Monday 17th May: PPA report highlights magazine sector's value to UK economy

May 17, 2021

Happy Monday! Today's Media Roundup is brought to you by Peter.

The PPA has published a new report highlighting the scale and reach of the consumer magazine and business media sector. The Sector Insight Report puts the economic value of magazine media at £3.74 billion in 2019, directly supporting 55,000 jobs.

Part of the UK's creative industries, magazine publishing brought an estimated £519 million into the UK economy through exports of 73 million magazines. Despite digital growth, print still has a significant presence, with an estimated 700 million consumer products and over 50 million B2B products being distributed in 2019. Distribution relies on 45,000 retailers across the UK, supporting an estimated 6,400 jobs in that supply chain.

Of course this was all pre-COVID, and 2020 revenues are down 10%. But renewed focus on audience relationships has left the industry optimistic for a recovery in 2021. Fingers crossed.

Some incredibly Trumpian energy exposed in this NY Magazine article focusing on how Silicon Valley feels picked on by “woke” journalists “who can’t code.” It's tempting to laugh about billionaire tech bros complaining they're being unfairly treated by the press. But given the power they wield, journalists need to keep calling out their questionable behaviours.

Substack has just bought a community management firm and you could be forgiven for asking 'Why?' But Adam Tinworth thinks it's a smart move by a firm that will live or die by how engaged its subscribers stay. He says, "One great way to retain subscribers is make them feel part of a community... intellect might get people to start paying, but the emotional connections keep them shelling out." 

This is an interesting look at the Gordian knot of moderation on social media platforms. The traditional one-to-one block used by most networks just doesn't work within the room structure used by Clubhouse. Letting room organisers mute people has largely worked, but has also created the opportunity for 'tactical silencing' of minorities on the platform.

This week's episode:

In this special episode, the Media Voices team take a look at which media companies and personalities have been the biggest winners and losers of the lockdown-era.

Thank you so much to everyone who's helped us reach our Ko-Fi goal - we're planning to invest in some mics and soundproofing. Our podcast and analysis is free but done in our spare time, so your support genuinely goes a long way towards keeping us going during the early Sunday morning recordings.