Today on Media Files, a podcast about the major themes and issues in the media, we’re looking at the future newsroom.

We often hear about the doom and gloom of established media companies as they shed staff and revenues, but is there hope for journalism and a new style of digital newsroom? We ask of the man with an ambitious mission to launch 100 media start-ups in three years: what does the future newsroom look like?

Our guest is co-founder and CEO of Splice Media, Alan Soon. Based in Singapore, Alan is a former journalist and producer at Yahoo, CNBC, Bloomberg and Kyodo News, and is promising a million dollars to give to start-ups to transform media in Asia.

We talked about:

• Challenges and opportunities for start-ups

• His pledge to launch 100 digital media start-ups in Asia over three years with a $1 million fund – and where the money comes from

• Why he thinks Asia lacks a robust ecosystem around media start-ups.

• How to build communities around membership and make a media start-up financially sustainable.

• Media trends and innovations that he expects we will see more of in the future.

• How limiting the different regulatory environments and political norms such as regard for freedom of expression may be in parts of Asia.

And much, much more.

Read more: Media Files: Guardian Australia's Katharine Murphy and former MP David Feeney on the digital disruption of media and politics

Media Files is produced by a team of journalists and academics who have spent decades working in and reporting on the media industry. They’re passionate about sharing their understanding of the media landscape, especially how journalists operate, how media policy is changing, and how commercial manoeuvres and digital disruption are affecting the kinds of media and journalism we consume.

Media Files will be out every month, with occasional off-schedule episodes released when we’ve got fresh analysis we can’t wait to share with you. To make sure you don’t miss an episode, find us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, in Pocket Casts or wherever you find your podcasts. And while you’re there, please rate and review us - it really helps others to find us.

You can find more podcast episodes from The Conversation here.

Read more: Media Files: ABC boss Michelle Guthrie sacked, but the board won’t say why

Recorded at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism. Producer: Andy Hazel. Production assistance Gavin Nebauer.

Additional audio

Theme music by Susie Wilkins.

Andrew Dodd receives funding from the Australian Research Council

Andrea Carson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.