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Running a newspaper in 2020 is hard. Running a newspaper in Hong Kong will be really challenging: Gary Liu, CEO of The South China Morning Post, talks to Recode's Peter Kafka about what it’s been like to operate his publication in an uncertain environment that just became more fraught. Liu, who came to the paper after stints at Google, Spotify and Digg, says his publication can provide a crucial window into China, but new Chinese rules about the way Hong Kong operates may change all of that. Note: This conversation was recorded in early June. Featuring: Gary Liu (@garyliu) CEO of The South China Morning Post Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the new season of Land of the Giants, Recode's Peter Kafka and Rani Molla examine how Netflix has disrupted entertainment and completely changed the way we watch TV. Listen to the first episode and then subscribe to Land of the Giants: The Netflix Effect in your favorite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Michael Jordan and the 1998 Chicago Bulls are profiled in ESPN's 10-part documentary series The Last Dance. Director Jason Hehir chats with Recode's Peter Kafka about the complex process of telling this story in 10 parts, interviewing Michael Jordan and the '98 Bulls and wondering how MJ would handle the digital era. Featuring: Jason Hehir (@jasonmhehir), director of ESPN's The Last Dance Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John Thornton went from venture capitalist to founder of The Texas Tribune. He sits down with Recode's Peter Kafka to discuss his latest plans to empower local news organizations via the American Journalism Project. Featuring: John Thornton (@thorntonaustin), Founder of The Texas Tribune, Co-Founder of American Journalism Project Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Recode's Peter Kafka and Rani Molla break down everything you need to know about NBC's new upcoming streaming service, Peacock, and share their thoughts on how it will fair against its competitors. Featuring: Rani Molla (@ranimolla) Senior Data Reporter at Recode Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bloomberg Business reporter, Lucas Shaw joins Recode's Peter Kafka to wrap up the decade by reviewing the year in media. They also discuss the current state and future of streaming. Featuring: Lucas Shaw (@Lucas_Shaw), reporter for Bloomberg Business Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's an all food edition of Recode Media! CEO & Co-Founder of The Infatuation, Chris Stang, and roving food correspondent for the New Yorker, Helen Rosner join Recode's Peter Kafka to delve into all things food and culture. Featuring: Chris Stang (@houseofstang), Co-Founder & CEO of The Infatuation Helen Rosner (@hels), Food Correspondent for The New Yorker Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
CEO of WarnerMedia John Stankey joins Recode's Peter Kafka on stage at Code Media in Los Angeles to discuss the streaming wars and his plans for HBO, HBO Max and WarnerMedia as a whole. Featuring: John Stankey, CEO of WarnerMedia Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Live from Code Media 2019, Disney's Kevin Mayer sits down with Recode's Peter Kafka to discuss the rocky initial launch of Disney+, and how how they are handling their other streaming brands like Hulu and ESPN+. Featuring: Kevin Mayer, Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer & International division of The Walt Disney Company Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Vox critic-at-large Emily VanDerWerff tackles the streaming wars and the rollout of Disney + and Apple TV + with Recode's Peter Kafka. They discuss The Mandalorian, The Morning Show and the shows that have surprised and disappointed them thus far. Want to attend Code Media in Los Angeles, CA from November 18th-19th? Click here to register. Featuring: Emily VanDerWerff (@tvoti), Critic-At-Large, Vox.com Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sam Dolnick, assistant managing editor of The New York Times who helped launch The Daily and The Weekly sits down with Recode's Peter Kafka to discuss where The Times's digital strategy is headed next. Want to attend Code Media in Los Angeles, CA from November 18th-19th? Click here to register. Featuring: Sam Dolnick (@samdolnick), Assistant Managing Editor of The New York Times Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
CEO of Complex Rich Antoniello chats with Recode's Peter Kafka about co-founding and building a powerful youth culture brand that's leveraged its popularity into viral video series's like Hot Ones and Sneaker Shopping and major events like ComplexCon. Attend Code Media in Los Angeles, California from November 18-19. Click here to register. Survey: We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here. Featuring: Rich Antoniello (@BuzzFeedBen), CEO and Co-founder of Complex Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
