Magazine sales are up for some titles, with a resurgence of those that deal with news and current affairs. What's their secret? Also in the programme, why campaigners say CGTN, the English language news channel from China, should lose its Ofcom licence to broadcast in the UK. Amol Rajan is joined by Jason Cowley, editor The New Statesman, Rosie Blau, editor 1843, Christopher Montgomery, co-editor The Critic, and Peter Dahlin, director of Safeguard Defenders Producer: Richard Hooper...
Feb 26, 2020•28 min
The Yorkshire Post is one of the oldest titles in the country and styles itself as “Yorkshire’s National Newspaper”. During the 2019 general election, the paper’s scoop about “the boy on the hospital floor” reached a huge audience and influenced the debate. But it also spawned a conspiracy theory. In this extended interview, editor James Mitchinson discusses his battle against fake news, his vision for The Yorkshire Post and why a childhood in the coalfields of North Notts fuels his passion for ...
Feb 19, 2020•27 min
As Spotify buys The Ringer for a reported $250m, Amol Rajan asks if the podcasting gold rush will ever end. Guests: Steve Ackerman, Managing Director of Somethin' Else, Otegha Uwagba, host of In Good Company, Gerry Edwards, CEO of Podcast Radio, and Caroline Crampton, journalist and writer for Hot Pod Producer: Richard Hooper Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez
Feb 12, 2020•28 min
Broadcasters have complained after Boris Johnson's "address to the nation" on the eve of Brexit was made by Downing Street's PR team and not recorded by journalists. Meanwhile, a group of political journalists walked out of Number 10 after senior reporters claimed they had been barred from an additional press briefing. Also in the programme, the government announces a public consultation on whether non-payment of the TV licence fee should remain a criminal offence. Amol Rajan is joined by Michae...
Feb 05, 2020•28 min
Brexit will be done on Friday, says Boris Johnson – and large parts of the media will need to find something else to talk about. Amol Rajan asks whether the polarised tone of much Brexit journalism has permanently changed the public’s appetite for news. Guests: Bénédicte Paviot, UK correspondent for France 24, James O'Brien, LBC presenter, Matina Stevis-Gridneff, Brussels correspondent for The New York Times, and Mick Booker, editor of The Sunday Express Producer: Richard Hooper...
Jan 29, 2020•28 min
Documentary making is undergoing a renaissance, with box set factual shows among the most popular on streaming services. Amol Rajan charts the evolution of the documentary with the help of Tom Mangold, whose latest film for the BBC is called Keeler, Profumo, Ward and Me, Leo Pearlman, managing partner at Fulwell 73 and executive producer of Auschwitz Untold: In Colour for Channel 4, and Justine Kershaw, creative director of Blink Films. Producer: Richard Hooper Image: Still from Sunderland 'Til ...
Jan 22, 2020•28 min
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced that they are stepping down as senior members of the Royal family, a decision that is thought to have been partly motivated by negative press coverage they receive in the UK. Yet their plan and the manner in which it was revealed, has enraged sections of the press even further. Also in the show, why the boss of BritBox wants it to be "the biggest box of British box-sets". Amol Rajan is joined by Dan Wootton, Executive Editor at The Sun, Robert Hardma...
Jan 15, 2020•28 min
Andy Wilman is executive producer of The Grand Tour, the Amazon Prime Video show featuring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. Previously he was the creative force behind Top Gear, turning the programme into one of the BBC's most successful exports. Also on the show, Mark Ryan, executive director of the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas, talks about the Australian philanthropic venture with over £50m to invest in journalism. And Latika Bourke, journalist with The Sydn...
Jan 08, 2020•28 min
The UK's traditional TV channels might be losing viewers to Netflix and Amazon, but when it comes to the actual shows we're all streaming, British producers are responsible for many of them. In this special edition of The Media Show, Amol Rajan asks how long will the drama boom last? Guests: Kate Harwood, managing director of Euston Films, Jason Kingsley, co-founder of Rebellion, Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, and Rhianna Dhillon, film and TV critic Producer: Richard Hooper Assistant Pro...
