The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices

Shado co-founder Hannah Robathan on the magazine as an outlet for activism

This week Hannah Robathan, co-founder of Shado, tell us about the realities of publishing a print magazine and online platform that gives people the space to tell their own stories. We spoke about their frustration with the mainstream media, what activism means and what success looks like for Shado. In the news roundup, the BBC and Reach make big announcements about office closures, we ask if an Instagram for under 13s is as crazy as it sounds, and discuss the Telegraph tying its journalists' appraisals and potentially pay to their stories' performance. We desperately need a break - see you on April 12th!

The Big Issue CEO Paul Cheal on the magazine’s fight to survive lockdown

On this week's episode The Big Issue CEO Paul Cheal tells us about the magazine’s fight to survive lockdown, the innovations that got it through and how those changes have spurred new ways of thinking about how the Big Issue will work in the future. In the news roundup the team recaps a week that reflects poorly on the UK media landscape and asks what can be done to improve its bigotry issue. We also look at Google's PPID solution, The Information's five new newsletters, and BuzzFeed gutting HuffPost. Peter sings a song to celebrate a major life achievement.

Wareable.com's James Stables on surviving a catastrophic loss of search traffic

This week James Stables, founder and Co CEO of tech recommendation sites Wareable.com and The Ambient, discusses the meteoric rise of the business, unknown SEO problems, and the precarious nature of affiliate revenues. In the news roundup it's Peter vs. Esther in the battle of reader revenues. We discuss the Facebook Oversight Board's teething troubles, several new launches, and City AM's return to print. Chris wears out a new sound effect in the space of a single episode.

The Delicate Rébellion's Hannah Taylor on supporting her community's creative passions

In this week's episode Hannah Taylor, editor and founder for The Delicate Rébellion, tells us about her print magazine showcasing the work of independent female creatives, the community that has grown out of the magazine and her new online shop. She tells us how crappy teachers led her eventually to start her own magazine to encourage women to follow their creative passions. In the news roundup the team discusses Twitter launching its subscription options for creators, the ongoing saga of Australia and the Duopoly, and why Al Jazeera is launching a platform for conservatives in the US called ‘Rightly’. The team disagrees about Peter's new sandwich idea at length.

The Bureau Local director Megan Lucero on the collaborative future of news

This week Megan Lucero, director of the Bureau Local at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, provides us with a look at the present and future of local journalism. From the trials of finding resources to the project mentality behind some powerful stories, Lucero provides a hopeful and achievable look at how regional media is changing. In the news roundup, we discuss the fallout and hot takes from the Australia/Google/Facebook news and try to come with a workable solution to an intractable problem. Esther's back!

Director of the Reuters Institute Rasmus Kleis Nielsen on why we get news subscriptions wrong

This week Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, tells us where newspapers are going wrong in their subscription marketing. We also discuss why there’s no easy solution to the need for internal change in newsrooms, why Nordic countries outperform when it comes to the membership mentality, and why we should look to Coca-Cola for advice. In the news roundup we take a tour through all the subscription-focused news of the past week, ask whether we should join Clubhouse, and examine the rise of bookazines. Chris and Peter sing kids' TV themes.

Quartz CEO Zach Seward on charting a new course for the business lifestyle brand

This week Zach Seward, CEO of Quartz, explains why he bought the business lifestyle brand from Uzabase. He tells us how it all started and how it’s going, about memberships and advertising, and the Quartz mission to make business better. In the news roundup Peter and Chris discuss the opportunities for The New European after its purchase by a consortium of the best and brightest in the media business world. We also discuss Google's latest advertising battles, the launch of URL Media, and the sad closure of The Overtake.

Mr. Magazine Samir Husni on why magazines are new media

This week Dr Samir Husni, founder and director of the Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi’s School of Journalism and New Media, tells us why magazines are the ultimate new media. He explains the wild ride that was magazine publishing in 2020, his print evangelism, the benefits that digital brings and his favourite magazine. Oh, and why he's called 'Mr. Magazine'. In the news roundup, Chris and Peter discuss Twitter getting into the subscription business, why Facebook is allowing people to monetise misinformation, and if Nextdoor is the future of local news. Welcome to the world, Emily!

Yahoo Lifestyle Southeast Asia Editor in Chief Reta Lee on identifying emerging content trends

This week we hear from Yahoo Lifestyle's Editor in Chief for Southeast Asia Reta Lee. We talked about her career in media and her work at Yahoo Lifestyle, including spinning up new content pillars and identifying new trends. She also discusses the opportunity for eCommerce in Asia, collaborating with teams in the US and UK, and what opportunities she's got her eye on over the next few years. In the news roundup we ask what motivates the constant argy bargy between tech platforms, countries and publishers. We examine why Forbes wants to launch a contributor network for newsletters, and ask if Rolling Stone's pay-to-play model is the death of culture. Good luck Esther!

Media Voices Conversations: Pugpig's Jonny Kaldor on the state of the digital publishing market

Last year, the team at Pugpig decided to take a step back from their day-to-day development work and get a sense of what was going on in the wider digital publishing market. Analysing data from their publishing clients and interviewing 40 senior executives, they created the company’s first annual State of the Digital Publishing Market report. As the platform provider for over 300 media brands - from The Economist to The Independent - Pugpig is in a unique position to answer key questions about the digital publishing market. In this special Conversations episode of Media Voices, Peter Houston is joined by Pugpig founder and CEO Jonny Kaldor to discuss what’s been happening in the world of digital publishing, and what to expect from 2021.

