Sky Commits To Coronation Street; Radio 4 Commits To TikTok

0:01Hello and welcome to the Media Club, I'm Matt Deegan. In the club today, Sky pledges billions to secure Coronation Street and Love Island as it closes in on a takeover of ITV's channels. But with Sky's owner Comcast announcing a split this week, what does it mean for Sky News? TV critic and producer Steven D Wright weighs up the deal. Also on the show, Radio 4's Today programme has been told to put TikTok before its own airwaves. And The Guardian has also announced a myriad of new digital jobs. Media journalist Tara Conlon has all the latest developments. All that plus the culture sector takes aim at another mega media merger.

0:37And in the Audio Network Media Quiz, we open the boxes on the week's biggest deals. That's all happening on this edition of the Media Club. Come on in. Joining me are two club members to discuss the week's biggest media stories. Welcome back to the club, TV critic and producer Stephen D. Wright. Hello. So who'd you like to give a plus one to this week? So my kind of media sensation this week is Sam Smith, the singer. Not for being Sam Smith, the singer, but for being a Instagram or TikTok star known as Ham Smith under his handle of Sam Served. And I've got it there to show the cameras where he goes around and basically gorges on food.

1:20and it seems like the most ridiculous, cringey sort of thing, but he's so into it. It's so out there and somebody should be doing that as a TV cookery show. So Sam Smith, the new hero of food. They would be a good choice for a TV cookery show. Is it just because they love it? He loves it. Obviously, he's put loads of weight on, but he's massively into food and that comes across that kind of joie de vivre and also, I don't give a about anything. and so you're getting this kind of very raw totally out there so yeah he's on Instagram under the name Sam Served. Okay worth having a look at

1:57Tara Conlan: I was saying you can get a branded partnership then with Manjaro afterwards to get the weight off afterwards because he has put on a bit of weight. That's good, in and out in and out exactly. Also joining us freelance media journalist Tara Conlon writes for The Guardian amongst others welcome back. Hello. Who would you like to add into the club this week? Mine is a bit less fun a bit more worthy but so my person is Baroness Tina Stoll, who ex-BBC, in the House of Lords, obviously. But she has been very, very much at the forefront of fighting against slaps. Now, slaps, if you don't know what they are, are Strategic Lawsets Against Public Participation.

2:36Tara Conlan: It's a great acronym. And it's basically using lawfare to intimidate journalists. And Tina has been fighting tooth and nail to try and get some kind of legislation about this. it was omitted from the King's speech so she has got a private member's bill in the House of Lords and she's teamed up with John Whittingdale in the Commons to try and get some legislation to help stop journalists being intimidated by people who've got lots of money and don't, and it's about freedom of expression, freedom of speech, you know, press freedom, so it's all those big issues. Obviously we're not here to talk about the House of Lords and an elected second house, but having people with expertise from our sector in government, government in parliament, is pretty useful.

3:26Tara Conlan: Yeah, exactly. And Tina used to be, if you don't know her background, she was at the BBC. She understands, you know, on the corporate side as well, how it works and how it can affect journalists. But I think having this kind of special interest, obviously there's the UK Anti-Slaps Coalition as well, It's got people like the National Union of Journalists and I think Index on Censorship. So there's quite a big group of people who are trying to stop this kind of lawfare. I mean, there are some law firms who that's kind of their expertise is to try and bottle up journalists mouths. And particularly if you work for a big company, you've got some resources.

4:05But if you're a freelancer or you're trying to follow a story on your own, you get a bit nerve wracking.

4:10Tara Conlan: Yeah, I mean, that's the thing, because you've got a matter of defence, you've got the legal costs, they all add up. And it's sort of designed to intimidate and silence and just make you give up. And I don't know if you saw an article by, I think it's Gary Baum in Variety, where he was contacted about an article that he did by an AI powered tribunal, basically, sort of tribunal set up, all backed by Peter Thiel. and it's called Objection. I mean, it sounds just delicious, doesn't it? You know, nothing could ever possibly go wrong with that. But it's basically a sort of an AI appeals court and he was contacted about an article that he did which Objection had objections to.

