The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Century City, Fox Television Center.

Megan Taylor strode into the Channel 11 studio, gestured for those who had greeted her to go back to their work, and went to the glass wall to look at the morning news broadcast that was about to begin.

Program director White strode over and tentatively asked, "Boss?"

Megan waved her hand: "It's okay, work continues as usual."

White didn't dare linger and quickly returned to his post.

The morning news program started with a giant rocket as the headline.

"SpaceX successfully launched a commercial satellite for the UK from its launch site in Texas yesterday, marking a significant step in its international commercial operations."

Megan clearly remembers that this is a company Hawke has invested in, which is currently building momentum in preparation for an IPO.

Such an international business deal is bound to attract the attention of more investors.

An assistant came in from outside and said in a low voice, "Mr. James Murdoch just called and wants to talk to you."

“Him?” Megan was slightly surprised. “Isn’t he in charge of 20th Century Fox, only responsible for the group’s film and television business?”

The assistant was also unsure, only saying, "James said he's waiting for you in the coffee shop on the lounge area."

“Let’s go.” Megan picked up her bag, went to the elevator, went upstairs to the lounge, and saw James Murdoch through the glass curtain wall.

The assistant stood guard at the door; James was the only person in the coffee shop.

Megan went over and sat down opposite him.

People outside can see the two of them, but they can't hear what they're saying.

James laughed and said, "This year, among all the television channels under the Fox Group, Channel 11 is second only to Fox News. Megan, you did what Cynthia Rosberg couldn't do."

Megan's rise to power was also due to the recommendation of her former boss. She was very careful in public: "Cynthia laid such a good foundation. She planted the fruit trees, and when I took office, the fruit naturally ripened."

“Regardless, Channel 11 has achieved such success under your leadership.” James gently touched the table and said, “Last week, the group held a board meeting in New York. All the directors spoke highly of you and unanimously agreed that you should be promoted to a higher management position.”

"Thank you," Megan said, but she knew very well that there were people in every position at the top of Fox Corporation, and any change in any one of them would have a chain reaction.

The personnel relationships within large corporations are quite complicated.

James bluntly stated, "I intend to promote you to the position of Content Director at Fox Television Network, where you will be responsible for the reporting and production of news programs."

Megan showed no delight, instead saying, "Excuse my bluntness, but you are in charge of 20th Century Fox's business and have no management authority over Fox Television Network."

James's move from England to Los Angeles to oversee 20th Century Fox's operations was ambitious, reflecting his desire for more power.

After all, Rupert Murdoch is nearly 80 years old.

The transition of power and the distribution of property are issues that must be considered.

But for James, he doesn't have the final say on anything, not even the Fox Building, let alone the entire Fox Corporation.

There's also an emperor version of this character – Roger Ayers.

James and his rival, his brother Lachlan, have reached an agreement to find a way to oust Roger Ailes from Fox and gain control of one of the four major television networks in the United States.

They need to promote someone who is truly proficient in news content.

James said, "You've been in the position of Channel 11 director for a long time, it's time to take a step up."

Megan was equally direct in her response, saying, "The current content director, Barney, was promoted by Roger. Unless Barney resigns voluntarily, I won't consider this position."

James understood what she meant: "Roger is over seventy and has always been in poor health, suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. He should consider retiring."

Meghan declined to comment.

The conflict between the Murdoch brothers and Roger Ayers was almost an open secret within the group's senior management.

James threw out a tempting bait: "Fox News will eventually need someone who understands the news industry to take charge."

“I’m sorry.” Megan is a woman with her own ideas; she had rejected Hawke’s invitation years ago.

Moreover, she reflected on her own situation and politely declined, saying, "My abilities do not meet the requirements of these two positions. I cannot let my own selfish interests hinder the development of the entire Fox News Network."

James had his eye on more than just Megan, so he couldn't force the issue and simply said, "Think it over carefully."

Megan said no more, got up and took her leave.

