- Washington Post Non-Endorsement
- Guardian Subscriber Gain
- GB News Ofcom Fine
- Observer Sale to Tortoise Media
- TV Production Exhaustion
- Channel 4 Drama Strategy
- BBC World Service Funding
- Novel Podcast Powerhouse
In this episode of The Media Club, hosts Matt Deegan and Tara Conlan discuss the Washington Post's decision not to endorse a US presidential candidate, which led to a 10% drop in subscribers (about 250,000), while the Guardian gained $2 million in support following an email from its US editor Betsy Reed. They also cover Channel 4's Ian Katz's comments on drama strategy, the BBC World Service funding deal, the dangers of working in TV production, and GB News's Ofcom fine. Guest Craig Strachan, CEO of Novel, discusses the success of their podcast Kill List, the launch of The Bunny Trap, and the strategy of selling podcast IP to Hollywood. The episode includes a media quiz using Google's NotebookLM.
Key takeaways
- The Washington Post lost about 250,000 subscribers (10%) after deciding not to endorse a US presidential candidate, while the Guardian gained $2 million in support following an email from its US editor Betsy Reed.
- GB News was fined £100,000 by Ofcom for breaching impartiality rules in a Rishi Sunak interview.
- Novel's CEO Craig Strachan discussed the success of 'Kill List' and the launch of 'The Bunny Trap', highlighting the strategy of selling podcast IP to Hollywood.
- Tara Conlan's investigation into TV production revealed widespread exhaustion among runners and freelancers, with calls for industry change.
- The Observer's potential sale to Tortoise Media is causing concern among journalists, with questions about funding and the Scott Trust.
- Channel 4's Ian Katz discussed the performance of 'The Gathering' and the channel's focus on streaming and youth audiences.
- The media quiz used Google's NotebookLM to generate podcast-style summaries of news stories.
In this episode
- Welcome and Listener Survey
- Amelia Dimoldenberg and Saoirse Ronan
- Channel 4's Ian Katz
- Washington Post's Subs
- Podcast Discovery and PodShop
- GB News
- Novel
- Freelance Exhaustion
- Media Quiz
- Welcome and Intro
- Washington Post Subscriber Loss
- Novel Interview
- Freelance Exhaustion
- Media Quiz
Notable quotes
“That's what every woman thinks, actually”
“Democracy lies in darkness”
“Comment is free, but facts are sacred”
“I don't think the plan for the beginning was for it to take four years. Obviously, there have been pandemics and lockdowns and things in between there. But we've learned a lot from the production process, but I don't think we could be any prouder with what we've come up with.”
“I would rather be known for being a really great employer than for delivering a 1% improvement on a profit margin on a show.”
“It's a multi-billion pound industry you know the PAC's latest figures is what's it four billion pound plus you know high-end TV there's a lot more money There is there are funds investing in the content creation space, multi-billion pounds. Some of that can go to fixing this issue, I think, before someone dies.”
Discussed
Washington Post · The Guardian · Channel 4 · BBC World Service · GB News · Novel · Tortoise Media · The Observer
Mentioned or recommended
- The Gathering
- Kill List
- The Bunny Trap
- Help I Sexted My Boss
- Chicken Shop Date
- Day of the Jackal
- Graham Norton Show
- NotebookLM
- Windows 10
- Rivals
- Brian Walden and Margaret Thatcher interview drama
- The Girlfriends
- The Dropout
- The Shrink Next Door
- The Rest Is Politics
- The Rest Is Entertainment
- The 100
- The Franchise