New York Times reporter and co-author of 'The Education of Brett Kavanaugh' Kate Kelly joins Recode's Peter Kafka to discuss the polarizing Supreme Court justice and the criticism Kelly faced from both the right and the left while reporting the story. Survey: We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here. Featuring: Kate Kelly (@katekelly), reporter at The New York Times Host:Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Craigslist founder Craig Newmark joins Recode's Peter Kafka on stage in Brooklyn to discuss his unlikely career as a media mogul and how he's actively giving away his fortune to fund philanthropic efforts to support journalism, military veterans, and pigeons - but mostly journalism. Survey: We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here. Featuring: Craigslist founder Craig Newmark (@craignewmark) Host:Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Journalist Jessica Yellin talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about her new satirical novel about TV journalism, Savage News. In this episode: Yellin's Instagram project, News Not Noise; the lie, "nobody wants news without a panic attack"; where News Not Noise could go next; embracing a bias of being against conflict and outrage; Yellin's political background; being a "one-man band" in local TV news; the 2000 recount and moving up to national TV; finally getting her dream job: White House correspondent for CNN; in the Trump era, does the White House press briefing provide a useful service?; a day in the life of a correspondent; the depressing economics of TV pundits vs. reporters; how the news changes when women are in charge; what Savage News is about (it's not Trump); "I had no idea how important my hair would be to White House coverage"; the #MeToo-ish element of the book and the generational differences in what women will put up with; and the ingrained artifice of TV news live shots. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Brat co-founder Rob Fishman talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about his LA-based digital video studio, which is making shows aimed at young women who might have once watched the CW or MTV. In this episode: What sets Brat apart from other online video startups; how the company makes money; how it pays the stars of it shows; Fishman's second startup, Niche, and the influencer economy; selling Niche to Twitter and what it was like inside the company; what he's learned from being a serial entrepreneur; and the long-term prospects of the digital media bundle. Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bethany McLean and Jacob Weisberg from Pushkin Industries and Marshall Williams from Ad Results Media talk with Recode's Peter Kafka in front of a live audience at South by Southwest. In this episode: How podcast advertising works; why Weisberg is interested in experimenting with podcasts you have to pay to hear; why McLean got into podcasting after 25 years in print; why are direct response ads so common and will they go away?; is podcast advertising propped up by a bubble?; how podcasters could screw up their good ad business; the importance of standardizing what a podcast "download" is; does more specific measurement endanger the quality of the work?; how easy is it to make a living from podcasting?; exclusive podcasts; podcasting in China; and the future of podcast metrics. Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Brian Stelter, CNN's chief media correspondent and the host of Reliable Sources, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka in front of a live audience at South by Southwest. In this episode: How Stelter figures out what to focus on in his coverage; President Trump’s tweets; covering more issues and fewer insults in the 2020 race; the Democrats’ breakup with Fox News; name-calling among journalists; Stelter’s extremely public online life; the Twitter “sewer”; the Twitter-TV-Trump cycle and how social media amplifies cable news’ reach; the ongoing power of TV and CNN as an institution; cord-cutting and how cable stays relevant; the Apple TV adaptation of Stelter’s book; when CNN or its owner AT&T is the news; media is in a "Trump bump," but would there have been a “Clinton bump?”; do Democrats need to be as crazy as Trump to get airtime?; gender bias in how female candidates are covered; and correcting for the mistakes the media made in 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Documentary director Alex Gibney talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about The Inventor: Out For Blood In Silicon Valley, a new film about the fall of Theranos and its CEO Elizabeth Holmes. In this episode: Why making the documentary wasn't as straightforward as you might think; John Carreyrou and the other journalists in the documentary; the outsized power of corporations; the prevalence of fraud and the "fake it til you make it" mentality; how Holmes and her deputies shaped Theranos' public image; how Gibney assembles a documentary; Richard Plepler's departure from HBO; Holmes' motivations and the psychology of lying; and Gibney's next documentaries. Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mark Cuban talks with Recode's Peter Kafka in this live interview recorded at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. In this episode: Who can beat Trump in 2020?; why Cuban was spotted talking with Steve Bannon in 2016; behind the scenes of Shark Tank; how the TV business has changed and what happens now that tech is getting into TV; the moats protecting legacy TV studios and Time Warner's new owner AT&T; the potential of 5G for sports and entertainment; should sports streaming rights be broken up?; online sports gambling; sexual harassment at the Dallas Mavericks; what areas in tech is Cuban most excited about now?; why everyone has to understand AI; Elon Musk and the SEC; how much do regular people really care about privacy?; and why "treating people equally doesn't mean treating everybody the same." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about her recent investigation into the links between the Trump administration and Fox News, The Making of the Fox News White House. She says Congress should investigate one of the things her reporting uncovered, an alleged attempt by Trump to use the Justice Department to sabotage the AT&T-Time Warner merger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Overtime CEO Dan Porter talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about how his company is turning non-professional athletes into stars — and some common mistakes media founders make. In this episode: Porter's background; why it's not accurate to say Overtime covers "high school sports"; what it is focusing on and how it's reaching a young audience; how it helps non-professional athletes build a following online; why it still makes sense to distribute digital content everywhere; building a bond with Overtime's audience; how it makes money now and how it will in the future; why are VCs investing in sports media?; how Porter met his then-22-year-old co-founder, Zack Weiner; how Porter thought about raising money; putting together a house for eSports athletes; how the process of starting a startup has changed in the past decade; building a company on other people's platforms; is Hollywood ready for the tech invasion? Subscribe to Casey Newton's newsletter - The Interface: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/caseynewton Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Vox Media is conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
J2 Global CEO Vivek Shah talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about running the company that owns a portfolio of digital brands, including Mashable, PCMag and Speedtest. In this episode: What J2 Global is; the importance of having multiple revenue streams in media; how Shah turned Ziff Davis around; why much of J2's business is built around performance marketing and affiliate commerce; buying Mashable and returning it to profitability; bidding for Gawker Media and what J2 would have done with it; making the cultures of acquired media companies fit within the larger company; the silver lining of the media industry's troubles; what J2 wants to buy; why Speedtest is so valuable; is increasing awareness of and regulation around privacy a problem for that business?; Humble Bundle and the most important equation for building a subscription business; and why "we are the largest internet company that many people have never heard of." Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about the potential of 5G internet, AT&T's 2018 acquisition of Time Warner and how the company is thinking about sports gambling in the U.S. In this episode: What does 5G internet actually mean for consumers?; when will 5G be ubiquitous in major cities?; why it will eventually replace home broadband; the rise of professional sports gambling; cord cutting and the TV rights to broadcast sports; buying sports games a la carte and leagues becoming direct distributors; competing in video-on-demand with Apple, Netflix and Disney; integrating the cultures of AT&T and Time Warner. Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bryce Roberts, the "recovering venture capitalist" who founded Indie.vc, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about why more entrepreneurs should be asking if venture capital is right for them. In this episode: Roberts' past investments; how VCs have controlled the definition of "entrepreneur" and why that's a problem; how Indie.vc works and what it looks for in applicants; is venture capital really that bad?; Gimlet's sale to Spotify; the connection between venture capital and layoffs at digital media companies; Shade Room's Angie Nwandu and the unusually diverse group of founders Indie.vc has backed; are traditional venture capitalists threatened by Roberts?; and why Tavi Gevinson shut down Rookie. Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Gimlet co-founders Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber talk with Recode's Peter Kafka about selling their company to Spotify. Then later in the show, Fortune Media Group CEO Alan Murray sits down with Peter to talk about selling Fortune to a Thai billionaire and navigating its transition into new digital challenges. In the Gimlet interview: "We didn't leak the story, I don't know who did"; Blumberg and Lieber's interactions with Gimlet staff since Recode's scoop on Friday; why the acquisition makes sense; how Spotify became a distribution partner and when acquisition talks started; could Gimlet have remained independent?; how much did Blumberg and Lieber's ability to personally profit influence the decision to sell?; listeners who invested in Gimlet's crowdfunding seed round will see a return; will Gimlet's existing shows become Spotify exclusives? And in the Murray interview: Fortune's acquisition and the end of Time Inc.; why it's hard to destroy legacy media brands; why it would be a problem if Time Magazine owner Marc Benioff had also bought Fortune; who is Fortune's new owner, Chatchaval Jiaravanon?; the "death sentence" of working with its old owner, Time Warner; how has Fortune changed since Jiaravanon bought it?; developing and scaling up live events to make them both accessible and valuable; advertising-supported businesses and Fortune's competitors; Murray's background at the Wall Street Journal and why Rupert Murdoch is "the best thing that could have happened" to the paper; developing the WSJ's ultimately unsuccessful iPad app, The Daily; President Trump's lies and attacks on journalism; and and how other media outlets are alienating his supporters. Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jill Abramson, the former executive editor of the New York Times, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about her new book, Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts. In this episode: Why Abramson wrote Merchants of Truth; why she focused on the New York Times, the Washington Post, BuzzFeed and Vice; the recent layoffs at BuzzFeed and why it's now "winter" for digital media; is the New York Times unfairly targeting Facebook in its reporting?; the criticism Merchants of Truth has received before publication; the shrinking wall between business and editorial interests at the Times; the media is critical of President Trump — is that a problem?; the surprising happiness at the Washington Post; Abramson's fact-checking process; and the crisis in local news. Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about the problematic state of the political media in the Trump era. In this episode: Why 2020 will be even worse for the political press than 2016; alternatives to "horse race" political coverage; how the Democrats' takeover of the House of Representatives is encouraging the media's worst habits; media outlets that anger liberal audiences; the state of Trump journalism; Rosen grades the different roles of the press; the repeated failure of the press to reflect on its own failings; should the press always carry a televised address from the president?; and an alternative model for journalism, The Correspondent, that is launching soon in the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Axios' Dan Primack, the author of the Pro Rata business newsletter, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka. In this episode: Why Dan Primack didn't start his own site like other star journalists; economic predictions for 2019, including what companies will go public this year; whether those companies will mimic Spotify's direct listing IPO instead of going through a bank; predictions for the media industry; what journalists get wrong about business and what businesses like Facebook get wrong about journalists; and Axios' controversial HBO interview with President Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Harvard Law School professor Susan Crawford talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about her new book, Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution—and Why America Might Miss It. In this episode: (01:22) Crawford's book and the state of fiber internet in America; (05:39) Why fiber is like electricity; (11:19) Why isn't fiber everywhere already?; (16:01) The failure of Google Fiber and how someone could bring fiber everywhere; (20:07) Politics and 5G; (23:32) Tech giants and net neutrality; (27:11) The political will to get fiber into homes; (30:21) What cities in the US are doing fiber right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jeff Green, the CEO of the online advertising marketplace The Trade Desk, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about the state of digital ads. In this episode: (2:04) Competing with Google and Facebook; (4:21) What the Trade Desk does; (06:56) Programmatic advertising, Yahoo and Microsoft; (12:35) Fixing “crappy” ads online; (15:26) Google and Facebook’s lack of transparency; (17:18) Are programmatic ads responsible for publications’ declining revenues?; (20:08) Subscriptions vs. ads and Connected TV; (24:00) Will Netflix ever have advertising?; (26:12) Matching brands with “safe” content; (28:55) Fraudulent programmatic ads; (32:09) "The biggest problem in advertising today”; (36:06) Convincing people top buy ads off Google and Facebook; (39:41) Amazon’s encroachment on Google’s turf; (42:39) GDPR