When the going gets tough, I daydream. To be quite frank, I’ve found myself daydreaming a lot over the past few months. So, when I first learned about China’s attempt to acquire ailing  magazine, Newsweek, my imagination shifted into overdrive. I find few things more tantalizing to waste my time musing over then the possibilities which exist at the intersection of US-China relations and the global media sector. Dying media companies are (or should be) an entrepreneur’s cornucopia; throw in the potential for Sino-US partnership, and it’s a bountiful feast for the mind. Or, at least, that’s how it is for me. Perhaps if I were Newsweek CEO Tom Ascheim I’d feel a bit differently right about now.

It should come as no surprise that the bid made by China based-Southern Media Group and Chengdu B-Ray Media was quickly rejected, despite Newsweek’s mounting financial losses and apparent readiness to sell. Continued distrust of the Chinese coupled with growing economic insecurity would make the sale of an American media brand to China more than unpalatable to the public. While no specific reason has been given, the timing and circumstances are just not right at this stage of the game and The Washington Post Company, owners of Newsweek, were likely well aware of that. But, analyzing the finer points is far beyond my scope of knowledge, so I’d like to get back to daydreaming while leaving in-depth commentary to the experts…

One of the wonderful things about losing oneself to the imagination is that it allows little room for laws or politics or impossibilities. So, as I was reading about the failed bid, I couldn’t help but tease myself with a big “WHAT IF” that I’d like to share with you. In a nutshell, China’s thwarted attempt to plant its editorial flag on a US-branded publication highlights dissimilar, but not incompatible, needs among two camps. The first- traditional American media companies- are tripping and tumbling over the breakneck pace of change. They need increased readership, more advertising dollars and, in my opinion, a more globally-minded voice to win back some of the audience that they’ve lost. The second- Chinese media buyers- are desperate to get their foot in America’s door. They want to learn more while bolstering their own reputation under the umbrella of a brand with prestige. However, it is doubtful that either party will get exactly what they want- at least not in the short-term.

So, given the fact that China is going to have a very difficult time acquiring a US media brand like Newsweek outright, why hasn’t the possibility for a Sino-US news media joint-venture been publicly explored (and if it has, why don’t I know about it)? Are we still that far off from being able to conceptualize an influential shared voice that bypasses political bantering and instead focuses on offering dynamic business, economic and cultural news? Consider, for instance, if Newsweek had taken the JV route instead. A few of the potentially positive outcomes may include:
- a transformation in the way we perceive media (we live in a globalized world, after all)
- a potentially broader audience on both sides of the fence
- more diverse, balanced commentary
- greater access to sources, advertising partners
- much needed capital-infusion
- a Chinese presence in US-media (which China is intent on gaining, like it or not)
- reputation as a risk-taker, innovator

There are also major considerations to make and hurdles to overcome in an arrangement like this, for example:
-What does the management structure look like?
-Who would be appointed as editor? Which side gets the final say?
-How do you address the issue of censorship and potentially warring ideologies?
-Which existing companies could handle the complexities inherent in an arrangement like this?
-Would a newly-established JV have a chance, given the challenges existing media brands now face?
-How do you position a new Sino-US media brand or transform an already established brand?

As I stated in the beginning of the post, I’ve been daydreaming, paying little attention to tradition or rules. Any family fortune that may have existed is long gone, the media maven of my ancestry has been dead for hundreds of years, and Michael Bloomberg hasn’t mailed me a check yet. The reality is, in between contemplating the “what if’s” I’m now looking for a job. So, I have resigned myself to accepting the fact that the media company of my dreams may just be that- a dream. But, as an American CEO or Chinese buyer in this world of pretend, possibility reads a bit like promise.

Have your say: Is a balanced Sino-US media company a good idea or an impossibility? Will China acquire a major US media brand in the near future and if so, how will the American public react? Would you read a Sino-US joint-managed newspaper or magazine? What am I missing here?

