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Hello! We're really looking forward to seeing lots of you at Hot Pod Summit and On Air Fest this week. We will report the summary of the event on Tuesday. Before that, we take a look at the layoffs at WAMU, the IAB's new podcast guidelines, and the ticking clock on union contract negotiations at Spotify.
WAMU shuts down DCist and lay off 15 employees.
Another NPR member station also made cuts, this time to Washington, D.C.'s WAMU. While some public radio organizations have responded to budget shortfalls by cutting podcasts (NPR, WNYC), WAMU has laid off 15 staffers and closed its doors while keeping its audio operations intact. DCistwhich acquired a local news website five years ago.
“With a renewed focus on delivering audio-first storytelling, WAMU has made the decision to retire its site and social channels. The website archive is provided to staff to support their professional activities. ” said a statement from the organization.
The decision is being considered as part of a new strategy to double down on live events and audio, but it's unclear whether new audio roles will be added. Currently, the only job available at WAMU is Director of Development.
As well as what is happening across the digital media industry; DCist It is currently not open to the public. When you visit this website, a pop-up will automatically appear directing you to her WAMU. D.C. residents are understandably unhappy that this archive has been removed from the public record. A WAMU spokesperson did not respond. hot podThis is a comment request from .
IAB publishes new podcast measurement guidelines
The organization that sets standards for podcast metrics has issued new guidelines that address some of the data issues that have arisen over the past few years. Although the new rules are not yet final, certified companies will be required to be more transparent about how they are measured.
Advertising companies, which have shied away from podcasting in the last year, “want transparency about how these calculations are done,” said Shailee Singh, vice president of product and COO of IAB Tech Lab. hot pod. “So we are working to achieve that by providing more detailed guidance.”
IAB-certified podcast companies like NPR, Acast, Megaphone (and 20 others) can now filter duplicate podcast downloads from Apple Watch and specify whether they are measured over a fixed 24-hour period or periodically It is expected that such measures will be taken. And we need to put practices in place to keep pace with major technological changes. The last guideline is especially relevant given the significant decline in downloads across the industry as a result of changes to how Apple iOS 17 handles automatic downloads.
The IAB Tech Lab is accepting public comments on the new guidelines until March 23. The documentation can be found here.
Gimlet and The Ringer's union contracts expire Thursday.
Two of Spotify's three podcasting unions are facing contract deadlines this week. Gimlet and The Ringer are both members of the Writers Guild of East America (which also represents Vox Media's union, of which I am a member), but Spotify's management has been in conflict over contract details such as salaries and severance pay. He is in conflict with the team. The negotiations come at a time when Spotify is becoming more cautious about spending following widespread layoffs in its podcast business.
Gimlet union members, who have been hollowed out due to personnel cuts, vowed to go on strike If we cannot reach an agreement with Spotify's management. In a statement, the union called for “compensation in line with inflation and a more transparent and dignified approach to job cuts in light of multiple layoffs at Spotify Studios.” Yesterday, Gimlet's union posted on X that there had been no movement on either issue.
The much larger Ringer Union, which has yet to announce a strike commitment, is also struggling to get Spotify to agree to its demands regarding the use of AI, termination notices, and raises.union Posted in X Yesterday, Spotify executives announced that they were offering a 2.7 percent raise in the first year of the deal, and a 2 percent raise each year for the next several years. “We cannot accept below-inflation pay increases from a company as valuable as @Spotify,” the union said.
Neither Spotify nor WGAE responded to requests for comment.
