The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices

In this episode Chris and Esther are joined by Damian Radcliffe, Carolyn S. Chambers Professor in Journalism at the University of Oregon, to discuss what lessons from 2018 they want to see applied in the new year. The discussion takes in print, digital, memberships, audio, KFC, Japan, cat gifs, vegan sausage rolls, and much more.

This week, Richard Reeves, the Managing Director of the UK's Association of Online Publishers (AOP) talks to us about the progress on their Ad Quality Charter, what the lack of barrier to entry to publishing online means for premium online publishers, and how Facebook and Google engage with the association's member publishers. He also explains what he made of Jonah Peretti's suggestion for a mega-...

This week, Victoria Turk, Senior Editor at WIRED UK talks to us about all the work they're doing on their brand extensions, from their flagship WIRED Live event to the WIRED World Special 2019 and their weekly podcast. She also discusses what they do to stand out in a crowded market, how the print and digital teams have evolved, and the many skills you now need to get ahead in journalism. In the n...

This week we hear from Jeff Kofman, founder and CEO of Trint, about the dark abyss of transcription, whether Google and Facebook are serious about funding journalism and the good the bad and the ugly of social media. In the news roundup the team discusses a bad week for UK media companies including Johnston Press going into administration, Esquire cutting back its print offering, and Shortlist goi...

This week we hear from Popbitch co-founder Camilla Wright about the origins of the influential celebrity gossip site, whether celebs ever try to plant stories about themselves, and the romanticism of clandestine meetings in dark pubs. In the news roundup the team discusses the NME's return to profitability and future success, the disappearance of the LADS from Facebook's engagement rankings, and t...

This week we hear from Rafat Ali, co-founder and CEO of boutique travel publisher Skift. We spoke about what connects the dots between paid content, travel, dining and wellness, his belief in trendlines not headlines, his long-term aspirations for Skift vs short-term VC plays and why he wants to be useless to his business. In the news round-up we put a bow on the discussion about Waitrose Magazine...

This week, Claire Sanderson, the editor in chief of Women’s Health (UK) talks about the magazine's circulation growth, why they love working with influencers, and how mental health has become such a vital part of overall wellness. She also explains how integrating the print and digital teams helps them to drive audiences between both platforms, and why VR will be a huge part of health and fitness...

This week, Claus Enevoldsen, Head of Growth for news aggregation platform Flipboard, talks about being a technology company with media values, how their human-led algorithms work to surface quality content, and why now is the perfect time for a platform like Flipboard. He also dives into the reasons behind their rise in both users and referral traffic over the past year. In the news roundup, we as...

This week we hear from Grace Harrison, founder of true crime magazine Foul Play on managing a magazine as a side hustle, what mainstream titles can learn from independents, and what makes Foul Play an altogether classier type of true crime title. In the news roundup we discuss LadBible's imminent takeover of Unilad to create the Ultimate Lad, the sad news that Johnston Press' debt his forcing the...

This week, Julio Bruno, CEO at Time Out Group talks about the brand reaching a milestone 50th birthday, the growth of their different revenue streams, and how they stay true to the Time Out brand across 315 cities. He also explains why the print magazine is still a vital part of the business, and how their unique approach to Time Out Markets is their biggest opportunity next year. In the news roun...

This week, Sally Hampton, Consumer Magazines Publisher at DC Thomson spoke to us about how she manages such a wide range of magazines, the biggest shifts she's seen in print publishing, and a surprising new growth opportunity for niche Scottish titles. She also explains why she's so optimistic about the future of magazine media. In the news round-up the team discuss the Independent's paid-for subs...

In this very special live episode of Media Voices the team discuss the future of free media in front of an audience at Magfest '18, the UK's premiere magazine-focused event. On stage in the far-flung city of Edinburgh, the team are joined on stage by Mike Soutar, chairman of ShortList Media Limited, and Radio Times Editor Mark Frith to discuss the fate of free magazines. We'd like to extend our th...