Commentary joint venture, media companies, Newsweek, Sino-US relations

This morning I made a trip to my local Xinhua Bookstore in Flushing, Queens with the aim of purchasing a few current American suspense novels published in Chinese. While browsing through a section of English/Chinese books geared toward advanced native Chinese-speaking learners of English (because there is no comparable equivalent for native English-speaking learners of Mandarin), I came across a text entitled, “你所不知道的美国”which had been translated on the cover in English, “Update Your Vision of the United States.” I should note that this translation- while a creative approximation- is not entirely accurate. I began thumbing through the text, which was published in 2009 by China Aerospace Press to explain the history and culture of the United States through a series of narratives and critiques on everything from the election of President Obama and “The Cradle of Washington Elites” to the Chinese immigrant experience and the Chinese “Co-Founder of You Tube.” The first chapter, on U.S. national parks, is even entitled, “America’s Best Idea.” The cover of the book claims that the text has been approved by a woman named Andrea Hutt, but I have since concluded that a pseudonym may have been used for this particular work. I ended up buying “Update Your Vision of the United States” anyway, along with a translation of Stephen King’s “Duna Key” (the latter of which was a small splurge driven entirely by equal parts ambition, ego, and stupidity). To be fair, despite the translator’s loose interpretations of language, this Beijing-approved book isn’t half bad in terms of its vocabulary and accuracy. And, according to a search on Baidu, it’s pretty popular over in China. Dangdang.com reviewers give it 5 stars and message board commenters seem equally enthusiastic about their new understanding of America. The following passages are just a few gems from “Update Your Vision of the United States”:

On Mass Media

In recent years, the American media have been plagued with all sorts of problems including sliding profits, scandals about manipulation, plagiarism, falling readership, “dumbing down” and so on. For example, CNN apologized for Jack Cafferty’s insulting remarks against the Chinese…
Media omissions, distortion, inaccuracy and bias in the US is something acknowledged by many outside the USA, and is slowly realized more and more inside the US. However, due to those very same omissions, distortion, inaccuracy and bias in the mainstream media, it is difficult for the average American citizen to obtain an open, objective view of many of the issues that involve the United States.

Does this remind anyone else of American media coverage on Chinese censorship?

On Ivy League Institutions

Ivy certainly looks nice, but you wouldn’t want to stroll through it. Americans gradually realize that much of what they don’t like about American politics- namely, American politicians- can be traced back to Ivy League schools. It can’t just be a coincidence that four or five universities keep spitting out presidential candidates and their spouses with the sort of regularity that Notre Dame used to turn out All American football players… Considering the politicians the schools have let loose on Americans, someone would like to rename it the Poison Ivy League. Americans and their universities also take delight in ridiculing their presidents. A university of not much prestige attracted applicants by making George W. Bush its advertising representative. It put in its website a black and white picture with Bush claiming that “graduating from an Ivy League university doesn’t necessarily mean you’re smart.”

An exportable lesson?

On Cheerleading

Cheerleading is a sport in crisis. There’s furious debate as to whether it is actually a sport at all. There’s a blazing row about just how appropriate it is to have schoolgirls in short skirts perform dirty dancing moves. Some also argue that cheerleading reinforces gender roles. The fact is that for the last five years America has been ripped apart by a maelstrom of cheerleader sex, substance abuse and violence. It seems that Americans are telling teenagers not to have sex, but are teaching them how to do it on the football field and applauding them when they do it. It is just too sexually oriented. Some suggest that drug dealers should have their fingers snipped off. Others claim that cheerleading leads to teen pregnancies, school dropouts and other problems. Cheerleading simultaneously represents “youthful prestige, wholesome attractiveness, peer leadership, and popularity” as well as “mindless enthusiasm, shallow boosterism, objectified sexuality and promiscuous availability.” Cheerleading gives us a snapshot of the American culture.”

If you’re not laughing at least a little bit, perhaps it’s time to update your vision…

I will soon be back to blogging regularly as I prepare for a move back to Asia and look forward to sharing what I learn with you throughout this new experience. Thanks for reading!

Commentary cheerleading in America, learning Mandarin, mass media in America, native Chinese-speakers learning English, Update Your Vision of the United States