American Public Media has eliminated six positions as part of a restructuring of APM Studios, its podcast unit.
APM Studios will move away from being a standalone podcast studio and will instead “focus on building strong, multiplatform brands that align with our strategic plan,” Joanne Griffith, CCO of APM Studios, told Current in an email.
The restructuring began March 1 and will end June 30 “due to production commitments,” Griffith said.
“It’s never easy to say goodbye to any of our talented colleagues who have contributed so much to our organization, and this decision was not made lightly,” she said. “The next chapter for APM Studios will allow us to develop our emerging brands and products, building upon the great successes we’ve had in reaching younger and more diverse audiences.”
Spokesperson Ellie Pierce declined to say which positions were affected but said that 20 employees remain on the dedicated APM Studios team following the staff reduction.
The move was due in part to financial reasons, Pierce said.
“Several factors influenced this decision, among them our mission, vision, core values and strategic direction,” she said. “Broad economic trends affecting the podcast market, including material dips in pricing for podcast advertising, are also a factor.”
APM Studios will not renew limited-series production and distribution contracts that expire this summer, Pierce said. Those include She Has a Name, which will end May 30; What Happened in Alabama, which launches May 15 and runs to July; and Ripple, which ended in February. “These were all planned as single-season releases,” Pierce said.
APM Studios will continue to produce Brains On! Universe, The Splendid Table and The Slowdown and will also continue distributing Charm Words and Truth Be Told.