The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices

On this week's episode of the podcast Elaine dela Cruz, co-founder of DE&I consultancy firm Project 23, tells us about what is creating positive change for diversity and inclusion in the industry. We're also joined by guest co-host Joanna Cummings, Editorial Director of The Grub Street Journal and author of the DE&I chapter of this year's Media Moments report. Elaine takes us through why she co-founded the organisation, how the DE&I landscape has changed over the past five years, and why 'resilience' is such a dangerous word. We also discuss how the best media companies are measuring the success of their DE&I efforts. A round-up of publishers' DE&I initiatives and developments will be part of our upcoming Media Moments 2023 report. Find out more and pre-register for the report here.

On this week’s podcast (which is also this week’s edition of The Addition) we hear from author, journalist and broadcaster Charlotte Henry. She creates and runs The Addition newsletter and podcast; an award-winning publication looking at the crossover between media and technology. Charlotte has written the Broadcast chapter of our upcoming Media Moments 2023 report, so it was only right and proper that we got her on to discuss all the broadcast trends of the past year. It’s been a big old year for TV — both good and bad — so it was great to get an expert in to chat it all over. We discuss the role of exclusive content, the doldrums of advertising sales across linear broadcasts, the need to differentiate a streaming service from its competitors, and the longer term impact of the Hollywood actors' strike. We also explore how streaming platforms like Disney+ and Netflix are faring a year after introducing ad-supported tiers.

This week, to help us dissect the year in trust, we're joined by Dr Amy Ross Arguedas, a Postdoctoral Researcher Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Between 2020 and September 2023, she worked on the Trust in News Project, and she’s currently a part of the team working on the Reuters Institute's annual Digital News Report. Amy tells us about the work of the Trust in News Project, and how to go about measuring trust in a way which is useful. She explains how trust is affected by political divisions and whether the impact of publisher mistakes is long-lasting, as well as the opportunities for more traditional sources to engage younger people. We also explore the potential impacts of AI on trust; how transparent should publishers be with their use of it, as well as the risks and opportunities AI presents for the fight against misinformation. Trust, disinformation and how publishers have responded this year will be one of the chapters we explore as part of our upcoming Media Moments 2023 report. Find out more and pre-register for the report here.

What’s top of mind for today’s news leaders? Evolving at pace, finding your USP - but not burning out in the process. Last week, we were at the Newsrewired conference in London for a day of panels and workshops about the future of digital publishing. In a world of increasing possibilities and pressures, the central question of the day was this: how can we be selective and effective at innovating? How do you get readers to pay for news? Will AI take our jobs? Where are the new business model opportunities? These questions and more were pored over. In this special collaborative episode with our friends at Journalism.co.uk, we take a look at the key themes across the day, plus some backstage interviews with; independent media consultant Isabelle Roughol, media strategy expert Lucy Kueng, The News Movement managing editor Jonathan Paterson, post-doctoral researcher Dr Bartosz Wilczek and Explainable director Kevin Donnellan. Thanks to Jacob Granger and Marcela Kunova at Journalism.co.uk for inviting us to be a part of Newsrewired. Check out the Journalism.co.uk podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify

This week we hear from Jillian MacMath, Audience Editor at WalesOnline. She was chosen by the judges as the winner of the first ever Hero of the Year at the Publisher Newsletter Awards, so what better person to come and discuss everything newsletters with us. Jillian talks about the opportunities she saw to get more strategic about the newsletter portfolio when she joined WalesOnline, what metrics should matter to anyone with a newsletter, and what dedicated newsletters like football and food look like with a local focus. She also tells the story of their pop-up Covid newsletter, explains how to get other members of the newsroom invested in newsletters, and how they're using key names to build more personal relationships via the inbox. Newsletters and publishers innovating in the inbox this year will be one of the chapters we explore as part of our upcoming Media Moments 2023 report. Find out more and pre-register for the report here.

No, Apple doesn’t share customer data directly. But there are some clear pathways for publishers to leverage and drive first-party data capture in the app. In a change from our regular weekly shows and our Conversations panel discussions, this is a short, sharp sponsored episode – just 10 minutes – with a senior executive from a vendor working with publishers to make their businesses better. This episode Peter speaks with with Kieran Delaney, CEO at Apple News specialists FlatPlan, about how publishers can make the most of the platform. Despite its rigid policies on sharing consumer data, there are ways publishers can funnel readers to their own properties to capture data there. Kieran also explains why Apple News is worth investing time into compared to social media, and how to get started. This Media Briefs episode is sponsored by FlatPlan. More than 145 million people read 5 billion articles on Apple News every month and FlatPlan empowers publishers to reach this huge audience in beautifully branded publications, on optimised articles built to maximise growth on the platform. With clients ranging from Bauer Media to ITV, FlatPlan handles all the heavy lifting including delivery, reporting and optimisation. Reduce months of development work to a no-code solution that works with any CMS and maximize the effectiveness of your content with tools built to scale audience growth quickly. Learn more about FlatPlan on their website, or book a demo.

On this week’s episode of the podcast we take a deep dive into the subscription trends of the past year. To get insight from someone who’s had experience in subscription management, we spoke to Zamir Walimohamed, Head of Digital, Marketing & Subscriptions at Motor Sport Magazine. Zamir has been playing a pivotal role in driving Motor Sport Magazine's digital expansion and marketing initiatives for 12 years now, during which time he’s seen trends come, go, and stay. Zamir tells us about how the magazine has managed bringing print subscribers into its digital ecosystem, and why a growing propensity to pay for digital subscriptions is benefitting magazines across the industry. He also discusses the extent to which off-the-shelf subscription management tools are fit for purpose, and where the smart money is being spent on improving retention. Peter and Chris get very excited about Scalextric.

In this week's episode we hear from LADbible Group's Operations Lead Jake Strong-Jones on how the group's verticals make best use of social platforms. He works with teams across the business on new launches, distribution strategy and operations, as well as the content strategy and insights on LADbible Group's social platforms. He takes us through everything from how they go about making discerning use of platforms to find new audiences, how its use of TikTok allows it to reach two-thirds of adults in the UK, and what trends the group is keeping an eye on over the next 12 months. How publishers have approached social media platforms over the past year will be one of the chapters we explore as part of our upcoming Media Moments 2023 report. Find out more and pre-register for the report here.

This week we're joined by Daniel Ionescu, founder of The Lincolnite, an independent local news publisher in Lincolnshire. He is also the founder and editor of new local news platform MyLocal, which is setting out to create a sustainable ecosystem where local journalism, communities and businesses can thrive. Daniel talks us through why he got into local news in 2010 and the opportunity he spotted to make local news much more up-to-date when compared to the digital efforts of local news organisations still tied to the print cycle. He explains how MyLocal came about, and how they anticipated some of the problems publishers are facing today with the decline in social media traffic and challenges around sustainable revenue streams. We also discuss the importance of building human, direct relationships to build trust in local news titles, whether collaboration between large and small outlets is realistic, and if local news can ever truly be sustainable. The past 12 months in local news developments will be one of the chapters we explore as part of our upcoming Media Moments 2023 report. Find out more and pre-register for the report here.

