The Addition

Disney is celebrating its centenary. The company was founded by brothers Roy and Walt on 16 October 1923. Legal wrangling and decades of creativity and innovation followed. The conglomerate we see today is nothing like what the brothers could have envisioned. It consists not just of animated films, but of theme parks, merchandise and the world’s leading sports broadcasting brand too. There is also the small matter of Star Wars and the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Things are not entirely straightforward though, as eventually the company will have to find someone to properly succeed Bog Iger as CEO. There was also the recent spat with Spectrum.Kelly Guimont returns to the show to discuss it all, including Disney’s links with Apple. Crucially, we reveal our favourite Disney movies of all time. Mine is the only valid answer.* Disney and Spectrum Deal Restores ESPN, ABC for Millions of Viewers* Kelly Guimont on Mastodon* “MacVoices Live”* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* Charlotte Henry on Threads* Charlotte Henry TikTok* The Addition on YouTubeListen wherever you get your podcasts.ICYMI: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theaddition.substack.com

“Community” has become a somewhat overused, and sometimes misused, word in recent times. However, when done right, it can become a really important element in engaging existing readers/listeners with a publication, as well as helping to attract new ones. It is not straightforward though. Picking the right platform really matters and it takes a lot of hard work to make these spaces self-sustaining.Media Voices recently launched its online community - an online message board where listeners and readers can talk about key topics relating to the media. Esther Thorpe from the publication joins the show to explain why and how they did it. She said the team are already starting to see it leading to new newsletter subscribers. There is also a link to the real-life events they do - The Publisher Podcaster Awards (where I was a judge) and The Publisher Newsletter Awards (where I won Best Solo Newsletter!)* Media Voices* Media Voices community* Publisher Podcast Awards* Publisher Podcast Summit* Esther Thorpe on Twitter* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* Charlotte Henry on Threads* Charlotte Henry TikTok* The Addition on YouTubeListen wherever you get your podcasts.Thanks to HelloFresh for sponsoring the show this week. With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Skip trips to the grocery store and count on HelloFresh to make home cooking easy, fun, AND affordable – that’s why it’s America’s #1 meal kit!Go to HelloFresh.com/50addition and use code 50addition for 50% off plus free shipping! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theaddition.substack.com

I love blogging. It is how I got into digital media and journalism. (There’s a reason The Addition has a blog.) Blogging used to be quite a big deal back in the day! There are still people producing what we would recognise as conventional blogs, and platforms like Substack are helping people write in their own voice and connect with an audience via an easy publishing mechanism. Robb Dunewood was a blogger back in the early days and built profitable sites. He is doing more podcasting now but thinks many of the same principles and routes to monetisation apply. Indeed, he thinks it is still possible to build a successful business by publishing written content on the web. He joins the show to discuss his blogging story and what is happening currently with the medium.* It’s back to the future for a diminished digital news business - Semafor* The Tech Jawn* Robb Dunewood on Twitter* Robb Dunewood on Threads* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* Charlotte Henry on Threads* Charlotte Henry TikTok* The Addition on YouTubeListen wherever you get your podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theaddition.substack.com

The end of September is rapidly approaching, but writers and actors in the US remain on strike. Neither group has managed to come to a new agreement with the studios and streamers… and now it is getting really messy. At the time of recording, there had been no official talks between the various parties for weeks. (The writers and studios are set to meet the day this episode comes out - September 20.) Sean McNulty of The Ankler returns to the show to explain why there has been such an impasse and how it is now starting to impact release schedules, not to mention promo for big-name movies. He also gives a timeline on how and when the strikes might, finally, come to an end.* Sean McNulty on LinkedIn* The Ankler* The Wakeup* Strikegeist* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* Charlotte Henry on Threads* Charlotte Henry TikTok* The Addition on YouTubeListen wherever you get your podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theaddition.substack.com

Mason Greenwood was one of the most exciting young talents in English football, having broken into both the Manchester United and England first teams. Then, in January 2022, disturbing audio and images appeared online and the forward was arrested on charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He has always denied all the charges against him. In February this year, all the charges against Greenwood were dropped following a key witness withdrawing their cooperation from the investigation. This led the Crown Prosecution Service to conclude that there was “no longer a realistic prospect of conviction”.Now Manchester United had a decision to make about a young, talented player still under contract to them. As the latest Premier League season got closer, they made plans to bring him back and Adam Crafton of The Athletic revealed it all. After his stories were published, there was widespread public outcry and ultimately a U-turn from the football club. Crafton joins the show to explain how to report on such a sensitive story and the importance of investigative reporting in sport more broadly. It gives a fantastic insight into the process of journalism.N.B. I incorrectly said in the episode that Ched Evans was convicted of sexual assault. He went to prison for rape. He was found not guilty in a retrial in 2016.* Mason Greenwood and Manchester United: How club reacted and what happens next - The Athletic* Even rapist footballer Ched Evans deserves a second chance - The Spectator* Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood return plan included list of ‘hostile’ figures - The Athletic* Adam Crafton on Twitter* Adam Crafton on The Athletic* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* Charlotte Henry on Threads* Charlotte Henry TikTok* The Addition on YouTubeListen wherever you get your podcasts.Thanks to HelloFresh for sponsoring the show this week. With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Skip trips to the grocery store and count on HelloFresh to make home cooking easy, fun, AND affordable – that’s why it’s America’s #1 meal kit!Go to HelloFresh.com/50addition and use code 50addition for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theaddition.substack.com

