Media Voices Podcast

In this bumper episode, the team discusses the rise of the paywall. As everyone from Vanity Fair to the New Statesman have decided to launch paywalls, we try to determine whether there is a recipe for paywall success, taking in everything from the need for brand recognition, the propensity for people to pay, and the likely outcomes of the trend towards reader revenue. We're reading: • 'Google’s news chief Richard Gingras: “We need to rethink journalism at every dimension”', via Nieman Lab - http://www.niemanlab.org/2018/05/googles-news-chief-richard-gingras-we-need-to-rethink-journalism-at-every-dimension/ • 'What Google Chrome’s new built-in ad blocker means for you', via What's New In Publishing - http://whatsnewinpublishing.com/2018/05/07/google-chromes-new-built-ad-blocker-means/ • 'How not to do paywalls', via TechCrunch - https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/06/subscription-hell/

In this week's episode of Media Voices, PressPad founder and BBC journalist Olivia Crellin explains how PressPad aims to diversify the media by removing one of the main financial obstacles to those trying to enter the profession. In the news round-up, the team discuss a week of huge news around paywalls, the success of The New York Times' subscription efforts, and why Snapchat has stopped paying licensing fees. We're reading: • Why the "golden age" of newspapers was the exception, not the rule, via Nieman Lab - http://www.niemanlab.org/2018/05/why-the-golden-age-of-newspapers-was-the-exception-not-the-rule/ • 3 questions to ask your data when evaluating your paywall, via Digital Context Next - https://digitalcontentnext.org/blog/2018/04/30/3-questions-to-ask-your-data-when-evaluating-a-paywall/ • How to get rich quick in Silicon Valley, via Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/apr/17/get-rich-quick-silicon-valley-startup-billionaire-techie

In this week's episode we hear from the London School of Economics' professor Charlie Beckett about its Truth, Trust & Technology Commission, on the role of platforms in defining truth, whether media literacy is a good or a bad thing and whether we can still use the term "fake news" as a helpful definition. In the news round-up, a full house of hosts discuss Hearst's mea culpa over abandoning quality journalism in pursuit of scale, Netflix's original content plans, and early wobbles for Facebook's local journalism scheme. We're reading: • The Book of Man: why ex-Shortlist editor is launching a platform to ‘reappraise’ masculinity, via The Drum - http://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/04/16/the-book-man-why-ex-shortlist-editor-launching-platform-reappraise-masculinity • Optimising Journalism for Trust, via Jay Rosen on Medium - https://medium.com/de-correspondent/optimizing-journalism-for-trust-1c67e81c123 • An Apology for the Internet - From the Architects Who Built It, via the New Yorker - http://nymag.com/s

This week, Mic's Publisher Cory Haik talked to us about surviving as a video-first publisher in a platform world, how they retain a loyal and engaged millennial audience, and why she's not giving up on platform publishing as a sustainable option. In the news round-up, Peter and Esther discuss missed opportunities to grill the Zuck, why they won't be flocking to Yahoo News any time soon, Martin Sorrell's surprise departure and why Flipboard has reclaimed its traffic crown. Chris frolics with hobbits abroad. We're reading: • 'The rationalization of publishing' via Medium - https://medium.com/@ev/the-rationalization-of-publishing-dc001d509de8 • 'The Economist used to be boring, but smart with a wicked dry wit. Now it’s just boring (sigh)' via Twitter - https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/984705630106673152

This week, Peter speaks to The Disconnect's co-founders Chris Bolin and Clayton d'Arnault about the philosophy and meaning behind a digital magazine that can only be consumed while offline. In the news round-up we discuss the sale of Time Inc's flagship titles, what makes a magazine title valuable to different media companies, and go deep into whether 'the Duopoly' is an unhelpful and misleading label. The team narrowly avoid singing Rihanna. We're reading: • 'This Is So Much Bigger Than Facebook', via The Atlantic -https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/03/data-misuse-bigger-than-facebook/556310/ • '73% of site visitors get there via mobile. Here’s your guided tour through the mobile landscape', via DCN - https://digitalcontentnext.org/blog/2018/03/12/73-site-visitors-get-via-mobile-heres-guided-tour-mobile-landscape/ • 'The podcasting juggernaut has (finally) arrived', via Wired - https://www.wired.com/story/rise-of-daily-news-podcasts/

This week Jemima Villanueva, Executive Director for EMEA at The Atlantic tells us about trends in programmatic advertising, the need for trust, transparency and collaboration and her own role in the Atlantic’s relatively new European operation. In the news round-up the team discuss which 'Netflix for magazines' service will succeed (if any), whether Netflix itself should launch a weekly current affairs show, and discuss what the Evening Standard's redesign says about its five year plan. The team awards its first ever Voicey Award.

