We’ve noticed an uptick in people who work on public radio shows and podcasts heading to for-profit media in the last few years.
Public radio talents have been especially attracted to new ventures like Gimlet, the startup podcast company co-founded by Alex Blumberg, and Audible’s original programming division. They’ve also headed to outlets like Midroll and Slate.
In the latest Hot Pod, a newsletter about podcasts, Nicholas Quah captures this migration in spreadsheet form. He’s identified 37 moves and seeks to continue updating the list. (You can suggest names to add here.)
Of those on the list, 13 went to Gimlet, six to Audible, five to Midroll and three to Slate, among other outlets.
“This is just a very small start, and I’ll build and update it over time, but from what little there is, one can already spot some pretty clear dynamics right off the bat,” Quah wrote. “Namely, that only a handful of institutions are providing the supply, and everybody’s white.”
According to Eric Nuzum, one who moved from NPR to Audible, Quah could be busy updating the list in the coming year.
“Just from public statements made by Gimlet, Midroll and Audible, we plan to hire 60 people this coming year,” he said at the 2015 PRPD meeting, where he challenged public radio execs to make changes to keep their talent. “And where do you think most of those people are going to come from? People don’t leave when they’re happy. People don’t leave when they’re challenged. People don’t leave when they see a future in what they’re doing. You can provide that for them. Make my life more difficult and keep them.”