Talk Media

The Big Light

Broadcaster Stuart Cosgrove and guests bring you Talk Media: a forensic analysis of how the media works, and who works the media. Packed full of candid commentary and informed opinion, Talk Media features a weekly guest commentator from the worlds of journalism, entertainment and politics.

Full episodes are published weekly on Wednesday evenings via our Supporters Club. Join our Supporters Club now to listen for 99p per week: thebiglight.com/talkmedia

Subscribe Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

317 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes317

Newest first

Jun 11, 2025 · 23 min
‘By-Election Coverage - how did our media do?’, ‘The Freedom Flotilla’ and ‘The BBC to Serve the Reform Audience’
Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full hour long podcast, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 4, 2025 · 20 min
‘Organised Crime Reporting’, ‘Forget Independence, Prepare for War’ and ‘Gerry Adams wins Libel Case’
Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full hour long podcast, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 28, 2025 · 17 min
‘Racism and Sectarianism - Farage Style’, ‘The Centralisation of the Scottish Media’ and an extended Listener's questions.
Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full hour long podcast, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 21, 2025 · 14 min
‘The UK makes a fishy deal’, ‘Lineker leaves the BBC’ and ‘Who actually took that photograph?’
Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full hour long podcast, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 14, 2025 · 21 min
‘Enoch Starmer’, ‘Hamas Hostage Release’ and ‘Assisted Dying Vote In Holyrood’
Here's a 20 min listen to this week's Talk Media. To hear the full 3 topics, Listener questions and recommendations, go to https://www.patreon.com/posts/enoch-starmer-in-128938550?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 16, 2025 · 21 min
The Media under a Global Threat - Part 2 Ukraine
This week, in the second of our series of deep dives, we are talking about Ukraine with Talk Media pal David Pratt. We are really grateful to David for bringing his real life experiences and insights to the podcast and listeners. This podcast was recorded in advance of release. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 9, 2025 · 21 min
The Media under a Global Threat - Part 1 Palestine
We've taken this opportunity to welcome Talk Media regular David Pratt in to the studio to record this 2 part series starting with Palestine. With Trump taking up so much of the news space, this gives us a chance to do a deep dive into this horrific conflict that seems to have dropped down the news cycle. A huge thanks to David for taking the time to come in and give us the benefit of his experience and expertise. Part 2 Ukraine will be available next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 3, 2025 · 21 min
‘Le Pen Held to Account’, ‘Documentary Power’ and an extended Listener Questions.
This week we've gone for 2 topics and 7 listener questions. Get the kettle on! We made the 6 part podcast Hunting The Whisky Bandits with BBC Disclosure. Check itnout here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0029kxz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 27, 2025 · 21 min
https://pod.co/talk-media/farewell-to-nicola-bbc-news-head-leaves-the-building-and-us-defend-signal-leaks
The boys are in great form this week as they chat through the topics that hit their media radar. Listener questions from Lorraine Kerr, Roger Hyam and Thomas Devlin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 19, 2025 · 21 min
‘Labour’s disability crisis’, ‘Lost in Space’ and ‘Culture or Cringe’ with Stuart Cosgrove and Prof. Eamonn O'Neill
This week the boys are on good form as they chew over the week's topics. Listener questions come from Alex MacDonald and Kevin Rinchey. Apologies for not getting the shout out for questions earlier. If you want to submit a question for the boys, please fire us a question in by 2pm on a Wednesday in the comments areas or messaging areas of Patreon and we will do our best to get it discussed. To hear the full episode, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 12, 2025 · 21 min
‘Kransov - Agent Orange Baby or Conspiracy Theory’, ‘More SNP lifers to stand down’ and ‘Michael Sheen - Man of the People’ / with the dynamic duo of Stuart and Eamonn
This week the dynamic duo return to talk the week's big media stories with listener questions from Iain Campbell, Gordon Cuthbertson, Alex MacDonald and Michael Mackinnon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 5, 2025 · 10 min
Today, as Talk Media moves into its 5th year, the boys take a look at the changes in the media landscape as we all come to terms with news and communication in 2025.
This week we welcome Stuart back to the podcast as we start our 5th year of Talk Media on The Big Light. Thank you to all of you who support us - every penny you give us goes towards the costs of making the podcast. To hear the full episode, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 26, 2025 · 21 min
Labour Defence Announcement, Public Prayer and Sunset Song and book banning / with Lesley Riddoch and John Nicolson
Here's the first topic of today's Talk Media. To hear the full episode go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 19, 2025 · 23 min
'Trump to the Rescue' and 'Arts for Arts Sake' / with Catriona Stewart and Angela Haggerty
Here's the first topic of today's Talk Media. To hear the full episode go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 12, 2025 · 21 min
