Edward von Bohnenfeld

Chapter 8: Eduard von Bauernfeld

"You want to open a newspaper, but have you considered how you'll make a profit?" Lady Sophie asked with concern.

Profit?

It was impossible to turn a profit, at least not in the short term!

A newspaper wasn't easy to launch, and circulation certainly wouldn't skyrocket overnight; without sales, there would naturally be no advertising revenue.

Under normal circumstances, the newspaper would operate at a pure loss for the first few months, then slowly increase circulation, and eventually secure some advertisements, achieving profitability step by step.

In this era, the people of Vienna were not yet wealthy, and the middle class was quite small, so newspaper circulation was naturally very low.

"I plan to serialize novels first to cultivate a stable base of readers, occasionally inserting news that interests the public to capture everyone's attention. The issue of profit isn't urgent yet; once circulation exceeds twenty thousand copies, considering it will be more in line with reality!" Franz said with confidence.

"Twenty thousand copies? That won't be easy. As far as I know, there are only three newspapers in Vienna with a local circulation exceeding twenty thousand, unless you're targeting the national market!" Lady Sophie said after a moment of thought.

Clearly, she had done her homework and wasn't speaking idly.

Franz nodded. He knew that even those three papers didn't sell twenty thousand copies in Vienna every day; they only reached that mark when there was sensational news.

There was no helping it; the population of Vienna in this era was less than five hundred thousand, and those who could afford newspapers numbered no more than eighty thousand. Within that group, the number of people willing to pay for a subscription was even smaller.

Franz estimated that the core group of long-term newspaper subscribers in Vienna was between twenty and thirty thousand, while others only bought a copy occasionally.

It could be said that the environment for newspapers in this era was quite harsh, and coupled with strict censorship, the industry was not easy to navigate.

Franz's goal was to increase circulation to ten thousand copies within a year, and if six thousand of those could be sold in Vienna, he would consider it a success.

Lady Sophie thought for a moment and said, "Franz, since you've thought it through, then go ahead boldly! I have one piece of advice: recruit a reliable editor-in-chief; it will help you lose less money. It's best not to blindly involve yourself in politics; that will save you a lot of trouble!"

"Thank you. As you can see from the name of my newspaper, it is merely a publication to give voice to the people, but the specifics of how to do that are not for me to worry about!" Franz said with a smile.

He had no intention of being used as a pawn. He could participate in politics, but between the capitalists and the nobility, he absolutely could not blindly take sides.

As the heir to the Empire, Franz's attitude would influence the stance of many, and this was tied to his own public image.

Franz positioned himself as a benevolent crown prince who cared about the people's livelihood; in the battle between the nobility and the capitalists, he had to maintain a transcendent position.

All of this required propaganda. Without it, how would the common people know who he was?

Time flew by, and Franz soon selected an editor-in-chief for the newspaper: Eduard von Bauernfeld. The reason for choosing him was simple: he was famous.

He was one of the most well-known writers in Austria during this era, a radical, hot-blooded youth in his early years who had leaned toward conservatism in his later years.

Now in middle age, his passion had burned down quite a bit, though it hadn't been entirely extinguished.

"Mr. Bauernfeld, welcome aboard!" Franz said with a smile.

"Respected Archduke, I am very happy to serve you!" Eduard von Bauernfeld replied.

"Mr. Bauernfeld, I invited you here today primarily to discuss the positioning of the newspaper. Do you have any thoughts?" Franz asked.

"Your Highness, exposing the dark side of society is the duty of every journalist. We must have the courage to expose it all!" Eduard von Bauernfeld said, full of anticipation.

Franz knew why this man was willing to accept his invitation; he was simply looking for a platform where he could vent his frustrations to his heart's content.

Austria enforced a strict censorship system, and without a powerful backer, these intellectuals couldn't vent freely.

Undoubtedly, he, the heir to the Empire, was the best possible shield. Even if trouble arose, could his "boss" really refuse to bail him out?

Eduard von Bauernfeld was no longer young, and he had learned to compromise in the face of reality. Not long ago, he had written a satire of the government titled Adulthood.

After it was released, he had been worried because it was printed privately without passing through government inspection; getting caught meant jail time.

Just as he was preparing to flee, he received Franz's invitation and accepted it decisively.

In this day and age, the Austrian secret police also played favorites. If he worked under Franz, as long as he didn't go too far, they wouldn't dare to target him.

Franz shook his head and said, "Mr. Bauernfeld, there are already so many newspapers exposing the dark side of society; we don't need another one. The purpose of my founding this newspaper, as you can see from its name, is to provide a voice for the lowest rungs of society. I hope that through our efforts, we can change the living conditions of the domestic lower class. They need bread, they need cheese—these are the most basic human needs and should be guaranteed!"

Every newspaper had a lofty philosophy. During this period, Austria lacked a newspaper specifically dedicated to speaking for the lower classes because that stratum had no money to buy papers.

"Your Highness, I must say your intent is noble, but to achieve this goal, we must change our current political system!" Eduard von Bauernfeld began to push his own agenda without hesitation.

Franz smiled slightly and said, "The Austrian system does indeed need to change, but I don't know how it should change. Even if a ready-made plan were placed before me, my current accumulation of knowledge would not be enough to make a correct judgment, so I must remain silent on this issue for now. However, I know that no matter how the system changes, the lives of the lower classes must improve. This requires the government to enact more laws to protect their interests! Mr. Bauernfeld, your task is of great importance; you must let more people in society understand the lives of the lower classes and care about them! If you can push the government to legislate to protect their interests, that would be even better!"

Who was afraid of a little verbal sparring? With a few words, Franz left Eduard von Bauernfeld speechless. Everyone knew Austria needed reform, but how should it be reformed?

Everyone had different interests and, naturally, different reform plans. Franz simply played the "young and naive" card—no one should expect a sixteen-year-old kid to decide the fate of the nation.