Sam Dolnick, an assistant managing editor who oversees Times audio said, “We have been enormous admirers of ‘This American Life’ and ‘Serial’ for years and their work has inspired and informed our own. We feel confident the ‘Serial’ and ‘This American Life’ teams share our desire to continue to find groundbreaking ways to tell stories, grow listenership and help more and more people better understand the world. They are as mission-driven as we are and we’re so excited to welcome them to The Times family.”
Julie Snyder, the executive editor of Serial Productions said, “We’re incredibly proud of ‘Serial’ and wanted to find a home where we felt shared values, one where we would be supported and resourced to tell more stories, of the highest quality. We’re thrilled to be joining The Times, where they have demonstrated a commitment to pursuing the possibilities of audio and long-form narrative journalism.”
Ira Glass said, “For years now, when people ask me to recommend a podcast, the first one I mention is ‘The Daily.’ Effusively. Gushingly. It’s so impressive, how The Times jumped into audio journalism, and made a show that uses the medium so well. I also love how ‘The Daily’ and the other Times podcasts are narrative journalism, like our show. They tell stories, with characters and feeling, and, of course, because they’re The Times, a lucid analysis of the world around us. I can’t imagine a better partner for the journalism we and ‘Serial’ do than The Times, and look forward to continuing to invent this still-young world of podcasting with them at our side.”
As Serial Productions joins The Times, the team plans to produce a number of shows and series under The Times and Serial Productions banner. The first, “Nice White Parents,” will bring listeners along with award-winning reporter Chana Joffe-Walt as she examines the role white families play in shaping public education. You can listen to the trailer tomorrow, with the first two episodes available on Thursday, July 30 on NYTimes.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
“This American Life” remains an independent company and will continue its weekly broadcasts on public radio and its podcast.
For more about The Times’s acquisition, our expanding audio portfolio and the future of our audio journalism, read a note on NYTCo.com/press from Dean Baquet, The Times’s executive editor, Meredith Kopit Levien, Sam Dolnick and Stephanie Preiss, The Times’s vice president for audio and TV.
LionTree Advisors LLC is acting as financial advisor, Lauren Zalaznick as strategic advisor and Lowenstein Sandler is acting as legal advisor to Serial and This American Life. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP are acting as legal advisors to The Times.
