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A podcast for news publishers.
Join us for an informal chat with industry experts about thought-provoking topics and hear about matters that lie close to their hearts.
Grab a coffee and join us for a dose of inspiration.
Join us for an informal chat with industry experts about thought-provoking topics and hear about matters that lie close to their hearts.
Grab a coffee and join us for a dose of inspiration.
30 Episodes
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Search isn’t going away. Barry Adams returns to unpack Google’s rapid shift to AI, the rise of “AI Mode,” and what this means for user behavior and publisher traffic. He shares why live blogs and newsletters matter more than ever, and how publishers can prepare for a post-peak search world. He also dives into why classic brand signals shape AI answers, even if your content gets consumed differently than what you might wish for.
Are we truly digital-first — or just acting the part? Media veteran Lena K Samuelsson reflects on her transformative tenure at Aftonbladet, Sweden’s largest digital news outlet. Drawing on her experience at Schibsted, she shares three pivotal moments that shaped her leadership: empowering a new generation of editors, accelerating digital transformation during the pandemic, and grappling with the rise of AI in journalism.
Alexandra Chillag, Strategy & Portfolio Manager at NZZ, guides us through the unique strengths of the Swiss media landscape, the strategic importance of trust, and how NZZ is balancing its rich heritage with innovation. She highlights NZZ's early adoption of AI-driven technologies like propensity modeling for subscriptions, their approach to meeting younger audiences’ "liquid expectations," and the organization's conscious effort to build direct, loyal relationships with their readers in an increasingly fragmented digital ecosystem.
Lisa MacLeod from FT Strategies shares lessons from three decades in newsrooms. She explains why many media organizations still struggle to leave their print-first mindset behind, why newsroom and commercial teams need to collaborate much more closely — and why the future belongs to those who embrace experimentation, agility, and a new approach to digital storytelling.
Jan Schwalbe, Editor-in-Chief at Finanz und Wirtschaft (FuW), shares the story behind FuW’s transformation into one of TX Group’s fastest-growing digital brands. Under his leadership, the publication expanded beyond print—launching premium products, scaling up events, and embracing gamified formats like Fantasy Funds. These moves boosted brand visibility, attracted younger audiences, and drove subscription growth. Jan also reflects on the high-stakes nature of financial journalism, where precision isn’t just expected—it can move markets.
Tony Bangert, founder of Performance Labs and a seasoned media and tech executive, joins us to discuss how traditional media companies can leverage AI effectively for revenue operations, and the need for strategic adoption and internal buy-in. Tony also highlights how media startups are leveraging agility and tech to challenge legacy outlets, and how Performance Labs is building tools that make revenue diagnostics scalable and actionable.
In this episode, Tarjei Gilbrant, CEO of Kilkaya, joins us to challenge the way publishers think about analytics, engagement, and personalization. We explore why traditional KPIs like clicks and view time fall short, and how editorially guided personalization can drive loyalty and distinguish quality journalism from social media noise. From informed recommendations to homepage transformation, Tarjei shares insights on aligning analytics with publisher's core business, the risks of relying on tech giants, and the future of direct audience relationships.
Newsrooms aren't just about journalism anymore. Alexian Chiavegato from Marfeel breaks down why modern publishers must think beyond content creation—embracing SEO, AI, audience data, and even e-commerce. We dive into why engagement isn't just about clicks and why smaller publishers need to rethink revenue models beyond subscriptions.
Marina Sorg, Deputy Chief Product Officer at Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) shares how the German publisher is driving digital innovation and subscription growth in an evolving media landscape. She discusses the revamp of "FAZ Der Tag", featuring AI-generated summaries, audio integration, and interactive features to engage modern audiences. Marina also explores FAZ’s Plus subscription strategy and efforts to reduce platform dependency by strengthening direct reader relationships.
We sit down with Renata Okrajni, CEO of PushPushGo, to chat about the role of push notifications in media and explore expert tips on making push notifications a powerful tool for your audience strategy. Renata shares insights on how segmentation, breaking news, and local journalism can drive audience engagement—while also highlighting what to watch out for to avoid notification fatigue.
