Triton Digital Publishes February Podcast Ranker
Triton Digital releases its Top U.S. Podcasts ranker for February (Jan. 29 – Feb. 25) based on weekly average downloads for shows that opt in. NPR’s “NPR News Now” retains its #1 position, while
NBCUniversal News Group’s “Dateline NBC” jumps two spots to #2, bumping audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie” to #4. NPR’s “Up First” remains in the #3 position. Other radio-related podcasts of note include Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” rising one spot to #6, Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” slipping two places to #17, and Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Mark Levin Show” falling three spots to #27. See the complete ranker here.
First” are #2 and #3, respectively, with NBC News’ “Dateline NBC” at #4. Other talk radio-related podcasts of note include The Daily Wire’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” rising two spots to #7, iHeartPodcasts’ “Stuff You Should Know” up two places to #9, and Dan Bongino’s “The Dan Bongino Show” up one spot to #11. 
New York Times’ “The Daily” at #2 and NPR’s “Up First” at #3. News/talk radio-related podcasts finishing in the top 20 include DailyWire’s “The Ben Shapiro Show,” down one place to #9, Dan Bongino’s “The Dan Bongino Show” steady at #11, and FOX Audio Network’s “The FOX News Hourly Update” up one place to #15. 
The lineup includes Westwood One talk hosts Dan Bongino, Chris Plante and Rich Valdes; Starnes Media Group’s Todd Starnes; FOX News Radio’s Guy Benson, Newsmax’s Rob Carson, and longtime Pittsburgh TV and radio personality Wendy Bell. It will also use FOX News Radio for network news. Hispanic Broadcasting president Matthew Velasquez says, “We’re excited to bring Houston listeners a better choice in news/talk radio. The mission of ‘Patriot Talk 920 AM’ is to become the leader in conservative talk radio with programming that reflects our core values of family, faith and freedom.” For more information, contact Steve Lapa at 
over Cumulus’ mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy. Bongino says, “It’s been a fascinating couple years of ups and downs both personally and in the political space. I love what I do, and I’m ecstatic that we’ve agreed to move forward with the show after changes were made. I want to thank all the shows’ supporters, the stations, and program directors for their continued support. I promise to keep my foot on the gas pedal.” Westwood One president Suzanne Grimes states, “‘The Dan Bongino Show’ is one of the greatest growth stories in network syndication, with Dan delivering programming unlike anyone else. As we head into what will surely be an unpredictable election cycle, we know Dan will be always insightful, sometimes provocative, and never disappointing, which is why our listeners are wildly engaged, and our advertisers have flocked to the show.”
five, with The New York Times’ “The Daily” remaining in first place. NPR’s “Up First” is #2 and NBC News’ “Dateline NBC” is #3. Commercial radio-related podcasts of note in the top 20 include The Daily Wire’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” – down two spots to #8 – and Dan Bongino’s “The Dan Bongino Show” – down two spots to #11. FOX Audio Network’s “FOX News Hourly Update” slipped one place to #16.
among the top 20 as The New York Times’ “The Daily” remains ranked #1, again followed by NBC News’ “Dateline NBC” at #2 and NPR’s “Up First” at #3. Other commercial talk radio related podcasts in the top 20 include DailyWire’s “Ben Shapiro Show” steady at #7 and Dan Bongino’s “Dan Bongino Show” also steady at #11. 
“Dateline NBC” at #3. Radio related podcasts in the top 25 of this ranker include: Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” at #7, Cumulus Podcast Network’s “Mark Levin Podcast” rising four spots to #19, and Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” at #22. Just as it did last month, Triton notes that Cumulus experienced data collection issues with the Daily Wire shows (such as “The Ben Shapiro Show” which ranked #3 in the June report) during this period. 
Westwood One’s “Dan Bongino Show” and the “Chris Plante Show,” plus Ben Shaprio and FNC’s Guy Benson. KTUC program director Herb Crowe states, “We’re thrilled to unveil ‘Freedom 1400,’ Tucson’s Conservative Talk Station. As we embark on this exciting journey, we’re committed to providing a platform for open dialogues, diverse viewpoints, and robust discussions that matter to our community. With our esteemed lineup of talk show hosts, we’re confident that ‘Freedom 1400’ will become an essential source of information and insight for our listeners.”
