rectification could be done easily. But, it would slow down the progress he had envisioned. However, things were so bad that the channel needed a complete overhaul.
At least, not yet.
Liam schooled his face and briskly walked into the office. Liam's entry caused the workers to turn around and look at him. Amidst their confusion, Liam walked towards his office and directly entered it without greeting anyone.
The moment the office door closed, the workers started gossiping among themselves.
"Who is that?" a middle-aged man asked unkindly.
"I don't know. But, he went directly into the Channel Head's office. Old Parker will be livid when he arrives," another middle-aged man said with a sense of scraffudance in his voice.
"I think he must be from the music industry. Only those upstart musicians wear such casual clothes and act so arrogantly," another tall man with a belly snorted from the distance, causing everyone to nod along.
These old folks truly hated music artists that were becoming famous recently. They felt that these guys had no sense of propriety. Even their music and lyrics weren't very meaningful to them. So, these guys always looked down on them.
"Oh, but I heard that Old Parker was transferred to the main channel last week. Someone was supposed to replace him. The replacement person hasn't arrived yet to take charge. Should we advise the young man to come back some other time," a kind hearted woman spoke up from the distance, causing those who spoke earlier to snort and others to be shocked.