Friday night's fine for linkin'

So, it's Friday evening. I should be down the pub, or out with my wife. But, instead, I'm sat at my desk, winding up the week. cleaning down some interesting tabs I've been saving…

Selling journalism, not news

Axiom: “news” and “journalism” are not synonyms. In fact, “news” is a subset of “journalism”, as many publishers are discovering as they explore what makes a membership model work. In an era of active news avoidance, finding other ways of seducing people into consuming our journalism is vital.

This is a key idea to hold in your head when building audiences:

DMG Media has launched a subscription podcast product, The Crime Desk, offering paying listeners exclusive episodes and adding a paywall around its older true crime series.
Jamie East, the head of podcasts at the Daily Mail and Metro publisher, told Press Gazette the launch capitalised on the “juggernaut” success of Mail true crime podcasts like The Trial of Lucy Letby.

Not news, but definitely journalism, and an interesting way of growing revenue.

Subscriptions in the coming Trump recession

A fascinating and illuminating look at the economics of running an indie website in 2025 from 404 Media, and – alarmingly – a precautionary pulling back on subs:

We know this is what people are thinking and doing because many of them tell us why they are canceling their subscriptions to 404 Media. The notes we get about this are very generous and heartbreaking. People tell us that they really appreciate the work we do and that they will continue to support us when they can, but that at the moment they feel like they have to cut costs. We have all been there, are grateful for the kind words, and will always be grateful for anyone who is or was willing to support us to any degree.

The good news is that 404 is in a robust position to weather the “headwinds”:

The good news is that while we’re definitely seeing the impact of all this economic chaos, we are still in a very strong, resilient position. Our growth has slowed for the moment, and it might level off or shrink if the economy keeps going off a cliff, but we still have a ton of support thanks almost entirely to thousands of individual subscribers that make up the vast majority of our revenue and a few other streams of revenue like advertising and merchandise.

Listen: City Uni Sounds

Our MA Podcasting students are doing some great work building and developing their audiences. I particularly enjoyed this episode:

ChatGPT is more fun than Google

Om Malik used ChatGPT to (successfully) brainstorm a colour palate for some art. What's notable is the fun he had with the experience:

What surprised me most was not the machine’s intelligence (which is easy enough to marvel at), but the quiet way it handed back a piece of the world. Its palette didn’t describe April in grand terms. Instead, it was poetic and almost literary, taking cues from the light, the soil, and the ordinary shapes of change. In doing so, it reminded me that the season is not something we wait for but something to observe and experience.

Which raises some interesting questions:

You could never have this kind of interactive fun with “search” as we have known it. And that is why, the new way is going to be a problem for Google.

Of course, what makes this work is that Om is looking for ideas not answers. That's the right way to use a guessing machine.

Read XCity online

A couple of weeks back, I wrote about the latest issue of XCity arriving in the office. Well, now you can read a digital version of it online:

Readin'

Not much to say about these, they're just worth your time:

The Pure Street Photography Competition Spotlights Humor and Chance Amid the Ordinary

Coincidental timing, uncanny interactions, and moments that are stranger-than-fiction figure prominently in the inaugural contest.

ColossalGrace Ebert

What news audiences can teach journalists about artificial intelligence - Poynter

Generative AI is changing journalism. Audiences have clear expectations for how it’s used.

PoynterT.J. Thomson, Ryan J. Thomas, Michelle Riedlinger, Phoebe Matich

AP Adds AI-Powered Search to Its Vast Content Library

The AI will offer up relevant recommendations.

PetaPixelMatt Growcoot

‘An Overwhelmingly Negative And Demoralizing Force’: What It’s Like Working For A Company That’s Forcing AI On Its Developers - Aftermath

‘I have had conversations about AI in a professional context that make me want to walk into the sea’

Aftermath homeLuke Plunkett

Right. That's me. Have a good weekend, folks, and catch you next week. One man out.