“The Daily” ranked #1 (based on unique U.S. monthly audience). NBC News’ “Dateline NBC” came in #3 and NPR’s “NPR News Now” was #4. The lone talk radio personality whose podcast landed in Podtrac’s Top 20 was Dan Bongino. His Cumulus Podcast Network show ranked #11.
in the #1 position while NBCUniversal News Group’s “Dateline NBC” rises to the #2 rank. Rounding out the top five is audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie” at #3, Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” at #4, and NPR’s “Up First” at #5. Also in the top 10 for June was Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” at #7. 
According to Podtrac’s latest stats, the average U.S. “Unique Monthly Audience” for the Top 20 publishers dipped 3% month-to-month, but improved by that same percentage compared to June 2022. “Total Global Downloads” for the Top 20 publishers remained steady month-to-month; however, it declined 3% versus this time last year. The combined audience for the Top Sales Networks was up 5% month-to-month. The top ten podcasts by US Unique Monthly Audience (June 2023) are: “The Daily” (New York Times); “Dateline NBC” (NBC News); “Morbid” (Wondery); “Up First” (NPR); “NPR News Now” (NPR); “SmartLess” (Wonderly); “The Ben Shapiro Show” (Daily Wire); “Stuff You Should Know” (iHeartPodcasts); “Pardon My Take” (Barstool Sports); and “The Dan Bongino Show” (Dan Borgino). With a US “Unique Monthly Audience” of 31,625,000 (and 833 active shows), iHeartPodcasts is the top podcast publisher. It is followed by Wondery; NPR; NBC News; New York Times; Daily Wire; The Walt Disney Company; Barstool Sports; Vox Media; and PRX.
audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie,” followed by Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Ben Shapiro Show,” which rises from #4 to #3. Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” was steady at #7, while the company’s “The Matt Walsh Show” climbed two spots to #19. The Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” fell two spots to #21. 
community’s access to Michigan’s most influential political, civic, and business newsmakers.” Moving to mornings is current early afternoon host Guy Gordon, who becomes host of “JR Morning” from 6:00 am to 9:00 am. “All Talk” with Tom Jordan and Kevin Dietz airs from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Following “Focus” will be the 
newly created “JR Afternoon” show with host Chris Renwick from 2:00pm-4:00pm, followed by “The Mitch Albom Show” from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Additionally, WJR is bringing back “SportsWrap” with host Sean Baligian airing from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Cumulus Detroit VP and market manager Steve Finateri says, “Launching the ‘Focus’ show will give Paul W. Smith the opportunity to expand, on and off the air, his unmatched relationships with Michigan’s most influential newsmakers, for the benefit of our audience and our advertising partners. WJR is ‘The Great Voice of the Great Lakes’ and going 100% local is a big win for all Michiganders who count on WJR to inform and educate us about everything happening here in our state!” WJR program director Mike Wheeler adds, “What a lineup! Each of our talent is a brand unto themselves and have a unique vision and take on the events that shape the news. We are absolutely living up to our claim that WJR is where Michigan comes to talk.”
the late Rush Limbaugh (“no one wants to replace Mickey Mantle”) but agreed to do it anyway. “This thing happened along the way where I really fell in love with the job… I didn’t really want to leave, and I don’t want to go. I didn’t really expect this and it puts me in a really weird spot… somewhere along the way this little marriage between you [the listener] and me… started out rough and rocky and it’s just become nothing but bliss for me and I just really hate to leave it.” Bongino’s addressing the matter came as CHRO and SVP human resources Todd McCarty notified managers about the ending of the mandate via an internal memo. He wrote, “After continued consideration, we’ve made the decision to end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Additionally, we are eliminating all prior COVID-19 protocols for employees and visitors/guests to our facilities, with the exception of protocols for those who test positive. These changes are effective immediately and we ask that you communicate these changes to your teams. HR will be adjusting current job descriptions and will eliminate the requirement moving forward.” 
commentator on FOX and has hosted the Saturday night show “Unfiltered” since 2021, as well as the “Canceled in the USA” program on FOX Nation. Bongino said on his radio show and podcast that they just couldn’t agree on a new deal. “It’s not some big conspiracy. There’s no acrimony. This wasn’t like some WWE brawl that happened. We just couldn’t come to terms on an extension.” The report indicates Bongino may even make guest appearances on FOX in the future. 
