The Fold

Are Media was a new company born out of the end of Bauer, taking some of its biggest magazines and running them on a much leaner model. Are's NZ GM Stuart Dick and The Listener's editor Kirsty Cameron join Duncan Greive on The Fold to talk about bringing those magazines back to life, and how Cameron revived a title which had lost its way at times in the Bauer years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Zealand's magazine industry suffered a catastrophic event five years ago, when many of the biggest and most famous titles in our history shut down on a fateful Zoom call. The first of a two part series looks at the independent publications which rose up in its wake. Duncan Greive is joined by Rebecca Wadey and Zoe Walker Ahwa, founders of Ensemble to discuss lifestyle media and first joining then leaving Stuff. Next comes Simon Farrell-Green, to talk about why after years editing Home, he decided to leave the title alone and instead start a new magazine named Here, which turns five years old this month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A massive day of media news concludes with Duncan Greive joining Anna Rawhiti-Connell on The Fold to break down the NZME ASM, which marked the conclusion to an epic three month saga involving Canadian billionaire Jim Grenon. He and former National finance minister Steven Joyce were both elected to the board, with shareholders were both elated and terrified for what that might entail. Greive traveled straight from the meeting to tell Rawhiti-Connell what went on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glen Kyne joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to discuss today's announcement that Trade Me has purchased a 50% stake in Stuff Digital, with an explicit focus on growing its property audience. Kyne and Greive break down the strategic rationale, the challenge it represents to NZME and how this new battle might play out in the coming months and years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glen Kyne joins Duncan Greive to pick through a week of small but instructive media news. There was a miniscule new announcement in the budget, on the same day radio ratings dropped to confirm little had changed. Then they review the first show from the Herald’s new FAST channel, fronted by Ryan Bridge, set against news that Madison Reidy was buying her channel and going solo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glen Kyne joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to recap a significantly smaller but somehow considerably better Voyager Media Awards. (Apologies to Gulf News and NZ Geographic, each of which had notable wins which didn't get mentioned). Next they discuss the latest, potential the final developments in the NZME board coup saga, before addressing a big financial boost to inbound movie subsidies – and The Spinoff's own major editorial news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For a long time New Zealand's country music audience was presumed to be the town of Gore and its immediate surrounds. Few albums got released, and major artists almost never toured. That all changed in the past few years, with streaming both proving and generating a huge global audience for country – and artists like Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen playing shows to massive local crowds. That has prompted two separate radio stations to launch, the first an independent led by veteran broadcaster Mike Puru, with a second launched by NZME just last week. Puru and NZME chief audio officer Jason Winstanley join Duncan Greive on The Fold to talk about the rise of country, why it requires its own stations and give a view on the current state of digital audio in Aotearoa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday US president Donald Trump announced 100% tariffs on all foreign-made movies. It was an extraordinary and potentially hugely destructive piece of news for the mighty but embattled film industry. It was also extremely unclear exactly what it meant. Glen Kyne joins Duncan Greive on an emergency edition of The Fold to discuss the news and try and game out its impact both globally and locally. They also dig into the latest beats of the ongoing NZME board takeover saga – with big changes to the exec and the potential arrival of Steven Joyce as chair. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dylan Reeve has spent his whole career working on iconic New Zealand television shows, from Shortland Street, to Treasure Island to Outrageous Fortune. But after listening to last week’s episode of The Fold, he wonders whether we’re even asking the right questions. He sent a provocative note which questions whose interests are being served by incremental reforms to NZ On Air or the screen production rebate (or SPR), and joins Duncan Greive to discuss whether the current institutions can or should be saved – and what an alternate plan might look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The media has always been largely funded by advertising – but that's unlikely to be the case in future. Two stories over the past week addressed different aspects of what might step into the void it creates. Duncan Greive returns alongside Glen Kyne for an episode which explores how media was, is and might be funded in future – taking the NZ on Air system, the screen production rebate, tech funding, audience revenue and private funders, addressing requests to expand each, and the challenges they bring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices