

The Media Show
BBC Radio 4
Social media, anti-social media, breaking news, faking news: this is the programme about a revolution in media.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 28, 2022 • 28min
Telling the tale of market turmoil
On the day the Bank of England intervened to calm turmoil following the Chancellor's mini-budget last week, we look at the challenge facing journalists to tell this story well. Stephanie Flanders is the head of Bloomberg Economics and Paul Lewis presents Radio 4’s Money Box.Also in the show we speak to The Sunday Times journalist Gabriel Pogrund. His scoops regularly set the news agenda for the week ahead. How does he do it?And if you’re wondering about Jane Garvey and Fi Glover’s recently announced move from the BBC to Times Radio – we've got their agent on to tell us how it happened. Sue Ayton is co-founder of Knight Ayton Management. She joins Megan Carver Founder and MD of Carver PR discuss how to manage big talent making moves, and the new opportunities of the growing audio market.Presenter: Ros Atkins
Producer: Helen Fitzhenry

Sep 21, 2022 • 28min
The media mourns a monarch
The Queen's funeral was the culmination of days of coverage across the British media. The new culture secretary called the BBC’s efforts "phenomenal" and "spot-on". So did the media get the tone right? Were a range of views about the monarchy represented? And amid the pageantry and commentary, was there room for journalism?Guests: Marcus Ryder, Head of External Consultancies at the Sir Lenny Henry Centre For Media Diversity, Tina Stowell, Chair of the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, Ed Vaizey, Former Culture Secretary and member of the House of Lords, Emily Bell, Director at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, and Stefanie Bolzen, UK Correspondent for Die WeltProducer: Helen FitzhenryPresenter: Katie Razzall

Sep 14, 2022 • 28min
The death of the Queen
The Queen's coffin has travelled in ceremonial procession to Westminster Hall today where she will lie in state for four days until her funeral on Monday.
Thousands have lined the route and for millions in the UK and around the world, it is the media that allows them to follow this period of national mourning.
We talk to guests from news broadcasters, commercial radio and local newspapers about their experience of covering this story. We'll talk about Ukraine too. In an extraordinary few days, Russian forces have been pushed back. We know that – but there are significant challenges establishing exactly what has happened. We’ll try and understand what can be done to report these developments with confidence. Guests: Cristina Nicolotti Squires, Director of content, Sky News, Frank O’Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, The Press and Journal, Phil Riley, Founder of Boom Radio, James Waterhouse, Ukraine Correspondent, BBC News, and Francis Scarr, BBC MonitoringPresenter: Ros AtkinsProducer: Helen Fitzhenry

Sep 7, 2022 • 28min
Microsoft v The Regulator
We look at what may be the biggest media deal of the year – Microsoft is trying to buy one of the world’s leading games producers Activision Blizzard for almost 60 billion pounds, but UK regulators have questions. The cost of living crisis is deepening, does the news media have the skill set to understand and explain a story of this scale and complexity? And who is the new Culture Secretary?With Sarah Lester, Editor of the Manchester Evening News, Sebastian Payne politics writer for the Financial Times, Miatta Fahnbulleh, Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation, Faisal Islam, BBC Economics Editor, Jason Kingsley, Co-founder and CEO of video game developer Rebellion and Louise Shorthouse, Senior Games Analyst at Ampere Analysis. Presenter: Ros Atkins
Producer: Helen Fitzhenry
Studio Engineer: Tim Heffer

Aug 31, 2022 • 28min
Podcasting the News
As Global's new daily podcast The News Agents launches, we ask Jon Sopel for his reflections on the BBC he left and the freedoms of a new home.
And we'll look at the growing market for news podcasts with Dino Sofos, executive producer of The News Agents and founder of Persephonica, Nosheen Iqbal, Today in Focus presenter, Alastair Campbell, co-presenter of The Rest is Politics with Rory Stewart, and Adam Boulton, who starts a new Sunday show on Times Radio this week.Presenter: Ros AtkinsStudio engineer: Duncan HannantProducer: Helen Fitzhenry