"Let Hell Break Out" and 'Farage sets sights on Scotland' / with Ruth Wishart and David Pratt
Here's the first topic of today's Talk Media. To hear the full episode go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia An extended listener questions this week featuring questions from Alex MacDonald, Bill White and Colin Bone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 5, 2025 · 30 min
Starmer in a Spin, The Scottish Government Budget and They’re Banning Cats / with Angela Haggerty and John Nicolson
Here's the first topic of today's Talk Media. To hear the full episode go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia We are delighted to welcome John Nicolson to the show today for the first time. Thanks to John for joining us remotely, hopefully next time we will have him in for some tea and biscuits! Listener question this week is from John Nichol. Recommendations: Angela Severance - Apple TV Eamonn The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson John The Plot Against America - Philip Roth Brian and Maggie - The real interview CH4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 30, 2025 · 33 min
“Clearing out Gaza,” the UK media reacts to Reeves’ ‘runway to growth’ and an extended listener questions / with David Pratt
Here's the first topic of today's Talk Media. To hear the full episode go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia Today's show was recorded before Israel announced their delay in releasing Palestinian prisoners. Listen questions from Jim Hunter, James Ross and Linda. Recommendations: Eamonn The Rose of Tibet - Lionel Davidson David War was my comfort zone, until I had to walk away - BBC Outlook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 22, 2025 · 23 min
‘Ceasefire in Gaza’; ‘Trump 2.0 Speaks’ and ‘When the Media Solves the Mystery’ / with Catriona Stewart and David Pratt
Here's a free listen to the first topic from this week's show. If you want to hear the other two topics, listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia and help us to continue our independent look at the stories hitting the news and the media behind them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 15, 2025 · 37 min
‘UK’s First Drug Consumption Opens’ ‘Can Artificial Intelligence Save Labour?’ and ‘Sturgeon Splits as Ferry Sails’ / with Alison Thewliss and Angela Haggerty
Happy New Year to you all from everyone at The Big Light. Here's a free listen to the first topic from this week's show. If you want to hear the other two topics, listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia and help us to continue our independent look at the stories hitting the news and the media behind them. We're really happy to be back in the studio and delighted to have such a packed first episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 18, 2024 · 6 min
‘City Centre Cup Chaos’ ‘The Prince’s Spy’ and ‘Our top stories of 2024’ / with Catriona Stewart, Angela Haggerty and David Pratt
A bumper show today full of energy and great debate. We'll be back with our first show of 2025 on 8th January. Wishing all of you a peaceful and happy Christmas and New Year. Recommendations: Catriona Swiped - CH4 Emma and Matt Willis challenge a group of Year 8 pupils at the Stanway School in Colchester to give up their smartphones completely for 21 days Angela Irresistible -BBC2 Why are ultra-processed foods so irresistible, and how they have come to dominate food culture? This documentary by medical doctor and academic Dr Chris van Tulleken features interviews with former food industry insiders who talk openly about the way in which popular foods have been designed to be irresistible. Food companies go to extraordinary lengths to ensure their products connect with consumers - from using brain scans to assess the deliciousness of ice cream to carefully engineering the sound of a crunch. Ultra-processed foods are hyper-delicious and super-convenient, have long shelf lives and are extremely cheap. But a growing body of evidence is linking these products to our declining health. David A Quiet Evening: The Travels of Norman Lewis Collected here, from a period of nearly five decades, are thirty-six of Norman Lewis’s best articles. In each, his writing crackles with poker-faced wit and stylistic brilliance. As a witness to his times – the good, the bad and the absurd – he was unmatched, and his instinct for important events, and moments, was infallible. His range here includes Ibizan fishermen, an interview with Castro’s executioner, the genocide of the South American Indian tribes, a paean to Seville and his meeting with a tragic Ernest Hemingway. That meeting was ‘a shattering experience,’ Norman wrote to Ian Fleming who had commissioned him, ‘of the kind likely to sabotage ambition.’Fortunately it didn’t, and the articles assembled between these covers are compulsive, hilarious, tender and beautifully written, at times deeply upsetting, and always unforgettable. The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World With a mind-boggling mastery of sources, Dalrymple weaves a thrilling tale of India’s cultural hegemony, not forgetting its invention of mathematics and related disciplines still in use today - Andrew Lycett, Spectator Eamonn Comfort and Joy Alan Bird (Bill Paterson, Outlander, Dad's Army) thinks he has life pretty well organised. Glasgow's top DJ, with a nice apartment, and the only red BMW Cabriolet north of Manchester, he has little to worry about until his kleptomaniac girlfriend Maddy ditches him just before Christmas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices