Hey there,
We’re trying a new thing for the next few Mondays, a wrap-up of other media podcasts from the last week. Tell us what you think about it in the comments! It’s based on our listening and a little bit of AI help too.
So…
It's been a particularly feisty week across the media podcast landscape, with British journalism's role in stoking political division taking centre stage alongside some fascinating insights into the future of cinema and TV. From Farage's grip on news narratives to Trump's media blind spots, plus the usual Hollywood machinations and a deep dive into why Generation Alpha might actually save cinema, there's plenty to digest. The recurring theme? How power, politics and platforms continue to reshape what we watch, read and believe.
Speaking of which, if you missed Friday's Media Club, we tackled the curious case of the reluctant superindies - why aren't the big production companies splashing cash on new acquisitions right now? Steven D Wright joined me to explain what's really going on behind the scenes, while Audio UK's Chloe Straw discussed the shockwaves from Wondery's recent cuts and what it means for the podcast sector. We also pondered whether Destination X got a raw deal, celebrated Apple TV+ finally flogging some shows to terrestrial broadcasters, and in our quiz, attempted to fix some knackered old media properties. Classic Friday afternoon stuff, really. Listen
The Media Show | September 3
Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins had quite the agenda this week, starting with Reform UK's decision to ban Nottingham Post and BBC democracy reporters after some unflattering local government coverage - a proper glimpse into how the party handles media they don't fancy. Elsewhere, they looked at how French PM François Bayrou is trying to sell unpopular budget cuts via podcasts and YouTube (good luck with that), and how protestors are organising through Telegram. The show also featured historian Richard Evans discussing the British journalist who interviewed Hitler - timely parallels there - and covered the Anna Wintour succession at Vogue. (Guests: Natalie Fahy, Nottinghamshire Live; Kitty Donaldson, i paper; Hugh Schofield, BBC Paris; Paola Sedda, University of Lille; Richard Evans, historian; Michael Grynbaum, New York Times)
Media Confidential | September 4
Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber kicked off Season 3 with a proper examination of how British media has been dancing to Nigel Farage's tune during the recent asylum seeker hotel protests. They questioned whether the press has been too quick to amplify the "Broken Britain" narrative, essentially asking if we've all been played by Farage's media savvy. Also on the agenda: the increasingly dire situation for journalists in Gaza, why nobody trusts local news anymore, and Nick Davies's fresh updates to "Hack Attack" ahead of ITV's upcoming phone hacking drama "The Hack."
Beebwatch | September 3
Roger Bolton had Professor John Wyver on to discuss the row over access restrictions at the BBC Written Archive Centre. Turns out two-thirds of this crucial repository of British broadcasting history is already closed to researchers, and now they want to restrict access even further. Wyver's been leading the campaign against these changes, arguing that proper access to archives is essential for understanding how broadcasting shapes our culture. The fact there's no public catalogue is frankly mental for such an important collection. (Guests: Professor John Wyver, University of Westminster)
Insiders: The TV Podcast | September 4
Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville were all over crime drama this week, sparked by "The Thursday Murder Club" topping the Netflix charts. Jimmy shared stories from his long partnership with Jed Mercurio (lucky him), while Peter talked about developing "The Chelsea Detective." They had an interesting theory that crime shows and panel shows are basically the same thing - constantly unfashionable with commissioners but absolutely beloved by viewers. They also debated whether it's safer to adapt a bestselling novel or come up with something completely new.
TellyCast | September 4
Justin Crosby interviewed brand-funded content specialist Charlie Read from Upstream about the boom in branded entertainment and what producers need to know about working with brands. The discussion covered five key areas: understanding business outcomes, audience insights, building IP with brands, learning their language, and shifting from interruption-based advertising to genuine engagement. A practical guide for the fast-growing world of brand partnerships in content creation. (Guests: Charlie Read, Upstream founder)
The Radio Academy Podcast | September 2
The Radio Academy's weekly show for audio creators featured a summer special looking back at highlights from last year's Festival 2024: Impact Amplified. The episode showcased conversations with speakers from all three festival stages, along with Arias winners and people getting their first break in the audio industry. A proper nostalgia trip ahead of this year's Radio Academy Festival 2025: World of Sound on September 17th - basically a reminder of why the UK audio community knows how to throw a good conference.
