The Digiday Podcast

Latest Episodes:

CNN’s Meredith Artley: ‘We don’t put all of our eggs in the Facebook basket’ Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

Facebook sent tremors through the media industry when it announced its news feed change that would deprioritize publishers' content. For this week's Digiday Podcast, we talked to Meredith Artley, svp and editor in chief of CNN Digital Worldwide, before Facebook's announcement. Here's what Artley said about the platform:

“The media industry collectively freaks out when Facebook makes a change that impacts your business. Well, what were you expecting? It’s their platform, and they’re not in the news business. We at CNN have gotten a little perturbed with those changes, but we can’t put ourselves in a position that it impacts our business in a significant way because that’s irresponsible of us.”

Artley also discussed scale, platform strategy, Donald Trump’s feud with CNN and autoplay videos on the episode.

Hearst’s Kate Lewis: One-third of Hearst’s magazine content is video Jan 10, 2018

Show notes

Last year, the big wave of pivoting to video washed over many media companies. Troy Young, global president for digital at Hearst Magazines, joined the Digiday Podcast last March and said half of Hearst Magazines' content would soon be video. This year, we invited Kate Lewis, svp and editorial director of Hearst Magazines Digital Media, on the podcast to check in with Hearst's digital operations. So far, one-third of Hearst's magazine content is video.

Columbia University's Emily Bell: Facebook is reshaping newsrooms Jan 03, 2018

Show notes

Facebook and Google wrecked the media landscape in 2017, and while publishers might retrench slowly in 2018, the collateral damage has been massive. The platforms have been the breeding ground for fake news and newsroom restructurings, leading to newsroom layoffs. On this week’s episode of the Digiday Podcast, Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, said Facebook is already a publisher and the need to work forward from that point of understanding.

Best of 2017: Facebook, subscriptions and commerce were the big themes for publishers this year Dec 27, 2017

Show notes

On this episode of The Digiday Podcast, we recap the big themes that emerged for publishers this year, from Facebook to the pivot to video to the focus on subscriptions. We bring you clips from top publishers like Bloomberg's Justin Smith, Axios' Jim VandeHei and New York Times' Meredith Levien.

HuffPost's Lydia Polgreen: Trump is not 'topic A' for most Americans Dec 20, 2017

Show notes

HuffPost editor-in-chief Lydia Polgreen recently wrapped up a listening bus tour that made stops in various cities across inland America. On this week's Digiday Podcast, she said that in her many interviews, Donald Trump's name didn't come up. Polgreen talked about how the tour will evolve HuffPost's editorial focus, the results of HuffPost's rebranding and more.

Live Podcast with Vox Media’s Lindsay Nelson: ‘Digital media was drunk on scale’ Dec 13, 2017

Show notes

As the new year approaches, media companies are evaluating their misses in 2017 and goals for 2018. It was a tough year for digital media, with Mashable selling for one-fifth of its one-time valuation, BuzzFeed missing its revenue targets and frequent layoffs. At a Digiday Live Podcast event exclusively for Digiday+ members, editor-in-chief Brian Morrissey chatted with Vox Media CMO Lindsay Nelson about where the industry fell short.

Bustle’s Bryan Goldberg on digital media in 2018: ‘Consolidation has to happen’ Dec 06, 2017

Show notes

There are many blaming digital media woes on ill-thought pivots to video and an addition to venture capital. Nonsense, according to Bustle Digital Group CEO Bryan Goldberg. The fundamental issue is there are too many digital publishers competing for what's left over from Google and Facebook. Goldberg discusses consolidation, investing in digital media businesses, the duopoly and more in this episode.

News industry analyst Ken Doctor 'People will pay for quality content' Nov 29, 2017

Show notes

This has been yet another turbulent year in the media industry, and publishers have pivoted to wherever they found potential for ad dollars or an alternative revenue model. Some are experiencing success with subscription models, particularly those with a legacy of trust and quality associated with their names, like The New York Times. Ken Doctor, a news industry analyst joins us on this week's Digiday Podcast to discuss subscriptions for local news publishers, FCC decisions, the problem with digital-only models, Tronc and more in the episode.

Al Jazeera's Yaser Bishr: Publishers are platform 'sweatshops' Nov 22, 2017

Show notes

"Social media platforms are very bad to retain the audience."

Bloomberg Media's Keith Grossman on platforms: 'Be very wary' Nov 15, 2017

Show notes

"Just putting all of our eggs in one basket because it’s the right short-term thing to do is not where we want to be."