The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices

In the first episode back after the summer break, the Media Voices team dive into some of the stories you may have missed while you were sunning yourself somewhere nice, or holding the fort for colleagues who were doing the same. Join us as we recap the GateHouse/Gannett merger (as well as the proper pronunciation of 'Gannett'), go round in circles with Facebook's plans for a News tab, sort of cel...

This week, Jess Brammar, Executive Editor at HuffPost UK talks to us about a number of their recent launches, from the HuffPost School of Journalism in partnership with Birmingham City University, to two new sections on the site which replace the famous blogs section. She also discusses what it's like moving from broadcast to digital journalism, how the news landscape has evolved, and how she keep...

On this week's episode of Media Voices, the Guardian's Chief Revenue Officer Hamish Nicklin takes us through the newspaper's journey to profit through membership and contributions, the reestablishment of 'premium' advertising, and its plans through to 2022. In the news roundup Chris and Peter take a look at TikTok, an audio collaboration between Reach plc and JPI Media, and discuss whether there a...

This week, Lydia Mossahebi, Head of Editorial for the Beano Digital Network, talks to us about how they bring the essence of the comic to life online. We discuss the role of data and the 'Beano Brain' in making editorial decisions, how they keep up with what the next 'big thing' is for kids, and how video is becoming a huge part of the work they do. Farting zebras may come up in conversation. In t...

On this week's episode of Media Voices, the founder and editor of The Overtake Robyn Vinter candidly takes us through the challenges and compromises involved in running a local news outlet. She discusses the importance of being independent, the strictures and sacrifices that comes from being a small news outlet, and why there needs to be variety and diversity of journalistic voices. In the news ro...

On this week's episode of Media Voices, we hear from Dr Bibiana Campos Seijo, VP of the Chemical and Engineering News Media Group at the American Chemical Society. We spoke about finding a broader audience for chemistry content, about covering subjects like the environment and diversity in a professional publication, and how to say "those men stole my shoes" in Spanish. In the news roundup the tea...

This week, Den of Geek's UK Editor Rosie Fletcher talks to us about the mainstreaming of geek culture, finding an angle for entertainment stories everyone is covering, and how to maintain a friendly online community. She also explains how they used a 'time travel expert' to get a fresh angle on the latest Marvel movie. In the news round up, Peter and Esther debate whether 'time travel expert' is e...

On this week's episode of Media Voices, Google's Head of News Ecosystem Development Madhav Chinnappa takes us through his views on the often-fraught relationship between publishers and platforms, what lessons he's learned from the Google News Initiative, and what best practice looks like for subscriptions success. In the news roundup the team each share their own take on the state of micropayments...

This week, we hear from veteran of the magazine industry Paul Rayner about his career trajectory from Dennis to LadBible to the Chelsea Magazine company and the lessons he’s learned along the way. In the news roundup, the team tries and fails to discuss DMGT's latest results with a particular focus on Mail Online, whether Fortune going behind a paywall is the canary in the coalmine for other paywa...

Direct reader revenue is back on top of publishers’ priorities, as re-igniting the relationship with an audience is seen as the single best guarantee of a sustainable media business model. At the same time, publishers’ strategies around subscriber acquisition and retention are maturing, and the sophistication of subscription tools is increasing enormously. There is a surfeit of choice of strategy...

On this week's episode of Media Voices, WIRED's Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Thompson talks about the brand's positioning as a tech magazine in a digital world, the impact of two huge Facebook features, lessons learned from WIRED's paywall a year on, and what his dream paywall would look like. In the news roundup the team discusses TI Media's sale of NME to a tech platform, Quartz's low-key paywall la...

This week Julia Raphaely, CEO of Associated Media Publishing, takes us through how magazines can act as storefronts, the differences between the SA and UK magazine markets, why people are continuing to make time for print products, and the benefits of international collaboration between people who love magazines. In the news roundup the team discusses Byline's 'pivot to print', Disney taking a wri...

Our 100th episode special was recorded live in front of an audience in London on May 2nd. We were joined by four fantastic guests - EMPIRE’s Editor in Chief Terri White, The Week’s Chief Executive Kerin O’Connor, PinkNews’ Head of Platforms Ellen Stewart, and Bibblio’s founder Mads Holmen - to discuss whether publishers can maintain brand identity in a world of distributed content. Many thanks to...

