Former Network TV Journalists Are Building Seven-Figure Indie Media Brands

Dr. Jen Ashton's independent wellness platform Ajenda generated seven-figure revenue in its first year and doubled it in the second — proof that a former chief medical correspondent can out-earn her network days without a broadcaster behind her. She's one of three former ABC News names who have launched their own outlets on Beehiiv (a publishing platform founded in 2021 for newsletters, podcasts and memberships), alongside Terry Moran and Vinita Nair.

All three left traditional TV within the past year and built direct-to-audience businesses. It's the clearest recent signal that the path from network desk to owned audience is now repeatable, not a one-off gamble.

Who moved, and what they built

• Terry Moran, let go from ABC News in June 2025, started Real Patriotism, a political reporting and analysis newsletter. "It's the best and hardest job I've ever had," he told TVNewser.
• Dr. Jen Ashton grew Ajenda from a one-person operation into a business of nearly 20 people, spanning two newsletters and a membership program, with a podcast and live events planned next.
• Vinita Nair, who anchored at ABC, NBC and CBS News, founded Vinitia Speaks, coaching business leaders on communication. Her TikTok account has more than 240,000 followers, plus a newsletter.

"Building something I have complete control over has been the most fulfilling, educational, and unpredictable experience of my career," Nair said.

What does this change for practitioners?

The operating model matters more than the big names. These journalists aren't freelancing — they're running product businesses. Ashton's numbers show the ceiling: seven figures in year one, doubled in year two, with a team of nearly 20 and a membership layer on top of ad-relevant newsletter inventory. Nair's 240,000 TikTok followers demonstrate that short-form social still works as the top of a funnel that ends in owned channels.

Beehiiv, founded in 2021, supplies the stack: publishing, growth and monetization tools across newsletters, websites, podcasts and memberships. For anyone weighing the same leap, the platform choice appears settled among this cohort.

What the day-to-day actually looks like

The trade-off is autonomy against workload. Moran said he's now handling production, business strategy, tech issues and customer support himself. Nair noted there's no newsroom staff validating your work anymore — "I use the same reporting standards and editorial judgment I developed in network news. Before I publish anything, I ask myself whether it is accurate, useful, and responsible," she said.

Ashton, who spent 18 years in broadcast without a say in topic selection, said independence lets her be "more intentional and contemplative in the topics." She doesn't miss the early wake-up calls or the heavy hair and makeup; Nair doesn't miss the long hours and unpredictable travel.

All three said they miss their former colleagues — but Moran was blunt about newsroom culture, calling civic spirit there "a rhetorical ornament, put up for show, rather than a democratic necessity and journalistic obligation."

The credibility question

Without a network logo, credibility has to be rebuilt from scratch. Ashton's take: having your name attached to a news organization doesn't automatically make you credible anymore. "Being a good communicator with good credentials does," she said.

Moran frames it as getting it right and telling the truth about what it means. Nair spotted her niche by watching the market shift in real time: "I was seeing how a digital, AI-centered world was affecting human connection, yet no one was reporting on it," she said.

Audience-building, minus the romance

Their advice for finding readers is notably unsentimental. Audiences don't arrive on their own, Ashton stressed: "You have to go to them. You need to find them, and they need to choose you as their source."

Moran said you'll know you're connecting "by their authentic responses to the work." Nair's guidance: focus on your goals, take risks, and use the investigative skills you already have to "understand what people need." Moran's closing rule for the work itself: "Don't fake outrage if you don't feel it. Don't run from a hard subject. Do follow your heart."

With Ajenda expanding into podcasts and live events, and the Beehiiv route now validated by three separate network careers, expect more broadcast names to trade the anchor desk for an owned audience in the year ahead.

By Marcus Bennett