In this issue we ask why the UK journalism industry pretends it doesn't have a class problem, go on a rant about why Condé’s comparison of magazine readers to web and social audiences makes no sense, and how ad-supported TV is roaring back to prominence.

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Why UK journalism's class problem matters, and what can be done about it — pressgazette.co.uk

You hear a lot about how journalism is a rarefied profession - and for good reason. Research in the UK consistently demonstrates that journalism is dominated by the middle classes, and while there has been progress made in diversifying the industry in a lot of ways the class problem seems to becoming more entrenched than ever, if anything.

So why does that matter? Well, as Robyn Vinter explains: "I don’t think the industry is quite prepared to put two very obvious things together. The growing crisis of trust, and the fact that journalism is almost all made up of people who are from privileged backgrounds."

The problem is that so much of the industry is loath to address that issue - and in fact is disincentivised to do so. Look at the amount of money J-schools charge to teach the ever-more irrelevant shorthand, which the industry agrees to pretend is vital. That cost alone keeps journalism oh so middle class. It needs to be addressed - and fast.

Condé’s comparison of magazine readers to web and social audiences makes no sense — voices.media

Our very own Peter is popping off at a statement from Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch. He claimed that the publisher of glossy titles like Vogue, Wired, The New Yorker, and GQ, is “no longer a magazine company. That argument seems mostly predicated on the relative audiences figures between its online and print readers. Give this a read and validate Peter's vitriol!

Why free streaming channels like Pluto TV and Tubi have viewers watching commercials again — www.latimes.com

We dip into talking about broadcast media when it has an impact on the wider thinking about media business models. In the UK, Channel 4 is currently under threat from the Tory government's mendacity - and as this shows, its arguments that it cannot survive via ads ring extremely hollow.

Playboy is putting influencers at the centre of its new business model — www.thedrum.com

Whatever you think of the Playboy brand, which wound down its iconic print publication in 2020, it's certainly trying to find new monetisation strategies. Last year it launched its Rabbitar NFTs and now the 69-year-old brand is looking to influencers to future-proof its business model.

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This week's podcast

Digital Director at Rolling Stone UK & Attitude Magazine Charlotte Cijffers on nurturing audiences online — voices.media

This week we hear from Charlotte Cijffers, Digital Director at Rolling Stone UK & Attitude Magazine. We spoke about launching the iconic Rolling Stone title in the UK, her work on Attitude’s digital transformation, and the benefits of developing more localised content for magazines. She also gives advice on what publishers should focus on when looking to grow their own audiences online.

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