In this week's episode of Media Voices, Peter talks to the Scottish Wedding Directory's Chris Phin about the best way to monetise a niche vertical and switching from tech journalism to covering the wedding market. In the news round-up, the team discuss Amol Rajan and Farhad Manjoo's points getting lost in controversy, Trinity Mirror's rebrand to Reach, and, surprise surprise, 'fake news'.

This week, Twitter's VP of EMEA Bruce Daisley takes us through how the social network rediscovered its 'sweet spot' in the ranks of other platforms, where news and live video fit into its strategy, and media responsibility. In the news roundup the team discuss The New Statesman launching a metered paywall, Snapchat doubling down on an old idea, and the end of social-first publisher Little Things. Chris and Esther make Peter an honorary Millennial. Sign-up to our newsletter at voices.media

In this week's episode, we hear from co-founder of the Constructive Journalism Project Sean Dagan Wood, to learn how at least one publisher is building a membership model around news with a constructive spin. In the news round-up, the team discuss how Kylie Jenner caused Snap's stock to plummet, the swings and roundabouts of Vox Media redundancies and The Atlantic's hiring spree, and Salon using its audience's spare processing power to mine a cryptocurrency. Peter puts his tinfoil hat on for Conspiracy Corner. Sign up for our brand-new newsletter at voices.media!

On this week's episode of Media Voices, we hear from long-time publishing pro Sam Baker, co-founder of women's site 'The Pool'. She talks about what digital success looks like, content partnerships and why she's launching a paid-for email newsletter. Chris is away this week, so in the news round-up Esther and Peter chat between themselves about Chrome's built-in ad-blocker, print redundancy risks from a digital shift at Trinity Mirror regionals, the good, the bad and the ugly of the latest ABC figures, foreign subscribers for US publications and a couple of interesting platform plays at the Guardian.

On this 50th episode of Media Voices, we hear from New Scientist’s head of data science Kimberly Karman about the practical application of data science to a business, to GDPR and how they continue to evolve their decade-old paywall. In the news round-up, the team discuss VICE reportedly missing its revenue target, Trinity Mirror buying up Express Newspapers, and good news for the NYT and Twitter. We're reading: • 'Bikini slideshows and other click bait: Do paywalls usher in better content?' via Mollie Bryant - https://www.bigiftrue.org/2018/02/01/paywalls-journalism/ • ‘A Crazy Idea for Funding Local New: Charge People for It’ via NYT - https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/technology/funding-local-news-charge-people-money.html • 'How Facebook is killing comedy' via Splitsider - http://splitsider.com/2018/02/how-facebook-is-killing-comedy/

In this week's episode of Media Voices, Peter speaks to the European Journalism Centre's Adam Thomas about its mission of enabling and sustaining quality journalism through a program of online resources, seminars, training and grants. In the news round-up we discuss Wired's paywall, digital successes at several other outlets, and the She Rocks editorial campaign across Team Rock's titles. Peter admits that he can't handle the feeling of hope. We're reading: • 'Measuring the reach of "fake news" and online disinformation in Europe', via Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism - https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/our-research/measuring-reach-fake-news-and-online-disinformation-europe • 'The Libraries Bringing Small-Town News Back to Life', via The Atlantic - https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/01/libraries-local-news/551594/ • 'Tackling the Internet’s Central Villain: The Advertising Business', via NYT - https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/31/technology/internet-advertising-busines

On this week's episode of Media Voices, Esther interview's the Guardian's director of philanthropic & strategic partnerships Rachel White about finding ways of funding independent journalism. In the news round-up, the crew of the good ship Media Voices discuss Google's plans to fix local news, an uptick in trust in traditional media in the UK and discuss Jonah Peretti insisting that everything is fine at BuzzFeed. We're reading: • 'I write fake news', via the Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jan/26/experience-i-write-fake-news • 'Never get high on your own supply - why social media bosses don't use social media' - via the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/23/never-get-high-on-your-own-supply-why-social-media-bosses-dont-use-social-media • 'Facebook's trust survey isn't as simple as it sounds' - via Nieman Lab http://www.niemanlab.org/2018/01/facebooks-trust-survey-which-will-help-determine-news-feed-ranking-is-two-questions-but-its-not-as-simple-as-it-sounds/

In this week's episode of Media Voices, we speak to Refinery29's Jacqui Kavanagh about that brand's success in Europe since it launched in 2015, about what authenticity means to brands and audiences, and why experiential is a growth industry. In the news round-up, the gang discuss the Guardian's return to black, some unfortunate closures at news sites we've long admired, and whether Facebook's plan to have The People judge the trustworthiness of news outlets is a good idea (no, but what's the alternative?) We're reading: - 'The Chicago News Landscape' via the Centre for Media Engagement: https://mediaengagement.org/research/chicago-news-landscape/ - 'How one woman built an award-winning news outlet from her dining room table' via Nieman Lab: http://www.niemanlab.org/2018/01/we-stepped-in-and-started-doing-it-how-one-woman-built-an-award-winning-news-outlet-from-her-dining-room-table/ - ''Time well spent’ is shaping up to be tech’s next big debate’ via The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/17/16903844