Jan 01, 2020•28 min
Private Eye editor on making jokes about Boris Johnson, Prince Andrew and Greta Thunberg
Dec 22, 2019•28 min
Most British journalists reporting on politics were shocked by the scale of the Conservative victory. Why did the result take them by surprise and what influence did the media actually have on voters? Amol Rajan is joined by Piers Morgan, ITV presenter, Hannah Chapman, editor of The Northern Echo, Alison Rowat, Senior Politics Writer at The Herald, Oli Dugmore, Head of News and Politics at JOE, and Professor Dominic Wring, Loughborough University. Producer: Richard Hooper
Dec 18, 2019•28 min
Ronan Farrow is hailed as one of the greatest reporters of his generation. For his ground-breaking New Yorker investigation into Harvey Weinstein, he shared a Pulitzer Prize with Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of The New York Times. Now Farrow has told the story of how he battled to get the allegations published in a new book, Catch and Kill. Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper
Dec 11, 2019•28 min
Amazon has the rights to broadcast the Premier League in December, the first time matches have not been "televised" on a traditional TV channel. Is this the start of a revolution in live sports broadcasting, or a one-off marketing stunt by Amazon to attract Christmas shoppers to its Prime service? Also in the show, how TikTok is changing its virtual gifts policy after a BBC investigation. Guests: Jake Humphrey, co-founder Whisper Films, Minal Modha, consumer lead Ampere Analysis, Kait Borsay, sp...
Dec 04, 2019•28 min
A new Channel 4 show What Makes a Murderer has been made with the assistance of a convicted criminal. Tony Sales co-founded the production company Underworld TV to make programmes about the criminal world. Also capitalising on demand for true crime stories is Bauer Media, who earlier this year launched the magazine Crime Monthly. How are the political parties using the media to get their election messages out? Newsquest, one of the UK's largest regional publishers, has written to the Electoral C...
Nov 27, 2019•28 min
Dorothy Byrne, Head of News and Current Affairs for Channel 4 and author of Trust Me, I'm Not A Politician, on the role journalism can play in restoring public trust in politicians. Also, an exclusive interview with Steve Hatch, Facebook's boss in Northern Europe, on the company's readiness for the general election. And Shona Ghosh, UK Tech Editor at Business Insider, on whether Google Stadia will become "the Netflix of gaming". Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper
Nov 20, 2019•28 min
Exclusive interview with Facebook's boss in Northern Europe
Nov 20, 2019•17 min
Amol Rajan is joined by Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times and Lionel Barber, editor of The Financial Times. Mr Barber announced this week that he is standing down and will be replaced in January by Roula Khalaf, the first female editor of the FT since it was founded in 1888. Producer: Richard Hooper
Nov 13, 2019•28 min
As CEO of Disney since 2005, Bob Iger has transformed the company with the acquisition of entertainment brands like Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox. In this UK exclusive interview, Bob Iger talks about his life and career, from working as a weatherman to becoming one of the most powerful figures in global media. Iger’s autobiography is called The Ride Of A Lifetime. Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper This programme includes a clip of Michael Eisner presenting on The Disney Cha...
Nov 01, 2019•52 min
In January, in a court in Manhattan, Harvey Weinstein will stand trial for the rape and sexual assault of two women. The movie producer denies the charges - just as he has denied allegations by more than 80 other women. Weinstein’s reckoning has come about largely because of the diligence of two journalists at The New York Times. Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s investigation in 2017 triggered not only Weinstein’s downfall but ignited the global #MeToo movement. Their reporting won them the Pulitz...
Oct 30, 2019•28 min
Kay Burley has worked for Sky News since it launched in 1989. Now she has a new role as presenter of its breakfast show. Also in the programme, Clive Tyldesley, the football commentator, says the British media have failed the public with its Brexit reporting and claims sports journalists would have done a better job. Andrea Catherwood is joined by Kay Burley, Zing Tsjeng, VICE UK executive editor, Dino Sofos, editor of BBC Brexitcast, and Clive Tyldesley. Producer: Richard Hooper...
Oct 23, 2019•28 min
China and Russia are featuring prominently in the two biggest international news stories at the moment in Hong Kong and Syria. We have two top journalists just back from these places to talk about reporting from inside repressive regimes And, it’s being called the biggest media event of the year so far - it's created a black hole of information and no one is quite sure what will happen next. No not Brexit - but Fortnite - the massively popular game had its end of season finale on Saturday. Prese...