Johanna Suhonen, VP of Content Business at Alma Media, discusses the evolving Nordic media landscape and strategies for future-proofing media businesses. She highlights Alma Media’s revenue-driven culture, where journalists and managers work in a hands-on, results-oriented, and entrepreneurial way to achieve the company’s goals.The conversation explores the challenge of maintaining both profitability and high-quality content, enabling structured innovation while preserving journalistic integrity.
Having worked at nearly every major media house in Denmark,Pernille Holbøll, Group Senior Director atBetter Collective, shares her journey from editorial leadership in traditional media to the more commercial side of an international digital company. In this episode, we explore the balance between editorial integrity and business strategy, the evolving revenue models in digital media, and the gap between content creation and monetization.Pernille also discusses strategies at Better Collective to stay ahead in a rapidly changing industry, key lessons from the past and how they prepare for the future.
Ignaz Van Hasselt fromMather joins us for a deep dive into the world of data. Ignaz shares practical insights on leveraging data, avoiding common pitfalls and why data is useless without the right questions.he myth of more content equals more engagement.
In this episode, we sit down with Anders Krab-Johansen, the CEO of Berlingske Media, a prominent figure in the Danish media landscape. We dive into Berlingske Media's strategic collaborations with major tech players, including social media and search companies, to develop viable solutions for news publishers in the digital age and touch on the challenges faced during Google's experiment, where 1% of search traffic in Denmark was blocked. Anders also shares the unified approach at Berlingske of implementing new technology and streamlining workflows across their four distinct brands.
From AI advancements leveraging data to new content personalization opportunities and the emergence of new industry players, we reflect on the past year’s milestones and anticipate what lies ahead in 2025. In this episode, Norkon's CEO, Eirik Næsje, and Co-founder & Head of Innovation, Fredrik Nøring, share their perspectives on the critical success factors for media houses and the role of data in driving innovation and personalization opportunities, painting a vivid picture of an evolving media landscape.
We’re joined by Alan Hunter and Michael Brunt, co-founders of HBM Advisory, to explore sustainable revenue models and address the commercial challenges confronting today’s media outlets. With the continuous changes in the media industry, from print to digital to search algorithmic changes and traffic decline, it has become essential for publishers to diversify their revenue streams. Alan and Michael emphasize that the most successful publishers focus on their readers, trying to find new ways to better serve them and lock them in, rather than focusing on managing decline.Key takeaway: Don't mourn on how thing used to be, don't focus on decline, instead focus on reader needs and benefits.
Jonny Kaldor, Co-founder of Pugpig, joins us to explore the strategic role of apps in driving reader engagement and loyalty. He emphasizes that app success hinges on thoughtful newsroom integration and effort, sharing insights on when and why a mobile app approach makes sense for publishers as well as overlooked challenges.Pugpig's consumption and retention report can be accessed here: https://www.pugpig.com/the-media-collective-on-retention-economics/
Jean-Marc de Jonghe, VP of Digital Product at La Presse, discusses the newspaper's bold transition to a digital-only model in 2017. He reflects on the strategic choices that drove this shift and explores how rapid technological change continues to reshape the media landscape. Emphasizing the irreplaceable value of human-driven storytelling, Jean-Marc highlights how La Presse maintains an agile team and prioritizes high reader engagement to stay relevant in an evolving digital world.
Danny Lein, founder of Twipe, joins us to discuss the challenges and opportunities media organizations face in an era where AI technology is disrupting businesses at very high speed, where tech giants like AWS, Google and Microsoft release new AI products at an extremely rapid pace. Danny also shares highlights from the Twipe Digital Summits, which reunited expert keynote speakers from the industry.
Jim Edwards, Global Executive Editor for News at Fortune Media joins us in this episode and shares Fortune's unique positioning. He explores how traditional media models that have long relied on print and live conferences, once considered outdated, have now become valuable assets in today’s subscription-driven landscape. We also discuss Fortune’s late digital evolution, including its delayed launch of a dedicated website until 2017, and how this hindsight allowed the company to avoid many of the common pitfalls of digital media. Additionally, we dive into the impact of third-party cookie tracking, privacy concerns, and the rise of the “consent or pay” business model.
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