

Making the Media
Avid Technology
A podcast exploring the forces that shape the media, news, and entertainment business. Tune in for interviews on trends, talent, and tech. By industry leaders, for industry leaders. New episodes every other Friday. Send us your questions and comments: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 5, 2021 • 21min
S1E07: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Story creation is a team sport. Between in-studio talent, reporters in the field, and remote collaborators, news teams have had to balance the need to stay safe through a global pandemic with the practical reality of continuing to deliver a quality service across multiple platforms.
In this episode, we ask: What are the strengths and weaknesses of a distributed model versus a more traditional approach in terms of team collaboration? How do you keep teams feeling connected and engaged, particularly when teamwork is no longer as easy as just leaning over to your neighbor?
Our Guest This Episode
Ilkka Ahtiainen has been the Editor in Chief of the Finnish commercial broadcaster MTV3 since March 2020 after building his career as a political journalist, foreign correspondent, and Sunday Editor at Helsingin Sanomat, the biggest daily in Finland. He lives in Helsinki with his wife and two teenage children.
More Resources
For more on this topic, check out:
The Challenges and Opportunities Ahead for Hybrid Broadcast Newsrooms
Making the Media S1E05: Our Virtual Reality
Making the Media S1E06: Barreling Towards Burnout
Contact Us
Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.
Credits
Host: Craig Wilson
Producer: Rachel Haberman
Social: Wim van den Broeck
Promotion: Keri Middleton, Gina Pryor, and Mary Reynolds
Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

Mar 22, 2021 • 25min
S1E06: Barreling Towards Burnout
News is not a forgiving field. Long hours, tight deadlines, intense subject matter—all are par for the course. Add the stress and isolation of a pandemic, and you’ve got one heck of a pressure cooker.
In this episode, we ask: What can news organizations do to protect their teams’ mental health? Can we learn from our collective experience amidst the pandemic to enable a better work-life balance?
Our Guest This Episode
Bob Ellis is the Vice President and General Manager of WJXT and WCWJ in Jacksonville, Florida. Under Ellis’ leadership, WJXT has widened the gap as the most-watched television station in Jacksonville and sharply focused its efforts to leverage their News4JAX brand on its digital platforms, for which they earned the national Edward R. Murrow award as he best local television website in the United States in 2014. In 2013, Ellis was named General Manager of the Year for markets 25-50 by Broadcasting and Cable Magazine.
More Resources
For more on this topic, check out:
The Newsroom of the Future: Leading TV News Voices Discuss What's to Come for Local Broadcasters
The Challenges and Opportunities Ahead for Hybrid Broadcast Newsrooms
Making the Media S1E05: Our Virtual Reality
Contact Us
Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.
Credits
Host: Craig Wilson
Producer: Rachel Haberman
Social: Wim van den Broeck
Promotion: Keri Middleton and Gina Pryor
Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

Mar 8, 2021 • 25min
S1E05: Our Virtual Reality
The pandemic has forced us to re-conceptualize the newsroom from a physical location to a collection of people who could, in theory, be anywhere.
In this episode, we ask: What does a virtual newsroom look like? And to follow on: What is gained or lost in a virtual environment? Is it realistic in the long term—or even desirable? And what are newsrooms doing today that could stay with us even after we’ve resumed some sense of normalcy?
Our Guest This Episode
Bobby Hain is STV’s Managing Director, Broadcast. He is responsible for the company’s PSB licenses in north and central Scotland. Bobby has over thirty-five years’ experience in broadcasting across television, radio, and online, having started as a presenter in 1981. He is a member of both BAFTA and RTS Scotland. He is a member of the Management Board of the Industry and Parliamentary Trust and a former chair of Creative Skillset Scotland and Scottish Youth Theatre.
More Resources
For more on this topic, check out:
3 Major Staffing Implications for News Organizations Embracing Remote Work
Zoom Calls, Home Videos, and Selfies, Oh My! Video Editing Tips for Lower-Quality Sources
Remote Workflows for Media Production
Contact Us
Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.
Credits
Host: Craig Wilson
Producer: Rachel Haberman
Social: Wim van den Broeck
Promotion: Keri Middleton and Gina Pryor
Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

Feb 22, 2021 • 23min
S1E04: Examining Education
While the fundamentals of journalism are pretty consistent, the only constant in the news business is the pace of change. Today’s business models, content types, delivery methods, and more are so starkly different from even a few decades ago as to be nearly unrecognizable—and the future promises more evolution. How can colleges and universities keep up and produce the talent this industry needs?
In this episode, we ask: How can academia keep pace with industry changes and prepare entry-level talent for the industry? How can academic institutions tighten ties with industry groups to better prepare students for success? And how can they prepare students for future needs that we can’t even anticipate today?
Our Guest This Episode
Jill Mitchell is a professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where she teaches Avid Media Composer and is the OverDrive operator and newscast director for the Broadcast and Digital Journalism program. Before teaching, she worked in local TV news as a newscast director. She holds a Master of Arts in Television, Radio, and Film from Syracuse and a Bachelor of Science in Television and Radio from Ithaca College.
More Resources
For more on this topic, check out:
How Millennials Get News: Insight for Broadcasters on Retaining This Demographic
The Evolving Role of the Broadcast Journalist
Avid Learning Partner (ALP) Program
Contact Us
Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.
Credits
Host: Craig Wilson
Producer: Rachel Haberman
Social: Wim van den Broeck
Promotion: Keri Middleton and Gina Pryor
Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