This week we're joined by Chris Stone, Executive Producer at the New Statesman. Chris is in charge of the podcast and video strategy at the publication, and his experimental approach has seen monthly podcast downloads double, video views reach 8 million a month, and huge growth on their YouTube channel. More recently, he has been leaning into video podcasts on YouTube, figuring out what works for the New Statesman as the platform doubles down on its support for podcasts. Chris takes us through some of his boldest experiments with podcasts at the New Statesman, from consolidating them into one feed to publishing audio and video versions to YouTube. He also talks about how they're adapting to wider trends in the podcasting market, the potential use cases for AI in podcasts, and whether others will follow in the footsteps of The Economist and move all their podcasts behind a paywall. As economic conditions continue to put publishers under pressure, he gives some advice to publisher podcast teams facing budget cuts. 2023's podcasting trends and their relevance to publishers will be one of the chapters we explore as part of our upcoming Media Moments 2023 report. Find out more and pre-register for the report here.

This week we’re joined by Jacqui Merrington, who has her own Substack The Happy Journalist focused on showcasing how new tech can be used positively in journalism. Most recently she led one of the first generative AI experiments at Reach as well as devising and leading a project aimed at developing new business models for their smallest local sites using AI, interactive content formats and newsletters. Jacqui takes us through the reasons she's optimistic about journalists using AI, how newsrooms can go about implementing it sustainably, and what best (and worst) practice looks like in 2023. And remember - we don't have a catchphrase. AI and how publishers have experimented with new generative tools will be one of the chapters we explore as part of our upcoming Media Moments 2023 report. Find out more and pre-register for the report here.

On this first episode of the last season for 2023, we feature a passion project from one of our own. The Grub Street Journal is a B2B title made by and for people who love print magazines. Its co-founders and editors Joanna Cummings and Peter Houston take us through the project from inception to monetisation, and give us a sneak peek at the third issue of the magazine. The team also discuss whether a flurry of print magazine stories is a sign of a wider resurgence, or a blip. With NME coming back into print, Elle Australia hitting newsstands again next year following rising demand, and Immediate's Radio Times reaching 100 years and still going strong, what does a print resurgence look like? If print is making a comeback, it's looking more niche, less frequent, and more expensive to make or buy. Print and its place in publisher portfolios this year will be one of the chapters we explore as part of our upcoming Media Moments 2023 report. Find out more and pre-register for the report here.

Welcome to the latest season of Media Voices: Big Noises! This season, sponsored by Glide Publishing Platform, we’ll be talking to publishing people with something to say. Media Voices co-host Peter Houston is tired of hearing the same old industry buzzwords. The publishing platitudes are starting to wear a bit thin, and he’s decided to see if he can shake the conversation up a bit by speaking to some of the biggest characters in the business. On this week's episode of Media Voices - the final edition of our Big Noises series - we hear from Stuart Forrest. As Peter makes clear in his intro, Stuart has worked at most of the major publishers in the UK in a variety of different roles, which has granted him a unique insight into the good and bad practices of the industry. He tells us about all the changes he's seen over his career to date, why the publisher-platform tug-of-war is inevitable but subject to change, and how 'clickability' differs from 'clickbait'. We'll be back later in the year with our autumn season of Media Voices. Until then, have a fantastic summer! Thanks to Glide Publishing Platform who have sponsored this season of Media Voices: Big Noises. Glide exists to make publishers more successful by removing any need to get bogged down building Content Management Systems, providing an industry-leading SaaS tailored to let publishers do more and spend less. Publishers using Glide direct more resources at their audiences and products, and focus on building things that make them money. You do the content, Glide does the management. Glide have created 3 expert guides to getting much more from a new or headless CMS, created for editorial, technology, and product teams. You can get the whitepapers here.

Welcome to the latest season of Media Voices: Big Noises! This season, sponsored by Glide Publishing Platform, we’ll be talking to publishing people with something to say. Media Voices co-host Peter Houston is tired of hearing the same old industry buzzwords. The publishing platitudes are starting to wear a bit thin, and he’s decided to see if he can shake the conversation up a bit by speaking to some of the biggest characters in the business. On this week’s episode of Big Noises we hear from Skift founder Rafat Ali. He tells us about why he decided on eschewing the rush for VC funding in favour of more sustainable growth, how the travel information site is using AI in a practical way, and where so much of the media industry goes wrong when choosing priorities. He tells us about his lateral moves from tech expert to paid content specialist into founder of a premium B2B travel site. Thanks to Glide Publishing Platform who have sponsored this season of Media Voices: Big Noises. Glide exists to make publishers more successful by removing any need to get bogged down building Content Management Systems, providing an industry-leading SaaS tailored to let publishers do more and spend less. Publishers using Glide direct more resources at their audiences and products, and focus on building things that make them money. You do the content, Glide does the management. Glide have created 3 expert guides to getting much more from a new or headless CMS, created for editorial, technology, and product teams. You can get the whitepapers here.

Welcome to the latest season of Media Voices: Big Noises! This season, sponsored by Glide Publishing Platform, we’ll be talking to publishing people with something to say. Media Voices co-host Peter Houston is tired of hearing the same old industry buzzwords. The publishing platitudes are starting to wear a bit thin, and he’s decided to see if he can shake the conversation up a bit by speaking to some of the biggest characters in the business. On this week's episode of Media Voices' Big Noises series we hear from Ricky Sutton, a man who has straddled both the journalistic and tech industries. Ricky tells us about the media militancy, why we need media plurality and why he thinks publisher cohesion is vital for ensuring that, and his own eclectic and unusual path through the industry. He explains why the AI could be fatal for the publishing industry - and what we need to do to prevent that inevitability. Thanks to Glide Publishing Platform who have sponsored this season of Media Voices: Big Noises. Glide exists to make publishers more successful by removing any need to get bogged down building Content Management Systems, providing an industry-leading SaaS tailored to let publishers do more and spend less. Publishers using Glide direct more resources at their audiences and products, and focus on building things that make them money. You do the content, Glide does the management. Glide have created 3 expert guides to getting much more from a new or headless CMS, created for editorial, technology, and product teams. You can get the whitepapers here.

