America 1919

Donnie turned around and saw the man approaching, in his thirties, sporting a neatly trimmed beard—none other than Luke Jackson, the General Manager of Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

"Mr. Harding says you've got quite the knack for cards, Donnie," said Jackson. "So why did you bow out of the game so early today?"

Luke Jackson greeted Donnie with familiar ease.

If it weren't for Donnie's entry into the scene, Westinghouse Electric Corporation could have been the first in the world to launch a commercial radio station, but now everything had changed.

Donnie became the first to launch a commercial radio station, and he capitalized on the Miss America pageant to boost the influence of Atlantic City Broadcast far beyond what Westinghouse Electric Corporation achieved when they launched their first commercial radio station.

"I didn't expect Mr. Jackson and Owen Young to show up here together," Donnie remarked.

The rivalry between Westinghouse Electric Corporation and General Electric was longstanding.

The founder of Westinghouse Electric Corporation was Westinghouse, and the founder of General Electric was Edison.

Both were the most renowned inventors of their time, and their situation was such that Edison wanted to continue dominating the market with direct current (DC), while Westinghouse had invented alternating current (AC).

Back then, Edison, to maintain his monopoly, launched a massive propaganda campaign, claiming that AC was extremely dangerous, even recommending the use of the electric chair powered by AC to execute death row inmates, and attributing various electrocution accidents to alternating current.

To reinforce this negative impression, Edison even staged a series of sensational public experiments, including executing animals with alternating current in full view of an audience.

In the beginning, Westinghouse scorned Edison's propaganda, but as its impact grew, Westinghouse had to take it seriously.

However, by that time the public opinion had already turned overwhelmingly against him, and Westinghouse had no means to reverse the situation.

Later on, Westinghouse took a different approach. Since it was impossible to change people's current views, he decided not to argue against the danger of AC but instead he aggressively promoted the superior coverage and scalability of alternating current over direct current, in order to replace the impression that "AC is very dangerous."

By the year 1893, the organizers of the Chicago World's Fair approached Westinghouse and invited him to bid for the fair's lighting project.

Just like Edison, Westinghouse knew media loved eye-catching news, so he went all out to win the bid and decided to turn the Chicago World Fair's lighting project into the most dazzling AC display in history, encompassing complete power generation, transmission, and application.

For him, the cost of this lighting project was essentially a very worthwhile advertising expense.

Edison, attempting to hinder Westinghouse's project, immediately filed for an injunction to prevent Westinghouse from using the light bulbs Edison had invented.

Undeterred, Westinghouse invented a new type of light bulb for the project.

Ultimately, Westinghouse successfully completed the Chicago World Fair's lighting project.

Such a large-scale AC system, and at such a low cost, was something Edison's DC system could never match.

This event became a turning point in the War of the Currents, successfully altering the public's perception of alternating current.

Westinghouse was victorious, and even Edison's own company eventually began selling AC systems.

But this also ensured that Westinghouse Electric Corporation and General Electric became fierce business rivals, a rivalry that persisted even after Westinghouse passed away and Edison lost his position as president of General Electric.

Now, with the advent of the radio becoming a mainstay in American homes, the competition only grew more intense.

"It is precisely because we're all here that it underscores the significance of your broadcasting company, Mr. Block!" Jackson said.

Luke Jackson didn't beat around the bush regarding his intentions and directly stated that they had come for Donnie's Atlantic City Broadcast. Discover stories with empire

Donnie smiled and said, "Then I wonder, Mr. Jackson, how does your Westinghouse Electric Corporation wish to collaborate with us?"

"It's simple," Jackson replied. "Our company is willing to invest one million US dollars to acquire a 60% share in Atlantic City Broadcast. Although we're not certain about the specific start-up capital of Atlantic City Broadcast, our estimate is that it would be between six hundred thousand to eight hundred thousand dollars.

One million dollars for a 60% share is definitely a profitable deal for you, Mr. Block!"

Donnie looked at Luke Jackson with an odd expression and said, "Does Westinghouse not know that Atlantic City Broadcast already has over one million listeners? Or does your company believe that you understand the business value of a broadcasting company better than its owner?"

Faced with Donnie's sarcasm, Jackson kept a composed face and replied with an easy smile, "Those figures are indeed unknown to us, but we always have a rough idea. So what? Donnie, you should know that in the radio industry, it's not easy to succeed without the backing of Westinghouse, and more importantly, broadcasting stations aren't that difficult to run!"