

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

Oct 17, 2018 • 28min
Dark ads and slow news
Facebook has announced new rules on political advertising in the UK; you'll need to prove your identity and location, and each ad will carry a message saying who paid for it. Sam Jeffers is co-founder of Who Targets Me, an organisation that tracks political ads.James Harding, the former Director of BBC News, explains Tortoise, his "slow news" venture which promises "open journalism” and a “different kind of newsroom”.And Claire Beale, global editor-in-chief of Campaign, on her magazine's 50th anniversary and new trends in advertising.Presenter: Amol Rajan
Producer: Richard Hooper

Oct 10, 2018 • 28min
Dangers of speaking truth to power
Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi is missing after a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. His criticism of the Saudi monarchy is alleged to have made him a target. Andrea Catherwood is joined by Robert Mahoney, Deputy Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists and Professor Madawi Al-Rasheed from the LSE Middle East Centre. Also in the programme, as Spotify celebrates 10 years, where next for music streaming? Eamonn Forde is a journalist who writes about the music business for Music Ally, Laura Snapes is deputy music editor of The Guardian, and John Mulvey is editor of Mojo.Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Richard Hooper

Oct 10, 2018 • 5min
BONUS Bob Bakish, Viacom CEO
Boss of the US conglomerate on dealing with Netflix - and his favourite Channel 5 shows

Oct 3, 2018 • 29min
May's Media Strategy
A group of UK broadcasters claim Theresa May is avoiding doing interviews with them, an allegation her press chief denies. What is the Prime Minister's media strategy? Amol Rajan is joined by Katy Balls of The Spectator and Stefanie Bolzen from Die Welt. Also in the show, Rob Stringer, CEO Sony Music and Georgia Brown, Director of European Originals for Amazon's Prime Video service.Presenter: Amol Rajan
Producer: Richard Hooper

Oct 3, 2018 • 20min
BONUS Rob Stringer, Sony Music CEO
A giant of the record industry talks about music's shift to digital and his own career

Sep 26, 2018 • 28min
How journalism exposed an atrocity
In July 2018 a horrifying video began to circulate on social media. It showed two women and two young children being led away at gunpoint and then executed by a group of Cameroonian soldiers. The Cameroon government initially dismissed the video as "fake news" but an investigation by BBC Africa Eye has now uncovered the truth. Also in the programme, BBC Two has launched a new set of idents in a bid to "refresh the channel".Amol Rajan is joined by Aliaume Leroy, BBC Africa Eye investigator, Dr Claire Wardle, Research Fellow at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, Patrick Holland, BBC Two controller, and Manori Ravindran, editor of Television Business International.Presenter: Amol Rajan
Producer: Richard Hooper

Sep 19, 2018 • 28min
The marriage of tech and TV
Stephen Lambert, CEO of Studio Lambert, the production company behind Channel 4's The Circle, and David Abraham, CEO Wonderhood Studios, discuss change and disruption in the TV industry.Presenter: Amol Rajan
Producer: Richard Hooper

Sep 13, 2018 • 28min
The battle for teatime
Mark Austin, the former ITN journalist, discusses his new role as anchor of The News Hour, Sky News' attempt to win the battle for teatime news audiences. Also in the show, a new university degree that teaches students both journalism and public relations, and the BBC has hinted that free TV licences for the over 75s may end. Andrea Catherwood is joined by Mark Austin, Keren Haynes, co-founder of Shout Communications, Sara Eyre, lecturer Salford University, Jane Martinson, journalist, and the MPs John Whittingdale and Ian Lucas.

Sep 5, 2018 • 28min
Outrage in the age of Twitter
The New Yorker has cancelled an interview with Steve Bannon, President Trump's former strategist, after an online backlash. Meanwhile, The Economist says its own invitation for Bannon to participate in a festival still stands, arguing that "the future of open societies will not be secured by like-minded people speaking to each other in an echo chamber". At a time of enormous commercial pressure for magazines, is it now common sense to avoid controversy? Or should editors accept that on occasion, causing offence is part of the job?Amol Rajan is joined by Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist editor in chief, Sarah Golding, chief executive of ad agency The & Partnership, and Matthew Wright, journalist and presenter of a new show on talkRADIO.Presenter: Amol Rajan
Producer: Richard Hooper.

Aug 29, 2018 • 28min
The secrets of Social success
Louise Pentland has built an audience of millions via social platforms like YouTube and Instagram. What does her success tell us about the future of television and advertising? Also in the show, Kathryn Jacob OBE, CEO of Pearl and Dean, Simon Walker, CEO of Marquee TV and Shona Ghosh, senior technology reporter at Business Insider UK.Presenter: Amol Rajan
Producer: Richard Hooper.