4:55Tara Conlan: So there were all these, you know, people with lots of money finding ways to... It's bad enough getting human complaints. We're not getting like AI complaints. AI complaining about stuff. Yeah, it's like an AI judgment, basically. Also for those, very easy to churn them out. Churn them out and send them out. Oh, exactly. I might withdraw my Sam Smith with a battered sausage now because that's not quite in the same league. We need light and shade. We need light and shade. There's enough shade going on. OK, in a moment, Sky puts his money on the table. I'll see you in a sec.

5:29Welcome back to the Media Club. Sky looks to be closing in on its deal to buy ITV's broadcasting arm and it's come with a spending commitment of£2 billion pounds with itv studios uh steven that's on top of the 1.6 billion they're going to pay for the itv channels what does 2 billion probably over five years buy sky i mean i'm more worried about i'm not really worried about what they buy sky i'm worried about what they're going to sell yeah because is things like coronation street going to go the way of all these kind of you know they all just drift into nothing and those kind of heritage brands and whatever that's what the money supposedly for it seems like a commitment for that stuff for five yeah no i mean it sounds great yeah but the reality is i think everyone's thinking they're going to pick over the bones of the carcass and sell off everything and get rid of people and whatever and amalgamate and so to me it's it's very scary i love the idea of money flooding in but it's more what big business does to tv and to quality brands like coronation street you know whatever uh and also to itv is itv going to become Sky One.

6:35You know, is that actually what we're talking about or is Sky One going to become, you know, or whatever. Do you know what I mean? But it's that sort of... When I saw the money, obviously it seems quite a large amount of money as a headline figure. When you sort of divide it down into the shows, it's not a huge amount of money. No, but it sounds good. It's a PR stunt, really. And it's there to reassure everyone. But how do the investors get their money back? They're going to be selling. They're going to be exploiting. They're going to be whatever. And will they allow something quirky to continue that doesn't necessarily make money straight away?

7:10I'm more worried about the future of British TV from a viewer's perspective and also from a producer's one. You know, will this shut down a lot of commissioning? Will this, you know, et cetera, et cetera. And so I'm very kind of nervous about this. Tara, are they basically setting up the constant article, which is Coronation Street to leave ITV1? They'll constantly be like, oh, it's going to be off to somewhere else.

7:33Tara Conlan: I don't know, but I think there was figures out today for ITVX. I mean, that's the kind of like the jewel, really, isn't it? I think that's Sky. Yeah, they want a popular free-to-air streaming service. Exactly, yeah, which I think, was it 400 million monthly views or something? I read something. It was around that. But that's kind of the jewel in the crown of it. obviously those big heritage brands are as well you know um where they will be is is another matter you know and they'll be owned by itv studios which will be you know separate i think that's going to be separately listed isn't it it's going to retain itv studios is going to do now will itv studios not be making shows for it or sky or why is it this is obviously a commitment to itv studios to kind of basically carry on with their big shows but it does mean that they've got to think more broadly about broadcasters well exactly and i think did i read that uh that comcast have written down the purchase of sky by was it about the write down about a quarter or something so i mean the bankers are making lots of money obviously out of this um but yeah i mean if if coronation street isn't on itv where would it be would it go i mean eventually you know would that go direct to consume you could go direct to consumer anyway you can have your coronation Street fast channels you can have your Commission Street YouTube so they can it'll go somewhere if it's not on ITV when there's still a demand for it from the viewers The other thing obviously is Sky's potentially going to inherit ITV's 40 % share in ITN which makes ITV News as well as News for Channel 4 and 5 News Is it always is it all the discussion all the regulatory stuff is that going to basically be around news?

9:22Tara Conlan: I would imagine that's going to be a big factor because politicians don't like losing outlets that they can appear on. And Sky News is brilliant and, you know, gets many exclusives and wins many awards. And I think David Rhodes, you know, the exec chairman, he's very, you know, bullish about the future for Sky News and what it's been doing over in America. But yes, you know, for ITN and Sky News, what happens when the two of them, you know, combine. I mean, that'll be the$64 million question. Will there be job cuts and will there be... Because you've sort of got, you've got like the local news operation, you've got ITN, you've got a local news operation, you've got a national news operation, and then you've got what they make for third parties.

