The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices

In this bumper episode, the team discusses the rise of the paywall. As everyone from Vanity Fair to the New Statesman have decided to launch paywalls, we try to determine whether there is a recipe for paywall success, taking in everything from the need for brand recognition, the propensity for people to pay, and the likely outcomes of the trend towards reader revenue. We're reading: • 'Google’s news chief Richard Gingras: “We need to rethink journalism at every dimension”', via Nieman Lab - http://www.niemanlab.org/2018/05/googles-news-chief-richard-gingras-we-need-to-rethink-journalism-at-every-dimension/ • 'What Google Chrome’s new built-in ad blocker means for you', via What's New In Publishing - http://whatsnewinpublishing.com/2018/05/07/google-chromes-new-built-ad-blocker-means/ • 'How not to do paywalls', via TechCrunch - https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/06/subscription-hell/

In this week's episode of Media Voices, PressPad founder and BBC journalist Olivia Crellin explains how PressPad aims to diversify the media by removing one of the main financial obstacles to those trying to enter the profession. In the news round-up, the team discuss a week of huge news around paywalls, the success of The New York Times' subscription efforts, and why Snapchat has stopped paying licensing fees. We're reading: • Why the "golden age" of newspapers was the exception, not the rule, via Nieman Lab - http://www.niemanlab.org/2018/05/why-the-golden-age-of-newspapers-was-the-exception-not-the-rule/ • 3 questions to ask your data when evaluating your paywall, via Digital Context Next - https://digitalcontentnext.org/blog/2018/04/30/3-questions-to-ask-your-data-when-evaluating-a-paywall/ • How to get rich quick in Silicon Valley, via Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/apr/17/get-rich-quick-silicon-valley-startup-billionaire-techie

In this week's episode we hear from the London School of Economics' professor Charlie Beckett about its Truth, Trust & Technology Commission, on the role of platforms in defining truth, whether media literacy is a good or a bad thing and whether we can still use the term "fake news" as a helpful definition. In the news round-up, a full house of hosts discuss Hearst's mea culpa over abandoning quality journalism in pursuit of scale, Netflix's original content plans, and early wobbles for Facebook's local journalism scheme. We're reading: • The Book of Man: why ex-Shortlist editor is launching a platform to ‘reappraise’ masculinity, via The Drum - http://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/04/16/the-book-man-why-ex-shortlist-editor-launching-platform-reappraise-masculinity • Optimising Journalism for Trust, via Jay Rosen on Medium - https://medium.com/de-correspondent/optimizing-journalism-for-trust-1c67e81c123 • An Apology for the Internet - From the Architects Who Built It, via the New Yorker - http://nymag.com/selectall/2018/04/an-apology-for-the-internet-from-the-people-who-built-it.html

This week, Mic's Publisher Cory Haik talked to us about surviving as a video-first publisher in a platform world, how they retain a loyal and engaged millennial audience, and why she's not giving up on platform publishing as a sustainable option. In the news round-up, Peter and Esther discuss missed opportunities to grill the Zuck, why they won't be flocking to Yahoo News any time soon, Martin Sorrell's surprise departure and why Flipboard has reclaimed its traffic crown. Chris frolics with hobbits abroad. We're reading: • 'The rationalization of publishing' via Medium - https://medium.com/@ev/the-rationalization-of-publishing-dc001d509de8 • 'The Economist used to be boring, but smart with a wicked dry wit. Now it’s just boring (sigh)' via Twitter - https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/984705630106673152

This week, Peter speaks to The Disconnect's co-founders Chris Bolin and Clayton d'Arnault about the philosophy and meaning behind a digital magazine that can only be consumed while offline. In the news round-up we discuss the sale of Time Inc's flagship titles, what makes a magazine title valuable to different media companies, and go deep into whether 'the Duopoly' is an unhelpful and misleading label. The team narrowly avoid singing Rihanna. We're reading: • 'This Is So Much Bigger Than Facebook', via The Atlantic -https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/03/data-misuse-bigger-than-facebook/556310/ • '73% of site visitors get there via mobile. Here’s your guided tour through the mobile landscape', via DCN - https://digitalcontentnext.org/blog/2018/03/12/73-site-visitors-get-via-mobile-heres-guided-tour-mobile-landscape/ • 'The podcasting juggernaut has (finally) arrived', via Wired - https://www.wired.com/story/rise-of-daily-news-podcasts/

This week Jemima Villanueva, Executive Director for EMEA at The Atlantic tells us about trends in programmatic advertising, the need for trust, transparency and collaboration and her own role in the Atlantic’s relatively new European operation. In the news round-up the team discuss which 'Netflix for magazines' service will succeed (if any), whether Netflix itself should launch a weekly current affairs show, and discuss what the Evening Standard's redesign says about its five year plan. The team awards its first ever Voicey Award.

In this week's episode of Media Voices, Peter talks to the Scottish Wedding Directory's Chris Phin about the best way to monetise a niche vertical and switching from tech journalism to covering the wedding market. In the news round-up, the team discuss Amol Rajan and Farhad Manjoo's points getting lost in controversy, Trinity Mirror's rebrand to Reach, and, surprise surprise, 'fake news'.

This week, Twitter's VP of EMEA Bruce Daisley takes us through how the social network rediscovered its 'sweet spot' in the ranks of other platforms, where news and live video fit into its strategy, and media responsibility. In the news roundup the team discuss The New Statesman launching a metered paywall, Snapchat doubling down on an old idea, and the end of social-first publisher Little Things. Chris and Esther make Peter an honorary Millennial. Sign-up to our newsletter at voices.media

In this week's episode, we hear from co-founder of the Constructive Journalism Project Sean Dagan Wood, to learn how at least one publisher is building a membership model around news with a constructive spin. In the news round-up, the team discuss how Kylie Jenner caused Snap's stock to plummet, the swings and roundabouts of Vox Media redundancies and The Atlantic's hiring spree, and Salon using its audience's spare processing power to mine a cryptocurrency. Peter puts his tinfoil hat on for Conspiracy Corner. Sign up for our brand-new newsletter at voices.media!

On this week's episode of Media Voices, we hear from long-time publishing pro Sam Baker, co-founder of women's site 'The Pool'. She talks about what digital success looks like, content partnerships and why she's launching a paid-for email newsletter. Chris is away this week, so in the news round-up Esther and Peter chat between themselves about Chrome's built-in ad-blocker, print redundancy risks from a digital shift at Trinity Mirror regionals, the good, the bad and the ugly of the latest ABC figures, foreign subscribers for US publications and a couple of interesting platform plays at the Guardian.