A weekly podcast and newsletter profiling the people and products powering publishing.
Episodes
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Publishing is way behind other industries when it comes to technology consolidation. Compared with five or six key software platforms in most sectors, it is not uncommon to see publishers running their businesses on 50 or 60 separate set ups.
There are clear advantages in leaving this ‘Tech Soup’ behind and migrating to a unified technology platform. For this special Conversations episode, we’re joined by Markus Karlsson, CEO of Affino, the Unified Business Platform for media, publishing and membership organisations, and Steve Hinds, Digital Editor and Product Manager at leading travel news industry site TTG Media.
We discuss the benefits of systems consolidation, from improved operational efficiency to increased profitability, as well as exploring some of the challenges publishers face when looking to consolidate, and how they can get the process started.
This Conversations episode is sponsored by Affino. Founded 2009, Affino is the leading Unified Business Platform for media, publishing, events, membership and professional services organisations. The Affino SaaS Platform provides a complete solution for engaging with and monetising audiences. It combines full-range Audience CRM with Sales and Marketing Automation, Ecommerce, Subscriptions and Memberships, Messaging, CMS, Events, Ad Serving, and Recruitment. Affino streamlines organisations for more efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and productivity, as well as delivering numerous new and unique revenue stream capabilities. The fully GDPR-compliant system is built on the principles of Actionable Intelligence – prompting and triggering intuitive rapid responses based on fully accurate and comprehensive first-hand real-time data.
Learn more about Affino on their website, or contact Markus on engage@affino.com.
Monday Jun 13, 2022
Monday Jun 13, 2022
This week we catch up with Neal Freyman, managing editor at Morning Brew. Since 2017 he’s been part of the team that’s proved the viability of newsletters as a source of both advertising and audience revenue - and which was ahead of the curve when it comes to the importance of newsletters to a publishers’ wider strategy. We hear about what’s changed in the newsletter ecosystem this time, what the rise of the individual journalist-led newsletter means for creators, and what new verticals he wants to launch newsletters in.
In the news roundup the team discuss the Mail's latest (poorly-researched) salvo in its war against Google, and ask what the ramifications are for the wider public. In the NIBs we talk about the sad closure of a beloved newsletter, ask whether podcasts are a replacement for magazines, and talk about the future of events for publishers. Peter calls Brian Morrissey "a very handsome man".
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Media Voices co-host Peter Houston has jetted off to Cascais, Portugal for the 2022 FIPP World Media Congress. He catches up with speakers and attendees at the event to find out what they're hoping to learn, what it's like being back in the room, and how optimistic they are for the future of publishing.
In this episode we bring you highlights from FIPP CEO James Hewes' keynote speech, Professor Lucy Küng drawing out practical lessons from her research into digital transformation, Fortune's Jim Jacovides explaining how Covid made the publisher more flexible, Tortoise's Katie Vanneck-Smith outlining how they are doubling down on audience engagement, Pugpig's Jonny Kaldor sharing the optimism in the room, and Boom Saloon's Rachel Arthur setting out what the big and small publishers can learn from each other.
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Monday Jun 06, 2022
This week we talk to Sarah Vizard, Editor of Raconteur. She explained what Raconteur's unique angle on business stories is in a crowded field, how it uses its print publication to drive digital expansion, and what their recently launched New Voices programme hopes to do with giving writers from under-represented backgrounds a start in business journalism.
In the news roundup the team asks if Dotdash Meredith's approach to cutting back on print is more honest than Condé Nast's - or whether it is just an attempt at massaging the truth around print decline. In the news in brief we talk about payment models for newspapers that allow people on lower incomes access to news; the impact of going online-only on broadcast channels; and the good news that podcast revenue is growing significantly! Become a Media Voices supporter over at voices.media/support.
Monday May 30, 2022
Monday May 30, 2022
This episode we hear from Bhanupriya Rao, Founder at BehanBox, an Indian publication whose mission is to centre voices of women and gender diverse people through evidence and data-driven reporting. We spoke about the inequalities in access to media in India, how BehanBox hopes to make real changes for women and gender diverse people, and why data is so important in their reporting.