10:10And it all kind of works together, because if you've got, you know, news gathering that works across everything, if you start to split it up into different chunks, it all falls apart a little bit.

10:20Tara Conlan: Yeah, because it's expensive. I mean, Sky News's budget is supposed to be around 100 million, but cost around, you know, is it cost around? I think it costs about 100 million a year. About 100 million. So it's not cheap. News gathering is never cheap. But it does get you prestige. It buys you that kind of conversation with, you know, if you're lobbyists, with politicians. So all those factors will be at play. but equally as we've seen on other platforms with other publishers going uh to towards short form everyone is you know everyone is doing telly now all the traditional newspapers are doing telly now so there's a lot more competition for it as is sam smith the other kind of news other news around comcast this week was comcast in america are splitting into two so there's like their broadband telecoms division is going one way and entertainment's going the other way and sky is going to be bundled obviously with the entertainment output too everyone said that the big dream was that you'd be vertically integrated broadcast pipes content that was the big dream doesn't seem to be as popular anymore it's interesting isn't it because then you could from a content point of view for those loss making things like sky news you have that repertory theater model whereby you sort of fund it from the telecoms and the broadband, you know, you can push some money across from there.

11:48Tara Conlan: But if they're standalone, have they got to, you know, wash their face, you know, a bit even more? Oh, it's a good point, isn't it, Stephen? Has all telly got to sort of stand on its own two feet? Don't ask that question. We're not allowed to answer that question. That's the question, because that's the whole point of TV, especially public service. You know, the minute you start saying, is it worth it? It's over. and so because otherwise you just get the kind of we're already getting things like netflix we're getting big budget shows or nothings you know that the middle is gone and that's happening in every channel and um and that's the whole point of of what like journalism like tv is it you know it's not always money making it sometimes you need things just for the sake of it sometimes you need things to break stories sometimes you need just you know uh art almost if such a thing could be said but you see what i mean so the minute you get these massive conglomerates that goes out the window unless you've got some sort of eccentric millionaire who owns it and wants to have a kind of all media owners are eccentric well that's true you're billionaires i should say but you know what i mean it's that thing of you know do i want to see kind of you know uh single author documentaries for example or you know break stories that don't really mean anything or expose corruptions and environmental scandals and whatevers they don't make money but it's something that tv supposed supposed to do has traditionally done but when big business comes involved does that pass the boardroom test i mean tara historically uh the kind of public service exchange was about access to scarce spectrum spectrum is no longer scarce and sort of really looking at the white the green paper the government are trying to kind of come up with new encouragements uh for people to you Maybe they have access to YouTube or whatever to try and encourage them to still make public service content.

13:40Tara Conlan: It's going to be harder. It is going to be harder because the levers are fewer. And the legislation, you know, Ofcom, in terms of what they can regulate and what legislation that they have in order to force companies to do that. If they put too much regulation, the companies just go, well, can't do that. Yeah, but there should be more. There should be those encouragements. There should be those incentives, whether or not that's better access on YouTube, Prominence, or on EPG, or on other devices. That's a big lever. But equally, sometimes, you know, a public service show can just break through and remind everyone, like Mr Bates versus the post office, and remind everyone, well, actually, we should be doing these things because the public really care about them.

14:35I've heard Kevin Liger famously said, we can't afford to make programmes like this. You know, classic sort of shoot yourself in the foot type thing. But that's the whole point of it. Will Comcast be saying that or will they be going, let's go for it, let's go for those awards? Well, you've got to remember Sky did Saturday Night Live. Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, that's true. OK, the Guardian reports this week that staff on Radio 4's Today programme have been told there's a change in priority. do you see this Tara what the the new strategy is if you're a reporter

15:05Tara Conlan: yeah I mean it's that social first kind of yeah so the idea that you'd wait people would wait to break their news on the Today programme they basically said no they're going to want to break it on Instagram or TikTok or the BBC News channel first I think yeah I think in the Michael Savage in The Guardian I think wrote that piece and the example that was used by a source was you know will Steve Rosenberg If there's something, if Putin dies, then, you know, where does that go first? It's really hard because they're trying to serve so many audiences. They're trying to serve the younger viewers. And when you've got fewer dedicated correspondents on a programme and they're working across a range of programmes, inevitably there's a billing, there's a pecking order of programmes and what goes first.

