Episoder
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In this episode of Splice Pink, we speak with Yolanda Ma, a lecturer at the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at the University of Hong Kong. ChatGPT describes her as “an influential figure in the fields of digital policy and global partnerships.” We agree.
Yolanda has a vast career in international development, data, and journalism, and recently won approval to make AI training a mandatory subject for the masters program in journalism. In this podcast, she talks about why she pushed for it, and what's needed in journalism education today.
Connect with Yolanda on LinkedIn
Find out more about the journalism program at the University of Hong Kong -
Philippine journalist Beatrice Go launched Atleta Filipina in January 2024 — a feat for the sports reporter turned solo media entrepreneur. Atleta Filipina serves as a beacon for women's sports in the Philippines, or, as she put it in this interview, "the purpose is for women to have a future in sports." She spoke about how the first couple of months have gone, the needs she wants to meet, and some of the partnerships she's trying to forge.
Connect with Beatrice on LinkedIn
Subscribe to Atleta Filipina on YouTube
Follow AF on Instagram -
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Three years ago, disappointed with the legacy media landscape, Kassy Cho started Almost, an Instagram-first news startup focused on young people. The Taipei-based journalist saw an opportunity to deliver news to both Chinese and English audiences who were left underserved — and ignored — by mainstream media. In this episode, she spoke to us about the opportunities to serve younger audiences and ways to monetise that.
Follow Almost on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/almost.co/Connect with Kassy on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kassycho/ -
Exile Hub started soon after the coup in Myanmar when hundreds of journalists started flowing across into Thailand for refuge. Exile Hub's multifaceted approach includes psychosocial support, offering shelter and mental health services, as well as personal safety, border safety, and digital safety workshops.
At Splice Beta 2023, December Khaing talked about the organisation’s work and the challenges faced by Myanmar’s journalists living in exile.
Connect with December on LinkedIn
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In response to the rise of fake news on social media, Philippine media startup Probe launched a fact-checking campaign called Tsek/Eks. To engage the younger demographic, they collaborated with influencers, in an initiative that was unheard of in the media space. The fact-checking campaign leaned on Probe's archives, leveraging historical videos to debunk misinformation.
At Beta, Jen Aquino, the company’s managing director, talked about how Probe's fact-checking efforts gained recognition, which led to their inclusion as one of the verified fact-check signatories of the International Fact-checking Network in 2020.
However, recognising the limitations of traditional media, Probe expanded its approach by partnering with international media support and collaborating with diverse content creators.
Their partnership with Your Tita Baby, a drag queen content creator, highlighted Probe's strategy to involve unconventional voices in the fact-checking campaign. Your Tita Baby emphasised her unique perspective as a GenXer with a foot in both the millennial and baby boomer generations. This approach aims to bridge communication gaps and engage a wider audience in discussions about history and politics.
More about Probe
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn
Follow Your Tita Baby on Instagram
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TNL MediaGene, formerly the News Lens, is a case study in strategic media company acquisitions. Over the past four and a half years, they executed nine acquisitions — averaging one every six months. Originally focused on independent digital news in Taiwan, they expanded across Asia and recognised the need to pivot as growth plateaued.
This led to a transformation into a media group, acquiring smaller verticals and diversifying into MarTech, AdTech, and data analytics. The company now boasts 29 media brands, six offices, and approximately 560 employees, 80% of whom came through acquisitions.
With a strategy yielding 50 to 60 million monthly unique readers, monetisation sources include media advertising, data analytics, AI, SaaS, tech services, e-commerce, agency communications, paid events, and memberships.
As Joey Chung, the CEO and co-founder explained at Splice Beta 2023, the recent merger with MediaGene, a Japanese digital media player, demonstrates the company's evolution and strategic expansion beyond its Taiwanese roots.
1. Strategic Growth Challenges: Joey highlights the challenge of sustaining growth in a small market like Taiwan, especially when catering to a niche audience like news readers. The need to meet investor expectations while preserving the independent media ethos adds complexity to this growth strategy.
