Media Voices Podcast

As well as its flagship paper, The Economist also publishes future-gazing issues looking at what to expect the next year and even further into the future. This week Tom Standage, its Deputy Editor and Head of Digital Strategy tells us about the reason why it believes doing so is central its mission, what needs to happen to prevent journalists revisiting familiar mistakes in the near future, and why blaming the Duopoly for revenue doldrums is unhelpful. In the news roundup the team discusses the closure of The Correspondent, The Atlantic's new chief executive, and why UK digital news audiences have grown 30% over the year. Chris' brain gives up halfway through the news roundup. Happy holidays, everybody!

This special episode includes the audio of our launch presentation for the Media Moments 2020 report. Esther, Peter and Chris examine one key stat of each section within the report, from diversity through platforms to trust. In the second half of the episode the team is joined by a panel of Jemima Villanueva, Executive Director, EMEA at The Atlantic, Aly Nurmohamed, General Manager of Permutive and Andrea Barbalich, Editor in Chief of The Week Junior US. Download the full report at https://bit.ly/mediamoments 2020

A few weeks ago, Hearst UK announced that women's lifestyle magazine Prima would increase its print edition from 12 to 13 issues a year, following a 68% surge in subscriptions this year. This week, we talk to Prima's Editor Jo Checkley about what factors led to the decision to increase the frequency of the magazine, how their content has encouraged a community feel among their readers, and what lessons they'll be taking from producing magazines in lockdown. Jo also outlines what she's done to keep her magazines thriving during her career despite tough market conditions for women's titles. In the news roundup the team discusses Future Plc's resurgent fortunes and purchase of GoCompare, the UK government's attempts to create a competition regime to tackle the ‘fundamental imbalance of power’ between platforms and publishers, and Spotify launching a Stories copy. Esther is a meerkat.

This week we hear from Scott Omelianuk, Inc.'s Editor in Chief. He talks about how starting his new job just before lockdown affected Inc.'s plans for change, how their content strategy has shifted in response to a momentous year in politics, and the thinking behind their new texting subscription service. He also explains why media businesses need a process before trying new platforms. In the news roundup the team discusses BuzzFeed buying HuffPost, Google's payments to French publishers, and the whys and wherefores of launching a one-off print comic book for grown-ups. Don't worry, America, Peter still loves you really.

This week Gary Rayneau, co-founder of Project 23 tells us about about his time leading a diverse team at Dennis, the impact of Black Lives Matter in 2020, and how publishers can approach diversity and inclusion in the right way. In the news roundup we discuss Quartz's sale to itself, Spotify purchasing Megaphone, and BuzzFeed launching its sexual wellness vertical.

Over the past two years publishers have rightly been shouting about the power of their first party data. Understandably, that’s led to many becoming protective of the data that underpins this rediscovered strength - but rather than building up walls, many are doubling down on collaboration within the industry. Rather than simply hoarding that data, publishers are looking for ways to work with marketers to enhance their understanding of the consumer. This Conversations episode discusses the importance of an open web to advertisers, the realities of our new cookieless ecosystem and how identity solutions add value to the entire ecosystem. To discuss all that Chris is joined by Terry Hornsby, Digital Solutions Director at Reach PLC, and Chris Hogg, EMEA Managing Director at Lotame.

This week, we hear from Uwern Jong, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of OutThere magazine. He talks to us about the luxury LBGTQ travel brand's journey over the past decade, including how he's grown print readership, and how the pandemic has impacted travel content. He also discusses how he went about revamping the site's digital strategy, and what results he's seen. In the news roundup the team discusses Cosmo launching its own wine brand, the NYT's great results, and ask if Europe is too dependent on English-language news to tell its story. Oh, and how the media covered the US election.

The winner of the 2020 Publisher Podcast Awards News & Current Affairs category was the Week Unwrapped from Dennis Publishing. Former editor Arion McNicoll says there’s a small but critical difference between an OK podcast and a good podcast. Start with a worthwhile listener experience, then work on revenue and, if you bring real editorial rigour to your sponsored episodes, you might miss out on some sponsors, but you won’t insult your listeners.

This week, we hear from Erica Anderson, Executive Producer of Content and Partnerships at New York Magazine and Vox Media. She talks about what she took from her time working at Google and Twitter, what goes into developing outstanding podcasts, and what Vox Media is doing to prepare for changes in the podcast industry. In the news roundup the team discuss how easily segments of the British press were gulled into reporting a fake story, whether Tim Davie's new social guidelines at the BBC are helpful, and discover who the main winners in adspend are for 2020. We demand more Pick'n'Mix.

The winner of the 2020 Publisher Podcast Awards Branded category was the Bestseller podcast from Reedsy. Podcast host Casimir Stone says editing takes time, but crafting a podcast episode around a narrative allows you to deliver a different kind of value than a straight interview and differentiation matters; make sure you know why you are making a podcast and how it’s going to be different from what everyone else is doing.

This week Rory Brown, co-founder and CEO of AgriBriefing, speaks about building a niche B2B business, the issues with finance in media, Agribriefing's acquisition strategy, and keeping an entrepreneurial spirit alive as a larger company. In the news roundup the team takes a look at the welcome trend of new climate change verticals, have a discussion about the death of Quibi, and Time's new children-focused subscription. With apologies to Elton John.

Over the past few weeks, there have been a number of high-profile examples of journalists leaving publications to launch their own newsletters. This isn't a new trend, but as tools like Substack, Medium and Patreon have grown in prominence, the barriers to making a living off working by yourself have come down. In this special podumentary episode, we talk to journalists at a range of stages, from those that have been flying solo with their own businesses for a number of years, to those that have recently taken the leap. What connects them all is a loyal newsletter audience, although as we'll see later, that isn't always enough. Hear from Casey Newton, Thomas Baekdal, Simon Owens, Anne Helen Petersen and Josh Sternberg as they talk about the realities of what it takes to go it alone with reader revenue as a journalist.

The winner of the 2020 Publisher Podcast Awards Science and Medical category was the Nature Podcast from Springer Nature. Podcast host Benjamin Thomson says put storytelling at the heart of your podcast. Journalists best support commercial objectives by making really interesting podcasts and if you find one story dominating your podcast regularly, consider a dedicated spin off.

This week, we hear from Casey Newton, founder of Platformer. He was previously The Verge's long-time Silicon Valley editor, where his newsletter The Interface grew to 20,000 subscribers. Now, he's gone solo with his own Substack newsletter Platformer. He talks to us about what made him decide to take the plunge, how his first week at his new newsletter Platformer has gone, and what a Platformer podcast model would look like. He also discusses where he sees platform regulation ending up after more than a decade of covering the tech giants, and shares the first steps he would take to fix them if he was put in charge. In the news roundup the team discusses whether coronavirus will have a long-lasting impact on trust in journalism. We also discuss the sale of Quartz, Stylist's move away from being a free magazine in favour of distribution through Ocado, and how one Arkansas title reduced churn to 1%. Pod save the Queen.

The winner of the 2020 Publisher Podcast Awards Sports category was The Spin from the Guardian. Podcast producer Geoff Gein says editing is an essential part of the podcasting process, don’t underestimate how much time it takes. And although podcasting is not rocket science, get expert advice to help you build out infrastructure and fix formats quickly.

This week, we hear from Anna Bassi, Editor in Chief of The Week Junior. They’ve had a milestone couple of months, recently releasing their 250th issue and increasing circulation during lockdown by 22% year on year. She talks about why a print magazine for children is doing so well in 2020, how they approach really difficult topics like protests and pandemics, and how their podcast is doing a year on. In the news roundup we take a look at the recent launches from Future plc, Reuters, Bloomberg and more, before rattling through the news in brief. Get well soon, Donny!

The winner of the 2020 Publisher Podcast Awards Lifestyle category was the Olive Magazine Podcast from Immediate Media. Deputy Editor and podcast host Janine Ratcliffe says your podcast doesn’t need to be super slick, but it does need to be a pleasant listening experience, care about commercial content every bit as much as you care about your regular episodes and the best publisher podcasts develop a life of their own.

This week we hear from Director of Cognitive Publishing Roy Rowlands on what it’s like to be in a family publishing business with a trillion-pound audience, going all-digital with their B2B titles, and the benefits of being in Manchester. He also outlines how they've adapted in lockdown, including the reasons behind their decision not to go virtual with events. In the news roundup the team examines why so many journalists are leaving to form their own newsletter-based businesses, ask whether the rumoured changes to British broadcasting's top brass are good for the country, and discuss the latest developments in the TikTok trade war. Bonus discussion: is Media Voices a tiny enough business to be called 'cute'?

The winner of the 2020 Publisher Podcast Awards Specialist podcast category was History Extra from the BBC’s History Magazine, published by Immediate Media. Publisher and podcast host Dave Musgrove says publishers new to podcasting should choose a format that they will be able to deliver on a regular basis. The key to success is to commit and give a podcast the time to grow and find its unique voice.

This week, we hear from Tobi Oredein, Co-Founder and CEO of Black Ballad, a UK-based lifestyle platform for Black British women. She talked about what drove her to found the site, why they decided to launch memberships ahead of the curve in 2016, and the impact of their recent HuffPost takeover. She also outlines how their Future News Funding will help them better serve and grow their audience outside London. In the news roundup, the team goes deep into Trump v. TikTok and its implications for publishers, looks at what good news means for The Telegraph around subscriptions, and discusses the BBC failing to close its gender pay gap. A slip of the tongue leads 'directors' to become 'dictators'.