The New York Times has promoted a half-dozen staffers on its audio team, including those working on shows like The Daily, Hard Fork, The Interview and The Ezra Klein Show.
The Times has promoted Anabel Bacon to Senior Editor of The Interview, saying her editing, leadership and collaborative spirit are integral to the show’s success. “Anabel is a truly indispensable part of the Interview team,” co-host David Marchese said. And co-host Lulu Garcia-Navarro agrees, adding, “Anabel’s intelligence, curiosity, range and rigor made her a perfect fit for our show. And over the past year she’s shown herself to be a natural leader, mentor and guide who understands our DNA and pushes us to exceed every day.”
Bacon has been at the Times since 2021, having earlier worked at New York Public Radio, Audible, and NPR.
Producer Rachel Cohn has also been promoted for her work on the Hard Fork podcast. “Hard Fork is preparing for a big year in tech, and Rachel Cohn’s promotion is in recognition of all of the crucial groundwork she’s laid for us to ambitiously and nimbly cover the technology industry, and in particular generative A.I., the Department of Government Efficiency and tech billionaires,” Executive Producer Jen Poyant says.
Cohn has been at the Times since 2023. She earlier worked at CNN Audio.
The Times also announces Producer Elyssa Dudley has been promoted to Senior Producer on the new Wesley Morris podcast. “Having worked with Wesley on Still Processing, she is now leading his solo show’s pilot. Her creativity, technical expertise, creative problem-solving skills and strong, trust-based relationship with Wesley have been key to driving the project’s progress,” Executive Producer Wendy Dorr says.
Dudley has been at the Times since 2021. She earlier worked at American Public Media and Wondery.
Sound Designer and Composer Pat McCusker is adding “Senior” to his title with his new promotion. McCusker has created over 100 original pieces, including theme songs for The Ezra Klein Show and Matter of Opinion.
“His music and mixing work heightened the impact of hundreds of podcast episodes last year,” says Deputy Technical Director Isaac Jones. “In addition to making his own music, Pat has become a leader in the Opinion Audio engineering team, initiating conversations with his colleagues about composition, giving feedback on others’ work and shaping the sonic identity of Opinion Audio. Pat also helps keep the engineering team a smooth operation, from late-night mixes to last-minute tapings.”
The Times also says reporter Carols Prieto is being promoted to Producer for his work on The Daily. “Throughout the year, Carlos brought stories to listeners from the farms of Iowa to the convention halls of the Republican National Committee, to Target parking lots in Georgia and from the bright lights of Las Vegas, ensuring that we met the enormous news moment,” Executive Producer Ben Calhoun and Supervising Producer Rachel Quester say in a joint statement.
Prieto has been at the Times since 2022, after working as an audio producer for Politico and all-news WTOP-FM Washington (103.5).
Also on The Daily, Stella Tan has been promoted to Senior Producer seven years after she started as the first news assistant in what was a fledgling Audio department. “She’s contributed to so many facets of what the show does and has accomplished — pursuing a range of deep interests. She lifts episode teams with her commitment, sophistication, curiosity, thoroughness, and artful production skills,” Calhoun and Senior Audio Editor Liz Baylen say in a joint statement.