Wednesday 6th July: The world's first conference dedicated to publisher podcasts

July 06, 2022

Good morning! Today's newsletter is brought to you by Peter.

We are delighted to be able to introduce the publishing world to our first ever podcast summit. The conference – the only one of its kind dedicated to publisher podcasts – will be held in London on Wednesday 5th October 2022.

Inspired by the amazing turnout at our podcast awards in April, we want to bring together publishers of all shapes and sizes to share their experiences of launching and growing their podcast portfolios. The themes for the day will include:

  • Editorial: How publishers can build their podcasts on to established workflows.

  • Marketing: What strategies work best for growing listener numbers?

  • Sound & production: What equipment works best on a budget?

  • Monetisation: How to make podcasting a sustainable revenue stream.

Keep scrolling for an exclusive discount on tickets just for our lovely newsletter readers.

That's quite the headline from Press Gazette following the news that The Guardian has joined Google's News Showcase. Another way to look at this story is that The Guardian has joined 240 news titles in the UK that have signed on to the programme since it launched in February last year. One of the big hold outs is DMGT who think taking Google money would 'undermine their position politically' 🤣.

On the regulator's side of the Big Tech debate, EU lawmakers gave the thumbs up on Tuesday to landmark rules to rein in the power of Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft. The new rules seek to force tech companies to open access to messaging platforms and ban some types of ad targeting. The fines associated with breaches could be up to 10% of global turnover, but enforcement could be an issue due to regulators' limited resources.

The UK Culture Secretary has approved the deal after Newsquest’s chief executive Henry Faure Walker warned her that its bid to rescue a number of “loss-making titles” at Archant would be hindered by Government intervention. She had previously said she was “minded to” intervene, claiming there “may be public interest considerations” that “warrant further investigation”.

This week's podcast:

On this week’s episode we hear from Lance Johnson, CEO of Recurrent Media. You might not have heard of them (yet), but you will have heard of some of their 25 brands – Donut, Domino, Saveur, Popular Science, and most recently, MEL magazine. He tells us about the group’s acquisition strategy, how they’re different from the usual VC companies we encounter, and what you need to do to get bought by Recurrent.

Tickets to the inaugural Publisher Podcast Summit are on sale! Take advantage of an exclusive pre-agenda discount code just for our newsletter subscribers: enter MVNL20 at checkout for 20% off all ticket types.