Claire Murphy. Credit: The Solo Bureau
Claire Murphy, former Mamamia podcast host and senior producer, has launched her own podcast, The Solo Bureau.
The Solo Bureau, a solo news briefing available across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts and YouTube, launched May 31 and climbed to Apple's Top Shows list within its first week.
"I don't want to share numbers just yet, it hasn't even been a full week since I dropped the first episode but I can say that I nearly fell off my chair when I checked in on the numbers later that night," Murphy told AdNews.
Murphy launched the project after being made redundant amid a broader round of cuts at Mamamia.
"Soon after my final day I was pondering what I wanted to do next,” said Murphy.
“For two weeks I mulled over whether I should actually do it. Not call it something just to piss of my previous employer, that's dumb, but what if I did just start my own news podcast?"
The Solo Bureau's first episode detailed its purpose.
"I've decided to strike out on my own to bring you news outside party lines - with no billionaire boss, no editorial directives - just clean facts, context you can use and a little bit of attitude."
Murphy said the rapid success of her podcast had been unexpected.
"I actually thought I might get a handful of downloads on my first episode," she said.
"I didn't have a major network backing me and I didn't have the reach of a major media outlet to cross promote on other shows or run ads, but what I didn't realise, something that is very different to radio, is that the podcast community is exactly that, a community."
Murphy said the podcast was currently in its infancy, and would remain a side project until she could work out how to monetise it.
"I would love this to be a full time pursuit but I do need to pay the bills and that redundancy money is only going to get me so far."
She said she was struggling with how to generate an income from the podcast, given her previous experience with audience tensions over advertisements.
"Ads have always been and will always be a point of conflict in any commercial venture," said Murphy.
"I can't keep working for free but if I did take on sponsors, I'd have to have the discussion with all potential clients explaining that this is a news service and if they happen to end up in the news for the wrong reasons, that can't be a reason not to run a story.
"I would also like to integrate advertising in a much less intrusive way, stopping down for a run of ads is such a punish to the listener, so maybe something more of a mention by me but without that jeopardizing my integrity as a journalist."
Murphy said The Solo Bureau would not use AI, except in limited ways.
"I've seen first hand how quickly AI is being integrated into workflows, sometimes without it being fully thought through and sometimes even bordering on being unethical," she said.
"I think when it comes to delivering a news service there is an expectation that it hasn't been done using AI, that the human has taken the time to talk to people, to research the facts and to make sure that the content is correct at the time of delivery."
Murphy is already well underway planning future episodes.
"I've got a list of people who have reached out with potential stories and I am pursuing things that matter to me and I think, the audience as well,” she said.
“I'm also reacting to the daily news cycle where possible and hoping to convince guests that this little start up is worth appearing on. Maybe I can convince Anthony Albanese or Angus Taylor to get on for a chat by the end of the year."
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