2. Venture Capital Influence: Early reliance on institutional VC funding forces the media brand to continuously meet growth milestones. Joey emphasises the pressure to demonstrate return on investment, which leads to exploring options like mergers and acquisitions as a strategic move to overcome the limitations of the small local market.
3. Pivoting for Sustainability: The realisation that horizontal growth into different content categories might not be financially viable prompts a pivotal shift in strategy. Instead of diversifying content offerings, the focus shifts to regional expansion and internationalisation, acknowledging the limitations of the small market dynamics in the digital media industry.
Joey Chung on LinkedIn
TNL Mediagene
Splice Beta 2023 -
In his recent session at Splice Beta 2023, Tanmoy Goswami shares his entrepreneurial journey, highlighting the evolution of his mental health storytelling platform, Sanity by Tanmoy. The article summarizes key points from the transcript, emphasising the challenges and successes in building a unique and impactful venture.
Tanmoy begins by recounting the inception of Sanity by Tanmoy, a Substack newsletter born out of a tumultuous period in December 2020. Despite initial skepticism, the platform gained traction as Tanmoy navigated the complexities of mental health reporting, challenging mainstream media's stigmatising approach.
The entrepreneur credits the platform's success to strategic timing, the COVID bump, and being a rare voice in mental health from a non-Western perspective. His commitment to user privacy led him to move from Substack to Ghost, where he launched India's first independent mental health storytelling platform.
Sanity by Tanmoy operates on a reader-funded model, with Tanmoy rejecting conventional advice columns and focusing on theme-based seasons covering mental health, politics, economics, culture, and tech. Tanmoy emphasises the importance of a personal connection with the audience, acknowledging the significant role played by his supportive community.
He discusses the challenges of entrepreneurship in the content creation space, emphasising the financial struggles faced by creators globally. Tanmoy discusses his own sustainability goals, aiming to cover basic expenses while maintaining the platform's dignity.
Tanmoy's journey is marked by notable achievements, including a fellowship at Oxford and recognition as an expert in Forbes. He provides valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs, cautioning against quitting jobs solely for passion and urging clear understanding of motivation.
Tanmoy has a unique approach to success metrics, emphasising the importance of consistency and recognising that people support the creator rather than the product. Tanmoy challenges the notion of the "10,000 true fans" and encourages entrepreneurs to find fulfilment in smaller, dedicated audiences.
Tanmoy Goswami on LinkedIn
Sanity by Tanmoy
Splice Beta 2023 -
We're featuring some of the best sessions from Splice Beta 2022! What's holding you back from starting a YouTube channel? In this episode, Mongolian creator Anu Harchu explains how you can start a YouTube channel today.
Subscribe to Anu on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/c/AnuHarchuConnect with Anu on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anuharchu/ -
In December 2022, Colombo-based Himal Southasian appointed Roman Gautam as its chief editor. Six months into the job, he spoke with Splice's Alan Soon and Rishad Patel about how he plans to get the right membership strategy in place for the South Asia region.
Read Himal SouthAsian
https://www.himalmag.com/Follow Roman on Twitter
https://twitter.com/romangautamLearn about MDIF's Amplify Asia program
https://www.mdif.org/our-work/initiatives/amplify-asia/Find out more about Splice
https://www.splicemedia.com/ -
We're featuring some of the best sessions from Splice Beta 2022! In this episode, we learn from Jacopo Ottaviani of Code for Africa about how to write an amazing grant application… and what to do when it all goes pear-shaped.
Connect with Jacopo on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacopo-ottaviani/Learn more about Code for Africa
https://github.com/CodeForAfrica/More about Splice
https://www.splicemedia.com/Join us at the next Splice Beta
http://splicebeta.com/ -
We're putting together some of the best sessions from Splice Beta 2022. Hear from PumaPodcast's Carl Javier, who spoke about the importance of listening to your audience... but more importantly, what to do when you realize that what you create isn’t what they come to you for. This is an important lesson on how to create true value for your users.
