The Media Show

Why are so many states funding a news channel? China, Russia and Turkey are just some of the countries spending huge amounts of money on global news channels that broadcast in English. What sort of content are they producing, who is watching and should we be concerned? Amol Rajan discusses the relationship between soft power and broadcasting with: Jamie Angus, director of BBC World Service Group,...

Alastair Fothergill is one of the most respected producers in natural history television. At the BBC he was the brains behind hits like The Blue Planet and Planet Earth. Now, as co-founder of Silverback Films, he's taken Sir David Attenborough to Netflix for new series Our Planet. Also in the show, will Apple's move into services like TV streaming and banking be a success? Reed Albergotti of The W...

HuffPost is the global news publisher owned by Verizon, the US media company. Lydia Polgreen, its editor-in-chief discusses business and editorial strategy. Also in the show, Madhav Chinnappa, Google's Director of News Ecosystem Development and David Austin, CEO of the British Board of Film Classification. Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper

The leader column has long been a feature of newspapers. But the editor of The Herald, the Scottish broadsheet, has now ended daily leaders, believing that readers can make up their own mind on an issue. Could this set a precedent for other newspapers to follow? Also in the show, two editors discuss making a magazine for their very particular audiences. Amol is joined by Anna Bassi, editor in chie...

Leaving Neverland is a Channel 4 and HBO documentary which alleges Michael Jackson was a paedophile. The director, Dan Reed, explains how he made the film and persuaded men who, as children, had been befriended by Jackson to tell their story. Also in the show, reporting anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and producing a newspaper for the Jewish community. Amol Rajan is joined by Dan Reed, director...

Global, the UK's largest commercial radio company, has announced it will launch national breakfast shows on Capital, Heart and Smooth radio. The new programmes, produced in London, will replace local shows and lead to studio closures and job losses. Does the move mark the end of local commercial radio? Amol is joined by Phil Riley, former chief executive of Chrysalis Radio, and Gill Hind, COO of E...

The Culture Select Committee’s final report into fake news and disinformation has heavily criticised the practices of tech firms like Facebook. Amol Rajan discusses its findings with Labour MP and member of the the Select Committee, Ian Lucas, Dex Torricke-Barton, former executive at both Google and Facebook and Stephen Lepitak, Editor of the tech and marketing website The Drum. Plus several senio...

Demand for news is higher than ever but fewer people are prepared to pay for it. The government asked former journalist Dame Frances Cairncross to conduct a review into the sustainability of high-quality journalism. Amol Rajan is joined by Dame Frances Cairncross, Wolfgang Blau, president of Condé Nast International, Professor Jane Martinson, Daniel Ionescu, managing editor of The Lincolnite and L...

Spotify has announced that it plans to spend $500m this year buying podcast companies. Daniel Ek, the founder and CEO of Spotify, says that "audio - not just music" will be its future and is looking to entice radio listeners to the platform. Also in the show, a new strategy for BBC local radio and "the podcast for older people". Amol is joined by Nick Quah, creator of the Hot Pod newsletter, Peter...

Saudi Arabia is accused of operating the BeoutQ satellite TV channel which illegally broadcasts sporting events, the rights of which are actually owned by the Qatari company beIN. David Sugden is a director of the beIN Media Group and says the operation is now an "industrial scale theft". Abdirahim Saeed from BBC Monitoring explains how the media has been drawn into the wider dispute between Saudi...

An extended interview with the producer of some of TV's most popular dramas. Photo credit: James Gourley / BAFTA

Bauer Media's Steve Parkinson explains the strategy behind Scala Radio

The father of a teenager who took her own life says Instagram "helped kill my daughter"

Dame Pippa Harris is Chair of BAFTA and the co-founder of Neal Street Productions, the team behind Call The Midwife. Also in the programme, the launch of a new classical music radio station and Freeview goes mobile. Amol Rajan is joined by Dame Pippa Harris, Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Digital UK, Gillian Reynolds, radio critic and Steve Parkinson, Group Managing Director for Bauer Media's national...

CNN's man in Moscow on the world news events that have shaped his career

Facebook has contracted a UK charity to help stop fake news. But does the growth of professional fact-checkers undermine real journalists? Also in the show, how foreign media are reporting Brexit. Amol is joined by Will Moy, director of Full Fact, Diana Zimmermann, ZDF’s UK and Ireland correspondent, Joy Reid, TVNZ 1 News Europe correspondent, and Matthew Chance, CNN's Senior International Corresp...

Jamie Campbell is co-founder of the production company Eleven, creators of the new Netflix show Sex Education. He describes his experience working with the streaming giant and discusses his own career in television. Also in the programme, Nic Newman of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, who gives his predictions for the news industry in 2019, and Daisy Wyatt, assistant editor of th...

How do you organise a publicity stunt, how do you deal with being doorstepped and what do you do if you think your reputation has been trampled on by an errant journalist? Andrea Catherwood speaks to a panel of experts from PR and journalism who shed light on the art of public relations. Guests: Alan Edwards is the founder of the Outside Agency which has looked after many celebrities from the worl...

In this special edition of The Media Show, Amol Rajan charts the history of breakfast radio and finds out how it became one of the most competitive markets in media. Listen out for archive of some of your favourite breakfast presenters and hear the secrets behind today's hit shows. Amol is joined by Dave Berry from Absolute Radio, Jo Russell from Gem, Andy Parfitt, former BBC Radio 1 controller an...

Amol Rajan is joined by Tom Kerr, editor of the Racing Post, Rob Orchard, founder of Delayed Gratification, and Ranj Begley, managing director of Readly UK, a magazine app. Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper

Will a new EU copyright law prevent Youtubers from broadcasting? Amol talks to technology reporter Kate Russell and media lawyer Christina Michelos. Yath Gangakumaran, Formula 1 director of strategy on what the sport is doing to address its aging audience and football writer Darren Lewis and Times columnist Matthew Syed discuss the media role in the Raheem Sterling story.

As part of our series of audience events exploring the media revolution, how the radio industry is being disrupted by new technology. From podcasts to music streaming, the choice of what to listen to has never been greater - but where will the revolution go next? Amol Rajan is joined in the BBC Radio Theatre by Scott Taunton, CEO Wireless Group, Gill Hind, Enders Analysis, Helen Zaltzman, The Allu...

The Canadian government has unveiled a £350 million package of tax breaks for the news industry. One of the initiatives will see consumers being able to claim back a portion of the cost of a news subscription. Critics say that state subsidy threatens the core principle of journalistic independence. Also in the show, political debates on TV, including the proposed Brexit showdown between Theresa Ma...

A legend of Fleet Street on his career and the art of concise writing

Has the UK media's obsession with certain colourful politicians distorted how it reports Brexit? Also in the show, Facebook's Community News Project, a new initiative to fund local reporters. Andrea Catherwood is joined by Nick Wrenn, Facebook's head of news partnerships, Chris Williams, Daily Telegraph deputy business editor, Maria Breslin, Reach senior editor, Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail columnist...