Aug 24, 2022 • 28min
Reporting from Ukraine - six months on
Six months after Russia invaded Ukraine, what has the media taught us about the war and what has the war taught us about journalism? How has the narrative changed? What role has social media played?Deborah Haynes is defence and security editor for Sky News. Nic Robertson is CNN’s international diplomatic editor. Oz Katerji is a freelance journalist who spent several months in Ukraine reporting on the conflict. Olga Tokariuk is a Ukrainian freelance journalist who has been reporting on the war since it began. Francis Scarr, BBC Senior Digital Journalist monitoring Russian media.Presenter: Katie RazzallProducer: Tim Bano

Aug 17, 2022 • 28min
Have soaps run their course?
The end of both Holby City and Neighbours in the space of a few months suggests that something is wrong in the world of soaps. Viewers have been declining for years as soaps face competition from structured reality shows, streaming services and social media content. But millions still sit down every evening to see the ups and downs of the lives in Walford, Weatherfield and beyond, and EastEnders remains one of the most watched programmes on BBC iPlayer. So what role do soaps play in media landscape today? Should we expect the Queen Vic to be pulling its last pint, or are there many more births, deaths, marriages and everything in between still to come in the unpredictable world of soap operas?Sir Phil Redmond is the creator of Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks. Charles Collingwood has played Brian in The Archers since 1975. Emma Bullimore is a TV critic and soap fan. Daniel Kilkelly is soaps editor for entertainment news website Digital Spy.Presenter: Katie RazzallProducer: Tim Bano

Aug 10, 2022 • 28min
Covering strikes: Whatever happened to the Industrial Correspondents?
As postal workers become the latest group to call a strike, and railway workers and train drivers plan to walk out again through August, we look at how well the news media covers industrial disputes. What’s changed in journalism since the days when every media outlet had an industrial correspondent and the union bosses on speed dial? We speak to Nick Jones, a former industrial correspondent for the BBC and author of The Lost Tribe of Fleet Street, Jeremy Warner, associate editor and business columnist at The Daily Telegraph, and Alan Jones, industrial correspondent at the Press Association (PA Media).We also look at broadcast sports rights today – with big changes in the offing as new companies with deep pockets get involved. Amazon has been making its presence felt for some time and the Nordic owned Viaplay is about to arrive in the UK. With Minal Modha, principle analyst at Ampere Analysis, and Matt Slater, football news reporter at The Athletic.Presenter: Katie Razzall
Producer: Helen Fitzhenry

Aug 3, 2022 • 28min
It's... another true crime show!
Crime and true crime has always been big business in films and books. But when Serial exploded onto the scene almost eight years ago it launched a whole new genre; the true crime podcast. Now with the major broadcasters and streaming services involved, it seems like we just can’t get enough of solved and unsolved crimes. And it’s not just criminal cases - this week we’ve seen the insatiable interest surrounding the Wagatha Christie verdict, the TV rights are already sold.TV cameras are also now allowed into criminal courts for sentencing right across the UK. So today we take a look at how the public appetite for true crime has led to one of the biggest production booms in years, and ask where it might lead. Mark Williams-Thomas is an investigative reporter, former detective and new global head of investigations for the regional publisher Newsquest.
Suruthi Bala is co-host of the Redhanded podcast which tells the stories of an incredible range of criminal cases and unusual mysteries from around the world.
Will Hanrahan is co-founder of First Look TV, a production company that specializes in True Crime.
Persephone Bridgman Baker is a partner with the legal firm Carter-Ruck.
Abi Clarke is the host of the 'It's... Wagatha Christie' podcast and also a huge True Crime fan.Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam
Producer: Helen Fitzhenry

5 snips
Jul 27, 2022 • 28min
Into the Metaverse
In October 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would change its name to Meta, reflecting its shift towards “the Metaverse”. Today, the concept is central to the strategies of the world’s biggest tech companies – including Google, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft – who are spending billions of dollars to build it. But what exactly is the Metaverse, how will it work, and what are the opportunities and dangers ahead?Matthew Ball is a venture capitalist, former head of strategy at Amazon Studios, and now author of "The Metaverse, And How It Will Revolutionise Everything". He joins Ros Atkins for a special edition of The Media Show, dedicated to what some are calling “the next internet”.Producer: Dan Hardoon
Presenter: Ros Atkins
Editor: Richard Hooper
Studio engineer: Emma Harth