Afleveringen
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. In this episose they consider Frontier AI, the story of Anthropicâs Mythos and the government-worrying levels of its capabilities. The power of Fable 5 and the regulation of frontier AI models. Are we at risk of losing access to US-owned technology? What about Chinese-owned âopen-weightâ models and the surge in demand theyâve created for Mac Minis. Should you build on the best models - and absorb the cost? - or the slightly less intelligent models that no one can turn off?
What are the risks for newsrooms and governments with âmodel sovereigntyâ? What about the âtoken taxâ - for those people working in other languages than English? Should we think of AI as electricity, the energy behind what we all do? What AI is the safest to use? How do you get enough space, power and water to provide that service? Fergus and Tom consider Elonâs methane turbines (not a 90s indie band, btw) and the ability of governments to control how models are used.
What about the idea of publicly owned AI models? The question is, of course, is it a bubble? But how can an infrastructure be a bubble? The good news, Fable is back and Tom is happily token-maxing.
If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is â and can be â used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism, as well as honest conversations about what's working and what isn't, then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. The second part of this deep dive into Sulzberger's speech considers whether there's a pressure not to dissent from the message of speeches like this one. Why weren't journalists asking more questions of OpenAI's Varun Shetty when they had the chance?
Does the news industry hold itself to the same standards it demands of the technology companies - and do audiences even understand that? Tom and Fergus look into the "simplistic" arguments around search, social media and advertising: where does the burden of responsibility really lie, what does future sustainability look like, and how do you learn from what's gone wrong?
Fergus tackles his "multiple problems" with Sulzberger's speech, and considers whether it's right that one news organisation gets to set the tone of the conversation. How do news organisations use AI in the right way? Is being a "destination for news" a soon-to-be outdated idea in an AI-intermediated world? What are the industry's standards, and how should it build trust with audiences? And if you believe in the power of AI, how do you build the technologies of the future? The Signal is here to spark the conversation.
If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is â and can be â used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism, as well as honest conversations about what's working and what isn't, then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. This week: deconstructing New York Times Chairman and Publisher A.G. Sulzberger's keynote speech, "AI, Journalism, and the Uncertain Future of the Public Square," delivered at the World News Media Congress in Marseille.
What are the double-standards at play? Is the news industry treating the sources of its own stories properly, and what exactly is the transaction between journalist and source? As LLMs use news organisations' stories, who has access to that value, and how does Fair Use factor in? And what about freelancers, paid once for work that gets used forever - how, if at all, does that value move back to them?
Will news organisations "joining together," as with SPUR, actually help - or is it years too late? And can the industry take the risks and be bold enough to catch new audiences and new opportunities, rather than looking backwards and feeling slighted as it gets left behind?
If you want to understand how news is being created and distributed, how AI is - and can be - used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders, practical thinking on the future of journalism, and honest conversations about what's working and what isn't, subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. Have you ever wondered how journalism makes money? Or how news itself makes money? This episode is about the mechanics of journalism, so Tom and Fergus dig into a big spread of crucial topics: What is Reader Revenue? What about ad-blockers and paywalls? What about "mission driven" orgs and non-profits?
They look at the rise and rise of the New York Times' digital offering, Supporters vs Membership, Goalhanger's significant signal, the surprising rebirth of the Salt Lake Tribune, the FT's Weekend Festival and the journalism-as-theatre element of real-life experiences, merchandising for news creators, the incoming AI companies and their need for data, and the invite-only deals being signed.
Plus: the deeply philanthropic afterlife of Craig Newmark's Craigslist. Do you remember the Facebook-driven "Pivot To Video"? All that, plus Spider-Man, Harry Potter, and what Fergus noticed about ViennaâŠ
If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is â and can be â used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism, as well as honest conversations about what's working and what isn't, then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. Fergus and Tom are in Marseille at the World News Congress and in this episode they talk to Olalla Maria Novoa Ojea, the Head of AI at Prisa Media, the world's largest Spanish and Portuguese-language media and entertainment group.
Olalla is a working journalist, not a tech evangelist, who's spent her career inside the machine. She started as a Fulbright-funded Wall Street correspondent in the US before coordinating editions for the Wall Street Journal, then ran breaking news and digital innovation at El Mundo back in Spain. Now at Prisa Media, her standout project is Victoria - a synthetic voice built from scratch, dubbed âThe Voice of Soccerâ. She also led VerificAudio, an experimental Spanish-language audio deepfake detection tool for journalists. Olalla knows all about practical AI, applied editorially.
Fergus and Tom talk to her about the shift from newsrooms to AI, the conversational experience of Voice products and chatbots like Alexa or Siri, the AI world before ChatGPT. They discuss using LLMs for rigorous work, the protection of âsuper-valuableâ intellectual property, why itâs important to read the fine print, plus what is âshadow ITâ and why are some people using AI in secret?
