Another cable news star goes the independent route
Another cable news star goes the independent routePLUS: Will the media experience another "Trump bump"?Welcome! I'm Simon Owens and this is my media industry newsletter. If you've received it, then you either subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. If you fit into the latter camp and want to subscribe, then you can click on this handy little button: Let’s jump into it… Quick hitsChris Wallace Quits CNN to Build Future in Streaming Yet another cable news star has decided to go the independent route. Chris Wallace plans to launch his own podcast and video channel with the hope he can build a direct relationship with his audience. — Daily Beast Exclusive: Forbes, CNN, and More Lose Millions as New Google Policy Tanks Affiliate Businesses Major news sites are possibly being punished in Google search results for using third party affiliate partners that publish product-recommendation content. — Adweek CNN’s Existential Post-Election Season The biggest question for CNN as it pivots to digital is whether it can completely abandon its efforts to win the linear TV ratings wars. It has a much larger news-gathering force than either MSNBC or Fox News, which means it has a great opportunity to monetize its huge online audience. But doing so will require a drastic culture change within the company, which won't be easy to pull off. — Puck How Reductress Became a Lasting Voice in Comedy Media The female-oriented satire site Reductress started with a $15,000 Kickstarter fundraiser and now generates 60% of its revenue from online comedy writing classes and merchandise sales. It has 10 full-time employees. — Publish Press A New Streaming Customer Emerges: The Subscription Pauser Consumers are getting more and more savvy about subscribing and unsubscribing to content services based on how much they're being used. This means churn rates are increasing, but at the same time those consumers are more likely to return to a service once it starts offering content that appeals to them. — WSJ How The Ankler converts its free audience into paid subscribersWhen Richard Rushfield launched his Hollywood industry newsletter The Ankler in 2017, he ran every aspect of the business, from the content creation to the customer service. Today, The Ankler resembles a more traditional trade magazine, with a seasoned editor-in-chief and multiple staff writers. But even though Richard took on a small amount of VC investment, most of the company’s growth has been organic, fueled in large part by an extremely successful paid subscription model. In a recent interview, Richard walked through The Ankler’s comprehensive strategy for converting its free audience into paid. The conversation included how his staff determines which articles to place in front of and behind the paywall, why they diversified into multiple newsletters focused on specific niches, how The Ankler uses teaser content to drive conversions, and why he’s decided to stay with Substack. You can watch, listen to, or read the interview over here. More quick hitsHe Saw Digital Media Melt Down. His Next Act? A Media Start-Up. Former Business Insider editor-in-chief Nicholas Carlson is launching a new media startup that's focused on producing highly-polished business documentaries for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. A key part of his strategy will involve sticking to evergreen topics so that the value of the back catalog will continue to grow over time. — NYT The making of a modern hit factory The biggest music stars are increasingly questioning whether music labels provide enough value to deserve their substantial cut of revenue. In an era when anyone can just upload their songs directly to streaming services, what are labels for? — Financial Times Slate Sees 7X Spike in Subscriptions Day After Trump Win A lot of left-leaning publications sent newsletters to their audiences last week about their intention to hold the Trump Administration accountable over the next four years. It's clear that these outlets are hoping for a "Trump Bump" in subscription revenue similar to what they saw during the first Trump term. — The Wrap Mail Online hits 100,000 paying subscribers It's kind of impressive that Mail Online hit 100,000 paying subscribers in such a short period of time given it's only putting 1% of its stories behind a paywall and its main focus over the past 15+ years has been on churning out reams of clickbait headlines. — Press Gazette I’m looking for more media entrepreneurs to feature on my newsletter and podcastOne of the things I really pride myself on is that I don’t just focus this newsletter on covering the handful of mainstream media companies that every other industry outlet features. Instead, I go the extra mile to find and interview media entrepreneurs who have been quietly killing it behind the scenes. In most cases, the operators I feature have completely bootstrapped their outlets. In that vein, I’m looking for even more entrepreneurs to feature. Specifically, I’m looking for people succeeding in these areas:
Interested in speaking to me? You can find my contact info over here. (please don’t simply hit reply to this newsletter because that’ll go to a different email address.) Want a daily dose of media industry news?I only send this newsletter out twice a week, but I curate industry news on a daily basis. Follow me on one of these social platforms if you want your daily fix: You're currently a free subscriber to Simon Owens's Media Newsletter. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. |
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The return of Office Hours
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Whenever I talk to my paid subscribers, there's one question I consistently get asked: “Are you ever bringing back your Office Hours?” ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Google traffic is overrated
Friday, November 8, 2024
PLUS: Shorter attention spans haven't put a dent into the book industry. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
How Lon Seidman used his tech YouTube channel to build a huge affiliate business
Friday, November 8, 2024
He specializes in reviewing non-sexy gadgets that sell in high volumes. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
It's a great time to invest in independent media
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
I'm not going to bore you with my analysis of the US election. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Is there life after CNN? Chris Cillizza hopes so
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
After being cast off from the “most trusted name in news,” the political analyst is trying to forge his own path. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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