The Future of Media, Explained - from Press Gazette

Since former Sunday Times editor Emma Tucker moved to New York to head up the Wall Street Journal, online subs are up 30% to 4.3 million.Charlotte Tobitt explains why tough choices have worked out for the world's most popular financial news brand.Is it ever possible to keep sources secret in the today's surveillance age? The Guardian may have cracked this problem and is sharing it with the world.And Dominic Ponsford reveals how Press Gazette came under attack from black hat SEO operatives trying to silence reporting about the darker side of the SEO industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ADWEEK chief strategy officer Mike Beyman talks AI, tech transformation and new forms of advertising for publishers with Press Gazette editor in chief Dominic Ponsford. This episode was sponsored by WordPress VIP. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dominic Ponsford and Charlotte Tobitt talk about how journalists broke news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest and why they named him despite the privacy risk.They also discuss a plan by Mediahuis to cover "first-line" news with AI agents, and Dom gives his (somewhat premature) verdict on the Prince Harry and others versus Associated Newspapers privacy trial. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Atlantic Media’s chief growth officer Megha Garibaldi explained how the next phase of growth for the title needs a focus on “quality traffic” as referral sources decline across news media.Also joining the discussion with Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford was specialist media management consultant Graham Page of Q5.The Atlantic already has more than 1.4 million subscribers but Garibaldi sees plenty of scope for more growth. She also stressed that strong journalism remains the foundation of subscription growth, rather than deep discounting.Q5 head of media Graham Page highlighted the importance of publishers having cross-functional teams spanning editorial, product and commercial departments, unified around clear leadership priorities and metrics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Media start-up Semafor reached profitability in 2025 with revenue of $40m, in the third full year after its October 2022 launch.Co-founder and editor-in-chief Ben Smith joined Press Gazette’s UK editor Charlotte Tobitt in London to discuss how the business became an overnight success in a difficult climate for media overall.Smith discussed Semafor’s expansion plans, why its initial bet on video didn’t work out, why it still doesn’t have a paywall, and shared his advice for other media business founders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prince Harry is facing the publisher of the Daily Mail in what is set to be one Britain's biggest ever privacy trials.Costs for both sides could top £40m.Harry has accused the Mail of commissioning burglary, phone tapping and voicemail interception. The Mail denies everything and accuses Prince Harry's legal team of using cash payments to witnesses to bolster their case.Dominic Ponsford looks back to the News of the World front page in 2008 which started the war on UK tabloids which has raged since then.He also discusses the questionable evidence-gathering tactics which the Daily Mail believes undermine Prince Harry's Case and explains why the backing of co-claimant Elton John means this final legal battle is set to go the distance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Press Gazette UK editor Charlotte Tobitt speaks to Manchester Evening News editor Sarah Lester shortly after the UK's biggest regional newsbrand added a premium paywall to its website.The conversation also covers frustrations with Google, the role of the editor in 2025, the threat of fake experts degrading journalists' relationship with PRs, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dominic Ponsford talks to WP Engine director of product management Jason Konen and CTO of Bigbite Jason Agnew about the future of content management.They are both experts in the deployment of WordPress, the world’s most popular content management system. They talked about some of the ways publishers are responding to falling referral traffic by making their websites more immersive and community-focused.They also talked about the ways AI is being used to streamline content production and remove complexity in journalists’ lives.And they have an interesting debate the importance of ensuring your content is seen and cited by the likes of ChatGPT. This episode is sponsored by WP Engine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Press Gazette UK editor Charlotte Tobitt speaks to Forbes CEO Sherry Phillips about how the US business brand has changed tack in response to massive changes in the way Google refers traffic to publishers.She said: "I think a lot of publishers were in the same spot, or still are in the same spot. And so for us, it's getting back to those core communities and those businesses and our editorial journalism that we take pride in and protect. And so how do we look at that in new revenue models?"And as the business evolves, as the digital ecosystem changes, there were certain parts of the company that were fully just servicing that digital ecosystem, which is now evaporating quite quickly." