The Media Club · 29 April 2022 · 35 min

The Mail on Sunday's Basic Instinct & A Twitter Takeover

With Jim Waterson, Lis Howell, James Ball

Listen and watch at themediaclub.com →Apple Spotify YouTube

In this episode of The Media Club, hosts Matt Deegan and Jim Waterson, along with guest Lis Howell, discuss the Mail on Sunday's controversial Angela Rayner story and the broader issue of sexism in the media, including the Tim Westwood allegations. They also cover the BBC's licence fee experiment, the launch of Talk TV, and Elon Musk's Twitter takeover, with a deep dive interview with James Ball. The episode includes a media quiz and listener survey promotion.

Key takeaways

The Mail on Sunday's Angela Rayner story sparked widespread condemnation and over 5,500 complaints to IPSO.
Tim Westwood stepped down from Capital Extra after allegations of sexual misconduct by multiple women.
The BBC's experiment showed 70% of sceptical viewers were more willing to pay the licence fee after deprivation.
Elon Musk's Twitter takeover is seen as likely but not certain, with a 70% chance estimated by James Ball.
Talk TV's launch outperformed GB News but still faces challenges in attracting a large audience.

In this episode

Intro and News Round-up0:00 · Matt introduces the show and covers top media news stories.
Talk TV Launch Discussion2:00 · Jim and Lis discuss the launch of Talk TV and Piers Morgan's debut.
Tim Westwood Allegations8:00 · Discussion on the Tim Westwood sexual misconduct allegations and sexism in media.
Mail on Sunday Angela Rayner Story15:00 · Discussion on the Mail on Sunday's Angela Rayner story and the Westminster lobby system.
Deep Dive: Twitter Takeover25:00 · James Ball discusses Elon Musk's Twitter takeover and its implications.
BBC Licence Fee Experiment35:00 · Discussion on the BBC's experiment and the future of the licence fee.
Media Quiz40:00 · Jim answers true/false questions about audio industry stories.

Notable quotes

It's not about politics it's about common sense and cancel culture that's the problem

Jim Waterson0:00

It's a very daily mail attitude, a slightly millwall, everyone hates us and we don't care

Jim Waterson0:00

You can't help laughing at the mail thinking, yes, you know, we've got this marvellous opportunity. We're going to say, oh, this is terrible. We're being gagged. Rubbish, really.

Lis Howell0:00