Best John Plunkett Podcasts (2024)

1
You’ll Kick Yourself If You Miss This One 1:30:30

4h ago1:30:30

1:30:30

Nathan, Luke, and Chris gather to discuss a week that feels like it’s lasted ten years, largely due to an assassination attempt against Donald Trump, the aftershocks of which have rattled every corner of the internet, including the world of video games. Almost immediately after it all went down, players of games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft…

1
Strictly Scandals & Reading Beyond The Headlines 41:46

2h ago41:46

41:46

It’s a summer of sport... but behind the big numbers for the Euros and predicted for the Olympics... is linear still loved? Media news and analysis with Jane Ostler (Kantar) & media writer Kate Bulkley. Also on the programme: what’s going on at Strictly, as two dancers face the music... and Kate fills in the details on that Skydance-Paramount deal.…

1
Rotten To The Xbox Game Pass Core 1:49:55

23h ago1:49:55

1:49:55

This week, Nathan, Luke, and Riley reconvene after a holiday weekend to discuss everybody’s favorite, inescapably pervasive topic: enshittification, defined by writer Cory Doctorow as the process by which "the services that matter to us, that we rely on, are turning into giant piles of shit.” This week alone, it happened to both Xbox’s Game Pass se…

1
Telegraph sale saga continues, Ofcom takes on BBC, election washup 43:27

4d ago43:27

43:27

The Telegraph loses another prospective buyer, as Lord Rothermere pulls the Daily Mail Group out of the auction... One year in, are we any closer to a future for the news group? Media news and analysis, with guests Jim Waterson (the Guardian) and Karin Robinson (Endelman). Also on the programme: Ofcom strikes back at the BBC over radio expansion pl…

1
Ain’t No Party Like A LAN Party Because LAN Parties Don’t Happen Anymore (With Merritt K) 1:04:31

8d ago1:04:31

1:04:31

This week, everybody’s on break because of the Fourth of July, but we don’t intend on leaving you high and dry. A couple months ago, we hosted our first live event at Wonderville in Brooklyn alongside Merritt K, author of “LAN Party: Inside the Multiplayer Revolution.” We spent our time on stage discussing the golden age of LAN parties and why they…

1
Backstage on Election Night 38:47

8d ago38:47

38:47

Today Matt Deegan is out of our own studio… and into other podcasts as we decamp to the BBC and The Times to see how they covered election night. We speak to Newscast’s editor Sam Bonham and presenter Adam Fleming - as well as the corporations’ misinformation correspondent Mariana Spring on what we missed on social media. Also Matt takes a trip to …

1
Patti Miller on the newly revised version of Writing True Stories 35:39

10d ago35:39

35:39

Patti Miller joins us to read from and talk about her book Writing True Stories which has just been extensively updated and extended. She talks about what has changed in the 30+ years since she started teaching Life Writing, the impact of technology, her best tip, her own work in progress, and lots more. Find out more about Patti and Writing True S…

1
And He’s Not Even A Real Doctor (With Ash Parrish) 1:33:36

18d ago1:33:36

1:33:36

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Riley are joined by Ash Parrish of The Verge to discuss the reason behind Dr Disrespect’s Twitch ban and how it finally came to light after all these years. We answer one of the major questions the recent torrent of information has produced: Why did it take journalists – some of whom had known the reason for years…

1
Are YouTubers about to steal your supper? 42:37

16d ago42:37

42:37

We discover why some TV execs are troubled by the rise of copycat formats online. Media news and analysis with entertainment exec Rina Dayalji & Broadcast’s Insights Editor Rebecca Cooney. Also on the programme: podcast growth continues, but which formats could make it onto TV? And what genres are missing for this growing mainstream audience? Plus,…

1
Julia Levitina on The girl From Moscow 35:23

20d ago35:23

35:23

Julia Levitina reads from and talks about her new book The Girl From Moscow including such things as how the book came about, why fiction, how the book follows her own departure from the Soviet Union, the importance of 1983 as her setting, inherited trauma and her protagonists, antisemitism, the theatre, her work-in-progress and lots more. Find out…

1
Deepfakes, Fessholes and The Telegraph's lost millions 54:08

28d ago54:08

54:08

Where are the deepfakes we expected this election? We look at which media platforms are instead shifting the political discourse, against expectations. Also on the programme: how to build a million-strong social media brand: the creator of Fesshole, Rob Manuel reveals all. Plus, there’s a hole in the Telegraph’s finances - we look at why. How can w…

1
Link’s Awokening (With John Warren) 1:39:45

23d ago1:39:45

1:39:45

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Riley are joined by John Warren, formerly of Fanbyte and now of the just-launched VGBees. First we discuss John’s new reader and listener-supported website, which aims to provide a home to good writing about video games. The more the merrier, we say. Then we hop on the endless merry-go-round that is the question o…