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford and UK editor Charlotte Tobitt discuss the latest front in the Telegraph ownership battle, the publication of fake interviews on The Times, and the threat from social media misinformation in the wake of serious incidents like the stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Advertising has funded journalism and kept the lights on for democracy since the steam age.But in recent years many publishers have pulled away from relying so heavily on automated programmatic advertising as way of funding free online news.In this episode (sponsored by Assertive Yield) the company’s chief operating office Sherzod Rizaev explains some of the challenges publisher face extracting value from an advertising ecosystem filled with intermediaries all taking a cut.He says publishers don’t have to passively accept declining revenue but can increase their market share by taking back control of the technology which underpins online advertising.He said: “I’m generally optimistic about where we are heading as a publishing industry. We are moving from guesswork and patchwork to a world where publishers can operate with more certainty and precision and confidence of know exactly what they are publishing, how much money they are earning.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whatever medium publishers started out on, many are now racing towards Youtube and other online video platforms as the fastest growing source of both audience and revenue.Goalhanger co-founder Jack Davenport joined Press Gazette editor Dominic Ponsford to discuss this phenomenon alongside consultant Connie Krarup of Q5 Partners. He revealed how the producer of hit shows such as The Rest Is History and The Rest Is Politics now sees itself as a video production company more than an audio producer and explained why podcasts is now a term eschewed by the high-ups at Goalhanger.Davenport also spoke about Goalhanger's commercial model, which includes strong incentives for hosts, and shared his tips for other publishers who want to succeed in an increasingly video-dominated media age.This edition was sponsored by Q5 Partners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hamburger Morgenpost head of product Dana Schluenzen tells Dominic Ponsford how offering readers a personalised selection of homepage stories has paid off with higher click-throughs and more returning visitors. This podcast also features insights from the CEO of website personalisation specialists Kilkaya, Tarjei Gilbrant.This episode is sponsored by Kilkaya. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unlike many publishers, The Economist has chosen not to do any licensing deals with the likes of OpenAI - but isn't looking to sue them either.The Economist's president Luke Bradley-Jones appeared at Press Gazette's Future of Media Technology Conference in London and explained how the brand is adapting for a "post-search world", including by launching one of its newsletters on Substack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which Charlotte and Dom discuss: the latest mass job cuts at Reach, the latest attacks on journalism from AI bots and what the proposed break-up of Google's adtech business could mean for publishers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kyiv Independent launched in November 2021, just three months before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Here chief operating officer Zakhar Protsiuk talks to Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford about building a 70-strong team out of nothing, funded mainly by reader revenue, and the ways they have had to constantly reinvent their model. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Times Media head of digital Edward Roussel talks about the relaunched smartphone app which is now the title's most important platform commercially. He also explains why The Times will never use AI to create journalism and why publisher homepages have got far too busy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob Waugh talks about the shadowy figures who are successfully bombarding UK news media with fake content. Fictional experts and non-existent experts are conning their way into UK news media with the help dodgy PR companies. It's a lucrative business providing search engine juice to gambling sites and dubious online retailers. And it won't stop until publishers raise their game in terms of verifying the sources they quote. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UK national news agency PA Media has massively ramped up its video output in recent years and is able to provide live video feeds of news events across the country. Here PA head of video Joe Pickover explains how publishers can make video work for them in a podcast edition which is presented by Press Gazette in association with PA Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'The death of the website' was the name of one panel session at a recent publishing industry conference. Press Gazette editor in chief Dominic Ponsford and UK editor Charlotte Tobitt discuss the latest challenges posed to publishers by Google changes and the rise of social. They also analyse the latest publisher pivot to video (more a never-ending pirouette) and Dominic explains why he has become an unpaid brand ambassador for Substack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Mirror editor Alison Phillips talks to Press Gazette's Dominic Ponsford as she launches a new weekly podcast called Crime Scene with former Metropolitan Police chief Bernard Hogan-Howe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Press Gazette senior reporter Bron Maher talks to Politico executive editor for Europe Kate Day about how the niche brand's rapid expansion on this side of the Atlantic.The title launched in Washington in 2007 and has been in Europe since 2015. It now has 350 staff in Europe with 45 in the UK alone. Day explained how the brand's mixed B2B and consumer business model works and revealed more about its further expansion plans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Press