News Take

News/Media Alliance

"News Take" is a series of interviews with news professionals, for news professionals. Established leaders in the news media industry join News Media Alliance President & CEO David Chavern to offer their perspectives and share their "hot take" with listeners on how news organizations are applying the latest industry trends."

  1. 05/09/2023

    News Take Episode 203: Pioneering Innovation at Legacy Magazine and News Media Brands

    Guest: Lisa Hughes, Publisher, The Philadelphia Inquirer How can magazines and newspapers innovate to attract and keep subscribers in an increasingly competitive landscape? What must news and magazine publishers do to continue to keep their readers engaged over the long-term? In this episode of News Take, Lisa Hughes, the first female Publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer, joins News/Media Alliance VP, Research & Insights, Rebecca Frank, for an insightful conversation about the evolution of magazine and newspaper media during a time of rapid change, and how she's led with innovation at top magazine and news publications to introduce successful new products and brands that have kept readers and subscribers coming back for more. Hughes talks about her very first experiences working in the magazine publishing business, and how she rose through the ranks to become a top executive at The New Yorker and Condé Nast Traveler before making the transition to Philadelphia's flagship newspaper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, where four weeks in she found herself brand new and having to adapt and respond amid a nationwide shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She shares how innovative strategies and products, including live blogs, newsletters and gamification have been successful in driving audience engagement, as well as the potential of new platforms such as TikTok for meeting audiences where they are. She also talks about the risks and opportunities that come with new technologies such as generative AI and where she sees the technology having the most potential to optimize the reader experience.

    33 min
  2. 04/11/2023

    News Take Episode 202: How the American Press Institute is Inspiring Cultural Transformation in News Media

    Guests: Samantha Ragland and Elite Truong, American Press Institute What is cultural transformation, and how do publishers know if they're doing it right? How can publishers cultivate real and lasting cultural change in newsrooms? How does cultural transformation in the newsroom translate to the content produced and thereby the relationships newsrooms have with members of their communities?  In this episode of News Take, News/Media Alliance VP, Research & Insights, Rebecca Frank sits down with Samantha Ragland, Vice President of Journalism Programs and Elite Truong, Vice President of Product Strategy, both at the American Press Institute, for a candid and fascinating conversation about the work API is doing with news publishers to help them look at their organizations with a critical eye and evolve to better reflect the communities they serve and respond to their needs. They talk about their work with newsroom leaders on DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging), promoting and fostering a sustainable news organization from the inside out, and encouraging a culture of experimentation in the newsroom. Finally, they share lessons learned from API's Table Stakes program and Inclusion Index, as well as their data centric tools for publishers, Metrics for News and Source Matters, and offer tips for how other news publishers can use data and related guidance at their own organizations to spark transformation.

    56 min
  3. 02/14/2023

    News Take Episode 201: News Nutrition Labels: How NewsGuard is Helping Fight Misinformation Online

    Guest: Gordon Crovitz, NewsGuard What are the dangers of an open Web where anyone can be a publisher? How do misinformation sites harm reputable news publishers? How are current economic and geopolitical conditions impacting the online information ecosystem? What is a News Nutrition Label and, if consumers can't tell the difference, how are publishers of quality journalism distinguished from misinformation, hoax and pink slime news sites? How has programmatic advertising contributed to the misinformation crisis and how can advertisers ensure site integrity when buying ad space?  In this episode of News Take, News/Media Alliance VP, Research & Insights, Rebecca Frank sits down with Gordon Crovitz, co-founder and co-CEO of NewsGuard, about how his company is working to mitigate threats from online misinformation sites, which are often indistinguishable from real news sites. Gordon explains how the online environment has enabled the rampant spread of fake news and mis- and disinformation via hoax, pink slime and other sites that publish false and potentially harmful misinformation. He then shares how publishers, consumers, advertisers and other businesses, and government agencies can improve their awareness and identification of these sites to minimize their impact. In addition, he describes how news publishers can use NewsGuard's Nutrition Labels to promote their credibility, both with readers as sources of accurate and trustworthy information, as well as with marketers as brand safe environments for their advertising.

    36 min
  4. 12/13/2022

    News Take Episode 112: Lessons in Practicality from The Daily Memphian: "A Lot of People Don't Know We're a Nonprofit"

    Guest: Eric Barnes, The Daily Memphian What are some of the things to consider when starting a local newspaper? How can you be nonprofit and still operate like a for-profit newspaper? How did you attract subscribers in a competitive market? What went better than you expected and what didn't go as well? What have you learned about finding the best revenue mix? What should someone thinking about starting a local newspaper know before they get started? In this episode of News Take, News/Media Alliance President & CEO David Chavern talks with Eric Barnes, CEO of The Daily Memphian, a nonprofit local newspaper in Memphis, Tennessee, about his experience over the last four years launching a nonprofit local newspaper. Eric walks takes us from the very initial discussions and fundraising steps, to deciding whether to publish a print edition or be a purely a digital news publication, to how they decided what to charge for subscriptions and how they structure their organization to allow them to employ 40 newsroom staff (Hint: It's not on pure philanthropy!) He shares everything from how they took cues from the community to chart a practical course for advertising, fundraising, and reporting; to why they don't do sponsored content and scaled back on podcasts; to how they found a balance that is working for them. This must-listen primer on launching a nonprofit digital news publication is full of practical tips and takeaways for anyone wanting to run a news publishing business!

    40 min
  5. 11/15/2022

    News Take Episode 111: Outsmarting Google and Facebook: Helping Publishers Grow Their Audience Outside the Dominant Platforms

    Guest: Rand Fishkin, SparkToro What can publishers do to get out from under the dominant tech platforms that control the digital advertising space? How have other industries pushed back on Google's scraping of their data and coming between them and their audience? How can publishers take back control of our audience data so that we're not having to go through Google, Facebook and the other tech platforms to reach our own audience? In this episode of News Take, News/Media Alliance President & CEO David Chavern is joined by Rand Fishkin, cofounder and CEO of audience research software firm SparkToro, for a fascinating conversation about the big tech platforms, their algorithms, and how the Internet has evolved from a once equitable environment that was mutually beneficial, to now favoring only a handful of giant tech platforms today. Rand paints a picture of the digital marketing landscape businesses must navigate today, highlighting concerns with tech platforms' walled gardens in which they intentionally try to keep you from leaving. He shares SparkToro's research on "zero click searches" that has gained attention from marketers worldwide on how few web searches now result in a click through to the original content. And he explains how his company helps marketers understand their audience's behaviors and preferences without having to rely on Google and Facebook, and the importance of taking back ownership of your audience relationships and data.

    44 min

About

"News Take" is a series of interviews with news professionals, for news professionals. Established leaders in the news media industry join News Media Alliance President & CEO David Chavern to offer their perspectives and share their "hot take" with listeners on how news organizations are applying the latest industry trends."