In this special episode of Media Voices, the team rattle through some news before doing a deep-dive into the realities of Facebook killing the news industry (again). Peter, Esther and Chris offer their thoughts on the whys and hows of the decision, plus speculate as to whether this will be good for journalism in the long run and who is most likely to be affected by the decision. We're reading: - Editorial standards put BBC reporters in tough spot over pay equity issue (Scott Nover): A good explainer of the background to the BBC gender discrimination furore, with comparisons to other organisations and a look at the context at the BBC - https://www.poynter.org/news/editorial-standards-put-bbc-reporters-tough-spot-over-pay-equity-issue - When harassment drives women out of journalism (Katherine Goldstein): What could have been if women weren’t hounded out of journalism, with profiles of various women journalists and their stories - https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/12/18/16780424/women-journalism-career-ha

Never say we at Media Voices don't know how to treat you right - in this special end of year celebration, we hear from eight of our past guests about what they want (and don't want) to see from the media in 2018. In the feature-length news round-up Chris, Esther and Peter discuss the highlights and lowlights of 2017, and their own personal hopes for next year. Happy holidays! Subscribe to Media Voices on iTunes here - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/media-voices-podcast/id1181998402?mt=2 - or search 'Media Voices' in your favourite podcast app. Help us improve Media Voices! Complete our first ever listener survey - https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VTVZMWM

In this week's episode Nic Newman, Visiting Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, takes us through his and Dr. Richard Fletcher's latest report, entitled 'Bias, Bullshit and Lies: Audience Perspectives on Low Trust in the Media' - http://bit.ly/2juSyAZ In the news round-up, Peter and Esther discuss the pivot FROM video, BuzzFeed's e-commerce proposition, and YouTube's plans to eat the music industry. They begin with fully 30 seconds of snow puns. We're reading: • ‘You have to love the complexities’: Publishers confront challenges in growing events, via Digiday - http://bit.ly/2z0PvVT • The decade of display that wasn't, via Medium - http://bit.ly/2AK8Rhd

In this week's episode, the Financial Times' audience engagement strategist Alyssa Zeisler takes us through how the team uses engagement metrics to identify a need for new products that benefit new audience segments. In the news round-up the gang attempts the first-ever Media Voices Blitzcast, rounding up as many news items as they can in two minutes each. Among other things, they examine changes to Wired and the FT's paywall strategies, disappointing news for BuzzFeed and the Daily Mail, and a discussion on diversity in the media. The team burns 30 seconds with a discussion of Peter's pelvic floor muscles. We're reading: • How to survive the media apocalypse, via The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/11/media-apocalypse/546935/ • The scary tale of the Washington Post's counter-sting investigation, via WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/a-woman-approached-the-post-with-dramatic--and-false--tale-about-roy-moore-sje-appears-to-be-part-of-undercover-sting-operation/2

This week, visiting lecturer in digital journalism at City University Adam Tinworth takes us through the history of platform dependence. We look at the rise of the intermediary, the tragic loss of focus on building direct relationships, and even touch on Second Life. In the news roundup, Chris and Peter discuss managing director of Times Newspapers Ltd Chris Duncan's declaration that "no more than ten" global English-language news brands will survive from subscriptions, and puzzle over whether journalists should be involved in the marketing material for their newspapers. It's a very sweary episode. We're reading: • The right loves free markets - except when they hurt the Daily Mail, via New Statesman: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/media/2017/11/right-loves-free-markets-except-when-they-hurt-daily-mail • I Interviewed a White Nationalist and Fascist. What Was I Left With?, via NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/25/insider/white-nationalist-interview-questions.html Help us improve Media Voices! Tak

In this very special episode of Media Voices, we discuss the conflux of news about BuzzFeed, VICE, Mashable and many more and ask whether the dream of a digital future for publishers is over before it began. It's Media Voices' first birthday! The team briefly reminisce about the travails of launching the podcast, their favourite episodes, and their plans for the future. We're reading: • Newsonomics: The New York Times’ Mark Thompson on regulating Facebook, global ambition, and when to stop the presses (forever), via Nieman Lab - http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/11/newsonomics-the-new-york-times-mark-thompson-on-regulating-facebook-global-ambition-and-when-to-stop-the-presses-forever • A mission for journalism in a time of crisis, via Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/16/a-mission-for-journalism-in-a-time-of-crisis