Episodes

  • 6: The New SCMP, circa 2018

    6: The New SCMP, circa 2018
    Mar 11 2022
    2018 was a year of triumph for the SCMP. New offices in Hong Kong’s Times Square were just one step in an entire rebranding of the SCMP, and they provided a dramatic departure from the dark, dingy headquarters where SCMP had spent years as the flagship newspaper of Hong Kong. Most importantly, the new space acknowledged the importance SCMP’s leadership placed on providing a “diverse, joyful, vibrant environment” in which employees could pursue the profession of journalism.
    The new brand, with its distinctive colors and logo, was introduced at the same time. A new marketing campaign to promote the new corporate identity was launched. New Products were in the mix. And the new offices, with cutting-edge video facilities, made it clear that the SCMP was on track in its transformation from an analog local newspaper to a global digital media powerhouse.
    Will the employees, used to a different cultural milieu, warm to the flex seating arrangement? Will they get engaged in the promotion of the SCMP’s new identity and branding? How will they accept this clear departure from the “old” SCMP with its longstanding traditions?
    Background: The SCMP’s New Home: https://www.scmp.com/video/scmp-originals/2133244/scmp-moves-new-home
    Engaging Digital and Cultural transformation https://www.mmoser.com/en/work/south-china-morning-post-hong-kong
    How the Marketing World Saw the SCMP’s New Branding
    https://www.marketing-interactive.com/scmp-reveals-major-redesign-and-new-offices
    Gary Liu Betting on Tech to Transform the Business https://splicemedia.com/stories/scmp-data-ai 
    Gary Liu’s TED Talk of 2018 re Rapid Growth of the Chinese Internet and Where it’s Headed
    https://www.ted.com/talks/gary_liu_the_rapid_growth_of_the_chinese_internet_and_where_it_s_headed 
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    29 mins
  • 5: Breaking News

    5: Breaking News
    Feb 14 2022
    We meet the editorial team tasked with the challenge of creating the content that SCMP’s new digital platform plans to deliver in innovative ways to the world at large.  What kind of mind shift is necessary to move from an analog method of putting out news to a digital 24/7 “all news all the time” format? What are their concerns and how do they measure their efforts against that of the big boys in the news business around the world? How will they find other journalists needed to join the old hands at the editorial desk? What will entice them to come aboard and what will it take to make their integration successful?
    Background Reading:
    • “Elements of Journalism,” Kovatch and Rosenstein, American Press Institute https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/what-is-journalism/elements-journalism/
    • Interesting article:
      • https://www.ejinsight.com/eji/article/id/2807988/20210526-Old-SCMP-office-to-be-turned-into-an-elderly%20home 
      •  https://www.scmp.com/culture/article/2169684/where-and-why-post-moved-offices-over-115-years-changing-media-times?module=perpetual_scroll&pgtype=article&campaign=2169684  
      • https://www.scmp.com/news/article/2132136/south-china-morning-post-moves-times (includes video of NEW offices)
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    28 mins
  • 4: Playing Game Seven

    4: Playing Game Seven
    Jan 23 2022
    Playing Game Seven
    We meet members of the tech team Gary Liu has assembled from places around the world to design and build the technical infrastructure needed to transform The SCMP into a global media player. They’ll share their excitement about the challenge of moving to Hong Kong, what they hope to do, and their perspectives on the risks involved, both personal and professional.
    Background Reading:
    • Game 7 explained https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_seven
    • Hamilton “Not Throwing Away my Shot”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEHKBckBcr4 
    • Donald Graham’s interview with CNN September, 2017: https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/16/media/jeff-bezos-donald-graham/index.html 
    • “Journalism that Stands Apart,” New York Times, January 2017 (referred to as the NYTimes “manifesto” https://www.nytimes.com/projects/2020-report/index.html
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    33 mins
  • 3: The Reluctant Hero

    3: The Reluctant Hero
    Dec 30 2021
    In this episode, we meet Gary Liu, the young Chinese American who packs up and leaves New York for a new life in Asia.  He takes over Hong Kong’s 114-year-old newspaper not only to transform it from an analog operation into a digital tech-based phenom but to shift it from a locally based paper into a global source of information garnered from locations around the world. Can he inspire the employees of this traditionally based organization to take on the challenges of the fast-paced tech-savvy operation he envisions? What will he need to do to light that fire? 

    Find new episodes every two weeks.

    Background Reading:
    Background of Joe Tsai https://www.alibabagroup.com/en/ir/governance_6-joseph-c-tsai https://financialpost.com/personal-finance/high-net-worth/whos-joseph-tsai-the-canadian-man-of-action-behind-alibabas-embattled-jack-ma 
    Background of Nicco Mele https://www.nicco.org https://www.drkfoundation.org/team-member/nicco-mele/ 
    Relevant background on Alibaba as corporate giant https://techxplore.com/news/2019-11-alibaba-china-e-commerce-giant.html https://time.com/6079877/china-ipo/  https://time.com/6048539/china-tech-giants-regulations/  https://investorplace.com/2021/10/the-top-5-challenges-that-plague-alibaba-baba-stock/ 
    Article on FB’s power in controlling news https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-out-of-control-wall-street-journal-new-york-times-2021-9
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    30 mins
  • 2: Mission Impossible

    2: Mission Impossible
    Dec 2 2021
    In this episode, Susan Bird introduces the story of an audacious attempt to reconfigure a local newspaper into a global media powerhouse and the challenges that effort presents both in terms of journalistic goals and the need for profitability. The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s flagship newspaper, says it wants to lead the global conversation about China in a neutral and balanced way while being owned by Alibaba, one of China’s giant tech companies. 

    Can they succeed? 

    And if they produce reporting that is neutral and trustworthy, can they make money at it? 

    You’ll hear from people on the scene who are believers and others who are deeply skeptical. 

    No one knows why Alibaba bought the SCMP but opinions are candid and plentiful. Find new episodes every two weeks.
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    28 mins
  • 1: $elling the Truth Teaser

    1: $elling the Truth Teaser
    Dec 2 2021
    Want to hear a story about the struggles of business, journalism and the struggles of transforming to the digital age in China? Give us a listen.
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    3 mins
  • 1: An Introduction to $elling the Truth

    1: An Introduction to $elling the Truth
    Dec 2 2021
    Big stuff is happening. Everywhere. While two world powers-- China and the U.S.—are at swords points, we’re awash in misinformation, biased news, outright lies. As it happens, a young Chinese-American now leads Hong Kong’s local English language newspaper which claims it can lead the conversation about China globally, with news we can trust.  But first, it must not only transform from a traditional print newspaper into a digital media powerhouse, but it must also satisfy skeptics who say that as long as it depends on its owner Alibaba (the huge Chinese conglomerate) its reporting can’t be believed. So it has to figure out how to make enough money to remain independent, even while Beijing is breathing down its neck.
    Listen as we unwind a unique story of entrepreneurship and journalist freedoms…selling the truth.
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    5 mins