Media Question Time: Kelvin MacKenzie writes off left, exits right
Tuesday evening saw MediaTel host the eighth Media Question Time event at Glaziers Hall, with some lively – and controversial – debate from the panelists, who covered a range of topics from the decline of print to Tesco TV.
Hosted in association with Yahoo! and chaired by the BBC’s media correspondent Torin Douglas, the event had a great panel with MediaCom’s MD Claudine Collins; writer, broadcaster and former ‘Editor of the Year’, David Hepworth; James Wildman, MD and VP Sales for Yahoo! UK and Ireland; Thinkbox executive chairman Tess Alps; and the ex-editor of The Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie – who stood up and left the panel mid-way through the debate for “dinner with Rupert Murdoch.”
He had told the chairman of his appointment, but even Torin was taken aback slightly by the abruptness as MacKenzie continued answering questions whilst doing up his coat and heading for the door! As ever he’d contributed fully during the time he was present.
Kicking off the lively session, the panel first faced a topical question – whether only politicians and editors care about scandal, rather than the public. MacKenzie was, as always, quick to jump in. “Scandal is great!” he boomed, saying that all the Lib Dem Eastleigh win really means is that they simply weren’t being blamed as much as the Tories. Wildman agreed, commenting that scandal doesn’t even matter that much – the public votes for different reasons.
It’s true, said Hepworth. “The British public are entertained by scandal – but they are not influenced by it when voting.”
Another highlight of the evening saw discussion of the much mooted ‘death of print’ and the impact that this might have on newsbrands. There was a clear love of printed news across the panel and Collins said that to survive the digital onslaught, newsbrands will need to evolve and understand the reader better.
“Print will shrink,” she said, “but people love the brands – so they have to find new ways to monetise.”
Alps said that people don’t buy print for breaking news – they buy it for comment and lifestyle. “Perhaps we should have a quality content levy,” she said.
“Oh God. Don’t make us pay for the bloody Guardian!” interrupted MacKenzie, rolling his eyes. MacKenzie is adamant that there will be “casualties on the left” as print declines – suggesting that the Independent will eventually go free but journalism as a whole will survive and prosper.
But what about the impact on other media if newspapers disappear? “Well, Newsnight would be shorter,” Alps quipped. She also argued that the quality of content would still be there, with Collins adding that newspapers have a lot of data on people – “they’re sitting on the crown jewels – and it is this that they need to learn how to monetise.”
Moving away from print, the panellists were asked about Tesco’s new Clubcard TV roll-out and whether the UK supermarket giant is going to be the next big media business.
“A magazine free with every horse,” repeated MacKenzie throughout the debate, because nobody heard him the second time, or the fifth.
Wildman said that it was part of the evolution of media – whether we like it or not – and that a lot of companies outside the industry are trying to “reinvent” themselves as a media brand. “Everyone wants to make video and then call it TV”, added Alps.
From the audience, Dominic Mills, Newsline columnist, closed the issue by saying that Tesco as a media brand is a “route to commercial suicide”.
At this point, to nearly everyone’s astonishment, Mackenzie stood up and walked out for his “dinner with Murdoch”, but not without one final comment about the next topic of discussion, local TV – “No one gives a shit about Preston.” Thank you, Kelvin.
Returning to the debate, Hepworth used his family as an example of changing consumer behaviours for the new London Live channel, claiming that people watch TV on tablets because they want to watch specific clips and videos – no one ever thinks “I wonder what’s on TV” anymore.
Alps jumped in to defend the medium, telling Hepworth that he can’t talk about TV when he doesn’t know the data – and that linear TV viewing is higher than it’s ever been.
Wildman and Collins focused more heavily on advertising and the difficulty of making ad propositions and gaining revenue. They both agreed that the success of London Live will depend on the quality and relevance of content, but Collins can’t really see people tuning in locally.
To end the session and take the opportunity to chat over riverside drinks, the panel closed by looking at the evolution of print brands.
Hepworth commented that journalists are having to do more for less – print brands are evolving but can’t afford to have more people to assist the growth of other media platforms, such as tablets and podcasts. “We need a new generation of magazines that doesn’t require a huge number of staff. We need someone to invent a whole new way of doing things.”
So did anyone duck any questions? Not quite, but a question from the audience regarding digital and the growth of trading desks – and whether these afford agencies an opportunity to sometimes be less than transparent with clients – did evoke some less than transparent answers.
To find out about future MediaTel events click here.