15:53Tara Conlan: There will still be those big set piece, you know, brilliant interviews that the Today Program will do that breaks stories. But equally, if you've got to get a piece of news out there and where's everyone going to look at it, I mean, we would have said iPlayer, you know, ordinarily, but you have to serve all the different audiences. And it's a headache. I mean, there's also the school of thought that maybe this is more towards, you know, not waiting for things for the bulletins, you know, for the big landmark flagship bulletins. When I sort of saw it, I just thought, Radio 4 just sounds, or Stay Program, some of the insider comments just sounded really entitled.

16:33Like, they should have access to these people. They always have. And TikTok and Instagram, it's all rubbish. And they should be waiting to do a two-way at 7.45. I mean, it's one of those things where kids certainly are not going to be listening to the Stay Show ever. Not ever, ever, ever in 100 years. So it doesn't mean anything to them. so, you know, to me, the Today Show can exist and TikTok, you know, and yes, they can do social media clips within the Today Show. They can certainly do it. And that will get another audience. I mean, the news is the important part. I mean, if you're a Today Program consumer, if Steven Rosenberg has done Death of Putin on short form half an hour before, you're probably not going to see it anyway.

17:20It will seem like it's new when you're listening to it on the Today Program.

17:23Tara Conlan: Different audiences, exactly. And as you say, probably, I mean, your TikTok audience might not be listening to the Today programme. So for them, it can be new. Also, if you're doing those interviews, can the social team not clip it really quickly anyway? And you do it for different outlets, you know? I mean, if you've got the news, the news can be carved up and served up hot and sizzling wherever. I mean, the BBC, they're right in going this direction. it's about delivering the news fast to the world on whatever that right platform is, we can't but it's a message though, it's kind of like we're making it trendy that makes it sound terrible if they just said we're going to make it better everyone would go great, but as soon as they go we're going to do clips and we're going to do TikTok everyone just goes Matt Britton's Director General, they employed him for a reason didn't they?

18:13Tara Conlan: It's evolution then revolution The Guardian's just announced 55 new digital and global jobs of its own, plus a new US video team. Do you think that's sort of coming from the same place? Is this trying to get material to different places? Yeah, I think the editor, Kath Viner, said, I think, you know, this is about, you know, obviously, I think she said something about however many novels, I can't remember now, are published. If you put all the Guardian articles together, how many? I think two per day or something. I can't remember the exact number now, but she's, you know, absolutely spot on that short form video is where so many audiences are going.

18:54Tara Conlan: Now, the personality sort of led journalism as well. The whole creator economy and The Guardian's got a great track record. Disclaimer, I write for them, but it's got a great track record in, you know, in film, in video and putting their journalism out there in as many ways as possible. so it makes you know absolute sense do you think this all touches on steven kind of appointment to listen or appointment to view was gone it's everything's on demand or delivered to you probably yeah it's i mean it's say say a big story breaks and you see a headline what i would then do is try and find a more detailed informative article which actually has the the the meat that's the sort of the issue really and so if you know getting the good stories out whatever it is in whichever way as long as the story is still there and real and proper journalism at the heart of it i don't care how it comes out or by which medium or whatever but i mean i always check like stories a couple of ways which i think everybody does because you can't always tell whether something's right or especially breaking news you know uh you know you're like oh and then it's like 20 minutes later oh sorry that's completely wrong you know so that thing of of just make sure the story's still real you know that's that's all never wrong for long well that's the thing you have your trusted sources though um so i always tell my children if they say something they're like right check it on the you know the guardian and the bbc cross-reference it you know when they go oh you know apparently the sun has blown up it's just on tiktok and it's like was it or was that AI?

