Sajeeda Merali

Jim Bilton

James Evelegh talks to Jim Bilton about the results of this year's Media Shapers poll, which asked two questions: 'Which individual do you think is currently having the biggest impact on the shape of the media business - for good or ill' and 'Which companies are leading the industry at the moment?'. They talked about: * 'terminator wars in media world': publishing in the era of AI * the evolving media perceptions of tech leaders Elon Musk, Sam Altman and Mark Zuckerberg * the growing influence of TikTok and its impact on news media * how content consumption patterns are changing * the paucity of influential publishing leaders, although Meridith Levien and Joshi Herrmann make the list * the continuing influence of nonagenarian Rupert Murdoch * the destructive impact on the media of Vladimir Putin * the significance of influencers like Taylor Swift and Gary Lineker * which companies are leading the way in each publishing sector: B2B, consumer and news media * how the Media Shapers survey dovetails with Jim's Media Futures project * and lots more... (This interview was recorded on 13th September.) We would like to thank our podcast sponsor, Air Business [https://www.airbusiness.com/], a market-leader in distribution and subscription management services for the publishing industry. Its end-to-end service includes subscriber acquisition and marketing strategy, worldwide distribution, digital, mail and e-commerce fulfilment, and warehouse and freight logistics. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Jim Bilton

James Evelegh talks to Jim Bilton about the results of this year's Media Shapers poll, which asked the question, 'Which individual do you think is going to have the biggest impact on the shape of the overall media business in 2023 (for good or ill)? And why?'.  They talked about: * Jim's belief that it's still people that make things happen in the media business * the "unprecedented challenges" facing the media business * the two individuals who topped the poll, neither of whom even appeared in the last survey * why recent advances in AI mean that "the world of publishing will never be the same again" * why Rupert Murdoch appeared in the first poll, this poll, and will probably feature in the next one too * how the opposing leaders in the Russia / Ukraine war "both share a common understanding of the power of the media" * the growth of influencers, and how they are becoming more political * why the current culture secretary features in the poll even though she's only been in the job since February * what B2C can learn from B2B and vice versa * how the findings of the Media Shapers poll dovetail with Jim's wider benchmarking project, Media Futures * and lots more... (This interview was recorded on 27th April.) We would like to thank our podcast sponsor, Air Business [https://www.airbusiness.com/], a market-leader in distribution and subscription management services for the publishing industry. Its end-to-end service includes subscriber acquisition and marketing strategy, worldwide distribution, digital, mail and e-commerce fulfilment, and warehouse and freight logistics. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Sajeeda Merali

James Evelegh talks to Sajeeda Merali, CEO of the PPA, about:  * the PPA’s focus on people, product and audience * how communication lies at the heart of all successful business transformations * the evolution of ‘sales’ and how it has moved away from selling by platform to selling by audience * the skill-sets successful sales teams now require * the PPA’s role in “unpacking the complicated stuff” * why there is still a long way to go on ED&I but how the publishing sector is well placed to drive change * why, when it comes to ED&I, everyone can do something, whether you’re a multi-national or a team of three * how an executive coach helped her think differently about her career * what the PPA hopes to achieve with its upcoming hackathon * the state of play regarding the ‘digital markets unit’ and the ‘online safety bill’ * and, why despite the challenging outlook, she remains optimistic about publishing’s future: the surfeit of “misinformation and fake news highlights the value of good journalism” * and much more... (This interview was recorded on 7th October.) We would like to thank our podcast sponsor, Air Business [https://www.airbusiness.com/], a market-leader in distribution and subscription management services for the publishing industry. Its end-to-end service includes subscriber acquisition and marketing strategy, worldwide distribution, digital, mail and e-commerce fulfilment, and warehouse and freight logistics. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Claire Hodgson

James Evelegh talks to Claire Hodgson, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan UK, about:  * why putting the finishing touches to their 50th birthday issue was a “pinch-me moment” * how they went about growing their digital audience * why print remains a key pillar for the brand: “it’s a shop window and has a huge halo effect on the rest of what we do” * embracing the new and being excited about change * wanting Cosmo to be its audience’s “best friend” * the importance of data, but why it can never replace the work of skilled editorial teams * why she insists on their entertainment coverage being fair, considered and fact-checked * the importance of sincerity: “our audience does not have time for performative behaviour and can smell it a mile off” * why magazine brands have to be clear about what they stand for and believe in it * why, in today’s gender-fluid, non-binary world, there is no such thing as a “typical” Cosmo reader * why they have a responsibility to talk about the “tough stuff”, but also the latest must-have mascara for a Saturday night out * how digital and social success comes from investing in great people; there are no short cuts * why each of a publishing brand’s platforms should behave like pureplays * how the secret of e-commerce success is great content and authenticity * why she’s excited about ‘Summerverse’, Cosmo’s first venture onto the metaverse: “a lot of fun, so much opportunity” * and much more... (This interview was recorded on 25th August.) We would like to thank our podcast sponsor, Air Business [https://www.airbusiness.com/], a market-leader in distribution and subscription management services for the publishing industry. Its end-to-end service includes subscriber acquisition and marketing strategy, worldwide distribution, digital, mail and e-commerce fulfilment, and warehouse and freight logistics. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Dave Musgrove

James Evelegh talks to Dave Musgrove, content director, history, at Immediate Media, about:  * their HistoryExtra podcast hitting the twin milestones of 15 years & 150m downloads * how they're marking the milestones with a new series: '15 minutes of fame' * introducing a UGC element to their podcasts * dos & don'ts of creating a successful podcast * how the podcast started as a marketing channel but is now a monetisable product * how the HistoryExtra podcast team manages to deliver such prolific output * why the Bayeux Tapestry still resonates today * why they've put a paywall on the HistoryExtra website * their key paywall learnings to date * his thinking on incorporating a more "clubbable element" to the HistoryExtra offering * his hopes for a possible new lease of life for the newsstand post-pandemic * and much more... (This interview was recorded on 23rd June.) We would like to thank our podcast sponsor, Air Business [https://www.airbusiness.com/], a market-leader in distribution and subscription management services for the publishing industry. Its end-to-end service includes subscriber acquisition and marketing strategy, worldwide distribution, digital, mail and e-commerce fulfilment, and warehouse and freight logistics. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.