Steve Hayes, world-renowned cheese curd enthusiast, joins Jonah Goldberg to reflect on the state of The Dispatch. They discuss the success and growth of The Dispatch over the last four years, the challenges faced in terms of growth and revenue, the importance of trust and honesty with their audience, the challenges of covering the 2020 election, the development and future plans of The Dispatch, and their objections and concerns about bringing back The Corner group blog.
The Dispatch has experienced significant growth in the past four years, with 40,000 paying members and 350,000 free listeners, and aims to reach 100,000 paid subscribers.
The Dispatch is focused on expanding its community and enhancing reader-writer interactions through various initiatives, aiming to create stronger connections and meaningful exchanges of ideas.
The Dispatch is considering introducing a new tier of membership to provide additional benefits and generate more revenue, while prioritizing the integrity of their content and incorporating member feedback.
Deep dives
The Dispatch's State and Growth
The podcast episode discusses the current state and growth of The Dispatch. The CEO, Steve Hayes, mentions that they have been pleasantly surprised by the growth over the past four years, with around 40,000 paying members and 350,000 free listeners. They express their gratitude for the loyal readership and their goal to reach 100,000 paid subscribers. They also discuss their annual state of The Dispatch podcast and the importance of transparency and honesty in their editorial process.
Expanding the Dispatch Community
The podcast highlights the plan to expand The Dispatch community and create more opportunities for interaction. They acknowledge the importance of building a strong community and transparently share the challenges they have faced in implementing it. They mention their upcoming plans to experiment with different ways of facilitating conversations and allowing members to engage with writers and staff. They express excitement about enhancing the connections among readers and between readers and writers.
Potential Membership Tier Expansion
The podcast introduces the possibility of introducing a new tier of membership to provide additional benefits and support for The Dispatch. They mention the desire to offer more opportunities for members to interact with writers, participate in conference calls, and engage in direct AMAs. This expansion aims to generate more revenue to help the company grow and hire more staff. They emphasize their commitment to maintaining the integrity of their content and the importance of member feedback in shaping these new offerings.
Building a Sense of Community
The podcast emphasizes the importance of building a sense of community among readers of The Dispatch. They discuss the challenges faced in the initial phase of launching a community platform and express the desire to create a space for rational discussions and meaningful exchanges of ideas. They reflect on the success of the current morning dispatch comment threads and aim to create more opportunities for interaction among readers, as well as between readers and staff members.
Debating the Idea of a Group Blog
The podcast touches on the ongoing debate about the possibility of introducing a group blog or discussion forum at The Dispatch. They acknowledge the concerns and objections raised, such as the potential for opinion-driven content and challenges related to accuracy and tone. However, they express openness to finding solutions that address these concerns, potentially by limiting participation to certain individuals or establishing clear guidelines and restrictions. They invite further feedback from listeners on this topic.
Unable to secure an interesting guest or topic of conversation for today’s Remnant, Jonah is forced to invite Steve Hayes—his benevolent business partner and world-renowned cheese curd enthusiast—back to the program for their annual reflection on the state of The Dispatch. All of the obvious topics are addressed, including how The Dispatch is doing, what goals have been achieved, and what’s coming next as things continue to grow. But loyal listeners will also want to tune in for answers to some common questions. How has election coverage changed over time, and what will The Dispatch do in 2024 to set itself apart? What will it take for The Dispatch to attract new readers and continue to expand? And will a Corner-style blog ever surface on the site, or will Steve remain blinded to its usefulness by a haze of beer and Buffalo sauce?