Editor’s note: Hot Pod is a weekly newsletter on the podcasting industry written by Nick Quah; we happily share it with Nieman Lab readers each Tuesday.
Welcome to Hot Pod, a newsletter about podcasts. This is issue 162, published May 8, 2018.
Good morning, all! We’ve got quite a big story to dig into, but first, let’s talk logistics: There will be no Hot Pod for the rest of the month, as I’ll be going home to Malaysia — for the first time in four years! — for some family affairs. Cool? Let’s jump in.
A most peculiar machination. The news was a long time coming. I’ve heard whispers of something like this since 2015, back when the rumors revolved around an internal WNYC strategy project with a curious codename: Pique. The initial story I heard spoke of a platform-oriented attempt to tackle the full stack of podcast problems, from discovery to distribution. Furthermore, the whispers say the move wasn’t meant to be limited to public radio: It would be for all…