If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is - and can be - used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism - as well as honest conversations about whatâs working, and what isnât - then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. In this episode, Fergus and Tom talk to Micah Gelman and Lauren Saks from Local News International, the poster kids of the independent news brand universe. Founded mid-2025 when Dave Jorgenson, Lauren and Micah all left the Washington Post, LNI is a creator-led newsroom built on video, newsletters and direct audience relationships.
Gelman spent a decade as the Post's Head of Video, winning Pulitzers, Emmys, Murrows and Webbys; Saks, as Deputy Head of Video, built Washington Post Universe and its TikTok/YouTube operation. In just under a year, LNI has pulled in 375,000 YouTube subscribers and a âone-to-one relationshipâ with their 15,000 newsletter subscribers. Theirs is a two-pronged business: Jorgensonâs âartful, customâ daily video posts and the companyâs work in helping other organisations to develop in-house talent and build a meaningful audience. Their big lesson? Being independent means you canât ever stop - it's a non-stop push to move forward. Side quest - whatâs the worst kind of slop? Find out within.
If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is - and can be - used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism - as well as honest conversations about whatâs working, and what isnât - then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. In this episode, Fergus and Tom consider Australiaâs Social Media Ban, toxic spaces, resourceful teenagers, the limits of parental guidance and the real impacts of a reduced news diet.
Social Media is the pathway to news, so how will these restrictions affect young peopleâs ability to access verifiable, quality news? How do you build a news brand without the big platforms? And even if you are a news geek, how do you get to want to be a journalist if you donât really see journalists? To answer this question, Fergus also talks to Sue Brooks, the chair of the National Council for the Training of Journalists, who considers the seismic shifts in the news industry, how journalism has become "an elite sport", where the future leaders will come from and, crucially, who will pay for it.
If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is - and can be - used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism - as well as honest conversations about whatâs working, and what isnât - then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. In this extra episode, Fergus and Tom consider where audiences are heading, the repurposing of content, efficiency vs creativity and future-casting. Sidenote: is it jif or gif?
If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is - and can be - used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism - as well as honest conversations about whatâs working, and what isnât - then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. In this fourth episode, Fergus and Tom dig into what they've seen and learned after working with nearly 250 newsrooms in 40 countries since September 2024. Trends, data, anecdotes and breaking open the misleading idea that all newsrooms are focused simply on replacing journalists.
If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is - and can be - used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism - as well as honest conversations about whatâs working, and what isnât - then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. In this third episode, Fergus and Tom discuss Digital Media Asia, the rise and rise of Winston and William Utomo's IDN Times, new business models for journalism, the oddness of AI-hosted podcasts and more.
If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is - and can be - used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism - as well as honest conversations about whatâs working, and what isnât - then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. In this first episode, Fergus and Tom dig into what "innovation" even means in 2026, the fragility of our shared digital history, the ethical perils of prediction markets, the rise of WhatsApp publishing, their own No Whinging mission statement and more.
If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is - and can be - used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism - as well as honest conversations about whatâs working, and what isnât - then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. In this episode, Fergus talks about what he saw and heard at the 2026 International Journalism Festival in Perugia. They chew over "what is a journalist?", whether Perugia was the Creator Festival, the power of the clip, the incredible rise of Live-Streamed news - looking in particular at Chile's first streaming news channel, Turno - and the "Miami Vice aesthetic" of the recently-acquired TBPN.
If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is - and can be - used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism - as well as honest conversations about whatâs working, and what isnât - then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Signal, hosted by Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard. In this full-length episode, Fergus and Tom explain who they are, walk us through their backgrounds in journalism and dig into what The Signal is about and who it's for. If you want to understand how the news is being created and distributed, how AI is - and can be - used in newsrooms, insights from media leaders and practical thinking on the future of journalism - as well as honest conversations about whatâs working, and what isnât - then subscribe and follow to stay close to The Signal.
Fergus and Tom will be here every week. Find The Signal on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Edited by James Bullock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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On this new podcast from the co-founders of fathm, Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard explore their individual stories as journalists and newsroom innovators and explain what The Signal is for, who it's for and what sort of guest they'll be welcoming in.
The focus is simple: cut through the noise and get to what matters, so if you work in journalism, media, content or technology - or youâre trying to make sense of where itâs all going - this is for you. Subscribe and follow to stay close to the signal. The show launches on May 21 - find it on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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On this new podcast from the co-founders of fathm, Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard explore their individual stories as journalists and newsroom innovators and explain what The Signal is for, who it's for and what sort of guests they'll be welcoming in.
The focus is simple: cut through the noise and get to what matters, so if you work in journalism, media, content or technology - or youâre trying to make sense of where they're all going - this podcast is for you. Subscribe and follow to stay up to date. The Signal launches on May 21 - find it on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Rob Fitzpatrick
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
