I don’t find out about you guys, however I’m prepared for a trip. On that notice, I will probably be out subsequent week, so you can be listening to from Jake.
Right now, Spotify’s new org chart, NPR’s new fonts, and journalism’s new risk. However first, a fast notice from Jake:
Hey everybody, issuing a fast correction on an merchandise in yesterday’s e-newsletter about Triton Digital’s 2022 podcast report: I wrote that Spotify had 3x the podcast “listens” as Apple Podcasts; really, it was 3x as many hearers. Two additional letters, however they make for an necessary distinction — customers, not utilization. Okay, again to Ariel.
Report: Spotify has a brand new head of podcasts
After Daybreak Ostroff’s departure was introduced earlier this week, Bloomberg reported {that a} new podcast chief has been named. Sahar Elhabashi, beforehand the pinnacle of content material below Ostroff, is now the pinnacle of podcast enterprise.
Elhabashi labored carefully with Ostroff and even labored at Condé Nast Leisure on the similar time earlier than each moved over to Spotify. However whereas Elhabashi additionally has a robust content material background and should stick with it the core of Ostroff’s technique, she should report as much as chief enterprise officer Alex Norstrom. Ostroff reported on to CEO Daniel Ek. It places one other layer of enterprise oversight on content material spending as Spotify tries to mollify buyers sad with how a lot it has invested in its not-yet-profitable podcast enterprise.
Moreover, Maya Prohovnik has gotten a title change. Prohovnik changed Michael Mignano final spring as head of discuss on the product facet of the corporate. Now, she is head of podcast product.
With a watch on reducing prices, NPR switches to free fonts
These are the darkish days, and the little issues we used to take without any consideration as a part of our work infrastructure are throwing in the towel. Whereas some corporations are reining in prices by switching from Slack to Microsoft Groups or ditching company Zoom accounts for Google Meets, NPR is reevaluating its fonts.
In a tweet that has since been deleted, Semafor’s Ben Smith posted an inside NPR e-newsletter informing workers that NPR.org’s normal fonts will probably be phased out by the tip of the month. “On account of a worth improve and alter in licensor for the Gotham, Knockout, and Sentinel fonts, we’ve determined to not renew our license for these fonts.” Going ahead, they may use Lato and Supply Sans Professional — two free fonts.
Regardless of anticipating a $20 million shortfall in company sponsorships this fiscal 12 months, NPR has not but skilled the type of large layoffs seen at media corporations like Spotify, CNN, and Vox Media, however it has needed to make some troublesome cuts. The community canceled its summer time internship program final month and not too long ago confirmed to Scorching Pod that it has axed its Kroc Fellowship as properly.
“We’re all the time managing NPR’s assets rigorously. That is an instance of us doing that. We respect the eye to the change in fonts on our web site, which most individuals doubtless didn’t even discover,” NPR spokesperson Ben Fishel informed Scorching Pod in an electronic mail formatted in Comedian Sans. Nicely performed, Ben!
Is ChatGPT coming for podcasting?
Appears to be in every single place in media lately! The Wall Avenue Journal reported yesterday that BuzzFeed plans to make use of ChatGPT creator OpenAI to help in making its quizzes and different clicky content material. BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti informed workers in a memo he expects in 15 years that AI will “create, personalize, and animate the content material itself.” You completely hate to see it!
That’s not simply me being paranoid (or moderately involved?) about my future within the trade. My Verge colleague Mia Sato has finished wonderful reporting on how CNET used AI to create content material to ruinous impact. It has since halted the apply.
Does AI but threaten (or, as some unscrupulous media/PE govt may argue, “improve”) podcasting? On the excessive finish, no, since it’s so character based mostly. However I might guess something that it, together with AI text-to-voice, will grow to be a big pressure within the creation of self-distributed podcasts.
On that notice, if anybody has any thought for some arduous abilities I can develop that may’t be replicated by a robotic, hit me up. All I’ve thus far is my eggplant parm as a result of it’s made with love 
Have an important week! I’ll be again on February seventh.