This episode, we hear from Lucy Kueng. She’s one of the go-to names for macro and micro industry analysis, a Visiting Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and has a ton of other roles in the industry that allow her to see the bigger picture. We spoke about journalism’s perverse relationship with Silicon Valley, whether publications can make it across the Valley of Death, an...

Digital advertising has never delivered on its potential for publishers. Crowded ecosystems, a break in the value chain between creator and audience, and the prioritisation of direct reader revenue all demand the question ‘is advertising more hassle than it’s worth?’ To answer that question we’ve put together an expert panel of Raoul Monks, co-founder of Flume Training; Fergus Gregory, Group Comme...

In this episode of the Media Voices podcast Mathew Ingram, media writer for the Columbia Journalism Review, explains why publishers need to take a more human approach to their memberships, the role of platforms in disrupting those relationships, and whether 'trust' is a meaningful metric. In the news round-up the team try to spy a way that regulation of the tech platforms could ever work. We also...

In this week's episode of Media Voices, Peter talks to Rob Wijnberg, co-founder and Editor in Chief of Dutch ad-free, member-funded news site De Correspondent. After securing runway funding, Rob is in New York preparing the launch of The Correspondent, an English-language version of the news network, and he spoke about the obstacles and opportunities the team is encountering ahead of launching. In...

In this week's episode, the head of digital for The Times & Sunday Times Alan Hunter explains how the titles continue to outperform industry at a time when most titles are scaling back their ambitions, and what effect paywalls have on democratic debate. In the news roundup the team discuss bad news for the New York Daily News, "bad" news for Facebook, good news for the Guardian and WTF news for Co...

Hearst UK's Finance Editor, Kalpana Fitzpatrick talks about the launch of their new consumer-facing Financially Fabulous campaign, aiming to empower women to take control of their finances. She discusses the aims of the campaign, the benefits of running it across multiple brands and the overwhelming demand from their audiences for straightforward financial advice. In the news roundup - everything....

In this week’s episode, one of The Second Source’s co-founders, Jasmine Andersson talks about the aims of the project, the launch of their new mentoring scheme and how women can support each other in challenging environments. In the news round-up, the team dive into what YouTube’s $25 million news spend means for publishers, whether Reddit will work for advertisers and what the deal is with Rollin...

This week, Corrine Podger takes us through best practice in mobile journalism and digital storytelling, and how varying mobile consumption habits affect the journalism in different territories. In the news round-up, the team discuss Quartz's sale, a mixed bag of news for UK newspapers, and The Beast Inside. Chris flubs the outro, see if you can tell. We're reading: The Guardian finds less polished...

In this week's episode we hear from the New Statesman's digital editor Jasper Jackson about the circumstances that led the popular current affairs magazine to launch a paywall, how the team decided on digital-only extras to lure potential subscribers across, and what the widespread adoption of paywalls says about the state of the news media. In the news roundup Chris and Peter discuss The London E...

On this week's episode, we hear from The Telegraph's Director of Product Cat Wildman on how a modern newspaper can stay on top of changes in consumer habits and launch new products and services that benefit publisher and audience. In the news roundup the team discuss the launch of yet another publisher advertising alliance, Instagram's new TV-like service, and who Facebook's 'subscription groups'...

On this week's episode, Bauer Xcel's Director of content and audience development Ian Betteridge talks about drawing together the separate roles of editorial and data-driven audience development, how commercial needs drive content strategy and how he brings together the print and digital teams to make the many brands he oversees a success. He also tells the story behind 'Betteridge's Law'. In the...

On this week’s episode, Megan Greenway editor-in-chief of Gizmodo Media's sports site Deadspin challenges the 'toy department' misconception of sports journalism, sets her Twitter filters against the trolls and focuses on the work instead of a dysfunctional parent company. In the news round-up, the team take a cynical look at what the changing of the guard at the Daily Mail means for the brand, an...

On this week’s episode, Esther interviews Allure’s editor in chief Michelle Lee about its ongoing efforts to improve representation in magazine media, how diversity can help heal divisions in society, and opportunities around new media. In the news roundup the team discusses a potential cash-for-coverage scandal at the Evening Standard (and what that says about sponsored editorial and trust), Pete...