Welcome to the latest season of Media Voices: Big Noises! This season, sponsored by Glide Publishing Platform, we’ll be talking to publishing people with something to say. Media Voices co-host Peter Houston is tired of hearing the same old industry buzzwords. The publishing platitudes are starting to wear a bit thin, and he’s decided to see if he can shake the conversation up a bit by speaking to some of the biggest characters in the business. On this week's episode of Big Noises we hear from Mpho Raborife. Mpho is Managing Editor at news24, a South African-based news outlet with a primarily Millennial staff and audience. Mpho tells us about how she caught the journalism bug while doing work experience, why news organisations that don't listen to their younger staff members aren't effectively serving their audiences, and why young people in newsrooms need to know they have a future in the business to remain invested and engaged. Peter also asked her about her ongoing research project for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and how she hopes younger people will be more nurtured by newsrooms in the future. She echoes what Lucy Keung has said about the need to listen to the younger members of staff - and how those who don't are leaving societal and commercial opportunities on the table. Thanks to Glide Publishing Platform who have sponsored this season of Media Voices: Big Noises. Glide exists to make publishers more successful by removing any need to get bogged down building Content Management Systems, providing an industry-leading SaaS tailored to let publishers do more and spend less. Publishers using Glide direct more resources at their audiences and products, and focus on building things that make them money. You do the content, Glide does the management. Glide have created 3 expert guides to getting much more from a new or headless CMS, created for editorial, technology, and product teams. You can get the whitepapers here.

On this week’s episode of Big Noises from Media Voices we hear from Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director at Digital Content Next (DCN), the trade organisation for premium publishers. Michelle started out as a journalist. The rise of digital media saw her embrace the changes and after working for a range of publications, from alt weeklies to B2B titles, she joined what was then the AOP to help premium publishers on their digital transition. She now manages online content and events for the group. More than a decade in, Michelle still has hope for the media, but is frustrated by many of the publishing practices she sees. “Now we’re in a world where two thirds of our job is to rise above the noise. ‘Listen to me. Look at me’ right? Are we providing a value exchange? When people give us that gift of their attention, do we provide them with value… was it worth their time?"

Welcome to the latest season of Media Voices: Big Noises! This season, sponsored by Glide Publishing Platform, we’ll be talking to publishing people with something to say. Media Voices co-host Peter Houston is tired of hearing the same old industry buzzwords. The publishing platitudes are starting to wear a bit thin, and he’s decided to see if he can shake the conversation up a bit by speaking to some of the biggest characters in the business. On this week's episode of Big Noises from Media Voices we hear from media analyst Shirish Kulkarni. He takes us through news innovation and inclusion projects, from journalism AI to community journalism, focusing really on how these can be used together to serve people who currently don’t see any value in journalism. He explains why news avoidance is a rational response to the current news ecosystem, and how news outlets that say 'we need people to trust us tomorrow' need to have a good long look at themselves. Kulkarni argues that DE&I cannot be fixed quickly, that there is a failure of management to address the issues substantively, and that media organisations' resistance to change is ultimately holding them back. Thanks to Glide Publishing Platform who have sponsored this season of Media Voices: Big Noises. Glide exists to make publishers more successful by removing any need to get bogged down building Content Management Systems, providing an industry-leading SaaS tailored to let publishers do more and spend less. Publishers using Glide direct more resources at their audiences and products, and focus on building things that make them money. You do the content, Glide does the management. Glide have created 3 expert guides to getting much more from a new or headless CMS, created for editorial, technology, and product teams. You can get the whitepapers here.

Media Voices co-host Peter Houston has been in Portugal again. He headed back to the beautiful coastal town of Cascais for the 2023 FIPP World Media Congress. He caught up with speakers and attendees at the event to find out how they are facing up to the full range of challenges the media industry is facing - from AI and difficult economic conditions to Ukrainian media operators fighting to keep working in the middle of a war. In the episode we hear from FIPP Chair Yulia Boyle; Andrii Vdovychenko, CEO of Burda Ukraine; Anastasiya Ravva of Ukraine's Espresso TV; media consultant Juan Senor; Agustino Fontevecchia, digital director at Editorial Perfil in Argentina; Catalina Morales of independent literary magazine Polyglot; Colin Morrison, publisher of the Flashes & Flames newsletter; and John Schlaefli of event organisers and sponsors of this special episode, Di5rupt. Thanks to FIPP World Media congress organisers Di5rupt for sponsoring this episode. As well as powering the FIPP World Media Congress, Di5rupt is the organiser and host of Media Makers Meet (Mx3 Berlin), an event dedicated to specialist media. The next Mx3 Berlin will be in February 2024, with tentative dates of 7 and 8 February, to be confirmed soon. Di5rupt recently acquired the media industry website What's New in Publishing (WNIP) to wrap around its events, and also produces specialist, in-depth reports, including 'Strategies for Media for Navigating an Economic Downturn' and 'AI and the Media'. For more information visit di5ru.pt.

Welcome to the latest season of Media Voices: Big Noises! This season, sponsored by Glide Publishing Platform, we’ll be talking to publishing people with something to say. Media Voices co-host Peter Houston is tired of hearing the same old industry buzzwords. The publishing platitudes are starting to wear a bit thin, and he’s decided to see if he can shake the conversation up a bit by speaking to some of the biggest characters in the business. On this week's episode of Big Noises from Media Voices we hear from Jacob Donnelly, founder of A Media Operator and publisher at Morning Brew. His path from crypto reporter to owner and operator of a media newsletter has afforded him a wide-ranging view of the media industry, and in this episode he brings that insight to bear on the lure of scale for publishers, the role of VCs, and challenging bad media models. In the brief news roundup Chris and Peter discuss the interview, contrast Jacob's points around VCs with those of previous guests, and discover their recording platform has a suite of effects built in. Sound effects ensue. Thanks to Glide Publishing Platform who have sponsored this season of Media Voices: Big Noises. Glide exists to make publishers more successful by removing any need to get bogged down building Content Management Systems, providing an industry-leading SaaS tailored to let publishers do more and spend less. Publishers using Glide direct more resources at their audiences and products, and focus on building things that make them money. You do the content, Glide does the management. Glide have created 3 expert guides to getting much more from a new or headless CMS, created for editorial, technology, and product teams. You can get the whitepapers here.

