DC Thomson Media has set about transforming its newsroom and a key addition to the team has been David Mac Dougall, appointed Head of Politics at the end of last year. The Apollo programme focuses on transforming the business to expand its publishing platforms, serving audiences in specialist areas such as politics, through digital products and content as well as print. David charts his career from Guatemala to Baghdad to Finland to DC Thomson, how he ensures balance between local and national reporting and the role magazines play in delivering high-quality political journalism.

In the first Radar interview of 2021, we spoke with the Editor-in-Chief of OutThere Magazine, winner of PPA Diversity Initiative of the Year at the PPA Independent Publisher Awards. Uwern Jong is passionate about storytelling and travel and since starting OutThere, has carved out a space in travel publishing for a diverse a range of readers. Jong explains what he hopes to see in publishing around diversity in 2021, how magazine publishers can support the industries they report on and his plans for the coming year.

We spoke with Harrod's Magazine Beauty Editor and one of our PPA 30 Under 30 winners, Olivia de Courcy about how she got to where she is now, the transition from working for a publishing house to a retailer and the importance of omnichannel story-telling, taking content beyond the magazine.

For the final Radar interview of 2020, we spoke with the Co-Founder of a magazine that responded with full force to an almighty challenge faced over this last year. As lockdown hit and the streets were emptied, The Big Issue had to rapidly adapt its business model, which had previously relied on street vendors to sell the weekly publication. John Bird tells us all about his upbringing, how this led to the birth of The Big Issue & how COVID has affected magazine publishing.

Having been Editor-in-Chief of Men’s Health for nine years, Toby Wiseman has seen the brand evolve in its mission, content strategy and the role it plays in male wellbeing. Following a turbulent year where exercise and mental health have been at the front of our minds, Toby explains how subscriptions have reacted, plans for 2021, the opportunities presented by membership models and creativity during the pandemic.

Winner of PPA Student of the Year tells us the reasons behind choosing a career in journalism, those she looks up to, the work she is most proud of and the advice she would give to anyone embarking on a masters in journalism.

Following our PPA Independent Publisher Awards last week, we spoke with Ivor Eisenstadt, Managing Director of MGP, PPA Independent Publishing Company of the Year 2020. He explains how the company has changed and evolved over the last year, his advice to other independent publishers and what it means to win this year's award.

At the start of the first lockdown, Serlina Boyd and her daughter embarked on a project to create a children's magazine that celebrates black culture, giving young children a voice and space for representation. The magazine has now evolved into a cultural phenomenon that has reached as far South Korea and can now be found on newsstands across the UK.

In the coming weeks we will be hosting our virtual PPA Independent Publisher Conference & Awards, a chance for this community to come together to share ideas and provide insights for getting through this tricky time. Chris March, Founder of Remember Media, an independent publisher based in North England shares some of the steps they have been taking to support their local communities and the importance of regional publishers in bringing people together.

Only a few months after starting at the British primary care magazine Pulse as a staff reporter this year, COVID-19 hit, marking the start of a rapid learning curve for Costanza Pearce who continues to break exclusives and hold those in power to account. "It has been overwhelming at times but a privilege to serve and write for doctors who are working on the frontline and who need help digesting information."

Nine times a year, Ed Needham single-handedly produces Strong Words, a magazine about new books, packed with reviews and interviews with their authors across all types of genres. Since embarking on his Strong Words journey in 2017, Ed reads the equivalent of War and Peace every week and writes the equivalent of The Great Gatsby every issue. "It is one of those enduring miracles of magazine production that no matter what, they always reach the printer on time, and Strong Words is no different."

As Director of Communications & PR at Hearst UK, Effie Kanyua is highly experienced in how publishers can communicate the values of their brands both internally and externally. In our conversation we spoke about what Hearst UK has been doing to recognise and celebrate Black History Month and how PR & Comms teams more broadly can play effective roles at creating diversity in the workplace.

Ahead of World Mental Health Day, Head of Careers at NABS, the support organisation for the advertising and media industry, gives her insight on how best to navigate these difficult times. As we look to work from home indefinitely, Uzma Afridi provides insights into how we can support and collaborate with one another remotely as well as the NABS resources available to us.

Since starting her career in journalism, Jean Jollands has worked across a number of titles from the the black British national newspaper, The Voice to the Daily Express and now Take a Break, the best-selling women's weekly from Bauer Media. "I do think it is one of the most exciting times to be a black journalist," says Jean, "if the industry is serious about change." As Black History Month begins, we go on to speak about how the publishing industry makes this change by reflecting the voices of its audiences, the plans Bauer has to celebrate BHM and the importance of having these conversations all year round not just in October.

In the build-up to the PPA Independent Publisher Conference, we spoke with last year's keynote speaker, Mark Allen, Founder & Chairman of the Mark Allen Group and soon-to-be published author. Having successfully steered his company through the last six months, Mark gives his advice to publishers to get through these difficult times as well as explaining more about his productive lockdown during which he wrote a novel.

Following the recent partnership between TikTok & the Hearst brands, Women's Health & Men's Health, we spoke with the Head of Social Strategy about the process behind this collaboration. Having started in the industry before Instagram or TikTok even existed, Lauren Smith has been at the forefront of social media management from the very beginning. Smith explains how she successfully manages the social media strategy of 13 Hearst brands, how Instagram reels will change the way we interact with the platform and future social media trends she's interested in.