1
Summer Game Feast Or Famine 1:50:36

29d ago1:50:36

1:50:36

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Luke are joined by some guy they know named Ethan Gach to discuss the aftermath (lol) of Summer Game Fest. Ethan was on the ground at the show in LA, so he fields questions about the Geoff Keighley-powered husk that E3 left behind. We ultimately arrive at the same question people do after every single one of these…

1
Manifestos & The (Lack Of) Vision For UK Media 45:56

1M ago45:56

45:56

What can we expect for our industry from the next government? We look through the manifestos launched this week, as well as rounding up the best election coverage so far. Media news and analysis, this week with the i paper’s arts and media correspondent Adam Sherwin and Deadline’s investigations editor Jake Kanter. Also on the programme: Paramount …

1
Josh Lee - Keplr, and the future of Interchain Wallets 52:19

1M ago52:19

52:19

In this episode, we chat with Josh Lee, founder of Keplr. We reminisce about the early days of Keplr, and what building a Korean Crypto company is like. We also touch on the origin story behind Osmosis, and what Josh has learned from being a co-founder of both Keplr and Osmosis. Josh also shares lessons from building an infrastructure company in Cr…

1
Keigh-3: Day 0 1:42:52

1M ago1:42:52

1:42:52

On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Riley gather on the eve of Summer Game Fest – aka Keigh-3 – to discuss pre-show announcements and an investigation into the show itself. Turns out, it costs $250,000 to buy one minute of trailer time during Geoff Keighley’s summer advertisement extravaganza. And that’s just the beginning, with pricing tier…

1
Hat Trick Ends Ents, WaPo Hires Another Brit, ITV Debate Review 44:54

1M ago44:54

44:54

Hat Trick Productions closes its comedy entertainment division. What does it mean for the future of TV comedy when one of the biggest British successes has to shutter its operations? Media news and analysis with Press Gazette reporter Charlotte Tobitt and Head Of Podcasts at Carver PR Becca Newson. Also on the programme: the Washington Post nab ano…

1
Countdown To Keigh-3 1:42:44

2M ago1:42:44

1:42:44

On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Riley huddle together after another week surviving the slow-mo media apocalypse, this time with (even) more AI. First we discuss Vox Media and The Atlantic’s mystifying decisions to feed their journalists’ work into OpenAI’s woodchipper, shredding years of credibility and goodwill in exchange for a quick b…

1
Election '24: Debates, Lineups & Scheduling Woes 34:47

2M ago34:47

34:47

It’s the election that’s caught the media on the hop - Matt Deegan takes a look at the challenges ahead for broadcasters and publishers with guests TV Critic Rhianna Dhillon and former Director of Programmes for BBC News, now at Coulson Partners, Katy Searle. Also on the programme: The Evening Standard is to go weekly. Why? And can it follow the In…

1
Pokémon Marx To The Polls (With Janus Rose) 2:06:32

2M ago2:06:32

2:06:32

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Gita are joined by Janus Rose, author of Aftermath’s first-ever freelance piece (made possible by subscribers like you!). She tells us about what inspired her to write her piece, which focuses on parallels between Final Fantasy VII and real-world resistance movements in the face of imperialism. Then we discuss IGN…

1
Kyle & Jackie O: Make Up Your Own Mind... 40:56

2M ago40:56

40:56

Why is Australian radio so risqué? Matt Deegan welcomes Craig Bruce, who launched Kyle and Jackie O's First Breakfast Show before becoming head of content for SCA and a radio consultant. We also talk to James Corden's podcast producer, Geoff Jein, who started out at BBC Radio 2 before moving to Perth to work on breakfast radio. Standby for lessons …

1
Yasuke, Queen 1:33:31

2M ago1:33:31

1:33:31

On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Riley discuss the new Assassin’s Creed, Shadows, which is set in feudal Japan and stars two main characters: a ninja and a samurai. It looks more interesting than the past few games in the series, if nothing else! Of course, since the ninja is a woman and the samurai is black, a certain subset of gamers ar…

1
It’s A (Commercial) Radio Golden Age 39:32

2M ago39:32

39:32

We decamp to Bauer’s shiny new studios in Euston to unpick the latest RAJAR listening figures and glean why commercial radio is on the up. Media news and analysis, with guests radio exec Paul Sylvester (Absolute Radio) and broadcast consultant Paul Robinson. Also on the programme: publishers take aim at the BBC’s podcast ad plans, why working class…

