Wall Street Journal reorganises around shows as podcasts expand into video
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The publisher is merging its audio and video operations and giving programmes broader teams as it adapts to audiences consuming shows across platforms.
The Wall Street Journal is reshaping its podcast operation as the line between audio, video and social content continues to blur, with senior executives saying the publisher now needs a structure built around shows rather than a traditional audio department. Taneth Evans, the Journal’s head of digital, said at the Digiday Publishing Summit in Key Biscayne, Florida, that the company is preparing for a future in which its storytelling formats increasingly overlap, and that its teams must be organised accordingly.
At the centre of that shift is Samantha Henig, who has been hired into a newly created head of multimedia role overseeing both the Journal’s audio and video teams. The publication has also retitled its audio lead position, now held by Leital Molad, as senior director of shows, reflecting a broader remit that goes beyond podcast production alone. According to reporting from Citybiz, Henig is due to report into Deputy Editor in Chief Aja Whitaker-Moore, while Molad will report to Henig once she joins the newsroom.
Evans said the previous idea of maintaining a team focused solely on audio no longer made sense as video podcasts gain traction and audiences consume shows across multiple platforms. Instead, the Journal is moving towards a model in which each programme sits at the centre of a small, specialist group that can draw on audio producers, video staff, social editors, newsletter writers and, where relevant, live-events teams. In effect, the publisher wants every show to function as a brand hub rather than as a single-format product.
The Journal’s approach also fits with a wider editorial strategy that places a premium on embedding specialists within coverage areas. Evans has described those strategists as advocates for readers, working alongside newsroom teams while still maintaining a degree of independence in decision-making. Nieman Lab reported that the Journal is also leaning harder into search and social as part of that broader audience strategy, including internal training efforts designed to help reporters appear on vertical video and connect with readers across platforms. Taken together, the changes suggest the Journal sees multimedia storytelling not as an add-on, but as the organising principle for its next phase.
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Source: Noah Wire Services · Original