The Addition

RTÉ is Ireland’s national broadcaster, its equivalent of the BBC (albeit with a domestic commercial element). Presenter Ryan Tubridy is its biggest star and one of the country’s most beloved public figures. Or he was. Recently, he has been engulfed by a scandal over his pay, a huge chunk of which was initially not revealed to the public.Following the first wave of revelations, there were parliamentary hearings that saw even more juicy details come out, including information on some rather nice, and expensive, corporate trips. And lots of flip-flops. Alongside all this, there have been cuts at the broadcaster and staff morale is low. Adrian Weckler of the Irish Independent joins the show to explain what has gone on and why it has captured the attention of the whole country.* Ireland's national broadcaster RTE is facing a crisis - and this is why - Sky News* New RTÉ boss says pay scandal involving top TV presenter ‘shameful’ - Guardian* Adrian Weckler on Twitter* Adrian Weckler at the Irish Independent* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on TikTok* Charlotte Henry on Instagram 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

QAnon started out as bored teenagers having fun online… and ended up with a riot at the US Capitol. There may be more to come. We now have politicians, including former and potentially future president Donald Trump, who openly promote the conspiracies that have emerged on the 4chan message boards. It is dangerous and the virus is spreading, including to the UK. How on Earth did we get here?James Ball is a journalist and author whose latest book covers the story right from the beginning. He joins the show to explain what exactly QAnon is, why it matters going into another US election cycle, and what the mainstream media can do to help fight the conspiracy theories.* Bodybuilding forum row* James Ball on Twitter* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on TikTok* Charlotte Henry on InstagramBuy “The Other Pandemic” Affiliate links - buying may earn a commission that helps support The Addition]* Amazon* Bookshop.org* WaterstonesBuy “Post-Truth” [Affiliate links - buying may earn a commission that helps support The Addition]* Amazon* Bookshop.org* WaterstonesBuy My Book!Amazon 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

Newsletters have become one of the hottest topics in media in recent times, with publishers and individuals building huge readerships with them. That’s why the Media Voices team launched the Publisher Newsletter Awards to go alongside the already successful Publisher Podcast Awards. This year’s debut event was great, with some of the biggest publishers proudly showing off their newsletter products. Did I mention I won?!One of the Media Voices co-founders, Chris Sutcliffe, returned to the show to discuss all things newsletters. Why are they now so important to publishers? Where will they go next? We also chat about the various ways podcasts and newsletters overlap and whether newsletters will prompt a renaissance in blogging.* Media Voices* Publisher Newsletter Awards* Chris Sutcliffe on Twitter* Media Voices on Twitter* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on TikTok* Charlotte Henry on Instagram 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

Podcasting has come a long in a relatively short space of time. Things have contracted somewhat in more recent times, but generally, the industry is a positive place. Few people know more about it than Bryan Barletta of Sounds Profitable, an organisation advocating for, and producing research on, the podcast industry. He joined this week’s show to explain how podcast advertising really works and what the thinks the future of the medium is. One key point that came out of the conversation was the impact of Spotify. The company may have had to roll back on commissioning original content and stop waving big cheques around. However, both in its adtech acquisitions and its original content production it advanced the podcasting industry as a whole significantly in just a couple of years.* Podcasting Positivity* Unifying Programmatic Buying - Sounds Profitable* Bryan Barletta on Twitter* Sounds Profitable* Sounds Profitable on Twitter* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on TikTok* Charlotte Henry on InstagramListen wherever you get your podcasts.Thanks to Factor for sponsoring this episode. Factor, America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with flavorful and nutritious ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door. Head to factormeals.com/addition50 and use code addition50 to get 50% off your first box. 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 fair to say that Elon Musk’s time owning Twitter has been… eventful. The latest developments have seen view limits imposed. Yes, Twitter wants you to see fewer tweets. The limits are set higher for this who pay for Twitter Blue but still exist. Perhaps we should all be grateful that Elon is helping us to spend less time scrolling, but it all rather feels like he is trolling his users.Jeff Gamet returns to the podcast to discuss these latest developments, which surely must reduce the amount of adverts users see at a time when rebuilding trust with advertisers is crucial. We also wonder how new CEO Linda Yaccarino feels about it all. (Since recording, she has shown public support for the view limits.) We also unpack Apple’s decision to make the first episode of “Silo” available for free on Twitter. * Elon Musk Announcing View Limits* Stop Pretending You're Going to Quit Twitter Because Elon Musk is Buying it* What on Earth is Going on With Twitter?* “Silo” on Twitter* The British Tech Network* Jeff Gamet on YouTube* ‘The Context Machine’ podcast* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* Charlotte Henry TikTok* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on InstagramIn Case You Missed ItMeta Doesn't Need the News, With Adrian Weckler - New laws mean news is leaving Facebook and Instagram. 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

