A lot can change in just three years

On her last day as editor of Mediatel News, Michaela Jefferson reflects on her last three years of media reporting and the changes she’s been proud to see along the way

So… today is my last day at Mediatel. How surreal. I umm-ed and ahh-ed about whether I was going to write a leaving column, but somehow I’ve ended up with over 800 words, so I’ve decided you can have them.

I have a relatively short experience of this industry compared with the majority of our readers – it’s been three years since I joined Mediatel News (then Newsline) and began writing about media. So I won’t try to offer you some great reflection on how the industry has transformed, because it hasn’t, not hugely. For the most part it looks the same as it did, which is what you’d expect after such a short period of time.

But there have been changes. Important changes. Changes that have already begun to make a major difference to the way our industry operates, and many of which I’ve been proud to see take place.

Media owners, which once fought fiercely with one another as competitors, are now collaborating more than ever to ensure the continued health of our sector. Premium newsbrand publishers came together to establish The Ozone Project, and it’s a similar story of collaboration among other media channels too.

We were lucky enough to host the CEOs of ITV, Channel 4 and Sky on stage together for the first time ever at the Future of TV Advertising two years ago to discuss their collaboration on strategic issues, and since then we’ve seen the three broadcasters work together on tech partnerships, advertising campaigns and building client relationships.

We’ve seen major developments in the quest for accurate cross-media measurement with the likes of Project Origin, which I’m sure for many once felt like little more than a pipe dream. We saw the launch of PAMCo, offering cross-platform readership figures for publishers for the first time.

And, maybe most importantly, we’ve seen the industry rally together in an effort to tackle some enormous societal problems.

From eradicating workplace sexual harassment with the TimeTo campaign, to addressing the climate crisis with the launch of Ad Net Zero, Ad Green and the “Change the Brief” campaign, to witnessing new and bigger brands and agencies sign-up to the Conscious Advertising Network and commit to investing their media budgets ethically.

In this year alone, we’ve seen a huge attitude shift towards the discussion of diversity and inclusion.

There’s been a willingness for the first time to discuss uncomfortable subjects like white privilege, micro-aggressions and unconscious bias with empathy and respect, and to actually take action to address these challenges.

I’ve asked any number of media leaders over the last 12 months what change they most want to see in the industry, and better diversity and inclusion is almost always the answer.

People of colour have been more empowered than ever to speak their truth, some of whom I had the privilege of talking to in this feature last summer, which remains to this day my favourite article I was able to write during my time at Mediatel thanks to the honesty and insight of those who I was lucky enough to interview.

And of course, there’s been Covid.

A year of working from home and being unable to see colleagues, of missed meetings and lost lunches. But somehow we never felt too far away from one another.

I think that was made pretty evident during our Year Ahead event in January, in which I got to witness the excitement of our industry’s leaders at being able to chat to and see each other again, regardless of the disruption (bingo!), uncertainty (bingo!) and downright tragedy of the last 12 months.

Events have been pivoting their strategies and moving into the digital space, none better than Mediatel Events (and yes I’m biased, but I really mean it) which, led by Steve Scaffardi, simply refused to let Covid bring it down.

We’ve run something like 32 events and webinars digitally since lockdown began, all free to attend. And while it was definitely hard work at times, it was worth it to see how those events helped people to stay connected to one another, and allowed people to continue growing as professionals even from their bedrooms.

There’s still so much for everyone to do, and I for one am not going to stop highlighting the problems we face and the need for further change.

As this article we published this week from Blue State’s Hannah Johnson points out, women and the battle for equality have been seriously damaged by this pandemic.

The same is likely true of our industry’s overall diversity, with junior levels, which tend to be the most diverse, having been hit the hardest with redundancies and cut backs. Although at least the new All In Census will be able to track this in the years to come.

And of course, we still have problems with over investment in performance marketing channels to the detriment of both brands and legacy media owners.

But for once, let’s pat ourselves on the back for everything we’ve all achieved in the last three years. Everything you’ve achieved. Everything I’ve achieved. And for everything we’re going to achieve in the next three. Covid’s blown a massive hole in things, but let’s not let it kill our momentum.

Finally, I can’t leave without paying tribute to all the brilliant people I’ve had the pleasure of working with during my stint at Mediatel News, inside and outside the company.

When I joined I was struck by how nice everyone in this industry was, and excluding a few minor occurrences, that hasn’t changed at all.

I’ve had the joy of editing and working with our six regular columnists, Dominic Mills, Ray Snoddy, Jan Gooding, Nick Manning, Bob Wootton and now Bobi Carley, who continue to challenge and advise on the most important subjects with both their extensive experience and a sense of humour.

I’ve been fortunate enough to work with and learn from two brilliant and endlessly supportive editorial colleagues in my former editor David Pidgeon and our current contributing editor, Mike Fletcher.

And I’ve been able to work for not one, but two excellent CEOs in Derek Jones and Greg Grimmer, who are going to continue growing Mediatel and taking it to new heights – especially with the significant investment they’ve just secured from our new friends and partners at Adwanted.

As for me, while I am leaving Mediatel today in a very bittersweet moment, I’m staying in journalism and I’m not going too far away – so keep in touch. You can find me on both LinkedIn and Twitter.

Thanks, and hope to speak again very soon.