Welcome to the latest season of Media Voices: Big Noises! This season, sponsored by Glide Publishing Platform, we’ll be talking to publishing people with something to say. Media Voices co-host Peter Houston is tired of hearing the same old industry buzzwords. The publishing platitudes are starting to wear a bit thin, and he’s decided to see if he can shake the conversation up a bit by speaking to some of the biggest characters in the business. In this latest episode of our Big Noises series, we hear from SEO Capo Barry Adams. Barry is a tech guy that moved into SEO more than 20 years ago, seeing it as the perfect hybrid of technology and marketing. He was at the Belfast Telegraph when it was known for punching way above its weight in search, taking advantage of Google's algorithms quirks. Since then he has worked for some of the world’s biggest media organisations, fixing their SEO and explaining that, these days, there are no quick fixes or silver bullets when it comes to search performance. We spoke about the mystery that is Reach’s consistently good search rankings despite its horrendous UX, the difference between journalism and SEO content and how getting it wrong can damage trust, and of course his thoughts on Google, AI and the future of publishers in the search ecosystem. Thanks to Glide Publishing Platform who have sponsored this season of Media Voices: Big Noises. Glide exists to make publishers more successful by removing any need to get bogged down building Content Management Systems, providing an industry-leading SaaS tailored to let publishers do more and spend less. Publishers using Glide direct more resources at their audiences and products, and focus on building things that make them money. You do the content, Glide does the management. Glide have created 3 expert guides to getting much more from a new or headless CMS, created for editorial, technology, and product teams. You can get the whitepapers here.

Next up on our Big Noises season is Amy Kean, bestselling author, LinkedIn top voice, former head of innovation for Publicis and now CEO and Creative Director of Good Shout, a company that helps people communicate better. Amy is also a self-confessed weirdo and my big question for her was, could media do with more weirdos to stem the tide of painfully undifferentiated products that Neil spoke about last week? We also spoke about fear, ego, jargon and how to spot a good weirdo rather than someone that’s going to be an HR problem. Thanks to Glide Publishing Platform who have sponsored this season of Media Voices: Big Noises. Glide exists to make publishers more successful by removing any need to get bogged down building Content Management Systems, providing an industry-leading SaaS tailored to let publishers do more and spend less. Publishers using Glide direct more resources at their audiences and products, and focus on building things that make them money. You do the content, Glide does the management. Glide have created 3 expert guides to getting much more from a new or headless CMS, created for editorial, technology, and product teams. You can get the whitepapers here.

Welcome to the latest season of Media Voices: Big Noises! This season, sponsored by Glide Publishing Platform, we'll be talking to publishing people with something to say. Media Voices co-host Peter Houston is tired of hearing the same old industry buzzwords. The publishing platitudes are starting to wear a bit thin, and he's decided to see if he can shake the conversation up a bit by speaking to some of the biggest characters in the business. First up is Neil Thackray. Neil is a media executive with decades of experience leading media companies both large and small. As one of the co-founders of Briefing Media (home of theMediaBriefing and AgriBriefing), he gained a formidable reputation for calling out executive BS at conferences and in his columns, and being unafraid to point out some of the biggest industry issues. Neil spoke to Peter about the myth that content is king, the failures of publishing leadership, how media companies have lost the ability to differentiate, and how investors share some of the blame. Thanks to Glide Publishing Platform who have sponsored this season of Media Voices: Big Noises. Glide exists to make publishers more successful by removing any need to get bogged down building Content Management Systems, providing an industry-leading SaaS tailored to let publishers do more and spend less. Publishers using Glide direct more resources at their audiences and products, and focus on building things that make them money. You do the content, Glide does the management. Glide have created 3 expert guides to getting much more from a new or headless CMS, created for editorial, technology, and product teams. You can get the whitepapers here.

The last few weeks has seen the Media Voices team head out and about to various industry events, from a Local News event with Google to the PPA Festival and Newsrewired, as well as running our own Publisher Podcast Forum and Awards. We were proud to be media partners for the PPA Festival, where Peter and Esther spent the day catching up with industry friends and listening in on all sorts of sessions to do with audience-building. In this special episode from the PPA Festival, we've focused on how publishers are future-proofing audience relationships. There are rising challenges from an economic recession, advertising slowdowns, uncertainty about subscriptions growth and the yet unknown impacts of AI advances which are pressuring publishers. The only way to ensure success is to deliver real value to your audience. The businesses that succeed will be those that prioritise reader relationships. We spoke to a range of publishers at the Festival and sat in on sessions on the Audience stage to find out how they plan to future-proof those audience connections. This episode features the following experts: Sajeeda Merali, CEO, PPA Amanda Wigginton, Customer strategy, data and insight specialist Sarah Ebner, Executive Editor & Head of Newsletters, Financial Times (session extract) Mark Alker, Founder, SingletrackWorld Ed Garcia, Head of Retention, Immediate Media (session extract) Clare Wain, Marketing Director, NEOM Organics (session extract) Seema Kumari, Senior Director of Consumer Marketing and CRM at Hearst UK (session extract) Tony Hill, Marketing & Events Director, Mark Allen Group (session extract) Alix Fox, Writer, broadcaster and sex educator (session extract)

Our special podcast documentary explores how local media organisations have got started with AI projects, the benefits they're seeing, the challenges they've faced and what advice they would give to other publishers looking to get into AI. This episode and our corresponding report have been made possible with the support of United Robots. There's one topic everyone is talking about right now: AI. Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in November 2022, the potential of AI tools have become very clear to the otherwise uninitiated. Now, everyone from politicians to teachers, technologists, artists and writers are having to grapple with the explosion in use of generative AI and the very real impact it will have on our everyday lives. But away from the hype of ChatGPT, Bard and other headline-grabbing AI chatbots and generators, it’s important to remember that AI isn’t a new area for publishers. From simple tasks like social media posts to content recommendations right through to more complex tasks like distilling mass datasets in a way that reporters can make sense of, we’ve been using these tools for a number of years. For publishers of all shapes and sizes, artificial intelligence is still a largely untapped area. Some prominent brands like BuzzFeed have made industry headlines by announcing their plans to use AI to generate quizzes, while CNET won’t be the last publication to get in trouble for letting major errors slip through on articles written by robots. We’re buckling up for an absolute tsunami of AI-generated content - more than any of us will be able to consume in our lifetimes. The opportunity for publishers, then, as pointed out by Douglas McCabe of Enders Analysis, is to distinguish themselves from the rest of the internet. This doesn’t mean shunning AI. Instead, we should be looking at how we can use it to free writers, reporters and journalists up to do what they do best. Looking to local media Some of the best examples of how this can work in practice can be seen in local media. Often, such organisations have fewer resources than big names like the New York Times or Bloomberg, and certainly aren’t able to indulge in speculative development and testing of these tools. Instead, there has to be a clearly defined use case, straightforward implementation, and measurable return on investment. This has been the focus of a new report from Media Voices: Practical AI for Local Media. In this report, Peter Houston explores the myths and misconceptions surrounding AI, what it looks like in practice in local media organisations, the benefits it brings, and how to get started. The report also includes five case studies from local publishers around the world - who you’ll be hearing from throughout this episode - and how they’ve been using AI tools for years to create and publish journalism that gives local media an edge. We’ve focused on local news organisations, but the processes they went through internally to explore and apply AI tools can benefit publishers of all shapes and sizes, so it's still relevant if you’re looking at what AI can do for you. In this corresponding documentary-style episode, we hear directly from the publishers themselves and other industry experts about how they approached finding use cases for AI, getting staff on board, tackling issues that came up, and the advice they would give to other publishers looking to get started themselves. Interviewees: Elin Stueland, Online Editor, Stavanger Aftenblad Joseph Hook, Editor, RADAR AI Jens Pettersson, Head of Editorial Development, NTM Luuk Willekens, Data & Innovation Manager, NRC Media Cynthia DuBose, Vice President, Audience Growth & Content Monetization, McClatchy Professor Charlie Beckett, Director, The Journalism AI Project, LSE Cecilia Campbell, Chief Marketing Officer, United Robots Thanks to United Robots who have sponsored our Practical AI for Local Media report and this episode. Their mission is to empower local news publishers by helping free up reporter time, expand coverage and grow the business by providing routine reporting produced by robots on structured data on topics like sports and real estate. They’ve helped a number of publishers cited in the report get started with automated content, and Cecilia Campbell and her team are hugely knowledgeable about the real opportunities in AI for publishers. You can find out more about them at unitedrobots.ai