and other regulations; (45:27) Direct-to-consumer offerings and China Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Former ESPN president John Skipper talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about his new role as chairman of the DAZN Group, an online sports streaming service that recently launched in the U.S. In this episode: (1:00) Skipper's new job; (3:52) How it compares to his old job, running ESPN; (10:00) What DAZN does; (20:25) How Skipper got from ESPN to DAZN; (22:48) Skipper's surprise departure from ESPN; (25:41) #MeToo and societal change; (28:24) Diversity and politics at ESPN; (33:25) Sports rights around the world; (40:17) Silicon Valley getting into sports; (45:38) Convincing people to watch sports online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Film director Jason Reitman talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about his new movie, "The Front Runner," which stars Hugh Jackman and chronicles Gary Hart's scandalous 1988 presidential campaign. In this episode: (1:12) Reitman’s past movies, such as “Up in the Air"; (2:40) "The Front Runner" and Gary Hart; (5:41) How the Hart scandal changed political journalism; (7:32) The legacy of the scandal and Donald Trump; (9:39) Donna Rice, #MeToo and how the stories of women in sex scandals get told; (13:11) Releasing on election day; (16:51) Jason’s father, Ivan Reitman; (20:13) Making movies for theaters vs. Netflix/Amazon; (24:27) How would someone break into the movie business today?; (29:58) Location vs. story in filmmaking; (32:13) Making a film set in 1987 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Former Ticketmaster CEO Nathan Hubbard talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about his new live events startup, Rival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Investigative journalist Julia Angwin talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about the Markup, a new data-driven nonprofit media outlet that will investigate the "societal harms of emerging technologies." In this episode: (02:05) What is the Markup?; (03:29) “Data journalism” doesn’t mean what you think it means (05:42) Angwin’s "greatest hits” of investigating Facebook; (08:15) Her background and why she left ProPublica; (14:42) Why is The Markup a nonprofit startup?; (17:21) Asking people for donations and respecting readers’ privacy; (19:50) Craig Newmark and other patrons of journalism; (24:36) People leaving Facebook and the dearth of user data; (26:00) "What They Know," data collection and post-2016 politics; (31:04) Do consumers understand ad tech now? And how much should they care?; (33:10) Testing the Facebook microphone-wiretapping theory; (34:58) Building tools to collect data — for good; (37:15) Crawling Facebook vs. receiving data donations; (40:00) The challenges of reporting on the tech industry; (42:44) “We are not against interesting stories"; (46:26)
Imran Amed, the founder and editor in chief of the fashion publication Business of Fashion, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka. In this episode:02:30 - New York Fashion Week and the BoF 50006:39 - How Fashion Week is changing09:16 - How Amed built Business of Fashion into a subscription business13:47 - BoF's competitors16:37 - The "creation myth" of Imran Amed and the value of consultants20:19 - Why he resigned from consulting and started a blog24:49 - Writing critically about the fashion industry28:33 - Making a standalone business and raising money33:24 - Pricing a subscription media product38:35 - Media M&A40:18 - "There’s real reckoning going on" in the fashion industry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Filmmaker Nicole Holofcener talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about her new film "The Land of Steady Habits," which stars Ben Mendelsohn and is Holofcener's first to be made for Netflix. In this episode:02:10 - Is this a "Netflix movie?"03:20 - What the movie is about05:27 - Audiences on Netflix vs. in theaters09:52 - The process of casting and making "The Land of Steady Habits"14:49 - Commercials and TV shows20:11 - Movies with complicated female leads21:59 - How Hollywood has changed post-Harvey Weinstein24:11 - How Holofcener's life would be different if she were starting now26:11 - What's next? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Roku CEO Anthony Wood talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about how the TV streaming company went public, embedded itself in a slew of TVs and shrugged off competition from some of the biggest tech firms in the world. In this episode:01:55 - Why Roku is not a “hardware company”02:50 - Roku’s history with Netflix06:42 - Putting the Roku platform on smart TVs11:27 - Working with obscure Chinese TV brands19:09 - Wood’s background with computers25:17 - Competing with Apple, Google and Amazon31:48 - Working with traditional TV distributors34:39 - The Roku Channel37:33 - Revenue sharing with Netflix et al38:50 - Advertising 42:57 - What has surprised Wood about being a public company CEO44:23 - How close did Roku get to selling