Ads will appear at the beginning of each podcast, and will have prominent positions throughout Slate. "Certain Slate stories each day are going to be podcasts," said Cliff Sloan, the online magazine's publisher. "We know that Slate users are early adopters of technology, so we think we have a great audience for podcasts."
Sloan said that initially, the podcasts will only include Slate stories, but the plan is to add stories from other publications as well. Chrysler has been an enthusiastic supporter of online media (See "Chrysler Sponsors Yahoo! Radio," in today's OnlineMediaDaily). "They were excited about exploring a new and interesting technology for advertising," Sloan said. Part of the reason, no doubt, is that the online magazine has an affluent and influential readership. Under WPNI's ownership, Slate is sold as an individual property. Until January, the magazine was owned by Microsoft Corp., which offered it to advertisers as part of the MSN network.
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Slate racked up 3.8 million unique visitors in May, the latest month for which data was available--versus 2.9 million in May 2004, according to comScore Media Metrix. The publication appears to be on something of a roll. In recent weeks, White House adviser Dan Bartlett cited "Today's Papers" and "DailyKos" on Slate as among the most influential blogs he tunes into and that help shape the daily press agenda. John Dickerson, Time Magazine's White House correspondent, joins Slate in September, and the online magazine won an Effie award this spring for best Internet news and best Internet entertainment destination.