This week we hear from Substack UK's Head of Writer Partnerships Farrah Storr. Over the past decade she's worked in leading editorial roles at some of the biggest lifestyle magazines in the UK before leaving ELLE to join the newsletter platform. She tells us about why more mainstream media brands should be investing in Substack, why she doesn't believe you need a huge profile to start out on the platform, and what problems with the wider internet ecosystem Substack is trying to solve. In the news round-up, the team dissect some unfortunately-timed stories about Reach plc, and why the national and regional publisher's woes are only likely to increase as the ad-stuffing strategy plays out. In the news in brief section, we explore increasingly troublesome links between the Conservative government and senior BBC executives, BuzzFeed's edict to staff to increase story output, and Meta's subtle de-emphasis of its metaverse project. Thus endeth the season. We'll be back in May for the next one!

On this week's episode we hear from Max Tani, media reporter at news startup Semafor. He tells us how he came to Semafor; the Venn diagram between media, politics, Hollywood and pretty much everything else in life; about Semafor’s attempts to balance out news and opinion; and whether covering the White House was anything like The West Wing. In the news roundup the team looks at a bad week for broadcasters, from the BBC's war against Gary Lineker, through Fox News' risible defence in the Dominion lawsuit, to GB News' £31m loss in its first operating year. Here's to the next 250 episodes!

TIME was 100 last week, and we took the chance to speak to its Editor In Chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal about how the publication made it to its centenary. He tells us about the tradition of innovation at TIME, building trust with global audiences, and how legacy is not a bad word in magazines. In the news roundup the team discusses the fallout from The Telegraph publishing former health secretary Matt Hancock's WhatsApp messages, despite journalist Isabel Oakeshott having broken an NDA to do so. We ask what that does for trust in the media, where the responsibility for putting everything in context lies, and if this is an Alien vs. Predator situation for those of us in the middle of the row.

This week we hear from Bonnie Kintzer, CEO of Trusted Media Brands - which includes brands like FailArmy, Family Handyman, and Reader’s Digest. She tells us about the opportunities she saw to turn around the company when it was facing bankruptcy in 2013, how the business has weathered some of the storms of the past decade, and why she thinks it’s vital to focus on where the audiences are regardless of platform algorithms. She also explains why a 're-start-up' mentality helped TMB get ahead. In the news roundup the team debates why it's so difficult to find common ground on discussions of platforms paying publishers directly, and asks if Google not serving news to Canadian consumers will shift the dial on those arguments. Did you know Elon Musk has a Brummie accent?

On this week's episode we hear from Janice Min, co-owner and CEO of The Ankler, a newsletter-first media brand covering Hollywood and the world of entertainment. She tells us how The Ankler’s revenue streams have evolved over the last twelve months, the potential she sees in lean, newsletter-first businesses, and what lessons she’s applying from her time at big-name legacy publications like the Hollywood Reporter. In the news roundup we avoid AI entirely and do a Media Voices 101 episode, going through a wishlist for what we want to see from media companies in the next year. Please look out for our new 'Humanity is pathetic: How do we monetise them?" tshirts in the near future.

On this week's episode, we hear from Sarah Ebner, Executive Editor and Head of Newsletters at the Financial Times. She tells us about her role leading the newsletter team at the FT, and the value of newsletters in subscriber acquisition and retention but also as paid products in their own right. In the news roundup we take a thorough look at what the integration of ChatGPT and Bard into search results means for news and magazine publishers. In the news in brief, the Mastodon Bump has levelled out, DC Thomson announces 300 job cuts, and we ask why subscription revenue is outperforming expectations. Welcome to your first episode of Med.A.I Voices.

This week we hear from Andrew Ramsammy, Chief Operating Officer of Word in Black. The publication was founded in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, and brings together 10 of the nation's leading Black publishers in a news collaborative. He discusses how the collaborative came together, how they've tripled revenue since launching, and other areas of opportunity for publishers to come together. In the non-news roundup, the team examines whether publishers should worry about password sharing. We also look at whether podcasts are still a good bet for advertisers (yes), whether AI is being overhyped (also yes), and how LadBible became the biggest English-language publisher on TikTok (good at it). Peter shares his Netflix username.

This week we hear from Gaby Huddart, Group Editorial Director at Hearst UK and Editor in Chief of Good Housekeeping. We talk about celebrating the brand’s centenary last year with their first multi-day live event, what a Good Housekeeping reader looks like today, and why it’s so important for the title to be future-facing. She also discusses how readers' attitudes to their homes have changed over the pandemic, and the role the Good Housekeeping Institute plays in building trust. In the news round-up the team examines some of BuzzFeed's moves from the past week - including striking a partnership with Meta and embracing our new AI overlords. For the news in brief, we discuss the FT burning out trying to run a Mastodon server, the US government's latest moves in the war on Google hegemony, and the apparent dwindling of interest in the super-rich for funding newspapers and magazines. While Esther took a brief phone call, Peter and I sang Georgy Girl by The Seekers, but I had to cut it from the episode.

On this week's episode, Dexerto CEO Josh Nino tells us about how the esports-focused publication went about carving a foothold in a competitive market that is often unfriendly to newcomers. He also talks about where a publication like Dexerto looks to grow revenue and audience - and whether those opportunities are universal for all digital publications - and what he thinks is the future of sports and esports-related communities online. In the news roundup, human journalists are relegated to apologising for AI journalists' mistakes; Musk's Twitter bounces along the bottom; Future goes US-first; and Axios Pro reports a 100% retention rate. Head over to grubstreetjournal.com for updates on Peter's new magazine!