In the news round-up, the team discuss a collection of stories about access and representation in the media, from the 'posh news for posh people' outlook at some publications to the absence of working class voices in news media. In the news in brief section, we look at what makes a company a magazine company, Playboy's push for influencers, and cost-cutting at the BBC.
Monday May 23, 2022
Monday May 23, 2022
This week we hear from Charlotte Cijffers, Digital Director at Rolling Stone UK & Attitude Magazine for Stream Publishing. We spoke about launching the iconic Rolling Stone title in the UK, her work on Attitude's digital transformation, and the benefits of developing more localised content for magazines. She also gives advice on what publishers should focus on when looking to grow their own audiences online.
In the news roundup we discuss the various reactions to TalkTV's tumbling ratings, and ask whether the British public is rejecting hyper-partisan news in general... or just finding it elsewhere. In the news in brief we discuss whether newspapers are normalising climate change, highlight The Economist's exceptional success with its podcasts, and hear some heartening news that diversity and representation are no longer just buzzwords in publishing.
Monday May 16, 2022
Monday May 16, 2022
On this week's episode of Media Voices we hear from Jack Marshall, Co-Founder of Toolkits, a business information and consulting company focused on subscription publishing. We talked about his past life as a media reporter at Digiday and the WSJ, what opportunity he and co-founder Shareen Pathak spotted in the market, and what advice he would give to publishers with subscriptions.
In the news roundup we discuss what lessons we learned from listening to 150+ podcasts, ask what the Twitter chaos means for publishers (and Peter's stock), and touch upon the Guardian's evolving newsletter strategy. Music and sound effects via Chris' home office.
Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
This week we spoke to Snigdha Sur, Founder & CEO of The Juggernaut; a content and community platform for global South Asians. She talked about founding a media business with a business background rather than a journalism one, and how her knowledge of media VC and funding has influenced how she runs the publication. She also shares what she’s learned from a paywall, and bringing people in through free content like the newsletter and their new podcast, The Juggernaut Interviews: Founders.
In the news roundup we discuss all the news that occurred while we were off on our hiatus. We ask whether Musk's mooted takeover of Twitter will have an impact (no in short-term, yes in long-term); examine the launch of TalkTV and its subsequent fail to register any viewers; and the rushing revival of the advertising market. In the NIBs we explore whether local news sites do local news any more, the end of Facebook's podcast support, and Le Monde stretching itself into the US.
Wednesday Apr 20, 2022
Wednesday Apr 20, 2022
Springer Nature's flagship Nature Podcast has been a strong competitor in our Awards. The podcast scooped the Best Science & Medical Podcast in 2020, and in 2021, also won the Best Coronavirus Podcast category with Coronapod. Judges described it as "like listening to smart, welcoming friends," praising its excellent content and truly global scale. Nature Podcast is in the race again this year, shortlisted both for Best Limited Series and Best Science & Medical Podcast.
Peter spoke to Nature's Senior Multimedia Editor Benjamin Thompson about Coronapod. He talked about planning a dedicated Coronavirus podcast with a team all working from their homes, the importance of maintaining audience's trust, and keeping coverage of the pandemic going after Coronapod had been folded back into the main podcast.
This year’s Publisher Podcast Award winners will be revealed on April 27th at a live event in London, as well as streamed online. See our tickets page for more details. Entries for next year’s Publisher Podcast Awards will open in September. Think you’ve got what it takes to win an award? Sign up to our mailing list at www.publisherpodcastawards.com
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
The winner of the Best Hobbies & Special Interest Podcast at 2021's Publisher Podcast Awards was The Week in Art from The Art Newspaper. Judges noted how the presenters made an in-depth topic very accessible, the passion of the interviewees, and strong commercial performance of the podcast, as well as the contribution it makes to the broader Art Newspaper brand.
Peter spoke to Ben Luke, podcast host and review editor at The Art Newspaper. He talked about how the podcast and its format came about, why they chose a single sponsor per season revenue model, and what value The Week in Art brings to the publisher's wider audience.