Feb 8, 2021 • 24min
S1E03: Mr. Mojo Risin'
Even pre-pandemic, the mobile journalist movement was on the rise, but the pandemic has demonstrated the strength of this model in a way no one could have anticipated.
In this episode, we ask: How has the mobile journalism model evolved and gained a foothold in traditional broadcast organizations? How have the events of 2020 changed the conversation around mobile journalism, and where do we go from here?
Our Guest This Episode
Philip Bromwell, a pioneer of mobile journalism, is the Digital Native Content Editor at RTÉ, Ireland’s national public service broadcaster. In over two decades as a journalist, he has reported on a wealth of stories at home and abroad, including covering the Olympics, the Oscars, the refugee crisis, and a rare assignment in Tibet. At RTÉ, Philip leads a team of mobile journalists creating original “digital-first” stories on mobile devices for audiences that are increasingly consuming content on their phones.
More Resources
For more on this topic, check out:
The Evolving Role of the Broadcast Journalist
Tools for Mobile Journalism: Breaking Broadcast News from the Scene
Contact Us
Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.
Credits
Host: Craig Wilson
Producer: Rachel Haberman
Social: Wim van den Broeck
Promotion: Keri Middleton and Gina Pryor
Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

Jan 25, 2021 • 20min
S1E02: Multi-Platform Madness
Remember when news just meant linear broadcast? In case you've been trapped in a cave for the last decade or so, the new normal is a proliferation of platforms—linear broadcast, OTT, on-domain, in-app, and let's not forget the all-important social channels. Sure, it's important to consider how to deliver to all these channels, but the bigger question is what to deliver.
In this episode, we ask: How has multi-platform delivery changed how news is reported? How are broadcasters thinking about tailoring content across channels and determining their optimal mix of platforms?
Our Guest This Episode
Matt Goldberg is the VP of Content Strategy for NBC-owned TV stations, where he leads the team that developed and launched LX. Matt has been with NBC for 17 years, previously as Assistant News Director at KNBC in Los Angeles and at NBC Bay Area. Prior to moving into management, Matt was an award-winning investigative producer. Matt was an elected board member of the non-profit Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) and served as Board President from 2016-18. He began his career in TV news while attending Arizona State and has also worked in Houston, Texas.
More Resources
For more on this topic, check out:
Tailoring Broadcast News to Digital Channels: 3 Best Practices
How to Streamline Digital Distribution in a Broadcast Newsroom
Contact Us
Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.
Credits
Host: Craig Wilson
Producer: Rachel Haberman
Social: Wim van den Broeck
Promotion: Keri Middleton and Gina Pryor
Theme Music: Greg "Stryke" Chin

Jan 11, 2021 • 26min
S1E01: The Future-Proof Newsroom
The pace of change in this industry can be brutal, forcing news organizations to adapt and reinvent themselves to stay relevant. On the flip side, it’s also an industry that requires significant upfront investments in technology and talent—not necessarily a recipe for agility.
In this episode, we ask: How can broadcasters build enough flexibility and agility into their business models to enable them to pivot? What do “future-proof” business decisions look like? How has COVID-19 illuminated the inherent tension between the need for and resistance to change, and what have we learned from it?
Our Guest This Episode
Ruba Ibrahim is Director of Operations for Al Arabiya Network, overseeing systems and processes, business continuity, workflows, contracts and partnerships, and core projects of the channel from their headquarters in Dubai. Prior to this role, she had heads-on experience as a senior producer. Outside of her experience in the media industry, she is active in NGOs and the public sector, having played an active role in launching the Palestinian NGO MIFTA (The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy) and the Palestinian Ministries of Education and Higher Education.
More Resources
For more on this topic, check out:
Tools for Mobile Journalism: Breaking Broadcast News from the Scene
The Challenges and Opportunities Ahead for Hybrid Broadcast Newsrooms
Contact Us
Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.
Credits
Host: Craig Wilson
Producer: Rachel Haberman
Social: Wim van den Broeck
Promotion: Keri Middleton and Gina Pryor
Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

Dec 14, 2020 • 2min
S1EO: Introducing Making the Media
Welcome to “Making the Media,” a new podcast from Avid Technology exploring the forces that shape the media, news, and entertainment business—by industry leaders, for industry leaders.
Listen in for a sneak peek of Season One, “Breaking the News Industry,” where we’re examining the moment of reckoning in which the broadcast news business finds itself, with insights from industry leaders in the US, Europe, the Middle East, and more.
Season One starts January 11, with new episodes dropping every other Monday.
Contact Us
Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969
Credits
Host: Craig Wilson
Producer: Rachel Haberman
Social: Wim van den Broeck
Promotion: Keri Middleton and Gina Pryor
Theme Music: Greg "Stryke" Chin