As she walked out of the coffee shop, she pondered the situation.

Megan is self-aware; she does have some abilities, but not enough to warrant James acting this way.

The Murdoch brothers and Roger Ailes had a sharp conflict many years ago, but the latter has remained firmly in the position of chairman of Fox Television Network. Why?
Rupert Murdoch is in support.

The real owner of Fox is Rupert, not James.

That's precisely why James approached her, because she could help James recruit foreign players.

Megan returned to her office, immediately took out her phone, and called Hawke, asking, "Where are you? I need to speak to you urgently."

Hawke had just stepped off Sunset Boulevard North when he said, "How about we meet at the Beverly Business Club?"

The club was located in Century City, so it was close by for the two of them.

Fifteen minutes later, Hawke met Megan at the business club.

“James approached me this morning to talk about something, and I think it might be related to you…” Megan recounted her conversation with James Murdoch in detail.

Hawke nodded slightly: "The struggle within the Murdoch family has been going on for a long time. His two sons and several daughters have been fighting against the constant emergence of stepmothers. I've heard that the internal power struggle has intensified in the last two years."

Megan said, "Because of Fox News' power, the conflict between James and the Lachlan brothers and Roger Ailes has become almost public. James has consolidated 20th Century Fox in the past two years and is not content to stay in the film and television industry; he wants to have a greater say."

Hawke completely agreed: "One of the four major television networks has a voice in society." He then asked, "Has Roger Ailes considered retiring?"

“Never.” Megan knew him somewhat: “In fact, his health has been poor for years. Various complications from obesity have been tormenting him. Even so, Roger has never thought of giving up his work to recuperate.”

Hawke roughly understood this situation: "Power is more attractive to men than money."

Megan smiled. "Women are the same. If I were asked to quit my job and become a producer or host for a show at some small TV station, I would find it hard to accept." Hawke said, "The situation is clear now. James Murdoch wants to fight for power, Roger Ailes won't let go, and Roger Ailes has Rupert Murdoch's support behind him."

Megan nodded slightly: "That's right."

Hawke analyzed, "Rupert supports Roger because the Fox television network under Roger's control can bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in profits every year. If the leader is changed rashly, the Fox television network may become an unknown."

He suggested, "Given the current situation, you should take on the role of director of Channel 11."

“That’s what I think too.” Megan was very self-aware: “If it weren’t for you, James wouldn’t have approached me. To the whole News Corp., I’m just a nobody.”

This was an internal power struggle within Fox, but Hawke was thinking about something much further ahead, saying, "Don't worry, I'm here."

It feels great to have someone backing you up. Megan glanced at the time and said, "Are you free tonight? Let's invite that sheep and play together."

Hawke said, "Let's wait until the weekend."

Both of them had work to do, so they walked out together. As they walked, Megan said, "The rocket company you invested in has started national launch operations. Many TV stations were reporting on it this morning."

Hawke simply stated, "There will be similar businesses in the future, mainly to promote the IPO. Currently, there are only a few countries in the world that can independently launch satellites into space, and the cost of space exploration technology is relatively lower."

"Is your communications satellite network set up yet?" Megan asked with concern.

Hawke said in general terms, "The initial setup is complete."

West Coast Technologies commissioned Surrey Satellite to manufacture the satellites, which were then launched by SpaceX. 26 of these communications satellites have already entered their designated orbits, targeting major countries and regions in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

These capabilities are sufficient to enable Hawke's various companies to achieve encrypted communication anytime, anywhere, and to remotely control ground and air equipment wirelessly, among other things.

Hawke arrived at the Coast Building, thought about what Megan had said, considered for a moment, and then called Caroline to his office.

Caroline, wearing red high heels, sat down opposite her. Her newly dyed honey-gold hair, straightened, seemed to shimmer under the light.

Hawke said directly, "You will secretly set up a team, personally in charge of collecting all kinds of materials on Fox Television Network... no, the entire Fox Group, and analyze them to explore the feasibility of acquiring the Fox Group."

