Podcast
The Rebooting Show
Hosted by Brian Morrissey · EN
The Rebooting Show gets into the weeds with those building and operating media businesses, giving an open view into how the smartest people in the media business are building sustainable media businesses. https://www.therebooting.com/ (www.therebooting.com)
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Dow Jones recipe for growth
1w ago00:53:28Tap to summarizeIn the wreckage of the scale era, The Wall Street Journal is one of the winners. It has 4.5 million paid subscriptions and the broader Dow Jones portfolio has 6.3 million with a foothold in B2B data assets like OPIS and Risk & Compliance. The Journal has more pep under the editorial leadership of Emma Tucker. Scott Havens, a veteran of leadership positions at Bloomberg Media, The Atlantic, Time, joined at the start of the year as the chief growth officer of Dow Jones and global head of consumer. Scott joined me on The Rebooting Show to discuss where those growth opportunities lie. "Since I left business school and got into digital in the late 90s, it was always about building something new,” Scott tole me. “ The pathway for media growth usually is launching new things. You can always optimize your current stuff, but I've seen success from putting new things into the market, exploring new areas for audiences and for sponsors." Chapters: 00:00 Beehiiv Spot 01:21 Intro 04:02 Conversation with Scott 04:22 Growth Remit 06:52 Breaking Down Dow Jones 10:06 Niche Expansion Strategy 12:14 Sports as Asset Class 16:19 Picking New Verticals 20:12 Creators and Talent Labs 25:32 New Creator Business Models 27:09 Video Strategy Across Platforms 32:38 International Growth Strategy 38:56 Events As Growth Engine 46:21 Next Phase Subscription Growth
Transcribe →The revenge of brand
2w ago00:47:02Tap to summarizeMarkets in the midst of technological change tend to have two camps. One is the legacy incumbents that have strengths in their brands and the other in upstarts that are nimbler. In digital media, it turned out brand won. At Possible, The Rebooting held TRB Conversations, a series of podcast discussions with media leaders on what they’re betting on. The connective tissue that emerged is that publishers are leaning more heavily on the value of their brands as they reorient their businesses to focus less on scale and more on depth. This episode features conversations with Shachar Oren, CMO/CRO of EX.CO; Brendan Spain, vp of advertising for the Americas, The Financial Times; Rachael Savage, svp of ad revenue operations, Hearst Magazines; and Avi Zimack, chief growth officer, Bustle Digital Group. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome 00:57 EX.CO 01:20 CTV Meets Digital Lessons 02:45 Closing the CTV Budget Gap 06:49 All Screens Advertising Future 09:10 Measurement and Agentic Shift 11:32 FT Brand Safety Reality 14:29 FT Video and Paywall Growth 16:39 Global Brand Advantage 22:20 Hearst Brands Need Playbooks 25:34 Scale vs Niche Monetization 28:16 Hearst AI and Data Backbone 33:06 BDG Pivot to Activations 37:50 Influencers and Brand Seals 43:57 Events Plus Data Flywheel
Transcribe →Inside Politico’s franchise playbook for Playbook
3w ago00:56:24Tap to summarizeAt nearly two decades old, Politico's Playbook was an innovator in the now-familiar daily agenda-setting newsletter. Playbook is now more than a DC staple. It has editions in five countries with two more on the way. And it is looking to adopt a franchise model with multimedia and events extensions. Politico executive editor for Europe Kate Day joined the show to discuss the formula that makes Playbook work: the mix of exclusive reporting, service journalism, and a tone that feels like a letter from your smartest friend in politics. She talks about what stays consistent across cultures, what has to change, and why the Brussels political bubble turns out to be just as full of compelling characters as Capitol Hill. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome 00:47 TRB in Cannes 01:27 Beehiiv Spot 03:02 Conversation with Kate 06:07 Playbook Goes Global 10:17 Localizing the Formula 14:28 Axel Springer Integration 17:58 Brand and Hosts 25:21 Franchise Beyond Newsletter 28:01 Building The Pub 30:24 Breakfasts Vs Drinks 32:47 Designing Playbook Summits 35:06 Video And Streaming Push 37:52 Newsletter Saturation Limits 41:19 Choosing New Markets 45:29 AI In The Newsroom
Transcribe →TV advertising has decentralized
4w ago00:30:41Tap to summarizeThe decentralization of digital media has arrived for TV. The TV advertising system is being remade in the image of the data-focused, automated ad systems that came to dominate the internet. TV was always the holdout, thanks to scarcity. That’s changed. Now, TV advertising has fragmented as part of a larger video advertising ecosystem, stretching from connected TV to streaming to retail media to out of home placements. Last week, we held a series of discussions on this emerging ecosystem as part of TRB Conversations, powered by EX.CO. In this special episode, I speak to Lauren Benedict, vp of ad sales at Roku; Katie English, global head of ad sales at Spotify; and Patrick Courtney, chief business officer at Fuse Media. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome 01:50 Roku Hits and Habits 04:48 Modern TV Front Door 07:12 Measurement and Outcomes 10:47 CTV for Every Advertiser 12:28 Spotify AI Ad Tools 14:46 GenAI Creative Controls 16:43 Video Inventory and Scale 18:22 Spotify Ad Exchange Growth 19:02 Audio Measurement and Habits 21:20 Fuse TV Meets Programmatic 24:07 Innovators Dilemma at Fuse 26:26 FAST Gold Rush Reality Check 28:55 Beyond YouTube TV Opportunity
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Inside The Guardian's U.S. expansion
