BEHIND THE BYLINE • Theo Balcomb

A ‘Daily’ Producer on How a ‘Crazy Idea’ Became a News Show for Millions

Interview by

July 5, 2019

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For the nearly two million listeners who tune into “The Daily” each day, a morning without the audio news show may seem unthinkable now.

In large part, they have Theo Balcomb, the executive producer of “The Daily,” to thank for that. Here, she talks about the challenges of bringing the popular podcast to life, a particularly memorable episode and the producing-adjacent activity that helps her unwind.

What do you enjoy most about managing and producing “The Daily”? What is most challenging about it?

I enjoy so much: our team, our listeners, the people at The Times who paved the way for this crazy idea to work. Mostly, I love that “The Daily” is a handmade show. I think about it like a hand-stitched quilt. Everybody on our team comes together, every single day, to embroider an episode. I grew up with my mom dragging out her sewing machine to make our Halloween costumes, with my dad decorating our birthday cakes that he would bake from scratch. I love that “The Daily” has the same homemade quality. Listeners can hear our devotion to crafting each show.