Conservative Audiences Shift, Podbean Glitches, Apple Drops a Stat!

Conservative podcast audiences are shifting fast heading into the 2026 election cycle. Edison Podcast Metrics shows major gains for Megyn Kelly, Shawn Ryan, and Candace — while Dan Bongino, Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, and Mark Levin are trending down.

Podbean creators also faced a major analytics glitch after an anti‑bot update wiped out all Apple Podcasts downloads, leaving many stuck with inaccurate reporting.

Plus, Apple Podcasts reminds creators that followers matter: followers listen to about 80% more of each episode than non‑followers.

This episode covers 2026 podcast audience trends, the Podbean analytics issue, and the Apple Podcasts follower metric shaping creator strategy.