The days in which (most) digital publishing companies think that the way to success is making content available for free are long gone. Subscriptions are becoming crucial to publishers of all sizes, from all over the world. From the New York Times to…well, this newsletter, publishers are looking at ways to get consumers to pay directly for content. Bron Maher, senior reporter at Press Gazette, has done in-depth reporting on various types of subscriptions, most notably the NYT bundle. He joined the show to discuss how the industry is changing, what is working, and what isn’t. There are certainly a lot of discounts on offer at the moment, but what happens when those cut-price periods end? We also discuss Mark Thompson, the man who helped build the NYT’s paywall business and is now about to take over CNN.* Subscription Fatigue is Real* Bundled: Inside The New York Times’ revenue growth strategy - Press Gazette* Telegraph Media Group hits one million subscriptions - Press Gazette * Mark Thompson named CNN chief executive and chairman at critical juncture in news network’s history - CNN This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theaddition.substack.com

It is clear that AI tools are going to seriously disrupt journalism. We’ve already seen some publications try and get Large Language Models (LLMs) to create content. It did not end well. But we are only at the start. There are also concerns about what the AI revolution will mean for journalism jobs, especially the more junior ones. Adweek’s senior media reporter Mark Stenberg returns to the show to discuss it all.We also talk about some fairly significant AI-related changes that Google is preparing to roll out. Soon, you may not even have to click on a link to get an answer to your query, as it will consolidate content from around the web into one small card. Publishers are, not surprisingly, very unhappy about this and some are trying to find ways to fight back.* How Publishers Are Preparing for Google's AI-Enhanced Search - Adweek* Mark Stenberg on LinkedIn* Mark Stenberg on Twitter* Mark Stenberg at Adweek* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* Charlotte Henry TikTok* The Addition on YouTubeListen wherever you get your podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theaddition.substack.com

You might just have noticed that there have been rather a lot of changes at Twitter recently. So much so, that it isn’t even called Twitter any more. (No, I’m not calling it X.) In various outbursts, owner Elon Musk has threatened to remove the block feature and change how headlines are shown on the platform. He has also limited how the DM feature works for unverified (i.e. free) users. Tweetdeck is now a paid product too.Journalist and author Chris Stokel-Walker returns to the show to discuss how these changes have impacted both the creation and consumption of journalism. Ultimately, we discuss whether or not Twitter remains a useful place for journalists and what the alternatives are.* Elon Musk removing block feature on X (formerly Twitter) - Sky News* Elon Musk tweet on Twitter's block feature* Elon Musk blocks actor James Woods after weekend Twitter spat - Independent* Elon Musk's X plans to remove headlines from links to news articles - Reuters* The Big List of Elon Musk’s Hyperbole, Evasions, and Outright Lies - Rolling Stone* Elon Musk’s Shadow Rule - New Yorker* The Media vs QAnon and Donald Trump - The Addition* Elon Musk tweet urging journalists to publish on Twitter* Chris Stokel-Walker’s website* Chris Stokel-Walker’s books* Chris Stokel-Walker on Twitter* The Addition blog* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on TikTok* Charlotte Henry on InstagramListen wherever you get your podcasts.Chris Stokel-Walker’s Books[Affiliate links - sales may earn commission which helps support The Addition.]YouTubers: How YouTube Shook Up TV and Created A New Generation Of Stars* Amazon* Bookshop.org* WaterstonesTikTok Boom: The Inside Story of the World's Favourite App* Amazon* Bookshop.org* Waterstones This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theaddition.substack.com

This week, I’m rerunning the conversation I had last year with Rolling Sone UK news editor Nick Reilly.Rolling Stone is one of the iconic media brands, covering the crossover of music, culture and politics in a unique way. A couple of years ago it was announced that there was going to be a UK sister to the US-based publication. The small team behind it was, at the time of originally recording this episode, preparing its sixth print edition and also producing a regular stream of online stories.Reilly was in the team that launched the UK magazine. We discussed the launch, creating a distinctive UK voice for Rolling Stone, and collaborating with colleagues across the Atlantic. I found the details of how they decide what works for a UK audience while making sure to leverage the power that comes with the Rolling Stone brand particularly interesting. The work done during the Glastonbury, including interviews with artists performing at the festival, is a good example of this.* Rolling Stone UK* Nick Reilly on Twitter* Nick Reilly on Instagram* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on TikTok* Charlotte Henry on InstagramListen to More This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theaddition.substack.com

The content creator space is constantly evolving, but how on Earth does it work? How do you even start? Is there a difference between a creator and an influencer? There are so many different elements to it all and more and more platforms to create for and try and build an audience on.Shannon Morse, a top YouTube content creator, joined me last year to discuss how she began making videos for YouTube and how to stay (somewhat) sane as you build your own brand. She also answered the crucial question - how do you actually make money as a content creator?* Understanding The Rise Of The Creator Economy - Forbes* Shannon Morse on YouTube* Threat Wire from Hak5* Shannon Morse on Twitter* Shannon Morse on Instagram* Shannon Morse on Tiktok* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on TikTok* Charlotte Henry on InstagramListen to More This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theaddition.substack.com