Apr 2801:04:52Tap to summarizeMuch of the U.S. news landscape is doom and gloom, but The Guardian is a quiet success story. Powered by reader contributions, The Guardian now has a 150-person newsroom and draws more web traffic than The Washington Post. Guardian U.S. managing director Steve Sachs explains why its global, independent orientation is finding product-market fit in America. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome 00:28 Beehiiv Sponsor 02:07 TRB Events and Salons Update 03:41 Intro 05:42 Guardian US Origins 07:26 Guardian Trust and Turnaround 11:10 Value Proposition Research 16:38 Audience Politics Breakdown 21:07 Growth Metrics and Comscore Wins 23:19 Traffic Sources and AI Search 25:37 Newsletters Podcasts and Verticals 27:44 Where Guardian Competes Next 30:51 Lead In to Revenue Model 32:08 Guardian US Growth Numbers 38:57 Market Signals Vs Subsidies 43:55 No Paywall Conversion Metrics 49:37 Breaking News As Funnel 56:35 Brand Identity Beyond British 01:00:06 Ads Mix And New Products 01:03:24 Video Podcast Mission Brand Ads
Transcribe →Journalism vs capitalism
Apr 2100:37:18Tap to summarizeIn this live recording from the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, I debated Peter Erdelyi, director of the Center for Sustainable Media, about the role of state subsidies in building sustainable media businesses. Chapters: 00:00 Beehiiv Sponsor Story 01:29 Intro 07:36 TRB at The International Journalism Festival 09:22 Hungary Media Capture 12:00 Decentralized Info Economy 15:36 Subsidies and Bad Incentives 20:44 Billionaires and Influence 22:35 OpenAI Buys TBPN 26:51 Institutions vs Individuals 29:28 New Subsidy Models
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Morning Brew’s direct thesis
Apr 1400:41:06Tap to summarizeMorning Brew CEO Robert Dippell discusses why there are two types of publishers: those with a passive connection to their audience and those with a strong connection. Sponsored by Beehiiv, the modern email system used by leading publishers like Time, TechCrunch and Newsweek. Chapters: 00:00 Beehiiv Sponsor Spotlight 01:18 Welcome 02:01 Morning Brew Today 03:59 Founder Brew Launch 05:27 Consumer Growth 07:54 Platform Company Explained 11:24 Bisnow Synergies and Events 14:34 Hands Off Integration Plan 17:57 Future Acquisition Targets 20:41 Creator Economics and Leverage 27:38 B2B Events Playbook 31:57 AI Policy And Tools 36:07 Balancing B2B And Consumer 39:37 Revenue Profitability
Transcribe →Axios bring the franchise model to local
Apr 700:45:14Tap to summarizeAllison Murphy, COO of Axios, joined me to discuss the evolution of Axios Local five years in. Axios plans to be in 43 cities by the end of the year. It is adapting its franchise model to build around individual reporters. In this model, the journalist becomes “talent” for multi-facated businesses, with Axios providing the support structure, shared services and a small team. We touch on how using AI tools can enable this kind of small-team approach. Sponsored by beehiiv, the modern email platform used by major brands like Time, Newsweek and TechCrunch. See how beehiiv powers leading media brands Chapters: 00:00 Beehiiv Sponsor Spotlight 01:18 Meet Axios COO Allison 01:44 Whats Working Now 03:00 Revenue Events Memberships 04:02 Axios Local Five Year Check 04:24 Scaling Cities Lean Teams 06:37 AI Tools For Reporters 09:28 Profitability Through Scale 11:58 Local Ads National Buys 15:03 Utility First Local News 17:58 Original Reporting Vs Curation 20:03 Finding The Right Content Mix 23:23 Scaling Local Newsrooms 24:17 Next Wave Smaller Markets 25:16 Membership Contribution Engine 26:13 Perks Pricing And Growth 28:20 Building Star Reporter Franchises 32:51 Are Newsletters Still Core 35:55 Video YouTube And New Bets 38:01 AI Audio Automation Experiments 39:35 Reshaping Teams With AI 41:53 More Reporters Less Overhead 44:25 Transparent Future Of Work 45:01 Wrap Up And Thanks
Transcribe →Dealmaking atmospheres
Apr 300:47:04Tap to summarizeChristian Muche built Dmexco into Europe's biggest digital marketing event, walked away, and then launched Possible in Miami Beach — after Martin Sorrell told him the world didn't need another marketing event. We talk about what it took to launch a new tentpole event during a pandemic, why he chose Miami , how the hosted buyer model brings marketers into the room, and why quality has replaced quantity as the currency of events. The Rebooting is a media partner of Possible this year. Hope to see you in Miami Beach from April 27-29. Chapters: 00:00 TRB at Possible - Miami Beach 00:55 Welcome 02:04 Launching DMEXCO 04:43 Trade Show Culture Shift 06:20 Going Global With DMEXCO 09:07 DMEXCO Booth Spectacle 10:45 Leaving DMEXCO 12:02 Why Possible Exists 12:40 Quality Over Quantity 15:42 Miami Beach Space 19:03 Inside Possible Experience 20:35 Hosted Buyer Model 22:25 Hosted Meetings Perks 23:32 Marketers as Gold Dust 24:56 CMO Lab Safe Space 26:37 Miami Venue Buyout 29:47 Quality Over Scale 32:34 Publishers Doing Events 38:39 Curated Hosting Philosophy 40:13 Festival Energy and Purpose 41:42 Proving Sponsor ROI 45:32 Too Many Copycats
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Dealmaking atmospheres
Apr 100:47:04Tap to summarizeChristian Muche built Dmexco into Europe's biggest digital marketing event, walked away, and then launched Possible in Miami Beach — after Martin Sorrell told him the world didn't need another marketing event. We talk about what it took to launch a new tentpole event during a pandemic, why he chose Miami , how the hosted buyer model brings marketers into the room, and why quality has replaced quantity as the currency of events. The Rebooting is a media partner of Possible this year. Hope to see you in Miami Beach from April 27-29.
Transcribe →