This year’s Publisher Podcast Award winners will be revealed on April 27th at a live event in London, as well as streamed online. See our tickets page for more details. Entries for next year’s Publisher Podcast Awards will open in September. Think you’ve got what it takes to win an award? Sign up to our mailing list at www.publisherpodcastawards.com
Monday Apr 11, 2022
Monday Apr 11, 2022
The winner of the Publisher Podcast Hero of the Year award at our first ever Publisher Podcast Awards in 2020 was Christopher Phin. We were constantly impressed by his efforts to not just transform DC Thomson's podcasting efforts, but also to help others in the industry improve through shared knowledge, resources and endless enthusiasm.
Peter caught up with him later that year to find out how his role as Head of Podcasts had come about at DC Thomson, the value podcasts bring to a publishing company, and more. He also shares six essential reasons publishers should look at podcasting, and how to warm editorial staff up to being in front of a microphone. We're releasing it as a special bonus episode as part of our mini series looking at lessons publishers can learn from award-winning podcasts, showcasing best practice, hints and tips from the best in the industry.
This year’s Publisher Podcast Award winners will be revealed on April 27th at a live event in London, as well as streamed online. See our tickets page for more details. Entries for next year’s Publisher Podcast Awards will open in September. Think you’ve got what it takes to win an award? Sign up to our mailing list at www.publisherpodcastawards.com
Wednesday Apr 06, 2022
Wednesday Apr 06, 2022
For two years running, The Week Unwrapped has scooped the ‘Best News Podcast’, fending off competition from some of the biggest names in publishing. Judges for 2021’s awards highlighted the superb audio quality, the skill with which the hosts presented a genuine and insightful conversation, and strong brand alignment.
Peter spoke to The Week’s Digital Editor and podcast host Holden Frith. He discussed how their signature three story format had to evolve during the pandemic, the importance of varied points of view within the episodes, and why the podcast is addressing an audience in its own right rather than just being the magazine in audio form.
Note: This episode was recorded prior to Future PLC’s acquisition of Dennis Publishing, owners of The Week.
This year’s Publisher Podcast Award winners will be revealed on April 27th at a live event in London, as well as streamed online. See our tickets page for more details. Entries for next year’s Publisher Podcast Awards will open in September. Think you’ve got what it takes to win an award? Sign up to our mailing list at www.publisherpodcastawards.com
Monday Apr 04, 2022
Monday Apr 04, 2022
This week we hear from President and GM of Consumer at Yahoo Joanna Lambert. She talks about the changes at Yahoo over the last few years - including how Covid forced them to adapt - its 900 million users including a growing GenZ audience, and Yahoo's revenue strategies outside of advertising.
In the news roundup we discuss the FT launching its new bite-size app, YouTube's plans for podcasting, and yet more bad behaviour from Facebook.
Wednesday Mar 30, 2022
Wednesday Mar 30, 2022
The winner of the incredibly competitive Best Limited Series award in 2021's Publisher Podcast Awards was Floodlines from The Atlantic. Judges praised the captivating characters, richly textured sound design and clever storytelling.
Peter spoke to The Atlantic's Vann Newkirk, host of the series. He talked about how the idea for a podcast focused on Hurricane Katrina came about, what their process was for collecting the interviews and going deep into the topic, and the role of music in enhancing the narration. He also gave his advice for publishers looking to create their own narrative podcasts.
This year’s Publisher Podcast Award winners will be revealed on April 27th at a live event in London, as well as streamed online. See our tickets page for more details. Entries for next year’s Publisher Podcast Awards will open in September. Think you’ve got what it takes to win an award? Sign up to our mailing list at www.publisherpodcastawards.com
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
This week we hear from The Hustle's Principle Reporter and Sunday Editor Zachary Crockett. He talks about his career path working across radio, newsletters, journalism and data, how he makes must-read long-form Sunday issues for The Hustle's business audience, and launching a daily podcast. He also discusses the skills young writers need today, and whether he thinks we've reached peak newsletter.
In the news roundup the team discusses the news that BuzzFeed investors are pushing Jonah Peretti to shutter the award-winning but loss-making BuzzFeed News. We ask if the investors are missing the appeal to advertisers, lament the loss of longform investigative work, and ask if this is the nail in the coffin for digital news pureplays (no). In the news roundup we look at why journalists should aim to be their own brands, why Future PLC has acquired two social media companies, and discuss the news that Michael Grade is set to be the new chair of Ofcom. Peter couldn't get his mic to work for 20 minutes before we started recording, if you're wondering.
