The Media Club · 9 June 2023 · 35 min

Licht exits CNN, Telegraph for sale, EU v AI

With Faraz Osman, Ellie Kahn

Listen at themediaclub.com →AppleSpotify

• CNN Leadership Change
• Telegraph Sale
• Spotify Podcast Cuts
• EU AI Regulation
• BBC Impartiality
• Channel 4 Cuts

In this episode of The Media Podcast, host Matt Deegan is joined by Faraz Osman, managing director of Gold Wala, and Ellie Kahn, a broadcast reporter, to discuss the week's media news. The main topics include the departure of CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht following a controversial town hall with Donald Trump and a critical profile in The Atlantic, the sale of The Telegraph and The Spectator after the Barclay family's court battle, Spotify's podcast division cuts, the EU's push for AI content labelling, and Channel 4's programming cuts. The episode also features a media quiz segment and a discussion on BBC impartiality.

Key takeaways

• Chris Licht was ousted as CNN chairman and CEO following a controversial Trump town hall and a critical Atlantic profile.
• The Telegraph and The Spectator are up for sale after the Barclay family's court battle.
• Spotify cut 200 podcast jobs and merged Gimlet into its existing studios.
• The EU urged social media companies to label AI-generated content.
• Channel 4 announced further programming cuts, including to The Last Leg and Kirstie's Handmade Christmas.

In this episode

• Intro and news round-up0:00 · Matt introduces the show and covers Prince Harry's court testimony and WGA strikes.
• BBC impartiality discussion0:00 · Discussion on Lucy Frazer's comments about BBC bias.
• Channel 4 cuts0:00 · Analysis of Channel 4's programming cuts and impact on indies.
• Chris Licht's exit from CNN0:00 · Discussion on the reasons behind Chris Licht's departure.
• Telegraph sale0:00 · Discussion on the sale of The Telegraph and The Spectator.
• Spotify podcast cuts0:00 · Analysis of Spotify's podcast division cuts.
• EU AI labelling0:00 · Discussion on the EU's push for AI content labelling.
• Media quiz0:00 · Quiz segment on companies' green credentials.
• Outro and plugs0:00 · Wrap-up and plugs for the London Podcast Studios and the show's YouTube channel.

Notable quotes

“I think the biasing is really weird, right? Because it's presented as an absolute.”

Faraz Osman · 0:00

“I actually think that she handled herself quite well in a quite balanced way, which is ironic, weirdly.”

Faraz Osman · 0:00

“The BBC is very aware of its own bias and it's actively trying to tackle it.”

Ellie Kahn · 0:00

“I think the goalposts have kind of shifted without anyone really being aware of it.”

Ellie Kahn · 0:00

“I think that the fact that you have to ask the question of the BBC is probably a good thing.”

Faraz Osman · 0:00

“It's a bit of a non-story.”

Faraz Osman · 0:00

Discussed

Chris Licht · CNN · BBC · Channel 4 · The Telegraph · Spotify

Also mentioned: Lucy Frazer · Nick Robinson · David Zaslav · Donald Trump · Kaitlan Collins · Prince Harry · Elon Musk · Ken Bruce · Kirstie Allsopp · Meghan Markle · Joe Rogan · Barack Obama · Nikki Haley · Jake Tapper · Matt Hancock · E. Jean Carroll · Warner Bros. Discovery · GB News · LBC · Ofcom · The Spectator · Gimlet Media · Apple · Microsoft

Mentioned or recommended

• The Atlantic profile of Chris Licht · publication · The Atlantic
• The Last Leg · tv show · Channel 4
• Kirstie's Handmade Christmas · tv show · Channel 4
• Four Weddings · tv show · Channel 4
• Sounds Like the 80s · tv show · Channel 4
• The Boat That Rocked · film · Richard Curtis
• Ted Lasso · tv show · Apple TV+
• Severance · tv show · Apple TV+
• Vision Pro · product · Apple
• Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom · product · Nintendo