Gazette teams offer their insights on the legacy of outgoing Reach CEO Jim Mullen, the value of news to Google and the latest company accounts at News UK, which show Sun losses declining and healthy profits for the paywalled Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford caught up with New York-based publishing consultant Matthew Scott Goldstein (MSG) to talk about the future of news in the era of AI.How concerned should publishers be about the threat posed to their business models by generative AI?9.9 out of ten said MSG.He explained why generative AI could spell the end of the road for publisher websites, but why it could also lead to a huge payday for the creators of quality content, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Press Gazette's editorial team share their insights into big stories from the world of news. GB News has lost nearly £100m but is growing its non-TV advertising revenue and heading in the right direction. Charlotte Tobitt talks about this and the implications of its big legal victory over Ofcom. Bron Maher shares some highlights from Press Gazette analysis for US newspaper and magazine print circulation figures. There are only a handful of newspapers selling more than 100,000 print copies in the USA (but they can console themselves with the fact they have strong digital subscriber bases). And Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford looks at the latest financial results from Reach which reveal growing page views and profits amid a backdrop of overall decline at the UK's biggest commercial news publisher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With three major London-wide local journalism launches in the last months is journalism about England's capital city bouncing back after many years of decline?London Centric founder Jim Waterson explains how his Substack-based title has already gained thousands of paying subscribers since launching in September 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over four years at the Financial Times head of newsletters for the title Sarah Ebner has helped grow the title's number of email subscribers from 500,000 to 1.6 million.She told Press Gazette that email newsletters are now the biggest driver of reader engagement at the FT. They are also hugely important for driving subscriber loyalty and finding new paying readers as well as providing advertising and subscription revenue in their own right.In this masterclass interview she explains how publishers can supercharge their newsletter strategy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bron Maher discusses Press Gazette's new ranking of the most lucrative titles on Substack, Charlotte Tobitt explains how and why publishers are currently so fixated on building their followings on Youtube and Dominic Ponsford shares his view on why Prince Harry decided to take News UK's cash rather than have his day in court with The Sun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former digital development director of The Sun Paul Hood has just quit his job to study generative AI full time.He explained why AI in the media is set to reach a tipping point in 2025 and start to fundamentally change the business. He also reveals some of the practical steps publishers should take to ensure they can capitalise on the opportunities AI presents and avoid some major pitfalls.Sitting back and doing nothing is not an option, he says. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Press Gazette team look back on the big themes of 2024 for news publishers and reveal what they have learned.They also share their predictions for 2025 which include: more paywalls in the national media, an economic upturn all around and big changes in the tech platforms which readers use to discover their news, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford talks about the benefits of Bluesky for publishers with the zeal of a new convert, reporter Bron Maher explains how publishers are getting new traffic from Google via Discover and Charlotte Tobitt reveals the biggest lessons for the news industry from the US presidential election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Telegraph Media Group director of technology Dylan Jacques talks to us about the title's ambitious plans to roll out a new generative-AI powered feature every month for 12 months.It has already rolled out AI-written summaries and various internal tools which are helping journalists use AI to improve content, increase reader engagement and so sell more subscriptions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford and reporter Bron Maher provide an insider take on three of the hottest issues in news media: how did the Washington Post handle its election endorsement so badly? Why are Guardian and Observer journalists set to go on strike? And what can publishers do about the onslaught of generative AI bots harvesting their content without permission? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Boston Globe chief commercial officer Kayvan Salmanpour reveals the key decisions made around online subscriptions, advertising and other revenue areas which have enabled the local news title to thrive in the digital age and continue to support investigative journalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sweden's biggest news publisher Bonnier News has more than tripled profits in the past eight years and doubled revenue.It now believes a subscription bundle, putting together all of its Swedish brands and harnessing AI to better personalise what users see, will be the way forward for continued revenue growth.Bonnier News chief executive Anders Eriksson told Press Gazette UK editor Charlotte Tobitt about the business transformation he has overseen and the internal culture change needed to do so, why Nordic countries are ahead on subscriptions, and the thinking behind the bundle subscription strategy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Goal, Indivisa and Mundial publisher Footballco was reaching 30 million people in the US without having any meaningful boots on the ground.But at the start of 2024 Jason Wagenheim arrived as its first CEO for North America, bringing lessons that sports publishing can learn from lifestyle after a long stint at Bustle Digital Group.Wagenheim told Press Gazette UK editor Charlotte Tobitt about how he is approaching Footballco's two-year runway ahead of the World Cup being held in the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026 as well as the value of going deeper - well beyond traditional match reporting - in an age of algorithms and generative AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the half-way point of the UK general election campaign Press Gazette sat down with Mark Wallace, hief executive of Total Politics Group, to find out how the company makes free political journalism pay.Press Gazette asked how the Politics Home, Conservative Home and The House publisher is faring since incorporating in its new form in 2022, and finds out how the business has found a way to hedge against political cycles by selling services on sites targeting both left and right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Telegraph’s new daily news podcast, The Daily T, is the latest entrant to an increasingly crowded audio market.Days after the show bagged the first election trail extended nterview with Rishi Sunak, Press Gazette spoke with Daily T hosts Camilla Tominey and Kamal Ahmed about how they’re hoping to stand out from the competition with a right-of-centre viewpoint they feel is missing and by leaning heavily on the Telegraph newsroom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode includes excerpts from an interview between Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford and Rich Caccappolo, CEO of Daily Mail publisher DMG Media. It also features media consultant Matthew Scott Goldstein. They talk about how to save journalism (and democracy) on the open web by adapting to Google's plan to switch off cookies on Chrome.He also provides an update on DMG Media's legal action against the search giant and reveals how his company is growing overall revenue in a tough market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Atlantic has become profitable after years in the red and marked the major milestone of reaching one million subscribers, it announced in April.CEO Nicholas Thompson joined Press Gazette to discuss the subscription strategy behind The Atlantic's recent success, how advertising fits in, the search for an elusive third revenue stream, and what goals he might set for the business next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Press Gazette editor Dominic Ponsford talks about exclusive new research on the prevalence of neurodiversity in news media. He also speaks to Times Radio journalist Darryl Morris and freelance journalist Lydia Wilkins about the benefits and challenges ADHD and autistic thinkers can bring to jobs in journalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Founder of video news network TLDR Jack Kelly explains how he funds an 11-strong editorial team providing a serious news for younger viewers on Youtube.The profitable publisher is funded mainly through the Youtube ad revenue split but also makes money from direct-sold sponsorship and a foray into print publishing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford discusses the latest UK magazine industry circulation figures with reporter Bron Maher.They pick out the winners and losers from the latest crop of results and also hear from Economist executive vice president Nada Arnot about how the title's cut-price daily edition Expresso achieved lift-off in 2023. She also explained why she is bullish about The Economist's headline (print and digital) circulation figures returning to growth in this election year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Online advertising used to support investigative journalism at digital-native brands such as Buzzfeed News and Vice. In the space of just a few years everything has changed, and thousands of journalists have lost their jobs as a result.Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford talks to former Business Insider editor-in-chief Jim Edwards about what is going on and how publishers should adapt to an online publishing ecosystem which is being rocked by a tsunami of disruptive change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former online editor of the News of the World turned tech entrepreneur turned future of news Cassandra Ricky Sutton joins Dominic Ponsford on the podcast sofa.The last year has been bleak for ad-funded news media but Ricky believes he has the solution. He explains why Google's reign as the most important tech partner for news publishers is drawing to a close, but more lucrative partnerships around AI and advertising with Microsoft and Amazon beckon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reach group director of digital Terry Hornsby is at the forefront of the journey away from third-party cookies at the UK’s largest commercial news publisher.Hornsby told Press Gazette's Charlotte Tobitt the three pillars that will help Reach grow digital revenues through this monumental shift to the open web, discussed why trusted premium publishers will come out on top and issued a call for more industry collaboration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.