
The Fold
Conversations about the intersections of media, culture and technology in New Zealand, hosted by Duncan Greive, founder of The Spinoff.
Latest episodes

Jul 7, 2025 • 51min
The biggest media stories no one is talking about
Glen Kyne joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to discuss a clutch of curiously under-covered stories which suggest major changes coming to streaming entertainment and news publishing. There’s Netflix’s massive deal with France’s biggest broadcaster to host its live channels and a vast library of content, along with a group of UK TV companies banding together to sell ads across their networks. Then there is the continual encroachment of AI into platforms, including the sharp rise on both Spotify and YouTube – along with the chance of a fightback, in Cloudflare’s desire to create a “pay-per-crawl” model. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 30, 2025 • 52min
The double radio life of BrianFM's mysterious owner
Andrew Jeffries might be the most influential New Zealander in the global music industry you've never heard of. For many years he was a senior executive, in charge of programming more than 800 stations at iHeartRadio, the biggest radio company in America, with massive digital and events businesses too. But while he worked on the big show by day, by night he built out a really different operation. BrianFM disobeys many of the rules he enforced in his main job – no DJs, no ads, and a very eclectic and constantly changing playlist. He joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to explain the two sides of his extraordinary career.
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Jun 23, 2025 • 45min
TVNZ turns to sport – will it turn away from Shortland St? Plus a big result for Stuff
Glen Kyne returns to The Fold to recap the big takeaways from a new interview with TVNZ CEO Jodie O’Donnell. TVNZ is back in profit and looking at rugby and the Olympics, with an intriguing pay-per-view model on the horizon. He and Duncan Greive also discuss the implications of a widening lead for Stuff in Nielsen’s digital news rankings, and close on what the structural separation of WBD internationally means for Three and the rest of the local business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 16, 2025 • 59min
Why festivals are failing as live music is booming – and the battle for Western Springs
Campbell Smith trained as a lawyer, but was quickly drawn into the music business. He started out offering advice on bFM, then began representing artists like Brooke Fraser and The Naked and Famous. Then came his first promotional gig – running one of the country's most iconic festivals in the Big Day Out. At the same time he represented recorded music rights holders in a doomed battle against music downloading in the Napster era. He joins Duncan Greive to reflect on all this and discuss the current state of live music, while explaining his decision to wind down his management career, and his involvement with the campaign to turn Western Springs into a permanent music venue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 11, 2025 • 46min
Bauer, five years after part II: The Listener and Are Media rise from the ashes
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.
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Jun 9, 2025 • 1h 4min
Bauer, five years after part I: Ensemble, Here and the rise of the independents
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

Jun 3, 2025 • 40min
Emergency Pod, part II: Inside the final showdown at the NZME's annual meeting
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

Jun 3, 2025 • 35min
Emergency pod: Trade Me buys 50% of Stuff Digital – what?! And why?!
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

May 26, 2025 • 53min
On the budget, radio ratings – and NZME loses a star while gaining a channel
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

May 19, 2025 • 41min
Voyagers debrief, the NZME saga seems over and a big boost for movies
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.
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