The Media Club · 11 November 2022 · 52 min

Where next for Ch4? Outrage at media arrests & Gary Lineker & Tony Pastor on Goalhanger Podcasts

With Steven D Wright, Tara Conlan, Lis Howell, Gary Lineker, Tony Pastor

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In this episode of The Media Club, host Jake Kanter leads a panel discussion on the future of Channel 4 following reports that the UK government may shelve privatisation plans. The panel, including Steven D Wright, Tara Conlan, and Lis Howell, debates Channel 4's creative identity, business model, and the impact of the privatisation threat. They also assess ITV's financial health and the upcoming ITVX launch, and express concerns about press freedom after journalists were arrested covering climate protests. The episode features an interview with Gary Lineker and Tony Pastor of Goalhanger Podcasts about their shows and the Qatar World Cup, and ends with a media quiz.

Key takeaways

The panel discussed the potential shelving of Channel 4 privatisation and debated the broadcaster's creative identity and business model.
ITV reported strong revenues and is preparing to launch ITVX, with the panel assessing its prospects.
Three journalists were arrested covering Just Stop Oil protests, raising concerns about press freedom in the UK.
Gary Lineker and Tony Pastor discussed Goalhanger Podcasts' success and their approach to covering the Qatar World Cup.
The media quiz featured questions on The Crown, Chris Mason, and Sienna Miller.

In this episode

News round-up0:00 · Quickfire media news including Disney, Twitter, BBC Studios, Fremantle, and NUJ motion.
Channel 4 discussion5:00 · Panel debate on the future of Channel 4, privatisation, and creative identity.
ITV health-check25:00 · Panel assesses ITV's financial performance and ITVX launch.
Deep dive: Gary Lineker and Tony Pastor35:00 · Interview with Goalhanger Podcasts co-founders about their shows and the World Cup.
Press freedom segment50:00 · Discussion on journalist arrests at climate protests and implications for media freedom.
Media quiz60:00 · Quiz on hacking victims and media scandals.

Notable quotes

“I'm a truth teller, you know, unafraid to say the unsayable, which is that tele is getting worse.”
Steven D Wright · 0:00

“It's chicken and egg, isn't it?”
Tara Conlan · 0:00

“I think you're being very hard on them.”
Lis Howell · 0:00

“It's a bit like an influencer or a supermodel. You're sort of known for being sort of young and attractive and cool. And then you get old. What do you do?”
Tara Conlan · 0:00