Wednesday Mar 23, 2022
Wednesday Mar 23, 2022
Immediate Media have featured numerous times on the shortlists and as winners of categories both for 2020 and 2021's Publisher Podcast Awards. Olive magazine podcast was the winner of 2021's Best Sponsored Podcast.
We spoke to Immediate Media's Head of Podcasts Ben Youatt. He works across the publisher's whole portfolio of podcasts, including the olive magazine podcast and 2020 winner History Extra. He talked about scaling up the podcast team, facilitating audio operations, and getting to be the 'engine' that enables editorial teams to implement their ideas.
This year's Publisher Podcast Award winners will be revealed on April 27th at a live event in London, as well as streamed online. See our tickets page for more details. Entries for next year’s Publisher Podcast Awards will open in September. Think you’ve got what it takes to win an award? Sign up to our mailing list at www.publisherpodcastawards.com
Monday Mar 21, 2022
Monday Mar 21, 2022
In this week's episode we hear from Hannah Storm, founder and director of the Headlines network, an organisation working to improve the mental health of people working in the media. She tells us about why mental health can be bad among media professionals, what organisations and individuals can do to make things better and about Headlines’ new podcast and their incredible first episode featuring Lyse Doucet and Lyndsey Hilsum talking about mitigating the risks involved in frontline journalism.
In the news roundup the team asks if The Times is right to keep its Ukraine war coverage paywalled and if we are in a constant state of Trump Bump. In the news in brief we discuss Australian indies being cut out of the news media bargaining code, Substack's anti-internet changes, and the FT's latest milestone.
Donate to aid journalists at the Kyiv Independent here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/kyivindependent-launch
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Over the past few years, we've seen the renaissance of email as publishers and brands have rediscovered the benefits of a direct relationship with audiences. The power of email can be seen from sky-high valuations of newsletter platforms, in addition to the amount of time that has been spent iterating on existing email strategies.
But at the same time, the format has yet to truly deliver on its potential. A lack of investment and understanding of the technology that underpins the most sophisticated strategies still holds it back. There is also a delicate balance to be struck between monetising inventory and protecting user data that presents ongoing challenges to publishers.
In this special Conversations episode, Chris Sutcliffe is joined by Passendo CEO and co-founder Andreas Jürgensen, CCO and co-founder Anders Rantzau Rasmussen, and Access Intelligence's VP of Digital for the Media and Marketing division Michael Ring. They discuss how publishers are growing their bottom line by optimising and automating in-email ad serving, and the growing importance of maintaining audience trust and protecting data privacy.
Learn more about Passendo on their website.
Wednesday Mar 09, 2022
Wednesday Mar 09, 2022
The winner of the Publisher Podcast Hero of the Year award in 2021's Publisher Podcast Awards was Theodora Louloudis, Podcast Editor at The Telegraph. She was praised for the exceptional work produced with limited resources, including spearheading the launch of five new podcasts over a particularly challenging year, as well as her leadership in shaping strategy at the publisher.
We caught up with her to explore how Covid changed The Telegraph's audio strategy, what it's like working with columnists and journalists, and how they decide which podcasts to make. Theo also tells us what attributes she'd look for in a podcasting hero.
Monday Mar 07, 2022
Monday Mar 07, 2022
This week we hear from Stephanie Mehta, CEO & Chief Content Officer of Manseuto Ventures, parent of Inc. and Fast Company. She talked about going from an editorial career to the CEO role, the changes in leadership attitudes to publishing over the last decade, and what the revenue models for Inc. and Fast Company look like post-pandemic. She also explains why print is still important in bringing prestige to the titles.
In the news roundup the team discuss Reach Plc's latest results and ask why, since it delivered solid profits, did its share price fall by 25%? In the NIBs we ask whether Twitter's community-focused moderation rollout will be successful, note the hypocrisy of the British government lauding a service it is undercutting at every turn, and ask why we weren't that impressed with The Financial Times' 1m paying subscribers. Please do get in touch if you can solve the Reach question!