The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

New decade, new Media Voices. On this episode of the revamped Media Voices Elizabeth Bramson-Boudreau, CEO and Publisher at MIT Technology Review talks to us about the work she's done transforming the publication to bring it to new audiences, striking a balance between expert and general audiences, and what the business is doing to prepare itself for the next five years. In the news roundup we discuss the ruling that edition-based digital news products aren't subject to VAT in the UK, Twitter's changes to the reply function, and pointedly ignore any news about the royal family. Chris sets a new record with two (2) good analogies in less than 40 minutes.