Legacy media outlets finally learn to embrace personal brands
PLUS: Do live events drive meaningful revenue for podcasters?
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How The Economist and Financial Times manage personality-driven newsletters
It seems clear that legacy publishers are growing more and more comfortable building editorial products around the personal brands of their individual journalists. Yes, there's risk to this strategy — the most obvious being that the journalist could eventually leave to launch their own competing publication — but it's just become clear that audiences are much more drawn to personalities than generic news brands. [Media Voices]
An Influencer Inside the Rolex Box
Brands are increasingly buying out seats at the US Open and then populating them with influencers. For many attendees, the event is more a status symbol than an opportunity to actually watch the matches. "You can almost take the sport out of it.” [Puck]
(BTW, I used a gift link so you can access that article for free.)
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He Paved the Way for CNN, Fox News and the Internet. He’s Not Sure We’re Better Off.
What do all the most powerful media moguls — including David Zaslav, Rupert Murdoch, and David Ellison — have in common? They all often turn to John Malone for advice. Malone pioneered the cable TV model and also played a significant role in building the country's broadband infrastructure. [NYT]
(BTW, I used a gift link so you can access that article for free.)
Podcasters Are Making Millions Through Live Events
I've talked to several podcasters who have dabbled in live events over the years, and most of them view it as more of a way to strengthen the relationship with their audiences than a money-making endeavor. That being said, I can see how a truly blockbuster podcast with millions of listeners could generate real revenue from live events. I also wouldn't be surprised if we see more podcasters team up to launch podcast festivals that provide the same function as music festivals. [Bloomberg]
(BTW, I used a gift link so you can access that article for free.)
ICYMI: How Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and $500,000 in annual revenue
Founder Pat Walls discussed how he automated his process so that the site now operates as a sort of flywheel.
Vogue Names Chloe Malle as Its New Editor
The most interesting tidbit from this piece about Vogue's new editor is her plan to reduce the print output of the magazine while increasing the quality of its paper stock — in effect turning it into a collectible item. This fits within a wider trend of media outlets leveraging print not as a direct revenue driver, but to strengthen their brands. This is becoming especially important as platforms like Google and Facebook choke off distribution. [NYT]
(BTW, I used a gift link so you can access that article for free.)
How Weekly Shōnen Jump Became the World’s Most Popular Manga Factory
A weekly magazine that publishes manga comics is a cultural force, both within Japan and internationally. It identifies up and coming talent through an annual contest, and then it nurtures that talent by pairing each artist with an editor who's responsible for everything from providing creative feedback to supplying the artist with food so they can meet their deadlines. And even though print circulation is down from its peak in the 90s, the magazine has become an important IP pipeline for anime film and television. “The licensing business has created a cycle that’s much more powerful than the paper-centric one of the past.” [New Yorker]
My other newsletter: The best longform journalism we consumed this week
Maria Sharapova’s Superpower
Maria Sharapova was arguably one of the first female tennis stars to convert her sports celebrity to into a multi-faceted brand — one she now uses to invest in and promote various products. In the Fall, she's partnering with Vox Media to launch a podcast where she'll interview some of the biggest female power players in the world. [NYT]
(BTW, I used a gift link so you can access that article for free.)
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