StW: AGMs, Upfronts, and the first podcast election

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.In today’s audio-led edition, we ask whether Donald Trump’s podcast strategy will signal an advertising shift; we look back at the Seven and Nine AGMs, and forward to the ABC, Seven and Are Media upfronts.f you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including HumAIn (2025), REmade (2025), Unlock (2025), and Compass (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade. Did Joe Rogan put Trump over the top?Just a week ago, the consensus was that the US election was too close to call. Now, everybody is an expert on why a Donald Trump victory was inevitable.One underplayed factor was the strategy of Donald Trump’s team to make him available on several podcasts including The Joe Rogan Experience. With podcasts skewing younger and more male than most mainstream media, will Trump’s victory change how marketers see the medium?Also today, Seven West Media and Nine set very different tones at their AGMs; and we look forward to the ABC, Are Media and Seven’s 2025 scene setting upfront events.Further reading:* Google Trends: ‘Did Joe Biden drop out?'* Unmade: Index bottoms out as TV networks share a gloomy outlook* The Saturday Paper: ‘The mighty and powerful Joe Rogan’* Pivot: How Trump will impact media* Joe Rogan Experience: #2219 Donald TrumpToday’s episode features Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy.Editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Time to leave you to start your week. We’r taking a scheduled publishing break tomorrow while I travel to Compass Brisbane. We’ll be back with more on Wednesday.Have a great dayToodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmade This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unmade.substack.com