This is a public radio venture. American Public Media will distribute a radio version of the podcast beginning in April 2018.
Interestingly, the show will air as a weekday evening program. So, The Daily will not just expand to a different distribution platform, but will plant a flag in a different daypart.
“It’s been such a joy to see The Daily welcomed into millions of people’s lives over the past year,” said Theo Balcomb, The Daily’s managing producer. “As a team, we’ve aspired to earn that trust by offering listeners a rich understanding of the day’s biggest news. And now, we’re thrilled to introduce The Daily to a whole new audience of radio listeners.”
The podcast is one of the leaders in a new wave of daily news shows. Its main competitor in the morning is Up First from NPR, which is distilled from of Morning Edition, the two-hour over-the-air behemoth. Up First is a good example of the reverse migration — broadcast to podcast — which has fueled NPR’s dominance of podcasting’s upper echelon.
Vox Media is also working in the podcast news space, with its soon-to-launch Today, Explained, which is avoiding the morning land-grab (for now) by dropping its show in early evening.
The Daily is clearly looking for audience expansion, and the APM deal will expose the show to 20-million listeners a week. The New York Times will take a cut of sponsorship revenue sold into the show.
The development was announced by executive producer Lisa Tobin at the Code Media Conference.