Madeleine White from The Audiencers and Poool unpacks how publishers build sustainable reader revenue.

Recorded live in Paris, this conversation explores how media companies move audiences from casual readers to loyal members and subscribers.

We discuss:

• How paywalls actually work
• Freemium, metered, and dynamic models
• Why most readers never convert
• Membership vs subscriptions
• Community-driven journalism
• Retention vs acquisition
• Balancing public interest with revenue
• When to automate — and when not to

Madeleine shares real-world examples from publishers including The Guardian, Financial Times, The New York Times, Le Monde, El País, and Daily Maverick.

Subscribe to the podcast or our YT channel for biweekly episodes. If you enjoy please leave a rating/comment/share with a friend, it helps us out big time!

In this episode of Around the Bloc, we’re joined by journalist and editor Marcela Kunova to discuss the growing crisis of trust in media.

We talk about:

• Why public trust in journalism is collapsing
• Media ownership and political influence
• How algorithms fragment reality
• The dangers of activism and propaganda
• Low journalist pay and industry pressure
• How to rebuild pride and credibility in reporting
• Whether journalism can survive financially

From Slovakia to the UK, Marcela explains how democracy, media freedom, and business models shape what we read — and what we believe.

🎙️ A deep dive into journalism, media ethics, and the future of news.

How do you build a serious newsroom in one of the hardest media environments in the world?

In this episode we speak with the Daily Maverick's Styli Charalambous about building a public-interest journalism organization from a five-person startup into a 100+ person newsroom — while navigating political corruption, market collapse, and constant financial pressure.

The conversation explores what it takes to sustain investigative journalism in South Africa, where democratic institutions were under threat and media economics were rapidly deteriorating. We discuss how Daily Maverick survived political turbulence, industry disruption, and repeated funding crises — and why purpose, strategy, and community became central to their survival.

Topics include:

• Growing a newsroom during political and economic instability
• Why journalism should be treated as a public good
• How the Gupta Leaks changed South African politics
• Building a voluntary membership model at scale
• Designing journalism for real-world impact
• Fighting misinformation in a broken information system
• Why paywalls don’t work for public-interest reporting
• The limits of “better business models” in weak markets
• Why market context matters more than management skill

We also explore how Daily Maverick built a powerful reader community that contributes expertise, resources, and long-term support — creating a sustainable alternative to traditional media funding.

Subscribe to the podcast or our YT channel for biweekly episodes. If you enjoy please leave a rating/comment/share with a friend, it helps us out big time!