"Even then, "This American Life" was a wildly successful narrative journalism, public radio podcast. It averaged about 1 million listeners per episode - the only podcast of its kind to do so in that time period."
"Koenig and Snyder opted to keep their expectations conservative. A fraction of "This American Life's" numbers - around 300,000 listeners per episode - seemed reasonable."
"The show surpassed its hoped-for listener count, and in only a few weeks. By episode five, "Serial" had taken hold in a way not seen before by a podcast, reaching 5 million listeners."
"I think everyone was like, what is going on? I think that was the moment we were like, something's happening that we had not anticipated."
The article celebrates pivotal moments in journalism, focusing on the launch of the "Serial" podcast by Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder. Originally conceived as a deep dive into the murder of a teenage girl, the duo sought a format that conveyed the story's complexity. Despite low expectations of around 300,000 listeners, "Serial" quickly defied odds, reaching 5 million by its fifth episode. This success marked a turning point in podcasting, influencing storytelling methods and reshaping how narratives are presented in audio formats going forward.
Read at Poynter
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