The original subject line of this newsletter was "Free Speech Isn't Enough." The direction I was going to take was not a political one, but that free speech of any kind - news to knitting – requires effort, and effort needs to be monetarily rewarded. This observation was intended to make the case for ensuring that publishers have sustainable business models. It's a harder argument to make than you might think.
I have argued that the future of publishing is human connection and trust. I'm not going to abandon that belief yet, but the headlines from this past week demonstrated the opposite. Publishing isn't inherently trustworthy, and at a certain scale, human connection becomes something of a stretch. To use language that would disgust anyone outside of our industry, but which is quite commonplace to us: the goal is to harvest eyeballs and target users. Yuck. Eyeball harvesters are amongst my least favorite kind of harvester and certainly not deserving of my trust.
But the goal is to always challenge one’s beliefs and reassemble. That is having skin in the game: it’s caring enough not to simply accept. I gravitate towards people who have skin in the game - those who genuinely care. It doesn't matter if it's news or knitting - if there is a passion for doing it right, I'm rooting for them with my money or my attention. AI will simulate them, but will never be them. Here are some beliefs I hold that I will continue to test and hopefully develop into actionable steps.
- I have been told often that "AI needs content." No,it doesn't. People need content. AI serves people the content. Remember who this is all for.
- AI can present me a business plan, but does it care about my business? I’m sure for some of you, there is little difference, but I see there being a role for a person to answer the question, “Am I doing as well as I can?”
Brands create a path of least resistance. I hear "Ray-Ban" and I don't have to consider a thousand other sunglass options if I don't want to. This holds true for publishers as well. AI can put the world's knowledge in my pocket, but I still want to take shortcuts to make decisions and will look for sources I trust to do so. Trust, however, should never be assumed or taken for granted. You see, I only wear sunglasses and visit publishers that protect and respect my eyeballs.
Your reading checklist:
- Publishers are under growing pressure to choose video technology partners that not only maximize yield, but also balance user experience, editorial integrity, and long-term growth. To help make sense of this complex decision-making process, EX.CO recently released a guide to evaluating online video platforms (OVPs). Check out Rob’s exclusive conversation with Jacob Uzana, VP of Operations at EX.CO.
Base.Camp Savannah only has a few seats left, are you in?
We’re a few short weeks away from Savannah, and each conversation we’re having is built for action and the moment we’re in. We asked a few of our speakers why their agenda sessions matter right now, and here’s what they said:
- Jana Meron: “Publishers areconstantly shifting strategies between direct and programmatic. It's time to understand HOW to sell programmatic as a complement to your direct or vice versa. Curators, SSPs, and DSPs are all having those conversations without us. No one knows our audiences and their value better than we do. We needto get in the game; it won't happen sitting on the sidelines.”
- Ju-kay Kwek: "The stakes have never been higher. At a time when the industry is being buffeted by existential challenges, publishers have also never had so many tools at their disposal to affect change and take their success into their own hands. The time to act and transform is now.”
- Kurt Gessler: “Every day it gets a little harder to attract a new user. Search and social referrals are in freefall and there's no short-term replacement. And the disruption of search through agentic conversations has only just begun. Rather than spending more resources chasing diminishing returns, publishers must look inward.”
Leaders from The Arena Group, NPR, Advance Local, NBA, The Atlantic, PlayOn Sports, Business Insider, The Motley Fool, Dow Jones, Cars.com, TeamSnap, Blavity, MediaNews Group, Legacy.com, and countless others will be at Savannah.
Time is running out, so raise your hand today.
Gain traction with Advertising Economic Forum during Ad Week this October
Advertising Economic Forum is a private, invitation-only experience for our industry’s most innovative practitioners, strategists, and decision-makers. On October 7, 2025, we’ll come together to tackle the industry’s biggest shifts through honest conversations, data-sharing, and collaboration-driven outcomes.
Speakers include Sanja Partalo, Domenic Venuto, Bob Lord, Sim Blaustein, Matt Spiegel, and Tom Triscari, and from them you’ll learn:
- What today’s deal flow says about where capital is heading, and what it’s ignoring.
- How behavioral economics can reveal the media decisions we don’t admit we’re making.
- Why moving fast, thinking differently, and reshaping how we work is the only way forward.
- What comes next when data, investment, and strategy actually align.
Due to the exclusive and focused nature of these conversations, you need to request an invitation, if you’d like to attend. We hope to see you there!
Early bird for Digital Day Camp ends WEDNESDAY!
You only have TWO DAYS LEFT to secure early-bird pricing to Digital Day Camp, which is returning to Toronto on October 22, 2025 after three sold-out events. Digital Day Camp is a one-day working session designed for Canadian senior leaders across publishing, brands, agencies, and ad tech.
What makes Digital Day Camp different? We’re glad you asked:
Ian Rosen, President of Harry Rosen, will be joining us for our morning keynote in an exclusive fireside chat with David U.K. We’ll also come together for honest conversations about some of our industry’s more important questions:
- When will good behaviour with privacy and data governance pay off?
- Can direct-sold strategies still thrive alongside programmatic dominance?
- How do changing traffic patterns impact revenue plans, and how do we respond?
- How do we bring Gen Z into our world, or survive in theirs?
- How do we raise the bar for CTV ad quality?
- What does it take to make data-driven approaches actually pay off?
- Where should we be placing our bets for 2026?
- What role will agentic advertising play in redefining the market?
Don’t forget, early bird pricing ends on Wednesday, September 24! Get your ticket now before prices go up.
Base.Camp Lisbon is designed for action, outcomes, and honest conversations
As we look ahead to 2026, none of us can afford to waste time on events filled with empty conversations, surface-level keynotes, and pay-to-play speakers that don’t move anything forward. That’s why Base.Camp Lisbon is specifically designed to drive outcomes and help us all take action.
Leaders from CrazyGames, Bauer, Adevinta, LiveNation, Tripadvisor, Wall Street Journal, Kinective Media℠ by United Airlines, The Weather Company, Planet Sport, Netflix, News Group, Telegraph Media Group, Livenation, City Digital Oy, Condé Nast and others have already committed to joining us this November.
Together, we’re going to roll up our sleeves and answer questions like:
- What does a better programmatic stack look like when you know what’s in front of you is too complicated?
- What does the next iteration of publishing look like, when we’re no longer lying to ourselves about where we are now and where we need to go?
- For direct-sold publishers, how do we manage drops in traffic due to consumer behavior trends that aren’t letting up?
- What will an ad ops department look like in the months and years to come, and how do we shape the future of our roles?
- How can we get sales teams and ad ops teams on the same page, when it comes to programmatic?
Will you be there? If so, now is the time to raise your hand.
A full list of our 2025 events all in one nice little package:
- Base.Camp: Savannah, GA October 5-8 just a few seats left!
- Digital Day Camp, Toronto - October 22
- Base.Camp: Lisbon, Portugal - November 2-5
More things to keep your eyes out for:
- Read our take on the top updates/news items from around the industry.
- Look for your next job on our job board. Also - sign up for our Jobs Newsletter (delivered every Thursday). Subscribe here.
- Fill your open positions by helping us help you: Submit a job and check out a job seeker like Job Seeker 40, just search “Job Seeker 40” to be taken directly to their description.
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Join the Women’s Space
Our Women’s Space is growing. We are workingon a Code of Conduct for events. One that Beeler.Tech will use and ask all our attendees to agree and adhere to, while then asking the industry to sign on to the same code of conduct. There are lots of ideas about where to do with this to make real change, not only for women, but for everyone. We want to elevate respect and professionalism.
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