20:32Tara Conlan: So, I mean, I'm being unfair, actually. They're pretty good at checking sources. Well, I think, listen, you're right to say AI because that's the biggest sort of risk to this sort of short-form TikTok sort of news because AI will start doing them and then you'll not be able to tell whether they're real sources or it's an AI-type report. Well, I think that's one of the things that you are competing against, both quality AI content and also low-quality AI content, being quick. and you know for broadcast I mean I'm talking about just information fake fake news I mean you know Trump's kind of great sort of it's become true news is now fake which he never used to be yeah well not really but you know but now when you look at anything well that is is that AI is that and then if you're looking at a small clip quickly with a headline you'd have no idea I mean if obviously if you're in the Trumpy world is in your interests to cast doubt on everything which is why he's done incredibly well.

21:31Okay, when we return, what's Zoe Ball's big move? See you in a minute.

21:42Hello Media Club listeners, Patrick here from Podcast Discovery, the podcast marketing company, where this week we've been thinking about video. Video is officially live on Apple Podcasts and if it's anything like when Spotify brought the format to their platform, Apple will soon be pulling all of their editorial levers in favour of video shows. So how do you even get started filming your podcast? Get in touch at podcastdiscovery.com That's podcastdiscovery.com Well it seems everybody's been retooling for TikTok but we've been doing that for ages. Multi-platform video production. It's old hat to us as it is for Podshop Studios where we record the Media Club every week.

22:22Remember, each studio here at Podshop has its own unique look and feel, all professionally designed and fully equipped for broadcast quality video recording. You can check out the whole range at podshoponline.co.uk and you can get 25 % off your first booking by using the code MEDIACLUB. 25 % off with MEDIACLUB at podshoponline.co.uk. Welcome back. Here's some stories we've been talking about in the club this week. There's anger amongst staff at the BBC after the corporation offered staff a 1 % pay rise this week. A strike action by Bechtu and the NUJ is probably the last thing that DG Matt Britton wants.

22:58We might have to cross a few more picket lines in the coming months. Clarkson's farm producer Expectation made a new hire for its entertainment team. Katrina Grant joining as director of development from Metal Mouse Entertainment, where she develops Channel 4's The Honesty Box. and Zoe Ball is heading to Greatest Hits Radio launching a new weekday afternoon show from September, reuniting here on a station with former Radio 2 colleagues Ken Bruce and Simon Mayo to get all of our stories subscribe to our sub stack, it's free to do just go to themediaclub.com give us your email address and we'll send you an update about the show and the stories we cover every week, that's at themediaclub.com so cash, cash grab for Zoe Ball or a lovely afternoon show What's that?

23:43Or just a lovely time to spend in the afternoon with our colleagues. I think both. I think she's done the right thing. She's got an easy gig, like the shift or whatever. And big money without all the bullshit, without the BBC bullshit. Do you know what I mean? Well, it's nice that she won't have her salary published on the internet. Well, you know, I mean, to me, she never got the breakfast show, but I didn't think she went for it, you know, that Sarah Cox is doing. there isn't another slot that would be good for her so she's taken quite an easy hit I suppose, whether viewers will go with her or listeners I should say

24:20Tara Conlan: I think that's the thing because it was punishing that when she did it's hard work obviously they paid a lot of money but then she was up for the up for Strickley post and I think it was quite sort of public about that she didn't She didn't get that. So maybe that sort of went into her thinking. There is a bit of, for big stars, the BBC will sort of look after you. And if you're one of those kind of golden presenters, and that's Strictly and that's radio and that's all combined. But if you're not in the top gang, that can be a bit annoying. I would actually argue that that isn't the case. The BBC doesn't look after its big stars and quite often is very cat-candid with people who are national treasures and they let them slip through their fingers.

25:10So I think Zoe not getting the Strictly gig and Josh Widdicombe getting it instead is just bizarre. And so, you know, obviously they go off and take the money, whatever. It makes it an easy decision when you suddenly, if you'd got that big job, you probably wouldn't stick two fingers up the BBC and go off to one of its main radio competitors.

