Insights from @lionpubs about an audit of 75 indy news businesses PLUS @adders summarises the @mediavoicespod 's annual Media Moments report

December 02, 2022

I'm a big fan of the Local Independent Online News Publishers in the US. They are bringing support to scrappy local news publishers there, particularly around areas like business operations. They have released the results of an independent audit of 75 of the publishers in their network, and it highlights the strengths and weaknesses of some of these publishers.

My friend Adam Tinworth has done something that I haven't yet had time to do, go over the Media Voices' team Media Moments report. (I will do, but I'm currently very busy putting the finishing touches on Pugpig's State of the Digital Publishing Market report.) The overview looks at changes in ad volume, the importance of newsletters, podcasts as a source of revenue and more.

PLUS a good piece on product experimentation from Mind the Product. Google is facing a pretty hefty anti-trust (anti-competition) lawsuit in the UK over adtech. Why did Future's stock price slide when it announced record profits? NPR looks to cut after $20m decline in sponsorships.

Takeaways from the LION-GNI Sustainability Audits and Funding program.

I chatted with LION's Chris Krewson for the Pugpig's State of the Digital Publishing Market report, and this audit is an excellent contribution to research about the industry, especially the small, scrappy indy publishers LION serves. The executive summary is that these publishers are starting to see real benefits from audience development strategies and also by sharpening their business focus and bringing on business talent when needed.

Litigation against Google and its parent entity Alphabet now filed in the UK on behalf of thousands of digital publishers is seeking up to £13.6 billion (~$16.3BN) in damages.

The platforms are coming under greater scrutiny and pressure. Their size and impact on the markets meant that European regulators were going to get involved sooner or later. And I am surprised that it's taken this long.

The annual Media Moments report from the Media Voices is crew - here’s the highlights for journalists and publishers for the 2022 report.

Adam has a really good round up of the report. The first point about user experience improving as ad volume goes down is so true. And it's clear that there is a divergence between groups focused on volume and ad revenue versus subscription-based media outlets that need to have incredible user experience that isn't cluttered with ads.

I also agree with Adam that the comment about SEO needs more exploration. As I said to Adam and Esther Kezia-Thorpe on Twitter:

In this spotlight session sponsored by Split at #mtpcon London 2022, Tu Nguyen and Shannon Cassidy discussed how product managers can create a culture of learning and experimentation for themselves and their organisations.

This is a great piece to bookmark. I especially love the idea of feature flagging, where you turn features on and off by user (or audience) segments to get a better understanding of how it's used.

How tech has changed the consumption of audio content

When we talk about media and technology, there's a keyword that always enters the conversation: disruption. And yet, there's one innovation that seems impervious, even bulletproof from being upended by "the next big thing." There was a time when radio could have fallen into this category. But wait - maybe it still can.

Reports are that Amazon is frustrated with the progress of its Alexa smart speaker line. Can radio help?

Future reports record profit and sees stock price slide

Future results 2022: Interview with CEO Zillah Byng-Thorne has UK's largest magazine publisher reports record revenue and profit

Future has announced its Full Year results for 2022, highlighting strong growth both in the U.S. and UK, its primary markets. However, macroeconomic headwinds are appearing on the horizon. Future plc, the specialist media company whose brands include Techradar, Gamesradar+, The Week, Marie Claire and Music Week, has today announced its full-year results for 2022. …

Industry News: NatGeo's social media plans, Washington Post's new year in review product and NPR cuts

National Geographic is the largest brand on social media.

“We are relentlessly focused on a subscriber’s relationship at an individual level.” The Washington Post today launched “Newsprint,” a personalized interactive feature presenting a subscriber’s most-read news topics, journalists and stories from the past year. This new feature builds on The Post’s continued experimentation with tailoring experiences based on a subscriber’s identified interests. “We are …

NPR is freezing hiring and tightening its belt in other ways in anticipation of a $20 million shortfall in financial sponsorships this fiscal year.