The Rebooting Show
The Rebooting Show

The Rebooting Show

Brian Morrissey

Overview
Episodes

Details

The Rebooting Show gets into the weeds with those building and operating media businesses, giving an open view into how the smartest people in the media business are building sustainable media businesses. https://www.therebooting.com/ (www.therebooting.com)

Recent Episodes

Semafor’s Ben Smith on Newsroom Wars
JUN 11, 2024
Semafor’s Ben Smith on Newsroom Wars

Semafor editor in chief Ben Smith sees a fragmenting media landscape and impatient owners running headlong into the peculiarities of newsroom culture, where bosses have never had an easy time. Enter the hard-charing Brits. Also: check out Ben’s new podcast, Mixed Signals, in which Ben and co-host Nayeema Raza unpack the real conspiracies of modern media.

Skip to topic:

  • 00:54 Introducing Ben Smith and Mixed Signals
  • 04:14 Podcasting and Media Expertise
  • 09:09 Challenges in Modern Newsrooms
  • 20:11 Unionization and Media Management
  • 23:40 The Washington Post's Third Newsroom
  • 26:19 Semaphore's Journey and Business Insights
  • 28:37 BuzzFeed News: Reflections and Lessons
  • 35:28 AI in Journalism: Opportunities and Challenges
  • 41:55 Starting from Scratch: Advantages and Strategies
  • 43:22 The Role of Journalists in Modern Media

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45 MIN
The Washington Post’s Turnaround Plan
JUN 4, 2024
The Washington Post’s Turnaround Plan

In the wake of Jeff Bezos buying The Washington Post in 2013 and the heady “Democracy Dies in Darkness” days following the 2016 election, The Washington Post was considered a credible rival to The New York Times. That’s no longer the case. New CEO Will Lewis is embarking on a turnaround at the Post, which lost $77 million last year. As Lewis put it, “We are in a hole, and we have been for some time.” On this week’s episode, Matt Cronin, founding partner of House of Kaizen, joins to discuss the Post’s strategy as laid out by Lewis.

Skip to topic:

  • 00:00 Introduction and Breaking News
  • 01:00 Challenges Facing the Washington Post
  • 02:20 Industry-Wide Transitions
  • 03:51 Engagement and Product Strategy
  • 05:49 Podcast Introduction and Format
  • 06:12 Will Lewis's Turnaround Plan
  • 09:29 Subscription Models and Audience Segmentation
  • 22:13 Historical Context and Missed Opportunities
  • 28:06 Peak Subscription Debate
  • 31:47 The Paradox of Choice in Consumer Behavior
  • 35:52 Volume vs. Value in Subscription Models
  • 42:09 Challenges of Subscription Tiers
  • 46:40 B2B Opportunities for News Organizations
  • 51:59 Microtransactions in Media

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62 MIN
The Depth Era
MAY 21, 2024
The Depth Era

Publishing is shifting from prioritizing breadth to rewarding depth. That starts with understanding the audience — and its segments — more granularly in order to create a more sustainable and varied business foundation. Cory Munchbach, CEO of BlueConic, shares her view of the next chapter.

Skip to topic:

  • 00:00 Introduction and Media Challenges
  • 01:02 Welcome to The Rebooting Show
  • 01:44 Discussion on Audience vs. Consumer
  • 03:38 Key Takeaways from the New Growth Agenda
  • 07:22 Challenges in Media Transformation
  • 09:37 The Role of Technology and Organizational Structure
  • 13:01 Existential Threats and Industry Nostalgia
  • 18:22 Adapting to a Consumer-First Strategy
  • 25:59 Navigating Data Collection and Audience Insights
  • 30:16 The Role of AI in Audience Understanding
  • 36:00 The Future of Personalization and Content Delivery
  • 38:55 Transparency, Privacy, and Value Exchange
  • 44:47 The Future of Advertising and Publishing

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47 MIN
Audio in the AI Age
MAY 20, 2024
Audio in the AI Age

Scott Porch, founder of Big IP, which operates the business side of several popular lifestyle podcasts like The John Campea Show, Happy Sad Confused, Star Wars Explained, discusses that state of podcasting, and how it is morphing. He acts as something of a talent manager in expanding these podcasts into more well rounded media companies, with revenue coming from memberships and events. The growth of these businesses will not be driven by ads necessarily. "Podcasters are influencers in a lot of respects and they monetize like an influencer in a lot of respects,” Scott noted.

Skip to topic:

  • 00:00 Navigating the Complex World of Podcasting and Monetization
  • 01:25 Introducing Scott Porch: The Podcasting Pro
  • 02:31 The Intricacies of Podcast Production and Distribution
  • 07:33 Exploring the Podcast Landscape: Growth, Challenges, and Opportunities
  • 15:25 The Evolution of Podcasting: From Audio to Multi-Platform Engagement
  • 19:30 The Future of Podcasting: Diversification and Creator Economy
  • 26:25 Understanding Podcast Subscriptions and Membership Models
  • 35:06 The Realities of Podcast Touring
  • 37:52 Monetization Strategies in Podcasting
  • 42:14 AI's Impact on Podcasting and Content Creation
  • 48:36 The Debate Over Long-Form Podcasts
  • 53:23 Challenges and Strategies in Podcast Distribution
  • 58:50 Sponsorship and Monetization in the Podcast Industry

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63 MIN
Chaos in the SERP
MAY 7, 2024
Chaos in the SERP
Detailed.com's Glen Allsop breaks down the massive Google update roiling the publishing world as Google attempts to gain control of spammy results. Glenn breaks down the winners and losers, why big publishers have come to depend on SEO and often push the envelope with sub-standard content and brand arbitrage.
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53 MIN