25:30Tara Conlan: No, exactly. It's hard. talent management is hard having that kind of strategy of you know of making sure that there is a route for them and you know if you don't get the big gig can you offer them something else or what's their talent route i mean like jordan north as well on radio one yeah that would be probably another example there where i think that didn't go sort of quite as smoothly as it could have done yes i think they were building him up to be the next big thing and then sort of fumbled it slightly as he left to go to capital. I mean, speaking of hires, we haven't mentioned Ed Harvard heading up entertainment at the BBC.

26:08Stephen, did you see this? What do you think of his appointment and the restructure? The restructure is a slightly disappointing thing because how many restructures have we lived through and how many restructures will we live through? The only constant has changed, Stephen. This is the thing, but it's that thing of, you know, you don't look at the BBC and think, oh, I wish they'd do a restructure. You know, you think, can't they just come up with some more fucking hits or commission some more shows, take more risks, but not, oh, let's, you know, we'll restructure, we'll give new departments, new names, we'll amalgamate four into three, and then in a two-year's time, they'll do it in reverse.

26:42So let's talk about the three genres they've announced. So they've got studio entertainment, so this is live or as live shows, things like Strictly and Gladiators and Quizzes, then constructed reality, so returning factual entertainment brands, Prentice, Race Across the World, Traitors, which is pretty strong for them at the moment. And then Features and Events, Passion-Led Shows, such as Gardening Food and Antiques, alongside Daytime Programs and Major National Moments. Yeah, I would say that's not entertainment, but that's just me being a dinosaur sitting over here. I thought it was sort of interesting, we've talked a lot about that middle going away, and you mentioned it earlier.

27:16They've sort of put what's left of that middle into that third section. I mean, but the thing is, their argument is that this will make it clearer for suppliers. It doesn't make it clear for suppliers at all. it just means you just keep pitching anyway because people do what's the point of this rebrand is my slightly cynical take he came from Channel 4 where he had a sort of multi-hyphenate role he was entertainment and sports is there a bit of that in this? I mean I've got a slight what's the word a slight a slight hatred I suppose of Ed Havard because he comes from current affairs. Yeah. He's not an entertainment person.

28:00Question time, editor. Question time, you know, very high-end BBC factual. So I always, because I'm an entertainment producer, I always look at people like that with suspicion. And I've been in meetings with him when he was at Channel 4 and things, and you think, you've not got entertainment bones. And that's the point about entertainment. Entertainment, you need to be able to live and breathe it. And sometimes an idea might sound whatever, but you can see it because you can. That I'm worried about because, Ed, to me, isn't an entertained person. He's a BBC, you know, he's a politician. You know what I mean?

28:31He's a posh boy, he's whatever. He's not the sort of person that cracks jokes. But have you got to be that now at the BBC to survive?

28:40Tara Conlan: Oh, I don't know. I mean, because he understands, obviously, the NBC universal deal, which they have. So, you know, he has that in there. Do you need to be good at politics to survive in the BBC? probably but probably always has been although I mean obviously what it's also led is to the departure of Kaltner Patel Knight as well which is a shame he does have entertainment brightness but you know it's he's not sort of got a bad soaps are they his ideas you know what I mean is that thing of like a boss taking credit for his department that's the thing about you know, I mean, yes, there's been hits under his tenure, but how responsible was he for them?

29:29Now, I mean, I'm being a bit heavy on Ed. Poor old Ed, he's probably crying now watching this.