itself?46:01 - Roku’s new speakers48:45 - Other peripherals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Judd Legum, the founder of the left-wing political blog ThinkProgress, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about why he left that site to start a political newsletter, Popular Information. In this episode:02:27 - Legum’s background and early blogs05:09 - Starting ThinkProgress08:58 - Working on Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign12:59 - The Steele dossier and “who’s the messenger?”15:35 - Have we stopped holding candidates to a higher standard?22:02 - Getting internet-famous in the Trump era25:11 - Why he left ThinkProgress27:31 - Why Popular Information is an email newsletter31:41 - Newsletters vs. Twitter and Facebook 34:09 - Convincing readers to pay37:33 - Filter bubbles40:02 - Previewing the next round of Congressional tech hearings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jason Hirschhorn, the CEO and chief curator of Redef, returns to the podcast to talk with Recode's Peter Kafka about media moguls, the virtues of taking time off and how Netflix outsmarted the TV guys. In this episode:02:50 - Viacom and YouTube09:51 - Big media on the internet vs. digital-first DNA11:51 - How Netflix outsmarted the TV guys, part one14:48 - The non-Netflixes and “traditional relationships”17:52 - Should tech companies buy movie/TV studios?23:38 - Sumner Redstone25:48 - The future of Redef28:48 - The Murdochs and Fox News36:35 - James Murdoch not going to Disney41:35 - Amazon and Apple45:42 - How Netflix outsmarted the TV guys, part two48:38 - Streaming music and musicians ditching labels54:51 - It’s okay to take time off58:17 - “When you’re CEO, no one gives a shit.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Brian Morrissey, the president and editor in chief of Digiday Media, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about how the digital media and marketing business is pivoting toward live events and away from Facebook growth-hacking. Morrissey says he's happy to see the end of "flimsy, overly engineered media brands," many of which were overly dependent on outside platforms to make money. Those publishers were naïve if they didn’t think Facebook would eventually put its own interests above theirs, he says, and today it would be "crazy" to make a new business that's similarly reliant on the social giant's algorithm. Plus: Why more technologists need to invest in media subscription-tech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Comedian Bo Burnham talks about his new movie "Eighth Grade" with Recode's Peter Kafka. Burnham says that although the movie's characters are depicted facing issues shared by real eighth graders, he wrote "Eighth Grade" to reflect how he feels now, as a 27-year-old in the public eye, and "how I handle anxiety" in the social media age. He also talks about how he accidentally became a teenage YouTube star and why he has veered away from stand-up conventions in his comedy specials "What" and "Make Happy." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Writer and filmmaker Brian Koppelman talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about co-creating the hit Showtime series "Billions." Koppelman has made a habit of engaging with the show's fans online, but says that when he's writing new episodes, he has to completely unplug from the rest of the world and not think about how Twitter will react to the latest twists and turns. He also talks about the show's intense commitment to detail, including its frequent visits to real-life New York restaurants, and whether he thinks the viewers of "Billions" are watching for the characters or for "wealth porn." Plus: How Koppelman accidentally became a Vine star and why Wall Street power players are similar to experienced poker players. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Stable Genius Productions co-founder Manoush Zomorodi talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about her decision to leave public radio juggernaut WNYC for a two-woman startup. Stable Genius is one of 20 companies in the journalism marketplace Civil, which is hoping to leverage the emerging technology blockchain to save media; later this summer, Civil plans to sell 100 million digital coins, which it hopes will appreciate in value the way bitcoin did — benefiting its partners, who also have coins. Zomorodi also talks about how the people who hold those coins will be able to influence the news available to readers and explains that, even though she doesn't know if the gambit will pay off, she's happy to be proactively trying to fix the media business rather than just talking about it. Plus: Why she was not impressed by her first in-person encounter with Mark Zuckerberg and why Stable Genius refused to take venture capital funding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber, the founders of podcasting network Gimlet, talk with Recode's Peter Kafka about trying to create the "HBO of audio." Gimlet's first show was StartUp, a podcast about the creation of Gimlet itself that