The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices

LA Times Audience Engagement Editor Adriana Lacy on using archives to contextualise current events

This week, we hear from Adriana Lacy, Audience Engagement Editor at the LA Times. She launched a dedicated Instagram account for the LA Times’ archival photos late last year, so we talked about where those images are sourced from, what the response has been, and how they’ve used historical images of protests to add context to the events of the past few weeks. She also discusses the LA Times’ wider social media and audience engagement strategy, as well as her own Journalism Internships project and the importance of mentoring. In the news roundup, the team tries desperately to stay cheery around some good news for publishers. We don’t succeed.

WSJ Newsroom Innovation Chief Robin Kwong on developing features for a news brand

This week, we talk to the Wall Street Journal's Newsroom Innovation Chief Robin Kwong. He talks about how his team develops features to help the WSJ's wider goals, how he helps facilitate innovation across teams in the business, and how his background in reporting and data journalism has helped his approach to this role. He also explains some of the features and tools they have developed for the publication, and how they explore this on their WSJ DXS Medium blog. In the news roundup the team discusses coverage of Black Lives Matter at the Philadelphia Inquirer and New York Times at length, then rattle through some news in brief. Stay angry, everybody.

The NCTJ's Head of Partnerships and Projects Will Gore on local news and journalism training

This week Will Gore, Head of Partnerships and Projects at the National Council for the Training of Journalists, tells us about the NCTJ’s role in the Facebook-backed Community News Project which has funded about 80 journalists in local news rooms across nine publishers. He also speaks about journalism education, trust, the future of local news and - of course - shorthand. In the news roundup the Media Voices team discusses a week of tests for social media platforms, layoffs and internship opportunities. This is the sweariest week since the 100th episode, I counted.

Stylist Group CEO Ella Dolphin on transforming the free print magazine to digital subscriptions

This week, we spoke to Ella Dolphin, CEO of the Stylist Group. She talked about the acceleration of the title's plans to adopt a reader revenue model as the free print magazine distribution was put on hold, how that has affected the team's workflow, and what the focus will look like for the group post-pandemic. She also talks about what her role as CEO has involved since closing Shortlist and driving the expansion of Stylist. In the news roundup, the team discuss the role of data in making decisions and immediately date the episode with mentions of current political events. #StayAlert

FT Senior Data Visualisation Journalist John Burn-Murdoch on graphing coronavirus data

This week we spoke to John Burn-Murdoch, a Senior Data-Visualisation Journalist for the Financial Times who has been at the forefront of their famous coronavirus trajectory trackers. He talked about the challenges of working with data this complex, how the FT's approach to trajectory charts has evolved as the crisis has continued, and why data journalists are the new rock stars of journalism. [JOHN'S INTERVIEW BEGINS AT 16:40] In the news roundup the team takes a look at how publishers are adapting to evaporated ad spend due to Covid-19, a horrendous week of media layoffs, and Apple's plans to produce audio versions of Apple News Plus articles. For some reason.

Flashes & Flames founder Colin Morrison on surviving digital transformation and the pandemic

This week Colin Morrison - founder of Flashes & Flames - takes us through his path into the industry, what makes for smart media analysis, and who will be the big winners and losers from the coronavirus crisis. In the news roundup the team takes an in-depth look at what COVID-19 means for our relationship with tech giants

The Atlantic International Editor Prashant Rao on bringing the publication to a global audience

This week we spoke to The Atlantic's International Editor Prashant Rao about taking The Atlantic's voice to an international audience, the importance of diversity in writing stories for that audience, and what the global Atlantic angle on coronavirus looks like. He also talks about The Atlantic's surge in subscriptions following its decision to take its paywall down on COVID-19 coverage, and why he sees the publication as a 'second subscription'. In the news roundup the team discusses subscription success in the face of coronavirus and takes a brisk tour through the week's news in brief.