29:32Tara Conlan: I've heard him tell a couple of jokes when he was at town. Well, yeah, maybe. But, you know, that thing of factual people running entertainment always annoys me. Always. I guess it would be like if an influencer was running you know, running a journalism current affairs department. not saying that entertainment is influencer but i get i get your you know you feel isn't this this sort of this is the challenges of television like it's got a it's got to change taking from different areas to i mean to me the traditional thing here is business he's the business of tv he's probably brilliant at the ability to talent manage you know narcissistic pains in the arse the talent and being able to read a script and recognize it that's a different skill set you know whether he's actually directly involved in that or whether it is all about NBC deals and which is you know the globalization of TV there are different sort of things so I'm sure that's much more his his kind of I did wonder because I saw he was at the Traitors launch I was thinking I mean obviously he was there at the NBC deal but I was thinking oh that's interesting because I don't know that he'd been there before maybe I just hadn't seen him but yeah I thought that was interesting we're talking about international TV you do some TV reviewing for times radio and you've got a hot pick oh yeah i've been i've been trying to tell everybody about this they won't believe me but it's a new korean drama almost a comedy drama called teach you a lesson and it's all about the sort of failing school system in south korea bullying cheating teachers cheating professional uh sort of exam cheating whatever um and it's weird sort of very weird it's a mad show where gangs of ex-soldiers come in and beat the kids up I mean there's nothing better than watching kids being beaten up by adults they go like that, they go you can't hit me and they just go yes I can and punch the hell out of them but it's actually a proper drama and it's just started on Netflix, no one's watching it so you've got to jump in and get onto this because It's sort of like a modern bullying take, isn't it?

31:39It's bullying, but it's everything. And it's like I was talking about earlier with Tara, that by episode four, well, episode three is girls bullying each other, which is much more manipulative and psychological and horrible, really. And then episode four, episode five, sorry, is teachers bullying, being bullied by parents in primary schools, which is just, I mean, you know, genuinely like, wow. So there's a real kind of core of credibility in this. It's been a massive hit in Korea. I don't think it's the next Squid Game, but it's definitely worth watching. Teach You a Letter.

32:12Tara Conlan: I think teachers are going to love this. They're going to love it. They've got to do a UK version of it. I mean, because it is, as you say, it's so credible. You know, I know of cases of teachers of heads who've been bullied out of their jobs. I know of, you know, extremely toxic WhatsApp groups, you know, bullying of children. I mean, it's, you've joined the school when you're a parent, not just the child. So it will strike a chord. ESD class WhatsApp groups. That was the drama in itself. You were saying it's basically Grange Hill if directed by Quentin Tarantino. Exactly. Okay. Worth watching out on Netflix now.

32:45Right. Just enough time for the Audio Network Media Quiz.

32:52Three media stories connected by one theme and then shoehorned into a format of an existing media property. This week, possibly in honour of Stephen's home, it's called Do We Have a Deal? I'm Noel Edmonds. 22 boxes I'll open one for you You tell me the media story hiding inside and once again Alex Audio Network has taken that slapdash brief from producer Matt and created a brilliant playlist of tension music to score today's game piano chords optional It's best of three buzz in with your names if you know the story so Stephen you will say Stephen and Tara you will say Tara we've passed the entry level question there I sounded like I didn't even know my own name then Let's play Do We Have A Deal?

33:34Okay, box number 12. Our contestant has already spent more than she'd like defending what's inside, but she tells the banker straight. There's no way she's opening it up. Two long days later, the box stays shut, and the lawyers have had a very good week indeed. Oh, I think I know which one you're referring to in this very oblique fashion, but I don't know how to explain the story.

33:55Tara Conlan: You've got to say your name. Oh, Stephen. There's only me talking, for God's sake. There's a format kind of fail here. For the listeners at home. Yes. For the visualised listeners. It's the data protection thing, which is quite a complicated... Have you seen this story? It's Mill Media. Yes, it's a county court judge has dismissed a data protection claim brought against Mill Media by TV historian Lawrence Westgough in what's thought to be the first court test of protecting sources from subject access requests. This kind of goes back to the whole sort of lawfare. Like your slaps thing you're talking about.

34:33Tara Conlan: Barney Chowdhury who was he did freedom of information requests over the Judicial Appointments Commission basically how they select judges and I can't remember how much he was being asked to pay for what he spent about for that yeah I mean it's cost middle media about 75 ,000 pounds to defend this 75k I mean that's it is a lot and that's the thing these subject access requests the freedom of information requests. They're all tools, you know. That can be used for evil. That can be used for good or evil. Yes, exactly. But yeah, it's an important ruling, that one. Okay, box number two. This confessant has played the long game.

