Radio Ink has confirmed that Audacy is ending operations at its Pineapple Street Studios podcast arm as the company continues to restructure its audio properties. Around 30 employees will be laid off as part of the decision.
Founded in 2016 by Jenna Weiss-Berman and Max Linsky, Audacy – then Entercom – bought Pineapple Street for $18 million in 2019. Pineapple Street was best known for producing both original series and companion podcasts for major streaming titles for HBO, Hulu, and Apple, including House of the Dragon, Severance, and The Last of Us.
An Audacy spokesperson told Radio Ink, “This difficult decision aligns our resources with our core strengths and the most promising growth areas for our podcasting business. We’re sorry to say goodbye to talented colleagues and are grateful for their contributions.”
The closure comes just months after reports in March that Audacy was exploring a sale of the studio, which it acquired in 2019. In February, Weiss-Berman exited Audacy, where she had served as Executive Vice President of Podcasts since 2023. She has since joined Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions as Head of Audio.
Leah Reis-Dennis was promoted to Audacy Head of Podcasts in March.
The broadcaster will continue producing select Pineapple Street series through its Audacy Podcasts division, which was formed in March 2024 after the company merged Cadence13 and 2400Sports into a single brand.
That includes The Severance Podcast, which Pineapple Street produced for its first two seasons. Audacy Podcasts will now lead production in collaboration with Red Hour and Great Scott, with five new episodes coming across summer and fall.