Think Publishing CEO Ian McAuliffe on perfect staff and clients

This week Ian McAuliffe, founder and CEO of Think Publishing, talks about the evolving landscape of contract publishing. He tells us about the ideal employee or a contract publisher, the ideal client and how the pandemic has accelerated digital adoption amongst traditionally conservative clients, but still not killed off print. In the news roundup, we discuss Axios launching its own communications platform that will enable businesses to update their employees in Axios’ bullet-point style, scary stats for newsletter-based publishers, and the sudden and inexplicable disappearance of misinformation on Twitter.

Axios' Media Reporter Sara Fischer on crafting informative newsletters and media coverage

This week Sara Fischer, Media Reporter at Axios, tells us about her process for crafting a thoughtful, informative newsletter, whether Axios’ ‘smart brevity’ model can work for local news, and what lessons she’s taken from covering media companies that she applies to her own work. In the news roundup the team discuss the fallout for publishers from Trump's ban from social media, and the trends that led to this point. We also talk UK local news priorities, why Meredith’s Travel + Leisure has been acquired by a timeshare resort company, and the appointment of the new BBC chair. Peter auditions for the next Terminator movie.

The Economist's Deputy Editor Tom Standage on why newspapers should predict the future

As well as its flagship paper, The Economist also publishes future-gazing issues looking at what to expect the next year and even further into the future. This week Tom Standage, its Deputy Editor and Head of Digital Strategy tells us about the reason why it believes doing so is central its mission, what needs to happen to prevent journalists revisiting familiar mistakes in the near future, and why blaming the Duopoly for revenue doldrums is unhelpful. In the news roundup the team discusses the closure of The Correspondent, The Atlantic's new chief executive, and why UK digital news audiences have grown 30% over the year. Chris' brain gives up halfway through the news roundup. Happy holidays, everybody!

Special: Highlights from Media Moments 2020

This special episode includes the audio of our launch presentation for the Media Moments 2020 report. Esther, Peter and Chris examine one key stat of each section within the report, from diversity through platforms to trust. In the second half of the episode the team is joined by a panel of Jemima Villanueva, Executive Director, EMEA at The Atlantic, Aly Nurmohamed, General Manager of Permutive and Andrea Barbalich, Editor in Chief of The Week Junior US. Download the full report at https://bit.ly/mediamoments 2020

Prima Editor Jo Checkley on meeting increased demand for print magazines

A few weeks ago, Hearst UK announced that women's lifestyle magazine Prima would increase its print edition from 12 to 13 issues a year, following a 68% surge in subscriptions this year. This week, we talk to Prima's Editor Jo Checkley about what factors led to the decision to increase the frequency of the magazine, how their content has encouraged a community feel among their readers, and what lessons they'll be taking from producing magazines in lockdown. Jo also outlines what she's done to keep her magazines thriving during her career despite tough market conditions for women's titles. In the news roundup the team discusses Future Plc's resurgent fortunes and purchase of GoCompare, the UK government's attempts to create a competition regime to tackle the ‘fundamental imbalance of power’ between platforms and publishers, and Spotify launching a Stories copy. Esther is a meerkat.

Inc. Editor-in-Chief Scott Omelianuk on how 2020 has changed the magazine

This week we hear from Scott Omelianuk, Inc.'s Editor in Chief. He talks about how starting his new job just before lockdown affected Inc.'s plans for change, how their content strategy has shifted in response to a momentous year in politics, and the thinking behind their new texting subscription service. He also explains why media businesses need a process before trying new platforms. In the news roundup the team discusses BuzzFeed buying HuffPost, Google's payments to French publishers, and the whys and wherefores of launching a one-off print comic book for grown-ups. Don't worry, America, Peter still loves you really.

Project 23 co-founder Gary Rayneau on building diverse and inclusive media

This week Gary Rayneau, co-founder of Project 23 tells us about about his time leading a diverse team at Dennis, the impact of Black Lives Matter in 2020, and how publishers can approach diversity and inclusion in the right way. In the news roundup we discuss Quartz's sale to itself, Spotify purchasing Megaphone, and BuzzFeed launching its sexual wellness vertical.

Media Voices Conversations: The value of the open internet to advertisers

Over the past two years publishers have rightly been shouting about the power of their first party data. Understandably, that’s led to many becoming protective of the data that underpins this rediscovered strength - but rather than building up walls, many are doubling down on collaboration within the industry. Rather than simply hoarding that data, publishers are looking for ways to work with marketers to enhance their understanding of the consumer. This Conversations episode discusses the importance of an open web to advertisers, the realities of our new cookieless ecosystem and how identity solutions add value to the entire ecosystem. To discuss all that Chris is joined by Terry Hornsby, Digital Solutions Director at Reach PLC, and Chris Hogg, EMEA Managing Director at Lotame.

OutThere Editor in Chief Uwern Jong on creating a luxury brand for inclusive travel

This week, we hear from Uwern Jong, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of OutThere magazine. He talks to us about the luxury LBGTQ travel brand's journey over the past decade, including how he's grown print readership, and how the pandemic has impacted travel content. He also discusses how he went about revamping the site's digital strategy, and what results he's seen. In the news roundup the team discusses Cosmo launching its own wine brand, the NYT's great results, and ask if Europe is too dependent on English-language news to tell its story. Oh, and how the media covered the US election.

Lessons from award-winning publisher podcasts: The Week Unwrapped’s Arion McNicoll

The winner of the 2020 Publisher Podcast Awards News & Current Affairs category was the Week Unwrapped from Dennis Publishing. Former editor Arion McNicoll says there’s a small but critical difference between an OK podcast and a good podcast. Start with a worthwhile listener experience, then work on revenue and, if you bring real editorial rigour to your sponsored episodes, you might miss out on some sponsors, but you won’t insult your listeners.