Chapter 8: Chapter 8 – Edward von Bowenfield

“Franz, since you have decided to publish a newspaper, have you thought about how to make a profit from it?” Archduchess Sophie asked, concerned.

Make a profit? Impossible! It was simply not possible to make a profit from a fledgling newspaper, at least in the short term!

It was not easy to start a newspaper, let alone to get the sales to surge in the short term, which meant there would be no advertising revenue for at least the first quarter.

Usually, a newspaper would run at a net loss during the early months before sales would gradually increase. Then, as the paper grew more influential, it would begin to make a small profit through some advertising, little by little.

Considering that only a small number of wealthy individuals resided in Vienna, as well as a small section of the middle class, the sales of newspapers were unsurprisingly meager.

“I’m planning to start by publishing novels to cultivate a stable audience, with occasional news for public interest. It will be more practical, I believe, to put aside any thoughts of making a profit for now. I’ll tackle the issue of profit after the newspaper is able to reach daily sales exceeding 20,000,” answered Franz thoughtfully.

“Daily sales of 20,000 will not be an easy endeavor. From what I know, only three newspapers in Vienna have sales exceeding 20,000, apart from newspapers that are published nationwide!” replied Archduchess Sophie, her voice full of doubt. Apparently, she had reservations about her son’s new venture.

Franz nodded. Even the three papers his mother mentioned did not have sales of 20,000 in Vienna every day; only when there was some major incident.

That was the way it was: the population of Vienna at the time was less than half a million, and the number of people who could afford to buy newspapers was less than 80,000, among whom even fewer were actually willing to pay for newspapers.

According to Franz’s estimation, the number of people who subscribed to newspapers was between 20,000 and 30,000 in Vienna, while some others would buy a paper occasionally.

The environment for publishers at the time was quite harsh; coupled with the strict publication censorship, this meant nothing was ever easy in this industry.

To achieve his goal, Franz had to increase the sales of his newspaper to 10,000 within a year, but he knew that even getting to sales of 6,000 would be tough.

Archduchess Sophie thought for a moment before she said, “I believe you need to recruit a reliable editor; it will minimize your loss. And it would be best not to get involved in politics blindly; it will save you a load of trouble!”

“Thank you for your advice mother, but as you can see from the title of my newspaper, it is in favor of giving a voice to the general public, not giving me a voice in politics,” Franz replied with a smile.

He was too smart to be used as a weapon by others: he might get involved in politics, but he wouldn’t necessarily take a side between the bourgeoisie or the nobility.

As the heir to the vast empire of Austria, Franz’s attitude not only had an influence on many people choosing their position, but it also affected his public image.

Franz had decided on his persona: a merciful crown prince who cared for the common people’s livelihood. To maintain this persona, he had to stay above the fight between nobles and capitalists.

Lots of propaganda would be needed to achieve his goal. Without a successful newspaper to act as a link, how would ordinary people know who he was and what he stood for?

***

Time flew by, and soon Franz hired a person named Edward von Bowenfield as the editor-in-chief for one reason and one reason only—his big name and reputation.

As one of the most famous Austrian authors of the time, he had been a radically enthusiastic youth in his early years, though he had turned a tad bit conservative now that he had become a middle-aged man. Still, even though he had become less active, there was still a fire within him.

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“Mr. Bowenfield, welcome!” Franz greeted with a smile.

“Your Imperial Highness, it’s my pleasure to serve you!” Edward von Bowenfield respectfully replied.

“Mr. Bowenfield, the main purpose of our meeting today is to discuss the newspaper’s orientation. Do you have any ideas about that?” Franz asked.

“Your Imperial Highness, it is the duty of every journalist to expose the dark side of society, and we must have the bravery to lay it all bare!” Edward von Bowenfield replied, full of enthusiasm.

Franz quickly understood why this person had accepted his invitation so quickly: he saw Franz’s newspaper as a platform from which he could attack people with abandon.

Without strong backing, people like him did not have as many venues for verbally abusing people as he would’ve liked, thanks to the censorship of Austrian publications.

There was no doubt that Franz, the heir to the empire, was the perfect patron. Even if something happened, how could a person like him with an esteemed status not find a way to save the paper and its staff?

Edward von Bowenfield was old and mature enough to compromise with reality. Recently, he had authored a satire on government — “Adulthood.”

He was worried about possible imprisonment after the release of his book, which had been published privately without the permission of the government.

He had been planning to run away, but just before his departure, he had received Franz’s invitation, so he quickly rushed over to obtain the Imperial Crown Prince’s protection.

The Austrian secret police treated people according to their social status. Thus, if he worked for Franz, they would not make it hard for him so long as he didn’t cross the line.

Franz shook his head and replied, “Mr. Bowenfield, there are so many newspapers doing that already; it has become a saturated topic.

Our purpose, as seen through the name of the newspaper, is to give a voice to the lowest class of society. With our efforts, I look forward to changing the living conditions of the people at the bottom. They need bread and cheese, which are the most basic human needs; needs which should be satisfied!”

Every newspaper had a political orientation, but at that time, Austria did not have a publication specifically for the underprivileged. This was because the poor were simply too poor to be able to afford such a newspaper even if it was geared towards them.

“Your Imperial Highness, I must say that your intentions are pure, but for the sake of Austria, we must change our current political system!” Edward von Bowenfield replied as he attempted to fill Franz’s head with his radical theories.

Franz smiled and said, “The Austrian system does need to be changed, but I don’t yet know how. I will keep silent on this issue because I can’t make the correct judgment with my limited knowledge, even if there is a possible solution in front of me.

However, I am more certain of things the other way around: the living conditions of the people at the bottom need to be changed, no matter how the system changes. To achieve such change requires the authority to enact more laws to protect their interests!

Mr. Bowenfield, you have the heavy burden of letting more and more people in society know the reality of the poorest among us, and then arousing their concern! It would be so much better if we could push the government into protecting their interests through the promulgation of legislation!”

Franz was not afraid of anyone relying on big talk. He left Edward von Bowenfield speechless with just a few words. Everyone knew that Austria needed reform, but no one was sure exactly how far the reform needed to go?

Different people had different interests, and consequently, different plans of reform that best suited their own interests. Franz simply took advantage of his youth: no one counted on a 16-year-old boy to plan the country’s destiny.

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