1
Anand Gomes - Paradex and the Crypto Derivatives Landscape 59:05

2M ago59:05

59:05

In this episode, we chat with Anand Gomes, founder of Paradigm and Paradex, two different crypto derivatives products. We begin with Anand’s journey as a derivatives trader, which led him to build Paradigm, an institutional block trading platform for crypto options. After the FTX crash, Anand was inspired to create a new decentralized exchange – Pa…

1
Omar Musa on The Fullness 33:54

2M ago33:54

33:54

Omar Musa joins us to perform from and talk about his new album The Fullness. We talk about collaboration and his amazing collaborators, pushing into liminal spaces of multiple identities, leaning into grief and joy ("our lives given shape by shadows"), ego deflation, how some of the songs on The Fullness were created, the percussiveness of rap and…

1
Xbox Unalive 1:31:31

2M ago1:31:31

1:31:31

On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Gita take stock of Microsoft’s no-good, very-bad week, in which the increasingly embattled giant shut down four studios, two of them – Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks – beloved by fans. More small games or big franchise hits? Microsoft doesn’t seem to know what it wants. Then we check in on Sony, which i…

1
Where Now For Disney+? Plus awards fever from BAFTAs & ARIAs 42:31

2M ago42:31

42:31

After a BBC-dominated ARIAs and with the BAFTA TV awards just around the corner, Matt Deegan is joined by host of Countdown to The BAFTAs, Alex Zane and media writer Caroline Frost to take us through it all. Also on the programme: Sky Sports cross the rubicon and broadcast 3pm matches. Disney+ looks to do fewer things better - so where are they put…

1
Scanning The Orb-ituaries 2:08:58

2M ago2:08:58

2:08:58

On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Gita ponder orbs. There used to be so many of them in video games. What happened? Where did they all go? And whose idea was it to replace the smooth, satisfying act of vacuuming up orbs with slow, tedious loot grinds? After that, we discuss Another Crab’s Treasure, a Spongebob-inspired Soulslike that’s sur…

1
Forget PR... Does The Media Need Better HR? 37:16

3M ago37:16

37:16

After difficult weeks for the BBC and Global, we look at why looking after your talent may help your reputation. Media news and analysis with Matt Deegan and guests media writer Maggie Brown and Deadline’s International Investigations Editor Jake Kanter. Also on the programme: as US newspapers take OpenAI to court, we look at what the Financial Tim…

1
The BAFTAs are coming... 55:11

3M ago55:11

55:11

The BAFTA TV Awards are coming... and we thought we'd share this fascinating new podcast from BAFTA that explores the nominees. It's calles Countdown To The BAFTAs, and it's made by the producers of The Media Podcast (and has a few familar voices in it too). Alex Zane is your host - in this episode he reveals the documentaries in contention - what …

1
Speaking Of Things That Are Banned (With Matt Kim) 1:28:08

3M ago1:28:08

1:28:08

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Chris are joined by IGN’s Matt Kim to talk about Stellar Blade, a culture war battleground that, as it turns out, is a perfectly alright video game and nothing more. Seems to happen a lot! Maybe we could all learn something from this. But we probably won’t. Oh well. Then we discuss the impending TikTok ban, which …

1
Get ready for the podcast election 45:36

3M ago45:36

45:36

As broadcasters begin to announce their lineups, what will Ofcom do about Nigel Farage? Media news and analysis, this week with media writer and chair of Broadcasting Press Guild Manori Ravindran and The Media Leader’s Ella Sagar. Also on the programme: we’re in Bristol for the Creative Cities Convention and hear reasons to be cheerful from broadca…

1
You Don’t Have To Cheer For Big Tech (With Ian Boudreau) 1:30:20

3M ago1:30:20

1:30:20

On this week’s episode, Riley and Chris are joined by games journalist Ian Boudreau. We start by talking about Riley’s stressful quest to get internet in a new apartment, before pivoting to the stressful quests of the Fallout TV show and what it does and doesn’t borrow from the games. Then, we discuss the drama around Marques Brownlee’s review of t…

1
Kent MacCarter on Fat Chance 31:56

3M ago31:56

31:56

Kent MacCarter joins us to read from and talk about his new poetry book Fat Chance. We talk about Kent's process, about having written the "feel bad book of the year”, his journalistic process, the nature of Gossypiboma (retained medical objects), memoir, reverse ekphrasis, and lots more. For more information or to purchase a copy of Fat Chance vis…

1
A Factual Funding Crisis & Joe Lycett's Churnalism 41:10

3M ago41:10

41:10

The BBC has been criticised this week by MPs for their plans to move production across the UK in a project, the broadcaster calls 'Across the UK'. The corporation are also planning on introducing performance related pay for some of it's top talent. Media news and analysis, with host Matt Deegan, Gold Walla's MD Faraz Osman and Kimberly Godbolt co-f…

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John Plunkett Podcasts

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