Media Industry

[Baron Francisco]

Well, the poll is just for entertainment, the point of conversation is the media industry.

In my last game, one of my major industries was the media. I built two newspapers, to produce Coupons N More, and the Financial Times, to keep the Americans happy. I built three radio stations set to the three income settings. Three more television stations broadcasted various financial incomes, and an extra broadcasted Learning With Larry(an essential, as any experienced Tropico player will tell you).

At the height of the island, with over 500 citizens, the Media industry produced a profit of $60,000 per year. Since it was accounted into my general overhead, my general overhead became a positive number. This meant that housing rents and media alone could pay for my entire islands infrastructure and wages, which were fairly high.

The industry had other benefits. When particularly dire elections came around, I switched half of my stations to propaganda and won, with a little 'helping out with the ballots'. Also, the media allowed me to instigate an industry advertisement campaign, raising all my export profits by 20%. While I didn't have a tourist industry to try out the tourism advertisement campaign, it would help anyone with a tourism island alot.

I encourage anyone elso who was formerly doubtful about media revenue to take a crack at the media industry.

[Kempo Joe]

Interesting Ill take this into consideration

[Mr.P]

You don't need to convince me Baron, I have been doing it for years.

[el_malo]

I tend to downplay the media... a newspaper, a TV station.   I think that it is time to explore this interesting aspect of the game.  

This means really pushing "electrification" of the island.   Which means I have to get an early start on education.  

When I think about it, this may give me the edge in bucks, I have been looking for with Dave's "HistNic ."

[Brf]

This means really pushing "electrification" of the island.  

Newspapers do not require electricity....and an early newspaper can hire that one college educated female you start the game with.

[el_malo]

Agreed, but I will need radio and TV stations sooner than my norm.   I like random maps and rule with a "dynastic" mind-set  .   The only scenario I have really enjoyed playing is Dave's... HistNic  .   It suits my style... vive la familia  .    

[Junta_Joe]

When I play a "get rich" island, I have a few principles.

1) Drop in a single well placed hotel, no matter my final intended industries.  It stabilizes early maintenance cost bleed so I can start my industries with the annual foriegn aid and first resource shipments.  If I am not going into tourism later, I bulldoze the hotel after 20 years to free up the dock.

2) Make sure my pay is 6/9/15 and early rent is 2 on cheap housing.  This keeps wages low, but keeps the cheap housing profitable.  This is another way to avoid early maintence fees loss bleed.

3) Then start my industries, education, and media concurrently and push as fast as I can.  I want money rolling as fast as I can.  I keep social spending to the minimum to keep me elected until the money starts rolling.

All that said, I'll comment now on media.  Once population reaches 200, media is a cash cow on the right settings.  I always get the newspaper going early on Coupons in the first decade.  The one college female will be able to keep it at the break even level.  In addition, she gains experience for later.  She can also influence a faction near an election if you switch settings.  Once you have the immigration office set to skilled workers, you will get the other two females in a few years.  A Coupons paper can earn $100,000+ over 40 years, and still be able to switch for a few years to get a faction on your side.  The religion paper can get a pope visit with only one cathedral in most cases.  You can switch to the Capitalist/Communist paper if you alliance demands it.  Note: you don't have to leave it on that setting permenantly to keep them happy and get your aid.  After 2 years, pull the Praise edict and switch back to Coupons and the full annual payment will continue.

The TV and radio stations really make money.  Always pick the general revenue setting of Yanqui sitcoms.  Then pick other settings depending on your demographics.  A tourist game has a lot of maids.  Try Russian Soap Operas.  24 Hr Sumo is good for resource islands as the excess teamsters, miners, or loggers will tune in.  Any island with lots of uneducated jobs will make Baja Bachata pay and Ossified Opera works with lots of educated.  Remember that factory workers also listen to the Opera setting.

