The Tuesday Media Diet with Brian Morrissey

On foraging for information, Tombstone, and Simon Kuper

Brian Morrissey (BM) is a longtime pal of WITI. He has covered the ad, media, and marketing space for years, and is a new(ish) resident of Miami, where I met him on my last visit for a leisurely fish taco lunch on a terrace. -Colin (CJN)

Tell us about yourself.

I’m the founder and sole proprietor of The Rebooting, a newsletter and podcast focused on building sustainable media businesses. For nearly a decade, I was president and editor-in-chief at Digiday Media. I’ve covered the media business for two decades while also living its ups and downs. I wanted to build The Rebooting because I believe there’s a better way to build media businesses that last and are meaningful. I also, selfishly, wanted to build something from scratch that was how I wanted it to be.

Describe your media diet. 

I’m not one for fad diets overall, so I tend to forage widely. Like all journalists, I spend too much time on Twitter, although I try not to take it seriously because Twitter should never be taken seriously. But I end up using it as an RSS feed to find random tidbits and news most days. Most nights I read The Financial Times for the next day. We got the cheapest tablet made – it’s called Zonko and I believe it has an operating system made in North Korea – just to read the FT’s “ePaper” because it’s a better deal than regular digital access. I like the FT because it has a more global view than US publications and has always spent a lot more time on issues like decarbonization and ESG. The FT Weekend is a fun indulgence, although I prefer it in paper and that’s impossible to get in Miami because, well, come on, nobody’s reading the FT in Miami. I read the NYT, although parts of it have become annoying since it has abandoned a centrist position, even in its reporting I find the NYT veers into activism. I make sure to read The Economist most weeks, if only because of its breadth. These days, I read a lot of newsletters. I like The Morning because David Leonhardt is smart and sane, and some of Bloomberg’s are good like its 5 Things and Matt Levine’s Money Stuff. I read lots of independent newsletters like Troy Young’s People vs Algorithms and my wife’s Sociology of Business. For publishing news, I like the Press-Gazette. I’m extremely biased, but I don’t think the US trade publications do a good job. The Athletic is my go-to for sports, along with some ESPN. My guilty pleasure is reading Monocle’s newsletters and listening to its Sunday podcast. Such a peculiar brand. Points for consistency in continuing to discuss what’s flying off the shelves of Helsinki bookstores. On podcasts, I enjoy Derek Thompson’s Plain English, Mike Lombardi’s GM Shuffle and Peter Kafka’s Recode Media.  

What’s the last great book you read?

I really enjoyed Gary Gerstle’s “The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order.” It paints a great overview of how our politics and economics have moved from a consensus around the New Deal to one around globalization and liberalism and now who knows what. 

What are you reading now?

I want to unwind after a tough day, so I’m reading “Tombstone,” a book about the Great Famine in China in the late 50s-early 60s. I’ve just started it, but I like how it weaves in personal stories when sometimes these insane events – 36 million are thought to have died – treat the people as abstractions and focus instead on the drama of the powerful.

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

I used to read every single page of The New Yorker. I do not anymore. I’m more of a realist, so if I find a few articles to my liking, that’s a W. Life is too short to endure Andy Borowitz.

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

I don’t know if this is some deep cut, but I really enjoy whatever Simon Kuper writes in the FT. He goes from sports to French politics quite seamlessly, and he’s got a laconic quality I find endearing as a fellow Gen Xer.

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone? 

I don’t have a ton of apps. I just go to websites. Most apps I have aren’t opened. I don’t think I’m unique in this. It’s why I never wanted to waste time and money building an app. It’s a big ask. I do think Substack made a nice app, even if I don’t particularly love it as a writer.

Plane or train?

Different tools for different jobs. I live in Miami, so I can’t imagine taking the train back to NYC, although I considered it when we moved down here in July 2020. In Europe – I know that sounds snotty – I’d open for a train over Ryan Air.

What is one place everyone should visit? 

The Beniya Mukayu onsen in Kaga, Japan. It’s so well done in a very Japanese way, impeccable design and amazing food. In winter, they have these amazing snow crabs and you can be in your own private tub while looking out on the snow and a creek below. 

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into. 

Maybe this is a different type of rabbit hole, but in 1998 I jogged around a park on a muggy evening in Washington DC and got hooked on running. It’s become an important part of my life in many ways, and over the years I’ve done all kinds of different races, training regimens, nutritional hacks and injury treatments. I’m at the age where I’m getting slower, not faster, but that hasn’t dimmed the rewards I get from being alone with my thoughts. (BM)

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Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN) & Brian (BM)

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