The Media Club with Matt Deegan

Ten years on from Remainiacs, Podmasters co-founder Martin Bojtos says we're nowhere near peak podcast - and MIDiA Research's Laura Fisher on why Gen Z are turning to radio for music discovery.Also on the show: Dave Masterman on building Significant Productions with Elis James and John Robins, and the Audio Academy's Aradhna Tayal Leach on the key takeaways from the Audio Festival in London.All that plus: we catch up with British Podcast Awards winners, Channel 4's hunt for a programme boss goes to a photo finish... and, in The Audio Network Media Quiz, we hand out some awards of our own.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Alex (who is a real person) selects the music for us to score each episode and she and her team can do it for you too at audionetwork.comRecorded live at the Audio Academy Festival — thank you to the Audio Academy for having us.Become a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this week:Podmasters: we're nowhere near peak podcastMIDiA: Gen Z turn to radio for music discoveryBrindley and Murphy in two-horse race for C4 content bossBBC deletes bare nails articleRadio in the car: shock new figuresBritten Thinks AI Dr Who 'Pretty Good'Channel 4 Chief Accepts Shows Will Appear on iPlayerGuardian to train journalists in content creationLaura's recommendations for the club:Cut for time, here's a few of Laura's excellent choices for the club. Go check them out!@Wyatt Dixon is someone whose work I really like. He does content but also has a Substack, and he’s a photographer too. And I think he’s adding something really positive to the conversation around men and masculinity. Really is in the work he does a counterbalance to some of the worst parts of the manosphere.Mimi, the music bloggerMimi has a great Substack focused on music journalism. What I really like is that she always connects the music back to lived experience, people and community. She gives the work context which makes her writing really engaging.Radge MagazineRadge Magazine is run by a woman based in Middlesbrough, and it has a really strong community focus. She talks openly about her working-class Northern upbringing and the political and social issues affecting her and her community. I like that she often makes those bigger issues really relatable - so what she says frequently is that a steak bake now costing £2.50 is radge. It’s a great example because it communicates something much bigger about the cost of living and how people experience it.Vicky SprattVicky Spratt is a journalist who did a series called The Gen Z Story for Goalhanger’s The Rest Is Politics, which I thought was excellent. It explained some of the issues facing Gen Z today in a way that was accessible to a wider audience. She also produces some great content independently and regularly features in The i Paper. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where do people actually want to see your adverts – and where would they rather you just didn't? Kantar's Global Media Director Gonca Bubani gives us an early look at Media Reactions 2026.Also on the show: Strictly, Bake Off and the Grand Tour get a talent reboot. InterTalent MD Alex Segal – author of the Dealmakers Substack – on the stars refreshing old formats.All that plus: Trump’s latest salvo against the press sees him launch a YouTube channel, Piers Morgan gets an apology from Earl Spencer, Andy Burnham declares war on disinformation, the BBC blows the final whistle on its sports bulletins... and, in the Audio Network Media Quiz, we learn how to get rich quick.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Alex selects the music for us to score each episode and the team can do it for you too at:https://audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios – for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at:https://www.podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studioBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at:https://themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this week:White House launches Trump TV on YouTubeBurnham announces National Centre for Information DefenceBBC to axe sports bulletins on its news channelEarl Spencer apologises to Piers MorganKyle Sandilands to deliver an unforgettable keynoteMipcomUK RIPHearst returns to revenue growthGlobal Player offers ad-free subscriptionsDisney+ Interupts Game For Ad BreakDealmakers with Alex Segal Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Metro's editor-in-chief has quit and a familiar face is back to steady the ship. Alex Hudson, who spent years as deputy editor of Metro.co.uk, sizes up his old newsroom.Also on the show: Channel 4 and Channel 5 make advertising history together, just days after Channel 4 confirmed a quarter of its workforce is going. TV and media journalist Tara Conlan on what the deal – and the cuts – mean for the wider industry.All that plus: playwright Jack Thorne accuses fellow screenwriters of using AI to cheat, the BBC gets serious about Birmingham, Radio 2 goes shopping for a £300k visualised podcast, Emily Maitlis goes digging into Jeffrey Epstein's British circle, and Acast says the format wars are finally over... and, in the Audio Network Media Quiz, we go looking for good news at the pictures.