Well, Evan was right.
When he said that we will be going places from here, Liam never expected his words to be so prophetic.
Whether it was due to the consistent rise in ratings or new programs that brought freshness and variety to the channel or something else entirely, Liam didn't know what exactly happened, but something clicked in MusixZ TV's programming in the next quarter leading to a dominant rise in the channel's viewership.
From October to December, the channel saw a consistent increase in viewership week to week. The rise was gradual at first, but soon it began to show exponential trends that surprised even Liam who had high hopes for the channel.
The constant rise in viewership was so much so that Liam even slightly regretted switching to industry standard practice when it came to ad contracts. If he had just waited for one quarter to negotiate the deal, the amount of income would have been completely different.
The constant rise in viewership had a major effect internally as well. Everyone who worked for MusicZ TV was now in high spirits. Seeing their efforts being paid off in a consistent manner motivated everyone in the office to work harder as well.
The constant rise in the channel's popularity brought forth other benefits as well. Liam was able to successfully acquire the broadcast rights for a few lesser known award ceremonies and music festivals leveraging the popularity of the channel.
This, in turn, kept the financials of the channel in the green throughout the quarter. Despite the large amount of expenditure the channel had in procuring MVs to realize Liam's initial vision, the channel was able to comfortably stay afloat without the danger of capsizing.
If there was one hiccup in that period, it was insufficient funds the channel had. Despite the increase in revenue and breaking even comfortably for a quarter, the funds available for the channel didn't allow Liam to initiate anymore new programs after Roadster.
Even with the extra revenue brought in by increased ad rates that Peter had negotiated for the channel, the amount of funds available were only enough to maintain the current operations and procure new MVs. Launching any new program was impossible with the remaining budget they had.
It frustrated Liam a lot.
Liam felt that he should capitalize on the rising trend and launch a few more programs to keep the programming fresh. After all, both Party Hoppers and Roadster only had a limited number of episodes in Season 1. While they were enough to sustain the channel's programming needs until the end of next quarter, they still weren't enough to completely fill up the weekly programming needs.
In Liam's layout, the ideal programming will have at least 7 to 8 programs that will be aired weekly at 9PM slot. These programs will be scheduled from Monday to Sunday, not overlapping with each other, and bring freshness for viewers.
Right now, only Rumor Roundup, Party Hoppers, and Roadster fit that bill. The other programs were being aired daily. So, Liam still needed another 4 or 5 new programs to complete his layout.
Liam already had ideas for two or three new programs. One was a talkshow program idea that he had been toying with recently. The other was a fashion related program that he had some bare ideas for now. If needed, he felt like adding a caller request type program he had heard on radio as well.
The only trouble he foresaw in implementing these programs was they all needed a host to present them. Lilith felt like an ideal fit for all of them, but Liam knew putting her in all those programs wouldn't be very ideal.
There were multiple reasons for it as well. Having the same host for different programs was not a good plan. It gave the host/presenter too much power and influence. And Liam was leery of giving too much power to anyone, especially Lilith.
At most, he could use her for one other program. The other two needed two fresh anchors to present them. Mike Chandler was another solid choice. While he wasn't as charismatic as Lilith, he was competent enough for the position. Even then, he still lacked one more person to fill the void.
But, that issue was completely solvable.
With MusixZ TV's constant increase in viewership, many doors that were closed to Liam were now open. Artists who would have once looked down on MusixZ TV would be willing to come over currently. So, it was not a big issue.
The main hindrance was the budget.
Liam had tried to appeal to his old man for some additional budget from the parent channel. The reports about constantly rising viewership and increasing popularity of the channel among the target demographics even held sway with Liam's old man.
Unfortunately, even though the old man was willing, the rest of the board weren't. Liam didn't know what happened, but the board gave cold shoulders to any request towards increased budget. It drove Liam mad. He almost ended up arguing with his old man due to this.
Liam knew that his old man was more than willing to support him. In fact, the old man would light up every time he dropped by the headquarters and discussed the channel's situation.
Then again, this channel was the old man's brainchild. He was the one who advocated for it to start. It would be strange if he wasn't invested in its rise now that the channel was doing well. Moreover, the channel rose under Liam's hands.
The old man might be many things, but he had always wanted the best for Liam. He was the kind to feel glad that he had a successor. So, Liam displaying his skills and reviving a dead channel to popularity would only make him happier.
So, Liam was sure that the issue wasn't with him. No, the issue was with the board.
While Liam understood the old man's position and his difficulties, he felt increasingly stifled. He didn't know why the board was so cold towards such a rising channel. He even vaguely felt that this was a targeted action against him. But, he had no proof, so he could only endure for now.
Even when he confronted his old man about it, the old man's lips had stayed shut. So, Liam was clueless as to what the issue was. Without knowing what the issue was, he had no solution to tackle it.
Still, with his character, it would be strange if he didn't hold a grudge over this.
Liam noted this down in his heart. He wasn't the type to simply endure. He was the type to retaliate. The old man knew him well. Maybe that's why he didn't speak about the difficulties in getting the funding. But, without the old man revealing stuff, he was passive for now.
So, Liam could only muddle around until things became clear. But, once he identified what the issue was, he would then plan to retaliate against whoever was causing problems for him. He was sure that the snake would show its tail sooner or later. He only needs to be patient for now.
Regardless of other things, Liam was gratified and excited to see the channel performing so well under his leadership.
Within just two quarters of him taking control of the channel, the channel showed a miraculous 180 degree turnaround. From ratings to viewership, popularity to performance, work environment to employee satisfaction, the channel showed a remarkable turnaround in almost all aspects.
This miraculous change under his hands made him very influential in the channel. His words were now law in the channel. It was not because of his family or pedigree. It was because he was the one to reshape the channel and cause such a turnaround.
Now, everyone in the channel obeyed his orders without question. They followed his words sincerely. They listened to his instructions with rapt attention. No one even dared to complain about him behind his back. Such was his prestige within MusixZ TV.
To Liam, this was something he cherished a lot. He had earned this respect by his hard work and achievements. This was pure recognition for his abilities.
Moreover, he had made an impact in the headquarters as well. His handling of the channel and bringing it back from the dead had impressed quite a lot of people. His mother often called him to speak to him about how proud she was about his achievements. It gave him a warm feeling.
From running at a loss to breaking even comfortably, MusixZ's financial aspects were far better than when he took over as well. The numbers weren't in red anymore. It showcased his skills more than anything else did.
In a way, Liam had accomplished everything his old man had wanted him to do with the channel in far shorter time than what the old man had given him.
And the best part was that he wasn't finished yet.
Liam still had a chunk full of ideas rolling around in his head. He had the confidence to propel the channel to the next level and make it one of the best performing channels under the Hastings TV Network with his remaining idea. As long as enough funds were available, the channel's rise would be unstoppable under his leadership.
The next calendar year will be the year of rise for MusixZ TV. And Liam vowed that no one would stop him from accomplishing it.