Podnews Weekly Review | September 1 & 5
James Cridland and Sam Sethi had quite the week covering podcast industry developments. Their main episode focused on podcast evolution in Asia, featuring insights into the biggest podcast network in the Philippines and discussions about podcast apps and innovation across the region. They also ran a full interview with Alex Sanfilippo from PodMatch, exploring how the platform works like "a dating app for interviews" and revolutionising podcast guest booking through community building and automated admin functions. (Guests: Ron Beat Young, Podcast Network Asia; Alex Sanfilippo, PodMatch; Barry, POD Home)
When It Hits the Fan | September 3
David Yelland and Simon Lewis wrapped up their golden rules series with what might be the most important lesson: knowing when you're the baddie. They spent the episode talking about self-awareness in crisis management - basically, if everyone thinks you're wrong, maybe have a proper think about whether you actually are. The key message was about bursting your own bubble and challenging groupthink, because as they put it, "PRs hold up the mirror and sometimes people don't like what they see."
On the Media | September 3 & 5
The Peabody Award-winning WNYC show had two fascinating episodes this week. First, they tackled the bizarre viral outrage over "Peanut the Squirrel," exploring how a story about a pet squirrel seized by environmental officers became a massive social media firestorm that swept through both mainstream and conservative media during election season. The second episode examined Trump's deployment of troops and how MAGA supporters talk about authoritarianism, while also looking at how Ukrainians are using media to tell their story of the war - arguing that without media, Ukraine wouldn't be as successful as it has been.
Mixed Signals from Semafor Media | September 5
Ben Smith and Max Tani grilled Financial Times editor Roula Khalaf about what it means to run a newspaper for the wealthy in our increasingly populist world. With subscriptions at £45 a month, the FT is definitely not for everyone, which raises some proper questions about who gets access to quality journalism. Khalaf talked about how surprisingly well their older journalists are doing on social media, their experiments with AI, and what she's learned from chatting with tech leaders like Sam Altman. They also tackled how the FT handles Trump coverage and the social media pile-ons, particularly around Gaza reporting. (Guests: Roula Khalaf, Financial Times editor)
Channels with Peter Kafka | September 3
Peter Kafka sat down with Oliver Darcy, who's gone from unemployed CNN hack to must-read newsletter mogul in just over a year with his Status publication. Darcy's got a unique angle on right-wing media because he used to be part of it, which gives him proper insight into how fringe content has moved mainstream. His editorial philosophy is refreshingly blunt: "We say the things everyone else is thinking but no one else is saying." His advice to media bosses trying to keep talent? Simple: "Don't let them leave." (Guests: Oliver Darcy, Status founder)
Power Lines with Oliver Darcy | September 5
Speak of the devil, Oliver Darcy alongside co-host Jon Passantino were absolutely fuming about David Ellison's plan to buy Bari Weiss's The Free Press and stick her in a senior role at CBS News. They called it a politically-driven disaster that highlights how The Free Press isn't actually doing much proper journalism. They also had a go at mainstream media for ignoring some rather concerning photos of Trump's health, arguing that this silence will just fuel more conspiracy theories. Plus, they tore apart media mogul John Malone's complaints about CNN being "anti-Trump" - pointing out that MAGA types will never trust CNN regardless.
The Town with Matthew Belloni | September 1 & 5
Matt Belloni had two crackers this week. First, a live chat from the El Rey theatre with AMC boss Adam Aron and Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw about why cinema isn't dead yet - covering everything from those endless trailers to Netflix's complicated relationship with theatres. Then he interviewed research boffin Fergus Navaratnam-Blair about some genuinely surprising findings: Generation Alpha actually prefers the big screen to their phones and can sit through entire films without getting distracted. Who knew? They also dug into which franchises and actors this crucial demographic actually care about. (Guests: Adam Aron, AMC Theaters CEO; Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg; Fergus Navaratnam-Blair, National Research Group)
Spot any media podcasts we've missed? Reply and let us know! And if you haven't already, subscribe to The Media Club on your favourite podcast app or catch us on YouTube.
Such a good idea, thanks for this. Now can you do a new podcast talking about all the podcasts please. Joking obviously but bet someone’s been thinking of it