<p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2227" src="https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/NMS-668-300x300-Cover-Art.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/NMS-668-300x300-Cover-Art.jpg 300w, https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/NMS-668-300x300-Cover-Art-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />In <strong>episode 668</strong> of the <strong>New Media Show, host</strong> <strong>Rob Greenlee </strong>talks with<strong> Ollie Forsyth, founder of New Economies and <a href="https://New-Media.co">New-Media.co</a></strong>, about the <strong>fast-changing meaning of “New Media” and why creator-led media is becoming one of the most important shifts in digital publishing, podcasting, video, newsletters, live streaming, and AI-powered content.</strong></p> <p><strong>The conversation begins with a bigger question: what does “New Media” mean now?</strong></p> <blockquote> <p><em><strong>For years, the term New Media has described digital media outside traditional broadcast, print, and cable. But in 2026, the meaning is changing again. New Media is becoming less about a format and more about who the audience trusts, where attention is moving, and how creators are building direct relationships through podcasts, YouTube channels, newsletters, X, Instagram, live shows, private communities, short-form clips, and emerging AI-generated formats.</strong></em></p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Ollie shares how <a href="https://New-Media.co">New-Media.co</a> started as a mapping project focused on tech newsletters, podcasts, and creator-led media brands, and quickly became a broader signal that a new category is forming.</strong> New Media is no longer just a description of online content. It is becoming a business, creator, and distribution category.</p> <blockquote> <p><em><strong>Rob and Ollie explore whether podcasting is still its own category or is becoming one lane within a larger New Media ecosystem. Rob brings the long history of podcasting, RSS, video podcasting, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Netflix, and creator platforms into the discussion, asking whether the word “podcast” is still enough to describe what audiences now consume.</strong></em></p> </blockquote> <p><strong>A major theme in this episode is the difference between audience size and audience value.</strong> Ollie argues that creators do not always need massive audiences if they have focused, valuable, trusted communities. A show with 5,000 highly relevant listeners or viewers can be more valuable than a much larger audience that does not convert or engage.</p> <p><strong>The discussion also moves into traditional media and why legacy media companies may struggle to adapt to this new creator-led environment.</strong> Ollie says the difference is not just production quality. It is the vibe, the trust, the format, and the feeling that audiences are getting access to something more direct and less institutional.</p> <blockquote> <p><em><strong>Rob and Ollie also talk about how X, Instagram, YouTube, newsletters, and short-form clips are becoming the new media distribution stack. YouTube remains central for video and long-form discovery, while X and Instagram are becoming powerful platforms for attention and conversation for creators and media brands.</strong></em></p> </blockquote> <p><strong>The final part of the episode turns to AI-generated content, synthetic media, AI micro-dramas, AI-generated podcasts, disclosure, and audience trust.</strong> Rob raises the tension around the term “AI slop” and whether the podcast industry is reacting differently to bad AI content than it has historically reacted to bad human-created content.</p> <p><strong>Ollie argues that AI can help create new forms of content, but it cannot replace the human element, charisma, taste, and trust that make a real show work.</strong></p> <p>This episode lands on a core New Media Show idea: podcasting helped build the foundation of today’s creator-led media world, but the next era is broader, more video-driven, more AI-assisted, more platform-diverse, and more dependent on human trust than ever before.