Oct 16, 2019•28 min
Algorithms are increasingly making choices for young people, from recommending new TV shows to the friends they meet. But when machines are so intelligent that they can make all these decisions, who is actually responsible? Andrea Catherwood hosts a debate at the BBC Blue Room annual conference with Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, Dr Nejra van Zalk, lecturer in psychology at Imperial College London, Hanna Adan, documentary maker and Neil Lawrence, DeepMind Professor of Machi...
Oct 09, 2019•28 min
The BBC is engulfed in a row about its handling of a complaint against Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty. Krishnan Guru-Murthy of Channel 4 News and Chris Banatvala, formerly Director of Standards at OFCOM and a member of The Sky News Board, discuss. Luke Hyams, Head of YouTube Originals EMEA, on their new strategy of using their YouTuber stars to front original factual programmes. Minal Modha of Ampere Analysis explains what this might mean for the future of TV. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Pr...
Oct 02, 2019•28 min
Steven Knight is best known as the creator of Peaky Blinders, the BBC gangster drama. But his career hits also include Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - one of the world’s most successful game shows - and an Oscar nomination for Dirty Pretty Things. He tells Jim Waterson about his new show for Apple TV+, plans for a film studio in Birmingham and why Snoop Dogg loves Peaky Blinders. Producer: Richard Hooper
Sep 25, 2019•28 min
LBC is gaining listeners thanks to a strategy of employing highly opinionated presenters. What can other news outlets learn from its success? And is the concept of the impartial journalist now outdated? Also in the show, a new initiative to create an international set of standards for journalism and the controller of the TV channel Dave. Andrea Catherwood is joined by Shelagh Fogarty, LBC presenter, Sarah Sands, editor of Radio 4's Today programme and contributor to the book Today: A History of ...
Sep 18, 2019•34 min
BBC Parliament is enjoying record ratings as viewers tune in for the latest episode of British political drama. Meanwhile, some MPs have been defying rules and convention by filming proceedings in the House of Commons using their phones, and posting it on social media. Peter Knowles, Controller of BBC Parliament, and Emily Ashton, Senior Political Correspondent at BuzzFeed UK, discuss why Parliament has gone viral. Also in the show, the inside story of the Channel 5 documentary Suicidal and how ...
Sep 11, 2019•28 min
The rules of politics have gone out the window and momentous political events are happening, it seems, every hour. So how do journalists and TV producers make sense of it for the rest of us? Andrea Catherwood is joined by Nicolai Gentchev, Director of Current Affairs at Mentorn Media, Camilla Tominey, Associate Editor of The Telegraph and Ayesha Hazarika, Diary Editor of The Evening Standard. Also in the show, Dylan Jones, editor in chief of British GQ. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Ric...
Sep 04, 2019•28 min
Around 20% of UK households now own a smart speaker manufactured by the likes of Google and Amazon. But have we really thought through the consequences of letting big tech companies into our homes in such an intimate fashion? In this special edition of The Media Show, Madhumita Murgia looks at privacy concerns around the devices and asks whether they represent the next chapter of the internet. Guests: Emma Kendrew, AI and Intelligent Automation Lead at Accenture, Jen Heape, Co-Founder of Vixen L...
Aug 28, 2019•27 min
Digital advertisers are maintaining blacklists of news topics they disapprove of. Some brands have even added keywords associated with President Trump to their list, meaning publishers are effectively facing a boycott of regular news stories by advertisers. Also in the programme, the Irish government is proposing to replace the country's TV licence fee with a new "device independent broadcasting charge". Critics say any household with a smart phone or laptop would have to pay it, regardless of w...
Aug 21, 2019•28 min
The broadcasting watchdog Ofcom is proposing new safeguarding rules for reality or unscripted television and radio shows. It says that “due care must be taken over the welfare, well-being and dignity of participants in programmes." In addition, “participants must not be caused unjustified distress or anxiety by taking part in programmes or by the broadcast of those programmes." Ofcom is currently inviting feedback on these proposals - but what counts as "unjustified distress and anxiety"? After ...
Aug 14, 2019•28 min