On this week's episode of Media Voices Richard Reeves, CEO of the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) here in the UK, talks to us about the issues and roadblocks surrounding diversity and inclusion efforts in media. He discussed initiatives publishers are using to improve DE&I, problems of retention, and how ageism impacts women particularly. In the news round-up, the team takes a look at the Reuters Institute's latest Journalism, Media and Technology Trends and Predictions report, created after it surveyed 300+ media executives from around the world. We talk about where the smart money lies, which tech trends are non-starters, and ask to what extent AI is changing the landscape of journalism.

This special episode of Media Voices features the audio of our launch presentation for the Media Moments 2022 report. Chris, Peter and Esther each outline which media moment of the year they found interesting, from the revolution in local news to audio advertising's rapid growth and the professionalisation of newsletters. The team are then joined by BuzzFeed’s Caroline Fenner, AdWeek’s Stephen Lepitak and Poool’s Ludivine Paquet to discuss what they’ve identified as the biggest shifts this year and how publishers can prepare for what is likely to be another challenging twelve months ahead. Media Moments 2022 is free to download and can be accessed here. Media Moments 2022 is sponsored by Poool, the all-in-one Membership and Subscription Suite for digital publishers to convert, manage and retain their members and subscribers. poool.tech | Linkedin | Twitter

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’ve published ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from podcasts and newsletters to advertising, subscriptions, trust and more. Our tenth and final episode looks at how climate coverage is coming to the forefront of publisher strategies, and how journalists are evolving the way they communicate climate issues with their audiences. Climate journalism is becoming an increasingly valuable part of a media company's portfolio. This speaks both to the growing concern and interest the public have in climate change, and also the willingness of advertisers to support reporting and initiatives. Despite that, 2022 has seen many of the big developments around climate journalism come from cross-industry organisations and collectives rather than solo newspapers. The biggest change has been the recognition that climate needs to be something that is covered by every department, not just by a single reporter or section. It now affects our daily lives in a very real way, and is something that should be brought into business, fashion, politics and more. We've seen a number of fellowships launched in previous years bearing fruit. One common point is that reporters covering climate change often share similar frustrations, wherever they are based. From editors that cling on to climate denialism or delayism to the inability to effect change in the face of lobbying efforts, it speaks to the global nature of not just climate change as a phenomenon, but of the shared challenges that come with having to report on it. Joining us on the final episode of this season is Meera Selva, CEO of Internews Europe; a global non-profit that supports journalists and media organisations worldwide. Last year, she designed and launched the Oxford Climate Journalism Network with Wolfgang Blau and the Reuters Institute to work with newsrooms worldwide to structurally change how climate is covered. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy. poool.tech | @PooolTech

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’ll be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from podcasts and newsletters to advertising, subscriptions, trust and more. Our ninth episode looks at how the bubble has burst around many of the emerging technologies that had previously excited the industry, and where publishers are looking now for innovation. The 'crypto winter' has set back many of the projects we saw begin in last year's exploration of emerging technology. The crash began early in 2022 due to rising interest rates and macroeconomic factors, and as even supposedly 'stable' cryptocurrencies hit problems, confidence in the market plummeted. This in turn hit the NFT market, with trading volumes collapsing 97% in September from a peak in January 2022. Although many publishers aren't forthcoming with less positive updates about NFT and Web3 projects, the closure of CNN's Vault by CNN - a marketplace selling collectible NFT 'moments' tied to major news events - is likely a good indicator of how others are faring. Crucially, this has raised issues of trust with audiences who believed NFT projects from publishers to be a safer bet than those touted by so-called 'crypto bros'. Facebook's all-in bet on the metaverse certainly put AR and VR experiences at the top of the agenda for brands this year. Publishers have rightly been much more cautious, waiting to see a solid commercial proposition before jumping in. But some have taken the opportunity to experiment early, from Vogue's Business and Yahoo Metaverse Experience to B2B magazines like Management Today. However, user numbers for even the most well-known metaverse platforms are still far below what is needed to justify longer-term plans. It's not all doom and gloom for emerging technology though. AI imagery and video has taken great leaps forward this year, with projects like Dall-E showing early promise to transform visual content creation. This tech may not be as sexy as the metaverse and Web3, but is more likely to make a tangible difference to how publishers work in the next few years. Our guest expert this week is Simon Owens. Simon is a media industry journalist who edits an industry newsletter that covers everything from the Creator Economy to traditional media. He also hosts The Business of Content, a podcast about how publishers create, distribute, and monetise digital content. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy. poool.tech | @PooolTech

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’ll be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from podcasts and newsletters to advertising, subscriptions, emerging technology and more. Our eighth episode looks at the major social media platforms, and how their relationship with publishers has fared after yet another tumultuous year. The story which has dominated much of the latter half of the year has been Musk's botched takeover of Twitter. Following months of will-he-won't-he, the billionaire finally completed the $44 billion purchase of the platform in late October. Since then, he has unleashed an unprecedented amount of chaos at Twitter HQ, from mass layoffs to badly thought-through verification plans. Publishers who are reliant on Twitter - or other products like their newsletter platform Revue - are now having to face the very real prospect of there being no Twitter left by the end of 2022. Twitter aren't the only ones to be struggling with layoffs and mismanagement this year. Meta - the umbrella company for Facebook and Instagram - suffered the biggest one-day loss in history for a US company in February, wiping $230 billion off the value of the company. In a number of firsts, Facebook reported a drop in daily user numbers, and their first-ever drop in revenue in July. By the end of October, Meta's shares had tumbled 24% to their lowest level in nearly four years following a 'train wreck' earnings report. Its bet that the metaverse will be the future is proving costly; Meta lost $9.4 billion on its metaverse unit Reality Labs, and expects to have significantly wider operating losses next year. Meta's rocky relationship with publishers is categorically over. As well as ending support for Instant Articles and pulling its new newsletter platform Bulletin, the company began telling news partners in the US that they no longer had plans to pay publishers for their content to run on the News Tab. Legislation looks unlikely to force any further movement on this. In response to Canada saying it would introduce an Australia-style bill to force payments to publishers, Facebook said it would simply block news content on the platform. But as some platforms fall, others rise to take their place. TikTok has cemented its spot as the biggest platform for young people, and is expected to reach 1.8 billion users by the end of 2022. But it has yet to make any serious attempts to grapple with misinformation or data concerns that are frequently raised. Nonetheless, a growing number of publishers are exploring the platform as a way to connect with younger audiences. This week we're joined by social media consultant and industry analyst Matt Navarra. Matt has over 15 years' experience in the industry, and also has first-hand knowledge of the publisher perspective, having been Director of Social Media for The Next Web. He runs the Geekout group and newsletter for social media professionals. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy. poool.tech | @PooolTech

