Nov. 24--"Serial," the only podcast popular enough to have been parodied on "Saturday Night Live," starts streaming Tuesday on Pandora, according to the terms of a new deal.
But that does not mean the show, with a highly anticipated second season coming soon, will be available only on the Internet audio service, as many people feared upon first hearing the Pandora news earlier this month.
After the initial misinterpretation, people involved with the show that follows one case through an entire season, have gone out of their way to point out that listeners will still be able to access "Serial" via iTunes and their favorite podcasting app, as in the past. The show was developed by "This American Life" and is produced in collaboration with WBEZ-FM 91.5 in Chicago.
"For people already listening to 'Serial' and 'This American Life,' nothing will change," "TAL" founder and "Serial" editorial adviser Ira Glass said in a statement. "But we believe lots of people who'd like our shows simply haven't heard of them, or haven't started listening to podcasts."
Glass noted that only 17 percent of Americans -- 1 in 6 -- listen to podcasts. "Pandora reaches millions of people who never listen to public radio or download podcasts. This'll get our shows to them," he said. "TAL," which will become available on Pandora early next year, is also produced in collaboration with WBEZ/Chicago Public Media, Chicago's leading public radio outlet.
"Serial" availability is an especially pressing question now, because the show has promised that Season 2 will begin "sometime in 2015." With sometime running out, that means in the next five weeks, four if you figure the producers won't want to get lost in the Christmas-New Year's shuffle.
Producers, including Glass in an interview with the Tribune last month, have not confirmed what Season 2 will cover. The New York Times has reported that it will be about the case of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier charged with desertion after leaving his unit in Afghanistan in 2009.
The first, 12-episode season was downloaded more than 100 million times. It raised questions about the conviction of Adnan Syed in Maryland for the 1999 murder of his former high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. A Baltimore judge this month granted Syed a hearing to introduce new evidence.
The 12 Season 1 episodes will go up on Pandora on Tuesday. They will be broken into five-minute segments, the company said, befitting its roots as a song-streaming service, but people should be able to listen to an entire episode without interruption.
Season 2 episodes, once available, will be posted Thursday mornings.
sajohnson@tribune.com