</p> <p><strong>Key Topics:</strong></p> <ul> <li>What “New Media” means in 2026</li> <li>Why creator-led media is gaining cultural and business influence<br /> New Media vs. the creator economy</li> <li>How New-Media.co maps creators, newsletters, podcasts, and media brands</li> <li>Why podcasting may now be one lane inside a broader media ecosystem<br /> Audience size vs. audience value</li> <li>Why niche audiences can be more powerful than mass reach</li> <li>How creators are building multi-platform distribution systems</li> <li>YouTube, X, Instagram, Substack, newsletters, and short-form video<br /> The role of clips in modern media growth</li> <li>Why traditional media struggles to capture the creator-led “vibe”</li> <li>How legacy media companies could partner with creators</li> <li>Why “podcast” may be an audience term more than a creator identity<br /> Netflix, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and the shifting meaning of shows</li> <li>AI-generated podcasts, AI micro-dramas, and synthetic content</li> <li>Disclosure and transparency around AI-created media</li> <li>Why human taste, trust, charisma, and curation still matter</li> <li>The future of podcasting inside the larger New Media category</li> </ul> <p><strong>Chapter Markers:</strong></p> <p>00:00 Welcome to New Media Show #668<br /> 00:30 Why New Media Is Entering a New Era<br /> 01:30 Introducing Ollie Forsyth<br /> 03:00 What New Media Means Now<br /> 04:00 How New-Media.co Started<br /> 05:30 Why the New Media Category Is Gaining Attention<br /> 06:30 Mapping the New Media Landscape<br /> 08:00 How Creators Get Discovered<br /> 10:00 Creator Economy vs. New Media<br /> 11:30 Why OpenAI and TBPN Became a Signal<br /> 13:30 Audience Value vs. Audience Size<br /> 16:30 Timely vs. Timeless Content<br /> 18:00 Why Distribution Channels Matter<br /> 20:00 Are Podcasters Becoming Creators?<br /> 21:30 AI Micro-Dramas and New Entertainment Formats<br /> 23:00 Short-Form Content and Creator ROI<br /> 25:00 Building Multiple Distribution Channels<br /> 27:00 Is Podcasting Still the Right Term?<br /> 29:00 Apple Podcasts, HLS Video, and YouTube’s Influence<br /> 31:30 New Media as a Broader Category<br /> 32:30 Why AI Companies Want New Media Shows<br /> 33:30 Why Legacy Media Struggles to Adapt<br /> 35:00 The Vibe Difference Between Traditional Media and Creator Media<br /> 37:00 X, Instagram, and the New Distribution Stack<br /> 40:30 YouTube, Video, and Future-Proofing Media Brands<br /> 43:00 Planning Content Like a Media Company<br /> 45:00 Is Podcasting One Lane on a Bigger Freeway?<br /> 48:00 Why Creators Need More Than One Channel<br /> 50:00 Does the Audience Care What We Call It?<br /> 52:00 Is It Just a Show Now?<br /> 53:30 Netflix, YouTube, and Audience Expectations<br /> 55:00 Is New Media Here to Stay?<br /> 56:30 Taste, Attention, and Human Connection<br /> 58:30 AI-Generated Content and Podcasting’s Reaction<br /> 01:00:30 AI Disclosure and Transparency<br /> 01:02:00 AI Micro-Dramas and Synthetic Media<br /> 01:03:30 Can AI Replace the Human Element?<br /> 01:05:00 Bad AI Content vs. Bad Human Content<br /> 01:07:00 Why YouTube Raises the Production Bar<br /> 01:09:00 Why Human Curation Still Matters<br /> 01:11:00 Where New Media Goes Next<br /> 01:13:00 Closing Thoughts</p> <p><strong>Guest and Host Links</strong></p> <p><strong>Guest: Ollie Forsyth</strong><br /> <strong>Founder, New Economies and New-Media.co</strong><br /> New Media: <a href="https://new-media.co">new-media.co</a><br /> New Economies: <a href="https://neweconomies.co">neweconomies.co</a></p> <p><strong>Host: Rob Greenlee</strong><br /> New Media Show: <a href="http://NewMediaShow.com">NewMediaShow.com</a><br /> Rob Greenlee: <a href="http://RobGreenlee.com">RobGreenlee.com</a><br /> Podcast Hall of Fame: <a href="http://PodcastHall.com">PodcastHall.com</a><br /> Rob Greenlee on LinkedIn: <a href="http://linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee">linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee</a><br /> Rob Greenlee Booking: <a href="http://calendly.com/robgreenlee">calendly.com/robgreenlee</a></p> <p><strong>About the Host/Author:</strong><br /> <em>Rob Greenlee is a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee and Chair, a global new-media leader who bridges podcasting’s human roots and its AI-driven future. As founder of Trust Factor Lab and host of the New Media Show and Spoken Human, Rob helps creators start, grow, monetize, and future-proof their content. He has held leadership roles at Microsoft, Spreaker, Libsyn, StreamYard, Podbean, and PodcastOne, and serves as Chairperson of the Podcast Hall of Fame.</em></p> <p><strong>Personal / AI Disclosure Note:</strong><br /> <em>I used AI tools to help organize and edit this episode description and generate show notes from the episode transcript. The views, clarifications, responsibility, and industry perspective are mine and my guest’s. I have been working in podcasting, digital media, and platform adoption for more than two decades, and this article reflects my own position and editorial direction.</em></p><p>The post <a href="https://newmediashow.com/is-new-media-replacing-the-creator-economy-ollie-forsyth-668/">Is New Media Replacing the Creator Economy? | Ollie Forsyth #668</a> first appeared on <a href="https://newmediashow.com">New Media Show</a>.</p>