Media Voices Live: Publishing in a Pandemic Special

The media industry has had a turbulent decade when it comes to technology, transformation, and changing consumer habits causing disruption to businesses. But for many of us, these challenges seem trivial compared to what we are now all up against with the coronavirus crisis. Publishers and media organisations of all shapes and sizes have had events and shows that they depend on for their revenue cancelled, advertising spend plummeting as the travel industry hits major issues, and print runs reduced as commuters stay home. But the crisis has also provided a unique opportunity for publishers to build trust with their audiences and provide them with the vital information they need to keep themselves and their families safe. Not only that, over the coming weeks, the public appetite for quality content will continue to grow as isolation takes effect. In this special live episode from the Media Voices team, Chris, Peter and Esther overcome technological challenges of their own to take a look at examples of publishers who are adapting to the pandemic, and what these changes will mean for the industry in the years to come.

Laptop Mag Editor in Chief Sherri L. Smith on evolving a consumer tech title

This week, we hear from Sherri Smith, Editor in Chief of Laptop Mag, one of Future plc’s tech titles. She talks about her role working across Future’s sister titles, why Laptop mag is broadening its reach to gaming and audio, maintaining editorial integrity with reviews, and how the title will future-proof itself as technology evolves. She also explains how testing, product launches and reviews are continuing amidst the coronavirus crisis. Smart bidets have their first ever mention on the podcast. In the news roundup the Media Voices trio discuss whether it's appropriate (or even good business sense) to impose a paywall on coronavirus content, whether platforms like Google and Facebook donating money to counter misinformation is a sop, and rattle through news in brief to find some cheerful topics. Don't forget our live episode this Thursday!

The Telegraph Podcast Editor Theodora Louloudis on podcasting's role in growing subscriptions

This week we hear from Theodora Louloudis, podcast editor for the Telegraph. With a growing podcast portfolio, we spoke about her job in an expanding team, growth in the Telegraph’s podcast offering and how she commissions shows with the paper’s journalists. In the news roundup we discuss Firefox's new subscription tool with Scroll, Slate launching a metered paywall, and Esquire trimming its print editions to 6 per year. Peter pitches multiple new theme tunes.

POLITICO UK Executive Editor Kate Day on the publisher's expansion in the UK

This week Kate Day, Executive Editor of POLITICO in the UK takes us through the publishers' expansion into and growth in the UK market. She discusses everything from the advantages of being a start-up publisher in a world of legacy giants, how the team chooses what goes behind the paywall, and what sets UK politics coverage apart from the rest of Europe. In the news roundup, we take a look at Print In A Pandemic, the final fate of Playboy, and what audience's fatalistic media choices say about the public mood during the coronavirus outbreak.

PPA Managing Director Owen Meredith on a successful #AxeTheReadingTax campaign

This week, Owen Meredith, Managing Director at the Professional Publisher's Association, talks to us about how the lobbying work the association has done on behalf of UK publishers to axe VAT on digital publications has paid off. During the Budget last week, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the current 20% tax on ebooks, online newspapers and digital editions would be abolished, bringing them in line with the tax exemption on physical copies. Owen explains what the announcement means for publishers, why the government chose now to action this, and what's next on the PPA's to-do list. In the news roundup the team takes a look at how news outlets are choosing to report on the coronavirus pandemic, ask whether a spate of hirings suggest that podcasting is a mature market, and examine whether Stylist's new digital edition is destined for success. Chris invokes the power of「THE WORLD」to give an update on a story during the edit.

Singletrack Magazine publisher Mark Alker on reader revenues vs programmatic advertising

This week, we talk to Mark Alker, Publisher of Singletrackworld.com; Europe's biggest mountain biking website, and Singletrack Magazine; a bi-monthly print publication. As well as divulging the secrets of specialist media success, Mark discusses community, coffee, and his love-hate relationship with programmatic. In the news round-up, Esther and Peter battle good old British colds to talk about digital strategy success for The Independent, and Bloomberg News returning to 'normal' coverage following Mike Bloomberg dropping out of the Democratic race. The news in brief is coronavirus-themed (with sound effects), from how platforms are tackling misinformation to newspapers you can wipe your butt with.