In the latest episode of “TV+ Talk” we discuss in depth Apple’s approach to live sport and that of its rivals. We also explore the non-live sporting content that Apple has, such as the “Super League” documentary. It is clearly trying to challenge things like Amazon Prime Video’s popular “Drive to Survive” and “Full Swing”. Away from sport, there was also a look at the Academy’s new rules for the Oscar’s ‘Best Picture’ category. These will make it much clearer what films Apple and other streamers think have a chance at winning the converted statue.* “Super League - The War for Football”* “Real Madrid - Until the End”* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* Charlotte Henry on TikTok* MacVoices* Chuck Joiner on Twitter* MacVoices on Twitter* Chuck Joiner on Mastodon 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

Facebook has always had a somewhat changeable relationship with the news media. There have been times when the two have engaged and valued each other, and times when things have been rather more tense. The reality, though, is that parent company Meta basically makes no meaningful money from having news content on its various platforms. That’s why, in the face of a new Canadian law demanding it pays news outlets when links are posted, it has removed news content from Facebook and Instagram in the country. This follows similar legislation being introduced in Australia. Google is also affected by the laws. Similarly, it does not really doesn’t make money off of the news. However, it has adopted a different approach and seems to want to co-exist with the media more than Meta does.Adrian Weckler, the tech editor of the Irish Independent, joins to discuss the implications these moves have on outlets around the world. They might ultimately wish that their content was back on two of the world’s biggest platforms. Furthermore, is it only the big publications that benefit from such laws? We also discuss the broader situation that the traditional media finds itself in and the contrast between British/Irish news coverage and that from the US. Spoiler alert - there are some things we do not want to import.* Meta to cut off access to news media on Facebook and Instagram in Canada following law that requires payment to media firms when users post links - Irish Independent* Meta will stop paying US publishers to put their content in Facebook’s News tab - The Verge* Meta Hit With Record Fine by EU* Adrian Weckler on Twitter* Adrian Weckler at the Irish Independent* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on TikTok* Charlotte Henry on Instagram 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 has been another chaotic and fascinating six months in the world of streaming. We’ve seen Netflix accelerate its battle against password sharers, but not much take-up of its ad tier. Some services, such as Disney+, are even starting to remove content, something previously unthinkable. Furthermore, consumers feeling the financial squeeze are having to make decisions as to which services they want to keep paying for. Indeed, younger viewers in particular are happy to cancel subscriptions and then return when there is something they specifically want to watch.With so much to discuss, it was great to welcome back Tom Merritt from Cordkillers and DTNS. We dived into all the topics above, as well as issues like Netflix getting into live sports (maybe) and whether the distribution of sports rights to streamers actually helps fans.* Netflix Finally Taking a Swing at Live Sport* Cordkillers* Daily Tech News Show* “A Word with Tom Merritt”* Tom Merrit on Twitter* Charlotte Henry on Twitter* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on TikTok* Charlotte Henry on Instagram 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

Prince Harry headed into The Rolls Building of the High Court in the UK the other week in an almost unprecedented step. He was there to be cross-examined, alleging the newspapers owned by the Mirror Group had hacked his phone over the period of some years. His appearance was part of a wider case featuring several different celebrities, but the Duke of Sussex attracted the most attention. The newspaper group denies all the charges against it.Rachel Cunliffe, senior associate editor at The New Statesman magazine, has written about Prince Harry’s clashes with the media and followed the trial closely. She joins the show to discuss what it all might mean for the media’s relationship with royals and celebrities, as well as what it tells us about UK tabloid culture.* Have a little sympathy for Prince Harry’s hacking claims - The Bew Statesman* A royal rumble: Prince Harry’s clash in court left him lost for words – but not defeated - Guardian* Rachel Cunliffe at the The New Statesman* Rachel Cunliffe on Twitter* Charlotte Henry on TwitterListen wherever you get your podcasts.Thanks to Factor for sponsoring this episode. Factor, America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with flavorful and nutritious ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door. Head to factormeals.com/addition50 and use code addition50 to get 50% off your first box. 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

For over a month, screenwriters in America have been on strike after talks between their union, the WGA, and the studios broke down. Amongst other things, the writers have concerns over the rise of so-called mini-rooms, being locked into smaller series, declining residuals and the potential impact of AI. None of this is straightforward to fix - it requires a dramatic change to the current working model. At the same time, the directors union has reached a deal and will not strike, but actors still might.The Ankler has been covering all these developments closely. Sean McNulty, the writer of its morning newsletter The Wakeup, returns to the show to discuss everything that has happened and how the strike might come to an end.* Sean McNulty on LinkedIn* The Ankler* The Wakeup* 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