Caroline was somewhat surprised: "Acquire Fox Corporation?"

Hawke explained in detail: "Rupert is getting old, and his children are getting a little anxious to share power and wealth. Not many of them want to be like Charles."

Upon hearing the name that followed, Caroline couldn't help but exclaim, "Fifty years as crown prince..."

Hawke ignored her and continued, "There's instability within the Murdoch family and News Corporation's upper echelons, and a major crisis may occur in the next few years. Perhaps we have an opportunity to acquire them."

Caroline put her thoughts aside and said, "This will make up for our shortcomings in traditional media."

Hawke added, "I will have Campos select a group of elite personnel to handle external investigations, while the internal analysis team will be assembled by Twitter."

Caroline asked, "You must have heard about the dispute between William and News Corporation."

Hawke worked in gossip news when he first came to Los Angeles, so he naturally knew about this.

Back in 2005, the News of the World reported that Prince William had injured his knee and that the British royal family suspected that William's phone had been tapped. In the following year, a number of News Corp's media companies in the UK were subjected to various investigations, and the editor in charge of reporting the incident was forced to resign and was detained for four months.

James Murdoch had to pay £70, plus Blair's mediation, to settle the matter.

Subsequently, Brooks took over News Corp.'s UK operations, and James moved to Los Angeles.

This is the only known case of phone hacking in the official statements of the British government and News Corp.

Caroline also has her own sources of information, saying, "When the first case of this kind of wiretapping for news is discovered, it means that countless cases have already occurred."

She smiled at Hawke: "You should know this very well."

Hawke stated directly, "There must be many such cases, possibly involving celebrities from both the UK and the US, political figures, 9/11 victims, and the royal family."

Caroline suggested, "We can investigate from this angle. No matter how we acquire it, a business war is inevitable. The most conventional way to fight a business war is to find the other party's weaknesses and launch a fatal attack."

As we all know, business warfare is always straightforward and unpretentious, as evidenced by Mr. Dong's rise to the status of a stock market guru.

With this idea in mind, it's natural to start preparing in advance, even if it might not be needed.

Because the situation is constantly changing, especially due to the series of effects brought about by Hawke himself, the United States has undergone tremendous changes from the political arena to the business world, and no one can say for sure what the future holds.

The biggest changes have occurred in Los Angeles; the Fox may not be the same Fox it once was.

But Hawke wouldn't let the opportunity pass him by. He instructed, "Don't make this public. Listen to Campos's opinions on the external investigation. His people are very experienced. Report any developments to me immediately."

“I understand.” Since joining Twitter, Caroline has always been methodical in her work.

Hawke picked up the phone and notified Campos.

Not long after, Campos sent Fiona and Betty, who had just finished their vacation, over together.

Hawke assigned them the relevant tasks, and the specific work was to be done by them.

That afternoon, Caroline assembled a special task force comprised of reliable and capable personnel.

The following day, James Murdoch personally called Hawke, claiming he wanted to visit the Starlink satellite control center.

Hawke had no choice but to accompany him personally.

Inside the satellite control center, looking at the range of services offered by Twitter and West Coast Technologies, James said, "Fox's communications satellites have no technological advantage whatsoever; in fact, they're already lagging behind."

Hawke continued, "Fox still focuses primarily on its cable business."

James said with a smile, "We also have many satellite TV stations, such as Sky TV, which rely on satellite transmission. In the past, we leased communication satellites from the British, but after Blair stepped down, the situation in the UK was not optimistic. Considering security issues, I think News Corporation should cooperate with American satellite service providers."

Hawke replied casually, "The Starlink project welcomes you anytime."

James Murdoch then addressed the issue of Fox Television Network.

Hawke stated that he was not in a position to interfere in News Corp.'s internal affairs, but he has always worked with James and would definitely support him.

It's mainly verbal support.

Because Rupert Murdoch will live for many more years. (End of Chapter)