Come on in to The Media Club
Jake Kanter and Aradhna Tayal Leach talk Spectator, Global and Ofcom.
If you’re in the media you know that we all love a rebrand. An excuse to get a new logo, to axe all those format points you never liked and give the show a new lease of life. Of course, it’s a 50/50 whether it actually works or not. When it falls over, it’s not that the strategy is wrong, it was just the duff implementation.
On the other hand, a rebrand can refocus. It’s a promise that you’re excited about what you’re doing and you want to do a better job for your listeners or viewers.
The Media Podcast’s Doctor Who-style regeneration into The Media Club is naturally the latter. This show has its roots in The Guardian’s Media Talk launched in 2006. The work you would have to have done to listen then! Cables! A half meg broadband connection if you were lucky! If you heard Matt Wells telling you about how Mark Thompson was getting on as the BBC DG you’re definitely a media pod OG. Through John Plunkett and Olly Mann the show kept going, contractually obliged to talk around BBC licence fee renewals every three months.
I, Matt Deegan, took over in 2021 just to provide some cover. I haven’t been let out since.
Lots of people tell me they listen. I don’t entirely believe all of them. But the range of people across telly, radio, print and online who mention the show is vast and terribly embarrassing. From runners to channel controllers, it’s a show that’s open to everyone, but the number of practitioners who tune in is always so pleasing. We’ve always been a club, but never talked about it like that.
One of the key reasons we changed name was that The Media Podcast was very difficult to search for. What a truly modern media problem! Bloody platforms interfering with content. We chose to look at it as an opportunity. The show is much the same. But the name change has allowed us to tidy up the website, socials and give us a brand that we can use for whatever we like. It frees us. So we made the change.
We’ve also found a new home at Pod Shop that as well as recording great audio also looks pretty good for those social clips. My colleagues at Podcast Discovery also gave us a wash and brush up. They turned my blue suit jacket into a pink one. I didn’t feel I could complain.
So here we go. Similar show. New look. But a reminder that if you’re in media, or just love it then you’re a part of our club. Give us you email address and you’ll get missives like this and a reminder to listen. You don’t need two people to recommend you to join.
And onto this week’s show!
GB News owner Sir Paul Marshall bags a prestigious title - but has set his sights on the Telegraph too. Also on the show: the biggest launch of radio stations EVER... and how news consumption has changed forever.
Joining me is Jake Kanter from Deadline and Managing Director of the Radio Academy, Aradhna Tayal Leach.
If you want some further reading, here’s some links:
Paul Marshall buys The Spectator - and loses Andrew Neil as Chair
Ofcom says more consumers get news online than tv for first time
PACT reveals revenue lost last year by commissioning slowdown
Please do subscribe for free so you’re truly part of The Media Club and tell us what you think in the comments or by emailing hello@themediaclub.com.
Oh, and if you like our new look, get 25% off your first booking at PodShopOnline.com, use the code MEDIA CLUB.
The show’s produced by Matt Hill from Rethink Audio, hosted by Matt Deegan with support from Podcast Discovery.