The 19th co-founder Amanda Zamora on launching a news brand about women and politics

This week, Amanda Zamora talks to us about the launch of new news site The 19th, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting at the intersection of gender, politics, and policy. She talks about why she chose to launch the site with fellow Texas Tribune colleague Emily Ramshaw, the lessons she'll be taking from her time in legacy newsrooms, and what the team's priorities are once the brand fully launches in August. In the news roundup the team are joined by guest host Michelle Manafy to discuss the return of The Markup, Trump's reelection campaign's lawsuit against the NYT, and the changing of the guard at Disney.

Future plc Brand Director of Home Interest Paul Newman on multichannel publishing strategies

This week, we talk to Paul Newman, Brand Director of Future plc's Home Interest brands. We spoke about how home titles have evolved in the age of Pinterest, how Future have managed to increase print circulation and revenue for the sector, and what they're doing to reach younger audiences across multiple platforms. Paul also succinctly summarises what's behind the transformation of Future plc as a business over the past decade. In the news roundup the EU and Facebook head towards a reckoning, Bloomberg and The Information reach a promotional deal, and the Media Voices team try and fail to entertain a cat.

Mash Media Portfolio Director Duncan Siegle on the synergy between magazines and events

This week we hear from Duncan Siegle, portfolio director at Mash Media. The company publishes magazines and runs events for event organisers, and is just about to launch Making Publishing Pay, a magazine conference targeted specifically at small and medium sized publishers. In the news roundup we discuss the implications for publishers of new plans to regulate "harmful" content on the internet, US local newspaper group McClatchy filing for bankruptcy, and much more. The team bravely refrains from trying out Australian accents.

Digital editor of In the Moment magazine Sarah Orme on the emerging market of mindfulness

This week Sarah Orme, digital editor of Immediate Media's In the Moment magazine explains how the magazine has grown with the rising interest in mindfulness, its position as a women’s lifestyle title, print production values, and an expanding podcast portfolio. In the world's busiest news roundup the team discusses Q4 results, some high profile hirings (and rumoured firings), multiple examples of M&A and product launches, and controversies around the BBC and political journalism. The team nominates each other to take over Apple News Plus.

Freelance Journalism Special

This week Media Voices takes an in-depth look at the realities of freelance journalism in 2020. We hear from journalists and academics about everything from remuneration to gaining skills to mental health, in order to provide both a celebration of the upsides of freelancing and an examination of its pitfalls. Featuring insights from Anna Codrea-Rado, Marie Le Conte, Dr. Paul Lashmar, Sian Meades-Williams, Nicola Slawson and Jenny Stallard, this episode is a one-off special focusing on the importance of freelance journalists to the news industry in the UK. Listen through to the end to find out how you can support the initiatives mentioned during the show.

Editor in Chief of The Week Junior US Andrea Barbalich on launching a print title for kids

This week Andrea Barbalich, Editor in Chief of The Week Junior US and The Week's Chief Executive Kerin O'Connor tell us about the upcoming US launch of the children’s news title. They tell us about kids' relationship with print, curiosity, and how there’s no place for kids in social media’s outrage economy (but you can sell subscriptions to parents on Facebook). In the news roundup, a bad week for the BBC, but a good year for digital news outlets. Swings and roundabouts.

Evening Standard Executive Producer Chris Stone on the role of video & audio in publishing

This week, Chris Stone, the Executive Producer of Video & Audio at the Evening Standard, talks to us about the role video plays in their journalism, why they decided to launch two podcasts late last year, and what they're doing to capture the attention of the commuter audience. He also discusses his work leading a partnership with Google to create interactive audio news content for smart speakers. In the news this week, the team looks at the death knell for the third party cookie, The Telegraph pulling out of an independent measurement scheme, and examines if WeChat is a roadmap for platforms' future. The team can't decide if we're too cynical or not cynical enough.