ESPN plans to "launch a daily morning podcast in October, an audio production expected to include a mix of news coverage, trends in sports and feature stories done by ESPN’s team of reporters," according to Ben Strauss of the WASHINGTON POST. ESPN Exec VP & Exec Editor/Studio Production Norby Williamson, who is overseeing the launch of "The ESPN Daily," said, "It’s not going to be ‘SportsCenter’; it’s not news and highlights." He added, "We want this to be elevated and highly produced." Williamson also "suggested episodes could examine in-depth reporting." New episodes every weekday morning "would probably run between 18 and 25 minutes," and have "many elements of 'The Daily,' a popular podcast from the New York Times hosted by Michael Barbaro that focuses on news of the day with insights from Times reporters." Williamson said that ESPN is "still in the process of deciding how hosting duties would work and whether there will be one host or a rotating cast." He said that there are "three to five internal candidates under consideration for the job." The project is also an "effort to reach a younger audience in a growing medium," as 45% of podcast listeners are "between the ages of 18 and 34" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 7/16).