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Alex selects the music for us to score each episode and the team can do it for you too at:https://audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios – for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at:https://www.podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studioBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at:https://themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this week:Metro editor and executive editor exit amid radical changeReach cuts 220 staff in reaction to AI OverviewJack Thorne says fellow writers are using AI to cheatChannel 4 and Paramount's 5 make advertising historyEmily Maitlis to host Global podcast on Epstein's British linksBBC launches partnership with Birmingham City UniversityVisualised Podcast Brief at R2Acast releases Podcast Pulse 2026Guardian grows revenue to record £282mNewsquest grows profit as digital subscribers riseWashington Post on track to break even after four years of lossesTara’s Job Finding Platform, How Do You Do? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A quarter of Channel 4’s workforce will be gone by the end of the year in Priya Dogra’s grand vision. Broadcast's Rebecca Cooney on whether the broadcaster can afford it, and what happens to its promise to the nations and regions.Also on the show: as advertisers pile back into audio, Bauer Media Advertising's Simon Kilby joins the club for the first time to tell us where the money's actually going.All that plus: the independent production sector's cash reserves are wearing dangerously thin, Ofcom throws public broadcasters an olive branch on advertising rules... and in the Audio Network Media Quiz, some old favourites bow out while a flashy new arrival gets no takers.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Alex selects the music for us to score each episode and she and her team can do it for you too at https://audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at https://www.podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studioBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at https://themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this week:Channel 4 Confirms Biggest Job Cuts In Its HistoryPriya Dogra Sets Out Her RationaleTiny Cash Buffers Leave Small UK TV Firms At RiskOfcom Sets Out Measures To Help Under-Pressure PSBsBBC Staff Reject Improved Pay Offer As Strike LoomsTrump Administration Attacks UK Plan To Boost BBC On YouTubeNetflix Hikes UK Prices, Cheapest Plan Up A ThirdSTV Studios Reviews Its LabelsZoe Ball Launches New Afternoon Show On GHRMonty Don Steps Down From Gardeners' WorldTom Jones Fired From The Voice UKAntiques Roadshow Repeat Overwhelms The Box Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're in Edinburgh for the last installment of the Edinburgh International TV Festival before it moves to Manchester next year. But there's plenty of energy on show in this season finale, as YouTube's Pedro Pina delivers the Festival's keynote - the MacTaggart lecture - and unsurprisingly, was not keen on more regulation or of their platform.Also on the show: where's innovation? Fenton Bailey - World Of Wonder - joined us for an in depth interview this week which you can see on YouTube. During the chat he had a very particular metaphor for the crisis in television... TV Critic Scott Bryan and indie chief Geoff Jein (Biscuit Jim) dissect the theory.All that, plus conversations with award winners TwoFour, Banijay, Persephonica and Quay Street Productions - and, in the Audio Network Media Quiz - we rundown the big commission announcements of the week with Entertainment Exec Rina Dayalji and Broadcast Magazine's Chris Curtis.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Alex selects the music for us to score each episode and she and her team can do it for you too at https://audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at podshoponline.co.ukChapters:0:00 - Edinburgh TV Festival special0:33 - YouTube’s Pedro Pina on regulation and public service prominence6:42 - Fenton Bailey’s Titanic metaphor and TV’s innovation crisis13:16 - Matt Brittin, the BBC and the future of public broadcasting18:31 - Rethinking the BBC licence fee and Public Media 202825:52 - Audio Network on human-made music and AI30:22 - Quay Street Productions' Nicola Shindler on drama, funding and what commissioners want36:34 - Persephonica on podcasting, YouTube and Amol Rajan’s next move43:20 - Banijay on global formats, creators and building the next big franchise53:34 - TwoFour's David Clews on 'Educating...', Destination X and taking risks in TV1:00:27 - Audio Network Media Quiz: Commission Impossible1:06:46 - Festival takeaways: noisy TV, YouTube and an industry in fluxBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.