Connect with Carl on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carljoe-javier/Learn more about PumaPodcast and their shows
https://www.pumapodcast.com/
Read our audience report for PumaPodcast
https://www.splicemedia.com/our-work/pumapodcast-audience-study-and-recommendations-reportFind out more about Splice Beta
http://splicebeta.com/ -
We're putting together some of the best sessions from Splice Beta 2022. In this pod, meet Koreel Lahiri, the Investment Director for Asia at the Media Development Investment Fund. He talks about how to build a business plan for potential investment, and how to operationalize it.
Connect with Koreel on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/koreel/
Learn more about MDIF and their work
https://www.mdif.org/ -
We're putting together some of the best sessions from Splice Beta 2022. In this pod, Splice's co-founder Rishad Patel talks about the importance of getting your About page right, and how to use that to actually explain what your business does. This is how you put your mission front and center.
Read Rishad's article
https://www.splicemedia.com/stories/is-your-about-page-even-about-you
Connect with Rishad on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishadpatel/
More about Splice Beta
http://splicebeta.com/ -
We're putting together some of the best sessions from Splice Beta 2022. In this episode, Woody Milintachinda, the creator and founder of the hit Woody World talks about his strategy around short videos -- what works and what doesn't. He also spoke about team organization and logistics behind the scenes.
Woody was joined on stage by Pacharapun Petch Tinnabal and Sorradithep Champ Supachanya of Meta, the sponsor of this session at Beta.
Follow Woody on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/woodytalk/Connect with Petch on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pacharapun-t-99184516a/
Connect with Champ on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sorradithep/ -
We're putting together some of the best sessions from Splice Beta 2022. This episode features Sonny Swe, the founder of Frontier Myanmar. After the coup in his country, Sonny pulled his newsroom out of Myanmar and rebuilt the business in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This is how he did it.
Connect with Sonny on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonnyswe/Read and support the work of Frontier
https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/More on Splice Beta, our annual celebration of media startups
http://splicebeta.com/ -
We're putting together some of the best sessions from Splice Beta 2022. This episode features Jakub Parusinski, the co-founder of The Kyiv Independent. He joined us at Beta to speak about how his team of journalists was fired from the Kyiv Post, reunited, and went on to build the most important media startup covering Ukrainian war.
Connect with Jakub on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubparusinski/
Read and support the work of the Kyiv Independent
https://kyivindependent.com/More on Splice Beta, our annual celebration of media startups
http://splicebeta.com/ -
We're putting together some of the best sessions from Splice Beta 2022. This episode features Asia-based freelance journalists Kirsten Han and Nithin Coca talking about the freelancing industry and how to build your personal brand and work. This session is especially useful if you're looking for ways to improve your pitches and credibility in freelance work.
Connect with Kirsten on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-han-3466a8230/
Connect with Nithin on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nithincoca/ -
We're putting together some of the best sessions from Splice Beta 2022. This episode features Styli Charalambous, the co-founder and CEO, of Daily Maverick. He spoke about how the newsroom distilled their mission and turned that into an operational plan to deliver news to their supporters. If you're struggling with getting your organization around a purpose, this session could be useful for you.
Connect with Styli on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stylicharalambous/
Support Daily Maverick
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/
More on Splice Beta
https://www.splicemedia.com/beta-2022 -
We're putting together some of the best sessions from Splice Beta 2022. This episode features Nishant Lalwani, the CEO of the International Fund for Public Interest Media, which exists to enable media to work for democracy. Nishant spoke to why the fund was necessary now, and discussed the gaps between the funding that journalism needs — and what has so far been available.
Connect with Nishant on LinkedIn
See the IFPIM website
More on Splice Beta
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We're rounding up some of the best sessions we've had at Splice Beta 2022. This episode features Zara Seidler, the co-founder of The Daily Aus, which is a media startup based in Sydney. Zara talks about how TDA has built a modern news business for young people on Instagram, where they have more than 430,000 followers.
The Daily Aus began as a passion project created by two 20-year-olds with no resources. It was meant to provide a starting point for Aussies who wanted to get into the habit of reading the news, acting as an entree to the news diet. TDA started on Instagram and has since launched other verticals.
Follow The Daily Aus on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thedailyaus/
Connect with Zara on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zara-seidler/More about Splice Beta 2022:
https://www.splicemedia.com/beta-2022 - Vis mere