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’ll be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from podcasts and newsletters to advertising, subscriptions, emerging technology and more. Our seventh episode looks at trust in the media, the growth of news fatigue and avoidance, and the opportunities and dangers in the future, from AI to platforms. The year didn’t get off to a good start. The results of the latest Edelman trust survey showed that almost seven in 10 people worry that they are being lied to by journalists. Edelman’s Annual Trust Barometer for 2022 also found that trust in media had once again fallen across the world, with concern over fake news at an all-time high. The release of Reuters’ Digital News Report 2022 in June only served to highlight how severe an issue this has become over the past five years. Its headline findings were that news fatigue and consequently avoidance were at an all-time high, with almost half of British people actively avoiding reading the news. This is feeding into a general distrust of news and the media, with just 1 in 4 people in the US trusting the news. Is this a problem of publishers’ own making? Recent analysis published in PLoS ONE charted how negative headlines have grown over the past two decades. Emotionally-arousing and anger-inducing headlines attract more clicks and attention than positive and neutral headlines, creating a perverse incentive for news media to spread gloomy content. So how can we break this cycle of negativity and declining trust? Will transparency in reporting help bring round reluctant or sceptical readers, or do we need to do more? Joining us this week to discuss the year in trust is Martha Williams, CEO of World Newsmedia Network. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy. poool.tech | @PooolTech

With just days to go until the US midterms, there has never been so much at stake in terms of misinformation and polarisation. We can all think of examples of the consequences of some of those issues, which are playing out around us in real-time. The Reuters team have been hard at work producing election data, maps, infographics and more to help publishers cover the midterms accurately. This episode Chris Sutcliffe is joined by Reuters News Agency's Politics Editor Scott Malone, Digital Verification Editor Stephanie Burnett and Director of Emerging Products and Special Events Rob Schack. They discuss how data and trends can help cut through some of the noise, how this work will feed into future elections and other reporting, and ultimately, how it affects the trust audiences have in the news they consume. This Conversations episode is sponsored by Reuters. With unmatched coverage in over 16 languages, and reaching billions of people worldwide every day, Reuters provides trusted intelligence that powers humans and machines to make smart decisions. Founded in 1851, Reuters has remained true to the Trust Principles of independence, integrity and freedom from bias, working relentlessly to bring news from the source and from every corner of the world. Reuters on Linkedin

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’ll be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from subscriptions and membership to advertising, platforms, emerging technology and more. Our sixth episode looks at the world of podcasting, from how publishers are refocusing strategies on engaging superfans to the growing popularity of video podcasts. Many publishers were enticed into podcasting by the promise of high listener numbers and the opportunity to grow their audience outside of the usual channels. While the latter proved true, the year has proved to be something of a reality check for those seeking millions of avid listeners and subsequent ad revenue riches. That's no bad thing. What it has led to is a realisation that podcasts are best used to serve the superfans. Monetisation and growth strategies have evolved to match these new aims, whether that be high-value sponsorship packages for small B2B podcasts, or shows used as a member-only benefit. Another surprising trend this year has been the rise in popularity of podcast consumption via YouTube. From simple audio exports with just a logo on to full studio filming of podcasts being recorded, the platform is used by 58% of people in the US to consume podcasts. This has put pressure on publishers to look at video options for their shows, which can be a complex and potentially costly endeavour. Although the podcast format is an old one, there is still room for change and improvement, most notably in discovery. Despite the best efforts of the big platforms like Spotify and Apple, and smaller apps like GoodPods, it is still difficult for listeners to connect with shows that they might potentially enjoy. This is an area still ripe for innovation over the next few years. To discuss 2022's biggest podcast trends we're joined this week by Naomi Mellor, producer and host of multiple podcasts including Smashing The Ceiling, and founder of The Skylark Collective and the International Women’s Podcast Awards. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy. poool.tech | @PooolTech

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’re be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from subscriptions and membership to advertising, platforms, emerging technology and more. Our fifth episode explores the year in newsletter trends, from worldwide readership to how creators are driving publisher strategies. One of the oldest digital delivery systems of all has continued to dominate industry headlines in 2022 as publishers rethink the way they work with email newsletters. Email-first news publishers have continued to go from strength to strength, with Axios and Industry Dive both acquired this year for significant sums. As overwhelm and news avoidance has grown, email newsletters have been seen as a solution to the firehose of content available online, as Reuters noted in this year's Digital News Report. The trend of journalists leaving outlets to go solo has definitely peaked, with fewer making the move than anticipated. Stability, and the realities of making a living from just a newsletter have stemmed the tide of people taking it from a side hustle to a career. But publishers have responded by finding ways to support talented staff, with Forbes and The Atlantic both having made notable efforts to bring on board dedicated newsletter writers. That's not to say it's been all plain sailing. Facebook (Meta) has binned Bulletin - its Substack competitor - after just over a year. The industry has also been struggling with Apple's Mail Privacy Protection Update, which has made measuring email open rates particularly challenging. This in turn is forcing innovation, and we're likely to see a substantial evolution of both metrics and email advertising over the coming years as publishers seek to bring the premium ad experiences of their sites and apps to their newsletters. Overall, there seems to be an acknowledgement that newsletters have been a long-underserved medium that can actually be incredibly effective for publishers. As the hype has faded, there's a 'more realistic attitude' in place about the format and the business that can be built around it. Joining us this episode to discuss the biggest newsletter trends of 2022 is Mark Stenberg, Senior Media Reporter at AdWeek in New York. He's reported on some of the biggest newsletter-related media stories of the year, and also has his own newsletter Medialyte. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy. poool.tech | @PooolTech

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’re be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from subscriptions and membership to advertising, platforms, emerging technology and more. Our fourth episode looks at how publishers with subscription and membership schemes are handling increasing pressure on consumer budgets, and subscription trends going into 2023 and beyond. There has been a great deal of talk this year about reaching 'peak subscription'. Subscriber numbers at Netflix, Amazon and Disney+ fell in the first quarter of 2022 as increasing economic pressures forced difficult choices on households. Publishers are beginning to see the effects of this too. The International News Media Association's Subscription Benchmarking Service of 125 international news brands has noticed a recent spike in subscription cancellations, with the past few quarters seeing cancellations go up 34% compared to Q1 of 2021. However, the year has not been all doom and gloom for those with reader revenue streams. The Times signed up an average of 1,000 new digital subscribers every day over the first two weeks of Russia's attack on Ukraine, demonstrating the demand is still strong for authoritative news and analysis. Similarly, members of the AOP have collectively reported 14.9% growth in subscriptions revenue this year. Crucially, the pressure is helping publishers innovate. Some are looking to mixed revenue models, using registration data to both better convert readers as well as serve more valuable ads. Others are looking to more inclusive schemes to build relationships with those who aren't ready or willing to pay for a subscription. If the past two years has seen a rush to subscriptions, 2022 has seen the start of a shake-out, but one which we are confident the best publishers will emerge from with stronger, more resilient strategies. To discuss this year's subscription trends, we're joined by Anthony Ribeiro, Audience Conversion Consultant at Poool. He has a strong background in outbound acquisition, content marketing and SEO for both brands and media companies. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy. poool.tech | @PooolTech