In this week's episode of Media Voices, Rob Orchard - the co-founder and editor of the original slow journalism magazine Delayed Gratification - takes us through the mission of the magazine, why giving news room to breathe is absolutely vital, and why more publishers are jumping on the bandwagon. In the news roundup we celebrate some subscription milestones for the FT and the Guardian, investigate...

In this week's episode of Media Voices, Readly MD Ranj Begley takes us through how the magazine app approaches its publisher partnerships, how reader data informs everything from cover choice to exclusive content, and whether Ready sees Apple News+ as friend, foe, or frenemy. In the news roundup this week, the team discusses the launch of a new news subscription service from Apple, whether Google...

This week's guest is Marco Bertozzi, who is the Vice President of EMEA Sales & Multi-Market Global Sales at Spotify. He spoke to us about how Spotify’s ad business has evolved from the early days, why the company believes strongly in the future of podcasting, and what the audience’s relationship is like with advertising in audio. He also explains why they’ve just launched a #Loveads campaign. In t...

On this week's episode we talk to Dr Chadden Hunter, who is a Director and Producer at the BBC Natural History Unit, and has worked on blockbuster nature programmes like Planet Earth II, Frozen Planet and Wild Arabia. He discusses how he balances the desire to highlight conservation issues with the need to produce an entertaining series, the role new media can play in reaching global audiences, an...

On this week’s episode of Media Voices, former PPA Scotland business manager Nikki Simpson introduces plans to launch The International Magazine Centre, a hub for publishers to promote magazine innovation and celebrate the industry’s past. In the news round-up, the team decide whether Buzzfeed's print edition is more than a marketing stunt, how serious Zuckerberg's 'pivot to privacy' is, and how R...

On this week's episode of Media Voices, Meg Cramer, Senior Producer of Trump Inc., takes us through why a collaborative team took on what might be a coast-to-coast crime scene, why a podcast can ask questions while an article must provide answers, and why great journalism transcends mediums. In the news roundup, the team discuss the BBC and ITV's Netflix competitor Britbox, whether Jeremy Corbyn i...

Jason Kint, the CEO of Digital Content Next, the trade association for online publishers, takes us through the organisation's aims and ambitions, why the Duopoly has skewed the playing field for digital publishers, and why it is vital that Google and Facebook can be held accountable for a lack of transparency. In the news roundup Chris and Peter discuss the NYT's chief executive Mark Thompson's ta...

This week, magazine marketing agency Magnetic's CEO Sue Todd speaks to us about their newly-launched 'Pay Attention' campaign, aiming to highlight the importance of quality attention to advertisers. She also talks about some of the educational issues around media buyers, the importance of evidence and research, and why she believes magazine media is undervalued. In the news roundup, a chipper team...

On this week's episode of Media Voices, PinkNews' Head of Platforms Ellen Stewart tells us why Snapchat is a priority for the world's largest LGBTQ+ publisher, why video is a solid investment for a site with a highly engaged audience, and why it pays to be as much a resource as a news source. In the news roundup, the team discusses why Spotify is investing in podcasting as the future of audio reve...

On this week's episode of Media Voices, the team brave Snowmageddon to interview Digiday editor-in-chief Brian Morrissey, about publishing economics and sustainability, how B2B is cool, and the value of being really honest about change. In the news roundup the Media Voices team discuss the very sad closure of The Pool, the problems with one-size-fits-all verification tools, and how Hearst has tran...

On this week's episode of Media Voices, the founder of Film Stories magazine Simon Brew talks the dos and don'ts of a crowdfunding campaign, the potential of independent magazines, and the importance of giving new voices a chance to be heard. In the news roundup Peter, Esther and Chris discuss why Facebook might be folding its messaging apps together, what next for journalism after over 1,000 medi...

This week, Immediate Media's Product Director Laura Jenner talks to us about drawing together the needs of different teams across a publishing business, how the roles and responsibilities of a product manager evolve in such a rapidly changing industry, and why the relationship between product and editorial is so important. She also shares her one piece of advice for other product managers in publi...