The New York Times' daily morning news podcast, The Headlines, which debuted in May 2023 with the launch of its standalone audio app, is now being widely released. Designed to complement the morning news podcast The Daily, which takes a deep dive on a single story, the company says The Headlines quickly became the most popular feature in the Times Audio app. So beginning Monday, Aug. 5, it will be released to the wider podcast world.
Director of Audio Paula Szuchman and Deputy Director of Audio Larissa Anderson say in a memo to staff that with the new approach, The Headlines will take on a new host and editor. London-based Tracy Mumford, who has already been working on the series, will take over the lead role.
“She has been the show’s engine — producing, editing, hosting, building a team and helping to manage it — all while cultivating a culture of collaboration and creativity. Tracy has become an indispensable force on the team, constantly pushing for innovation while also creating the strongest expression of Times journalism in audio,” they write in the memo.
Mumford succeeds Annie Correll, who in June was named a general assignment reporter on its Express team beginning in mid-July.
The Times says Senior Editor Jessica Metzger has also been promoted to Managing Editor of The Headlines. She joined the company last December from the production company School of Humans, where she was the senior producer overseeing eight nonfiction narrative podcasts for iHeartPodcasts. Before moving to audio, she spent most of her career producing news and political programming at CNN.
“Her sharp news instincts and editorial judgment fuel the show, ensuring that it feels urgent and distinctive,” the memo from Szuchman and Anderson says.
Unlike The Daily, The Headlines is designed to be faster-paced as it runs through the morning’s top stories in ten minutes or less. In addition to news, it also offers other content including recipe ideas, TV and book recommendations, travel inspiration, and tips for living well – each featuring Times reporters, editors and critics. While it will now be accessible on whatever podcast app someone is using, The Headlines will continue to be available on Times news and audio apps.
The company has yet to offer any information on how success its New York Times Audio app has been since it debuted 14 months ago. The app includes the paper’s podcasts such as The Daily, The Ezra Klein Show, Hard Fork, Modern Love, and The Run-Up, and also a daily playlist of news and other spoken word content from The New York Times and other publishers. First announced in October 2021, the Times’ audio app has only been available to iOS users during since its beta launch.
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