35:19How long? Three years. Four different bidders and more twists than Paul Noel can count. But the bankers agreed. Tara. Yes.

35:27Tara Conlan: Is it the telegraph? It is the telegraph. Oh, yeah. On-running media club story, The Telegraph. Yes, that's Axel Springer has completed its£575 million acquisition of Telegraph Media Group, ending three years of ownership limbo since Lloyd's Banking Group seized the paper from the Barclay family. I mean, Telegraph seems like it's coped pretty admirably with all the crap going on in the background. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, I know some of the journalists there and the editor, Chris Evans, he used to be on the mail with him. And they've had a lot to deal with. it's been you know a rocky road but they've kept it's it's a sort of like a prestige car isn't it that you know the Telegraph and it's a right-wing paper well actually quite a right-wing operator I think Chris Evans said you know that basically the value is kind of a line hmm so I think for most people on the Telegraph they've got certainty and that's can hopefully be a good thing for them so there's some good journalists on there yeah there's the pros and cons of Axel Springer, but they are an investor in journalism.

36:30Tara Conlan: Yeah. That is for sure. Exactly. Okay, one more box to go. Oh, is that the banker calling? Making an intervention. But there's no deal to be made. She's instead minded to make a referral. Oh, Tara. I nearly forgot my name. Tara. Yes, Tara. Is this Lisa Nandy? Yes. Oh, yeah. So that she is minded. Minded. It's a great government word. Great government word. Minded to intervene over the... I wonder if President Trump is minded to listen it. Yeah, this is probably $110 billion takeover Warner Brothers Discovery, asking the CMA and Ofcom to examine the deal's impact on UK media plurality. Yeah, I think they've got till July the 6th to respond?

37:15Not long.

37:16Tara Conlan: Yeah. Is there any validity in the UK government getting involved in a major US type takeover? Well, there's a lot of history with... Does it make any difference? I know the Activision-Microsoft deal, UK regulation slowed that and caused loads of problems. So they can definitely cause some trouble. I mean, the other thing they can do is they can extract commitments or things around it. I was looking at one of the subreddits about Warner Brothers and Paramount and all the Americans are like, Lisa Nandy, who we've never heard of, maybe she's our last hope to stop this from happening. Although I think it would be more how it affects things here, wouldn't it be?

38:00How it affects the Cartoon Network in the UK. Exactly, and Channel 5, you know.

38:05Tara Conlan: And she's saying basically that the old legislation is not fit for purpose, not not fit for purpose, but doesn't cover the on-demand streaming world that we are now in. So that's why she's minded. But hasn't Jane Fonda been doing, you know, quite a lot of lobbyings? I'm sure there's some kind of lobbying that she's been doing. On behalf of Paramount? Fighting against the deal. Oh, against the deal. Yeah, I keep getting emails that I keep thinking, I must click on that. But something to do with Jane Fonda. So Jane Fonda and Lisa Nandy, it could be the influence. They're the new game to stop it from happening.

38:39Well, we'll see how Warner Brothers slash Paramount respond to that in the coming weeks. I think that makes you our winner, Tara. Yeah. I'm minded to make you the winner of the quiz. Thank you very much. Also, thank you to Alex Audio Network for supplying today's music. Remember, they can do that for you as well. Just go to audionetwork.com and there's a link in the show notes too. Where can people keep up with your good work, Tara?

39:06Tara Conlan: Guardian or the Royal Television Society, I write for them. Blue Sky, I also write for Indie Labs newsletter, The Indie Hustle. Busy, busy, lots of options. And Stephen, when are you on Times Radio? Next week, I think. next Saturday. With Ed Vasey normally. It's Rod Liddles but I think he's on a break at the moment. Excellent. I'll be tuning in. Thank you to you both and thank you to you for listening and watching. My name is Matt Deegan and the producer is Matt Hill. It was a Rethink Audio production with visual support from Podcast Discovery. I'll see you next week.