America: My Time

Chapter 664 Media War
Chapter 654 Media War

"Something's happened in Britain. That little fox John has launched a counterattack, and the British can't take it anymore. A series of changes have seriously affected their international reputation. Investments have stopped, and Bentley Motors' headquarters are being moved overseas. Ireland has become the biggest beneficiary, and now those British are getting desperate!"

"They got worked up over this little bit of retaliation. It seems they're not qualified to go up against John at all. That's the power of industry. As long as you're not afraid of losing your own money, you can force them to compromise."

"I heard that the production tasks originally intended for the British will be transferred to Scania, and shipbuilding in Britain will also be stopped and moved to South Korea. Boss, do you think that little fox John might also take a drastic step against those old guys, making them suffer the same fate as the British? I heard that the British are very hostile towards those oil-producing people now, and are pushing all the blame onto them."

"What a bunch of cunning and treacherous guys. They find scapegoats when things go wrong, as if they know nothing. This wouldn't have happened without Downing Street's approval. Now the British are going to suffer, and suffer a big loss. If Bentley Motors moves its production away, they'll be in big trouble. Europe isn't just Britain that has car manufacturing capabilities. I remember that little fox John once said he'd found an opportunity in Europe. Do you think he might deliver a fatal blow to the British and attack them financially?"

"No way, launching a financial attack just for something like this? That's insane. I don't think John would do something so crazy. Even if he had the chance, he wouldn't do it now. That would only make people more uneasy and fearful!"

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it, but I think that little John will definitely not give up. We Morgan need to keep an eye on Europe. If John makes a move, the British will definitely become his target. That little fox is very cunning."

"Boss, I don't quite understand. Is it worth it for John to do this? Although he affected the British, he also suffered considerable losses himself. You know, those were plans that major companies had prepared long ago. Changing them at the last minute will also have a significant impact and loss on these companies. Isn't this too impulsive?"

"In your eyes, this might seem unworthy, even impulsive, but in John's eyes, it is worthwhile. He's not just warning the British, but all of Europe, and even the US. If you anger this guy, no one will escape unscathed. Those old fogies are even more terrified now, not to mention the oil tycoons! I believe this little fox will soon make his move against them. It's time for the two major media conglomerates to deliver a fatal blow to their enemy. Now they see clearly who are friends and enemies in the media industry, and there's no need to continue to tolerate it. Of course, I believe those guys in Japan will also curb their ambitions and dare not do anything outrageous again. John is establishing his authority over everyone! By the way, has the situation with Quantum Mining been clarified? Did that little fox really sell off so many mines?"

"Yes, some small and medium-sized mines, and even mining companies, have been sold off. There's been a major shift in the South American mining industry. I've heard they've even sold world-class mines to those guys in Japan. Quantum Mining has completely sold off its diamond mines in Canada, giving them directly to those Japanese! Now Quantum Mining controls a huge amount of capital, capital that all the mining giants envy. Many people say that John's offshore company has cleared out all its assets this time. They sold two world-class lead-zinc mines in South America, which shocked many people. If it weren't for the fact that they haven't given up on their copper-gold mines and silver mines, everyone would think they were abandoning their investments in South America."

"Does Quantum Mining really control so many mines that it's enough to shock the entire industry?"

"This is no longer a question of quantity; all these sold mines could form a mining giant. That's why everyone believes that Quantum Mining's hidden assets have been cleared out. Now, Quantum Mining wants to move beyond mining and is acquiring a Canadian aluminum company. From steel mills to aluminum companies, and even their copper smelting, it's fair to say they're transitioning from mining to the metallurgical industry. Technology is no longer a problem for them; the Russians have provided them with tremendous assistance!"

Now, due to internal reasons, the Russians have almost gone mad, and all their civilian technologies have been sold off. Some were sold openly, while others were secretly sold off by greedy corporate executives. After all, the chaotic Russians have lost all restraint, which has driven those guys to madness. Even a considerable amount of military technology has been secretly sold off.

No one knows exactly how much John benefited from his dealings with the Russians, but they have to admit his foresight and shrewd methods. He gained the Russians' approval so quickly and secured so many advantages—something many Europeans couldn't achieve. Countless others are secretly eyeing the Russians, but few have succeeded. John's Australian shipping company is now the largest trading partner with the Russians, because the Russians can exchange any goods they possess for the goods they need—something many shipping companies cannot do.

Although the border between Europe and Russia is long, and some people have this idea, most of them have failed because they cannot provide the Russians with more supplies, so they naturally cannot get what they want. Moreover, the Russians are more wary of them. In contrast, John's Australian shipping is much safer.

Trading those technologies with the Europeans would only allow Europe to grow stronger, since Europe is right next to them. But John is an American, and American technology is no weaker than that of the Russians. Under these circumstances, they are naturally willing to cooperate with this little fox, John. They even hope to see John grow stronger and have an internal struggle with those Americans. And such a situation is very likely to happen. At least now they have already begun to compete for the semiconductor industry.

The Russians weren't fools. In their eyes, John posed no threat, and trading with John was more advantageous than trading with the Europeans, at least not threatening them. After all, the trades involved civilian technology, and in their official cooperation, Australian shipping only received civilian technology. As for the clandestine transactions, there were no restrictions. As long as the Russians could provide it, John would accept it, because he had Gulfstream Aerospace and Bentley Motors behind him, so he wasn't worried about not being able to digest the Russians' technology or not being able to realize its value.

Of course, a large part of the reason why the Europeans targeted John was because of his deal with the Russians. Those guys couldn't openly stop him, but they were still willing to suppress John in secret. This led to John's cold reception in Europe and this upheaval in Europe. The British were largely affected by this factor.

It can be said that the more intense John's struggle with those old guys in the US becomes, and the more he is suppressed by the Europeans, the less his business with the Russians will be affected. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the Russians also hope to see this situation, to see the struggle for interests between John's emerging conglomerate and those old conglomerates.

As Morgan Stanley pointed out, Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media have made their move, launching a counterattack against accusations against the media industry. Lists of media giants behind the scenes are being drawn, and media companies controlled by oil tycoons are being exposed one after another. The revelation is shocking: oil tycoons are behind many of the major media companies in the US. This has stunned the American public. Previously, these media outlets accused John D. Smith of controlling public media power like NBC. Now, the situation has reversed. Smith isn't intimidated by the American public, but the encroachment of oil tycoons in the US is unsettling. If the two major media groups were to then claim that the previous stock market crash was orchestrated by oil tycoons, the situation would be even more dire.

Without John needing to say anything more, the American public understood what was going on, and their anger was instantly ignited. No one wants to be deceived, so someone needs to pay the price and take responsibility. The influence of those media outlets was instantly weakened. The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the entire television network were all controlled by Oil Capital.

With the emergence of the oil and gas capital behind these media outlets, their reputations were instantly affected, impacting both sales and viewership. This also angered those who held shares in these media companies, as they were simply implicated by the oil and gas capital's actions. Naturally, they wanted to demand an explanation and a solution from these companies, otherwise, it would be difficult for the oil and gas capital to regain control of the media.

At this time, News Corp. suffered the most damage, not because of the suppression from Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, but because of the distrust from the American public, so it was the most affected.

Although Murdoch was furious and wanted to change everything, he simply didn't have the chance. News Corporation had been the most arrogant before, and now they were in a sorry state. This was the price he had to pay, and it was also the impact that the media industry as a whole had on Rupert Hogan. The biggest crisis was losing the trust of the American public.

(End of this chapter)