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’re be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from subscriptions and membership to advertising, platforms, emerging technology and more. Our third episode explores how the local news market has evolved over the past 12 months, from start-ups showing early signs of sustainability, to the struggles of more established publishers. After decades of managed decline, the past few years has seen a sea of local news start-ups rising to fill the gaps left by the once-dominant legacy publishers. In the US, publishers like Axios and 6AM City are using lean, MVP models to launch local news outlets with just a few reporters and a newsletter. Many others are using increasingly-available digital tools to set up websites, podcasts, membership schemes and newsletters to support a local news operation with minimal investment. In Europe, established news organisations are launching new online local services, hiring journalists to fill the gaps in their own 'news deserts'. In the UK, start-ups like The Manchester Mill have established a blueprint that works for them and are expanding into other areas, without needing tens of thousands of subscribers. Meanwhile in Finland, 39% of those who pay for news say they are paying for regional or local news online - higher than in many other markets. However, that doesn't mean the route to becoming a sustainable local news organisation is straightforward. To discuss the state of local news, we're joined this episode by Chris Jansen, Head of Local News, Global Partnerships at Google. Chris started his career in local radio news, and learned some lessons early on about how hard it is to do original reporting on a local level, especially for small businesses. Now, he leads the Google News Initiative's local news efforts, helping publishers with best practices and business tools to succeed in the digital world. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy. poool.tech | @PooolTech

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’re be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from subscriptions and membership to local news, platforms, emerging technology and more. Our second episode explores how the advertising market has had its post-pandemic recovery dented by economic uncertainty, and how publishers, platforms and brands are adapting. The advertising market has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past 12 months. Initial hopes of a more stable year to continue rebuilding from the pandemic were dashed as Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, exacerbating global economic pressures. Digital advertising growth this year has slowed – unsurprising given its unsustainable growth during Covid – but has still been growing at a much faster pace than other platforms across most segments. It is expected to account for 67% of global ad spend by the end of 2022. The outlook is mixed. The cost of living crisis is likely to force households to drastically cut back on spending. However, the World Cup is forecast to keep growth at 8.4% this year, and although the 6.4% global forecast for 2023 is lower, it is still nonetheless positive. To discuss this year’s advertising trends and what they mean for publishers going into 2023, we’re joined by Lara O’Reilly, senior correspondent at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider). Lara has covered the media and advertising industries at publications including the Wall Street Journal, Digiday, and Marketing Week for more than a decade. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy.

For this next season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’ll be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from subscriptions and membership to local news, platforms, emerging technology and more. This first episode explores how key moments in broadcast, streaming and TV have shaped the media landscape this year. 2022 saw streaming overtake cable in the US, key talent leaving established media brands like CNN and the BBC, and subscription services come under pressure as consumer budgets begin to tighten. Some studios are launching ad-supported tiers to offer a cheaper option, while others consider ‘rundles’ – recurring revenue bundles. The year has also seen big potential changes on the horizon for UK broadcasters. Channel 4 and the BBC have been through the wringer this year, with endless back-and-forth on the future of the licence fee and potential privatisation. New News UK station TalkTV has struggled to establish itself alongside rival GB News, despite heavy investment in production and talent. To discuss these trends and what they mean for publishers, we’re joined by Charlotte Henry, a British journalist covering media, technology, culture and politics. She’s behind The Addition newsletter and podcast, which publishes investigations, news and opinion on everything from Web3 explainers to broadcast trends. She was previously the UK Associate Editor of The MacObserver, and has written a book – Not Buying It – on the facts behind fake news. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by leading publishers like Future, Euronews, Elle Magazine France, Harvard Business Review and others from around the world. Their all-in-one platform helps publishers convert, manage and retain their members and subscribers. poool.tech | @PooolTech

While we’ve been on our summer break from the podcast, we’ve been hard at work putting together the Publisher Podcast Summit; the first ever conference dedicated to supporting publishers on their podcasting journey. It’s being held at Proud Cabaret City in London – the same venue as the Publisher Podcast Awards – on October 5th 2022. The Summit will cover four key themes: editorial, marketing, sound & production, and monetisation. There will also be a series of expert-led roundtables in the afternoon covering a variety of topics, from how to get started with subscriber-only podcasts, to advanced microphone and equipment techniques. The Publisher Podcast Summit is designed for publishers of all shapes and sizes, whether you’re contemplating launching your first podcast, or have a whole stable and want to know how to take your strategy to the next level. We’ve also got team tickets to make it affordable to bring more people – this isn’t one of those stuffy conferences reserved for just senior executives. We believe change happens when people at all levels feel empowered to learn, so we want you to bring along the people who will be driving podcasts. In this teaser episode, Chris, Peter and Esther discuss their plans for the day, and which sessions they’re most looking forward to. If you’d like to join us at the Publisher Podcast Summit, you can use the code POD20 for 20% off all ticket types. A big thanks to the Summit’s sponsors: Bababam, Megaphone by Spotify, and Shure for their support. The Media Voices podcast will be back on September 26th with a new season featuring deep dives into some of the year’s biggest media moments.

In our final episode of the season, we hear from Medium's VP of Content Scott Lamb. Scott leads the content and creator relations teams at the platform, so we talked about Medium's famous pivots, the importance of putting creators at the core, competing with Substack, and Ev Williams' departure. In the news round-up, Chris, Peter and Esther debate whether MEL magazine was closed (for the second time in a year) without being given enough of a chance, or whether it was always an awkward fit in Recurrent Ventures' portfolio. In the news in brief, we look at a good Medium post-mortem from Simon Owens, and bring in some good news with the Guardian Media Group recording its strongest financial result in 14 years. Esther scrabbles for a contribution after a week off and settles for the news that there's been a 300% increase in boob size on comic book cover art in the last few decades.

This week we hear from Sajeeda Merali, CEO of the Professional Publishers Association (PPA). We talked about what her publishing background brings to the organisation, what’s top-of-mind for the publishers the association represents as the effects of the pandemic rumble on, and what defines a magazine publisher today. In the news round-up we discuss The Atlantic making 165 years worth of its journalism available online, and which other publishers are making good use of their archives. For the news in brief, we explore a dubious business move from Google, Conde Nast's print magazine success, and The Information's new social network.