The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices

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.

Vox Media Executive Producer Erica Anderson on creating extraordinary podcasts

This week, we hear from Erica Anderson, Executive Producer of Content and Partnerships at New York Magazine and Vox Media. She talks about what she took from her time working at Google and Twitter, what goes into developing outstanding podcasts, and what Vox Media is doing to prepare for changes in the podcast industry. In the news roundup the team discuss how easily segments of the British press were gulled into reporting a fake story, whether Tim Davie's new social guidelines at the BBC are helpful, and discover who the main winners in adspend are for 2020. We demand more Pick'n'Mix.

Lessons from award-winning publisher podcasts: Bestseller’s Casimir Stone

The winner of the 2020 Publisher Podcast Awards Branded category was the Bestseller podcast from Reedsy. Podcast host Casimir Stone says editing takes time, but crafting a podcast episode around a narrative allows you to deliver a different kind of value than a straight interview and differentiation matters; make sure you know why you are making a podcast and how it’s going to be different from what everyone else is doing.

AgriBriefing CEO Rory Brown on growing niche media

This week Rory Brown, co-founder and CEO of AgriBriefing, speaks about building a niche B2B business, the issues with finance in media, Agribriefing's acquisition strategy, and keeping an entrepreneurial spirit alive as a larger company. In the news roundup the team takes a look at the welcome trend of new climate change verticals, have a discussion about the death of Quibi, and Time's new children-focused subscription. With apologies to Elton John.

Man cannot live by newsletter alone: the realities of going solo as a journalist

Over the past few weeks, there have been a number of high-profile examples of journalists leaving publications to launch their own newsletters. This isn't a new trend, but as tools like Substack, Medium and Patreon have grown in prominence, the barriers to making a living off working by yourself have come down. In this special podumentary episode, we talk to journalists at a range of stages, from those that have been flying solo with their own businesses for a number of years, to those that have recently taken the leap. What connects them all is a loyal newsletter audience, although as we'll see later, that isn't always enough. Hear from Casey Newton, Thomas Baekdal, Simon Owens, Anne Helen Petersen and Josh Sternberg as they talk about the realities of what it takes to go it alone with reader revenue as a journalist.

Lessons from award-winning publisher podcasts: Nature's Benjamin Thompson

The winner of the 2020 Publisher Podcast Awards Science and Medical category was the Nature Podcast from Springer Nature. Podcast host Benjamin Thomson says put storytelling at the heart of your podcast. Journalists best support commercial objectives by making really interesting podcasts and if you find one story dominating your podcast regularly, consider a dedicated spin off.

Platformer founder Casey Newton on going solo with a paid newsletter covering the tech giants

This week, we hear from Casey Newton, founder of Platformer. He was previously The Verge's long-time Silicon Valley editor, where his newsletter The Interface grew to 20,000 subscribers. Now, he's gone solo with his own Substack newsletter Platformer. He talks to us about what made him decide to take the plunge, how his first week at his new newsletter Platformer has gone, and what a Platformer podcast model would look like. He also discusses where he sees platform regulation ending up after more than a decade of covering the tech giants, and shares the first steps he would take to fix them if he was put in charge. In the news roundup the team discusses whether coronavirus will have a long-lasting impact on trust in journalism. We also discuss the sale of Quartz, Stylist's move away from being a free magazine in favour of distribution through Ocado, and how one Arkansas title reduced churn to 1%. Pod save the Queen.

Lessons from award-winning publisher podcasts: The Spin’s Geoff Jein

The winner of the 2020 Publisher Podcast Awards Sports category was The Spin from the Guardian. Podcast producer Geoff Gein says editing is an essential part of the podcasting process, don’t underestimate how much time it takes. And although podcasting is not rocket science, get expert advice to help you build out infrastructure and fix formats quickly.