Brumley, who joins the FT from The Economist, will oversee a global team dedicated to building reach and monetisation strategies through audio content. The team will experiment with ways to integrate audio into a subscription model and oversee the FT’s plans to reach and engage listeners.
“Audio is part of our broader strategy to provide diverse formats and experiences of FT journalism to our audience. At a time when podcasts and voice are becoming increasingly important to global audiences, Cheryl brings a wealth of expertise and success in producing and delivering great audio journalism,” said Renée Kaplan, FT head of audience and new content strategies.
Brumley’s team will also support a range of existing audio products from the FT. Earlier this month, the FT launched its first podcast exclusively for subscribers, The Rachman Review, on Acast’s new paywall podcast platform. Hosted by commentator Gideon Rachman and featuring intimate conversations with analysts and decision-makers, the podcast aims to deepen subscriber engagement with FT journalism.
The FT News Briefing, which launched last October and was designed for voice assistants and smart speakers, has surpassed one million monthly listens, says the FT. Supported by Equinor, the daily podcast highlights the major global business stories driving the news agenda.
At The Economist, Brumley was founding co-executive producer of its flagship daily podcast, The Intelligence. Prior to that, she was a freelance producer for podcast and broadcast outlets, including Public Radio International and BBC World Service.
