The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices

This week Colin Morrison - founder of Flashes & Flames - takes us through his path into the industry, what makes for smart media analysis, and who will be the big winners and losers from the coronavirus crisis. In the news roundup the team takes an in-depth look at what COVID-19 means for our relationship with tech giants

This week we spoke to The Atlantic's International Editor Prashant Rao about taking The Atlantic's voice to an international audience, the importance of diversity in writing stories for that audience, and what the global Atlantic angle on coronavirus looks like. He also talks about The Atlantic's surge in subscriptions following its decision to take its paywall down on COVID-19 coverage, and why he sees the publication as a 'second subscription'. In the news roundup the team discusses subscription success in the face of coronavirus and takes a brisk tour through the week's news in brief.

The media industry has had a turbulent decade when it comes to technology, transformation, and changing consumer habits causing disruption to businesses. But for many of us, these challenges seem trivial compared to what we are now all up against with the coronavirus crisis. Publishers and media organisations of all shapes and sizes have had events and shows that they depend on for their revenue cancelled, advertising spend plummeting as the travel industry hits major issues, and print runs reduced as commuters stay home. But the crisis has also provided a unique opportunity for publishers to build trust with their audiences and provide them with the vital information they need to keep themselves and their families safe. Not only that, over the coming weeks, the public appetite for quality content will continue to grow as isolation takes effect. In this special live episode from the Media Voices team, Chris, Peter and Esther overcome technological challenges of their own to take a look at examples of publishers who are adapting to the pandemic, and what these changes will mean for the industry in the years to come.

This week, we hear from Sherri Smith, Editor in Chief of Laptop Mag, one of Future plc’s tech titles. She talks about her role working across Future’s sister titles, why Laptop mag is broadening its reach to gaming and audio, maintaining editorial integrity with reviews, and how the title will future-proof itself as technology evolves. She also explains how testing, product launches and reviews are continuing amidst the coronavirus crisis. Smart bidets have their first ever mention on the podcast. In the news roundup the Media Voices trio discuss whether it's appropriate (or even good business sense) to impose a paywall on coronavirus content, whether platforms like Google and Facebook donating money to counter misinformation is a sop, and rattle through news in brief to find some cheerful topics. Don't forget our live episode this Thursday!

This week we hear from Theodora Louloudis, podcast editor for the Telegraph. With a growing podcast portfolio, we spoke about her job in an expanding team, growth in the Telegraph’s podcast offering and how she commissions shows with the paper’s journalists. In the news roundup we discuss Firefox's new subscription tool with Scroll, Slate launching a metered paywall, and Esquire trimming its print editions to 6 per year. Peter pitches multiple new theme tunes.

This week Kate Day, Executive Editor of POLITICO in the UK takes us through the publishers' expansion into and growth in the UK market. She discusses everything from the advantages of being a start-up publisher in a world of legacy giants, how the team chooses what goes behind the paywall, and what sets UK politics coverage apart from the rest of Europe. In the news roundup, we take a look at Print In A Pandemic, the final fate of Playboy, and what audience's fatalistic media choices say about the public mood during the coronavirus outbreak.

This week, Owen Meredith, Managing Director at the Professional Publisher's Association, talks to us about how the lobbying work the association has done on behalf of UK publishers to axe VAT on digital publications has paid off. During the Budget last week, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the current 20% tax on ebooks, online newspapers and digital editions would be abolished, bringing them in line with the tax exemption on physical copies. Owen explains what the announcement means for publishers, why the government chose now to action this, and what's next on the PPA's to-do list. In the news roundup the team takes a look at how news outlets are choosing to report on the coronavirus pandemic, ask whether a spate of hirings suggest that podcasting is a mature market, and examine whether Stylist's new digital edition is destined for success. Chris invokes the power of「THE WORLD」to give an update on a story during the edit.

This week, we talk to Mark Alker, Publisher of Singletrackworld.com; Europe's biggest mountain biking website, and Singletrack Magazine; a bi-monthly print publication. As well as divulging the secrets of specialist media success, Mark discusses community, coffee, and his love-hate relationship with programmatic. In the news round-up, Esther and Peter battle good old British colds to talk about digital strategy success for The Independent, and Bloomberg News returning to 'normal' coverage following Mike Bloomberg dropping out of the Democratic race. The news in brief is coronavirus-themed (with sound effects), from how platforms are tackling misinformation to newspapers you can wipe your butt with.

This week, Amanda Zamora talks to us about the launch of new news site The 19th, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting at the intersection of gender, politics, and policy. She talks about why she chose to launch the site with fellow Texas Tribune colleague Emily Ramshaw, the lessons she'll be taking from her time in legacy newsrooms, and what the team's priorities are once the brand fully launches in August. In the news roundup the team are joined by guest host Michelle Manafy to discuss the return of The Markup, Trump's reelection campaign's lawsuit against the NYT, and the changing of the guard at Disney.

This week, we talk to Paul Newman, Brand Director of Future plc's Home Interest brands. We spoke about how home titles have evolved in the age of Pinterest, how Future have managed to increase print circulation and revenue for the sector, and what they're doing to reach younger audiences across multiple platforms. Paul also succinctly summarises what's behind the transformation of Future plc as a business over the past decade. In the news roundup the EU and Facebook head towards a reckoning, Bloomberg and The Information reach a promotional deal, and the Media Voices team try and fail to entertain a cat.