All these settings will make good money if applied right.  And you now have a large stable of propaganda stations when you need it.  Low liberty because of presidente traits and military?  You have 2 liberty settings in BBC and RFT.  That's good for 25-40 liberty points depending on experience.  Been cheap on social spending?  You have 2 respect settings as well.  Finally there is Learning with Larry for when you begin to really build out your island.  Running it for 10 years in midgame can really get those factories rolling.

Let's not forget the 2 edicts that benefit from TV stations.  A well running economy will go into overdrive with these.  At a certain point in the game, i simply have them running at all times until the finish.

If you take a media package of 2 papers, 3 radio stations, 4 TV stations, and the 2 edicts and give them all a 30+ year run on a 500 population island, you can expect an extra million in the bank after a 50 year game and smooth sailing in the elections.

Go with media and you will supercharge your game.

[Baron Francisco]

One of the especially great things about Media is it is always a steady income---it is not influenced by the tide of teamster visits and dock hours. As long as Media is just enough to cover all General Overhead, there is no way you could end up going into debt, not counting hurricanes or uprisings.

[belbincolne]

Well as I hardly ever have enough money to get any media I'm no expert but J J 's notes look great and I'm going to study them real hard because it looks like they may be the clue to winning a couple of scenarios I haven't been able to beat where happiness is the key.

[Junta_Joe]

Media does need time to develop and full staffing.

Unless you are desperate for a certain effect like BBC induced liberty, then avoid media for short (less than 30 years) games.

One exception is the newspaper if you already have at least one college educated female.

A single worker at a newspaper will get you brownie points if set to a faction setting with that group.  On Coupons it will break even in about 20 years (that includes building cost).  If you can snare another college female through immigration or just hire one while hiring costs are low then it is a sure money maker.

Get 3 college women in a Coupons paper and you have a cash cow in a decade.

[Chico Lobo]

If I have a dictatorship, I'll use the media to increase my score and the free will of the people by using BBC/Radio Free Tropico to improve the liberty of the island, as well as the Propaganda stations to improve my image to the people

If I have democracy, I'll use it as a primarily as a source of income, Radio, TV, and newspapers...

Downside to the media is that it is knowledge intensive, and takes either a long time, or loads of buildings to earn a quick profit.

[Coconut Kid]

A Few
Counterpoints!

>> Learning With Larry is a developer sanctioned cheat which they improvised to balance the beta test players inability to keep the workers rotating through the work mode often enough to gain skill at a "normal" rate. It makes the game too easy. An early mod should disable it.

>> Most of the strategies posted in this thread are predicated on a small or medium island, e.g. half or less than the full size possible. Keeping the target population in the building's zone is not so simple with a larger island.

>> The Newspaper was deliberately crippled by the developers by disabling the "respect" option (El Presidente Picayune) and the "liberty" option (Free Press & Dispatch) for unknown reasons. So the newspaper is underpowered as compared with the other two media buildings.

>> Neither education nor social class justify the requirement of college for Journalists. I lay the gender and education\class level to an attempt for a feminist marketing balance rather than simulation realism.

>> The numbers of the three kinds of buildings allowed are not realistic for a simulation.; they are reversed. A newspaper should be allowed for every option including the two disabled; three radio stations and two TV stations (Learning With Larry disabled).

[Coconut Kid]

The Industrial (money making) Media

• Newspaper
  • Coupons 'n' More
• Radio Station
  • Menudo's Greatest Hits
  • Baja Bachata
  • Ossified Opera
• TV Station
  • Yanqui Sitcoms
  • Russian Soap Operas
  • 24 Hour Sumo Wrestling

.
The Propaganda Media

• Newspaper
  • Respect
    • El Presidente Picayune (disabled)
  • Liberty
    • Free Press & Dispatch (disabled)
  • Faction, support + membership
    • Voice of The Workers
    • Financial Times
    • Soldado de Fortuna
    • Word of God
• Radio Station
  • Respect
    • El Presidente All Day
  • Liberty
    • Radio Free Tropico
• TV Station
  • Respect
    • Your Government, Your Friend
  • Liberty
    • BBC Overseas

.
Your money making media should be able to support your propaganda machine.