![the new serial podcast the new serial podcast](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/06/30/rtx25o49_custom-4716b2c218fa675aa605b3950ff578c86d662b77.jpg)
![the new serial podcast the new serial podcast](https://cms.qz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/adnan-syed-serial.jpg)
“We have been enormous admirers of This American Life and Serial for a long time,” said Dolnick. Here’s what I learned: To begin with, the deal apparently came about organically, as the Times, working off the blockbuster successes of The Daily, sought to figure out what heights to climb next. I was, however, able to jump on the phone a few hours ago with Julie Snyder, Serial Productions’ CEO Sam Dolnick, the Times’ assistant managing editor and Stephanie Preiss, the Times’ VP of audio and TV, to talk about the development. (Actual details of the deal size were not disclosed at this time. The possibility was raised again in a column by the Times’ own Ben Smith, published in early March, which reported that the studio was for sale at a $75 million valuation, though it was expected to go for much less. The Times was the lone company he cited as a potential buyer. The Wall Street Journal’s Ben Mullin first drew attention to the possibility back in January, when he reported that Serial Productions was shopping around for a sale. This is a stunning development, even though it’s been in the hopper for a while. Squeezed into the press release is word of Serial Productions’ latest project, slated to drop on July 30: Nice White Parents, which features Chana Joffe-Walt examining the role that white parents play in the shaping of public education. This arrangement is distinct for another reason: The longtime public-radio show and podcast will now be collaborating with the Times on co-marketing and advertising-sales efforts.Īnd that’s also not all. This one’s a little complicated, so pay close attention: While Serial Productions will now be a New York Times property, This American Life will remain an independent operation, though this “strategic alliance” means that Serial Productions and This American Life will continue collaborating creatively. In addition to the acquisition, the Times announced that it has entered “an ongoing creative and strategic alliance” with This American Life. ( The Wall Street Journal broke this story a few hours ago.) You might know it as the shop that houses, well, Serial, along with the 2017 hit S-Town.
![the new serial podcast the new serial podcast](https://i.cbc.ca/1.4599424.1522349895!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg)
Today, the New York Times formally announced that it will be acquiring Serial Productions, the spinoff studio from This American Life led by Julie Snyder, Sarah Koenig, and Neil Drumming.