The Media Club with Matt Deegan

How many subscription services do we need? Podcast exec Steve Ackerman, tells us why paywalls need a overhaul.
Also on the show: Channel 4 moves in with Disney+... and hires The Cube's showrunner to make its own hits. CMG Productions co-CEO and Channel 4 alumna Claire McArdle on what it means for broadcasters, indies... and your remote control.
All that plus: the Telegraph's AI-powered future costs up to 100 jobs, it's RAJAR week and Adam Bowie talks us through the radio numbers, Steve explains why your favourite podcast has no idea who you are... and, in The Audio Network Media Quiz, it's Halloween - so we turn the lights down low for three spine-chilling media tales.
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.com
We record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studio
Become a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at themediaclub.com
A Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.
What The Media Club has been reading this week:
BBC to merge TV and audio commissioners across three genres
Channel 4 and Disney+ strike landmark UK deal
Channel 4 hires Adam Adler as Creative Director of its in-house studio
Telegraph cuts up to 100 jobs in 'AI-powered' overhaul
Allison Pearson said to be negotiating exit from the Telegraph
Adam Bowie’s review of RAJAR Q3 2026
SupaPass appoints Steve Ackerman as non-executive director
Ghostwatch: The Night That Terrified Britain on 5
Why colourful collaborations can be a route to success
BBC pays £400,000 to former Storyville commissioner Lucie Kon
The TV Festival sets Manchester dates and venues
British Journalism Awards 2026 shortlist revealed
Celeb seeking injunction against Guardian and ITN
Reform launches The Reformer
Spreaker and the podcast copycats
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While BBC News loses another 100 roles, CNN comes knocking with a fiver-a-month UK subscription. Charlotte Tobitt from Press Gazette takes us through it.
Also on the show: what’s actually working with AI in the newsroom - and what’s a waste of budget? Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard, co-founders of news consultancy Fathm, bring us a field guide from the newsrooms they’ve worked inside.

All that plus: Spotify wants your superfans’ money, two Southwark courtrooms put the media in the spotlight... and, in The Audio Network Media Quiz, we warm up the valves on the wireless for a vintage parlour game.

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 audionetwork.com

We record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at podshoponline.co.uk
Become a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at themediaclub.com
A Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.

What The Media Club has been reading this week:
BBC to close BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Radio 4 Extra linear services
CNN launches All Access subscription and paywall in the UK
Spotify announces Spotify Partnerships
Court Hears Daily Mail Editor’s Voicemail from Tommy Robinson
“Media industry protects its own,” court hears in Russell Brand case
Canary Closes
BBC TikTok Channel Closes
YouTuber Laments YouTube After Hacking
The Signal - Fathm’s weekly podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After 14 years of Yorkshire vets, cruise ships and All Creatures Great and Small, Ben Frow is stepping down at 5. Broadcast's Heather Fallon on the end of an era - and who could possibly follow him.
Also on the show: new launches are down on broadcasters and streamers alike - and so are the bank balances of the people who make them. Indielab founder Victoria Powell on what small indies can do about it, and why the whole industry is heading to GrowthLab London at the Barbican.
All that plus: Marina Hyde goes Always On, the gossip from MIPCOM... and, in The Audio Network Media Quiz, we gather the suspects in the drawing room.
The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Alex selects the music to score each episode - and the Audio Network team can do it for you too, at audionetwork.com
We record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studio
Become a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at themediaclub.com
A Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.
What The Media Club has been reading this week:
Ben Frow steps down at 5
Marina Hyde launches Always On with Goalhanger
Netflix and Disney+ new launches down in 2026
GrowthLab London 2026
BBC asks court to make Trump sit for deposition
Fox's Rob Wade: "We're not here to flip a house"
Ian Hislop marks 40 years at Private Eye
Girls returns to HBO
Podnews Daily goes to video
GTA VI gets podcasts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The BBC's director general wants the corporation to have "a little less conversation, a little more action" - but with BBC Three reportedly heading for the exit, are the staff all shook up? Gold Wala's Faraz Osman on what Matt Brittin's digital revolution means for the people who make the programmes.
Also on the show: it's the first ever National Magazine Day. The Week Junior's editor Vanessa Harriss on why, in an age of endless screens, children are still reaching for paper.
All that plus: Channel 4 finds its new content chief, Warner Bros. wakes up as Skydance... and, in The Audio Network Media Quiz, we roll up the shutters on some abandoned lock-ups.
The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Alex selects the music to score each episode - and the Audio Network team can do it for you too, at audionetwork.com
We record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studio
Become a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at themediaclub.com
A Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.
What The Media Club has been reading this week:
BBC boss Matt Brittin sets out a Silicon Valley-style revolution
Brittin faces staff criticism over job cuts in junior ranks
BBC Three and BBC Scotland channels face closure
David Brindley set to be named Channel 4 content chief
Paramount completes Warner Bros. Discovery takeover to form Skydance
National Magazine Day 2026
Radio 2 Apologises
Guardian ends casual staff practice
Prof. Brian Cox trades radio for digital
Bidders revealed for Doctor Who
Goalhanger brings ad sales in house
Rachel Jupp becomes new BBC News chief
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.com
Recorded 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.com
A 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 podcast
MIDiA: Gen Z turn to radio for music discovery
Brindley and Murphy in two-horse race for C4 content boss
BBC deletes bare nails article
Radio in the car: shock new figures
Britten Thinks AI Dr Who 'Pretty Good'
Channel 4 Chief Accepts Shows Will Appear on iPlayer
Guardian to train journalists in content creation

Laura'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 blogger
Mimi 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 Magazine
Radge 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 Spratt
Vicky 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.
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