exposed the "myth of being an entrepreneur" — although entrepreneurs might say things are always going great, the reality is that everything always feels like it's "about to break," Lieber says. The founders also talk about how Gimlet is expanding beyond its slate of original shows into TV, movies and special branded podcasts that are entirely underwritten by one advertiser. Through that process, they've learned the importance of educating those sponsor about the need for "emotional honesty" in podcasting and why Gimlet is especially well-positioned to pitch new shows in Hollywood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this special episode of Recode Media, you get two interviews for the price of one: First, Recode's Peter Kafka talks with Jessica Pressler, a New York Magazine staff writer whose longform story about a New York City high society grifter, Anna Sorokin, became a viral hit online. Pressler explains how she reported that story in a matter of months, and why Sorokin's con worked so well. Later in the show, Kafka is joined by New Yorker media critic Ken Auletta, who's the author of a new book called "Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business (and Everything Else)." Auletta says advertising is in peril as people have shifted to smaller screens and ad-free media viewing. He also expains why media companies like Fox and Time Warner are trying to sell, and recounts how he tried (and failed) to break the Harvey Weinstein story in the early 2000s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Roman Mars, the founder of Radiotopia and host of the hit podcast 99 Percent Invisible, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about the state of podcasting in 2018. Mars talks about why he started Radiotopia, how it works within the nonprofit PRX and how it thinks about translating its audio shows into live productions. He also explains why the podcasting industry isn't ready to be divvied up into paid subscription services, a la Hulu and Netflix, even though some of its biggest players are beginning to experiment along those lines. Plus: Why 99 Percent Invisible, a show about design, also tackles seemingly eccentric concepts, like how doctors give bad news to their patients. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Vox.com editor-at-large Ezra Klein talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about Vox's new Netflix series "Explained." The first season of the show, which debuted May 23, will feature 20 mini-documentaries about topics such as monogamy, cryptocurrency or the racial wealth gap. Klein said these topics are too big to be tackled in a three-minute YouTube video, and that one of his team's metrics of success is whether the Netflix episodes are still useful and relevant to people a year or more from now. Klein also explains why he's skeptical about the supposedly dramatic changes in video consumers’ habits online, and how Vox.com's approach to journalism has changed since he founded the site four years ago. Plus: Why divisions over social justice, political correctness and "identity politics" are the new "fundamental driver of political conflict" in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you like Recode Decode, we think you'd also like Recode Media with Peter Kafka. Here's the latest episode of the show: New York Times reporter Dave Itzkoff talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about his new book, "Robin: The Definitive Biography of Robin Williams." Itzkoff traces the history of the manic comedian and actor, whose stardom spanned more than four decades in roles in TV shows, such as "Mork and Mindy," and movies, like "Good Will Hunting." After Williams' death by suicide in 2014, Itzkoff says fans and the media were led astray by incorrect or incomplete explanations for what happened, and that Williams' reasons for taking his own life were more complicated than many assumed. Itzkoff also talks about whether another movie star like Williams could emerge in today's Hollywood, his interactions with the comedian as a journalist and how much time he spends crafting jokes for his popular Twitter account @ditzkoff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
New York Times reporter Dave Itzkoff talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about his new book, "Robin: The Definitive Biography of Robin Williams." Itzkoff traces the history of the manic comedian and actor, whose stardom spanned more than four decades in roles in TV shows, such as "Mork and Mindy," and movies, like "Good Will Hunting." After Williams' death by suicide in 2014, Itzkoff says fans and the media were led astray by incorrect or incomplete explanations for what happened, and that Williams' reasons for taking his own life were more complicated than many assumed. Itzkoff also talks about whether another movie star like Williams could emerge in today's Hollywood, his interactions with the comedian as a journalist and how much time he spends crafting jokes for his popular Twitter account @ditzkoff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices