Julie Snyder: Last News

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Serial will be back in March with its long-awaited fourth season. The popular podcast will return for a nine-episode fourth season on March 28, with a focus on Guantanamo.

The New York Times and Serial Productions have announced a new three-part audio mini-series titled We Were Three. Described in a press release as “an intimate look at a family in the aftermath of the pandemic,” it’s hosted by This American Life producer Nancy Updike and scored by the inimitable Sophie Allison (aka Soccer Mommy).

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSerial Productions, the company behind the true-crime show that helped trigger the podcast boom, is coming out with a new limited-series looking into a panic in Britain over an alleged Islamic plan to infiltrate the country’s schools — which may have all been a hoax.“The Trojan Horse Affair” is hosted by Brian Reed, known for his hit series “S-Town.” Reed teamed with Hamza Syed, a doctor-turned-reporter, to investigate what was dubbed Operation Trojan Horse. The story starts in 2014 with a mysterious letter detailing a supposed Islamic plot to take over schools in Hamza’s hometown of Birmingham.The letter appeared to be a secret communique between Islamic extremists who had been infiltrating the city schools, and it led to a crackdown on Muslim educators and harsh new British counterterrorism measures.

The New York Times Co. has agreed to acquire Serial Productions, the company behind podcast hit Serial,as it looks to build out its audio business.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterThe New York Times has acquired Serial Productions, the company behind the hit podcast Serial.As part of the deal, the media company will enter into a creative and strategic alliance with longtime radio show This American Life, which developed the original Serial pod, about the murder conviction of Adnan Syed. The first season was downloaded on average 20 million times per episode and was at the forefront of the podcast boom.Serial Productions is led by Julie Snyder, Sarah Koenig and Neil Drumming.