Podcasting’s biggest story of March may be the rapid ascent of VINCE, the podcast hosted by conservative commentator Vince Coglianese that is filling the space previously occupied by Dan Bongino, who recently took a new role as Deputy Director of the FBI.
Coglianese contributes to the dominance of legacy radio brands in Triton Digital’s March 2025 US Podcast Ranker, as iHeartMedia, NPR, Audacy, and Cumulus Media all had strong showings across both network and show rankings.
iHeart Audience Network held onto the #1 spot in the Top Sales Networks report with 71.2 million average weekly downloads, with NPR at #2 and Audacy Podcast Network at #3. NPR’s NPR News Now and Up First once again secured the top two positions among both downloads and listeners.
Cumulus Media’s VINCE, produced by Bongino’s Silverloch Productions and distributed by the Cumulus Podcast Network, debuted at #3 on both charts. The podcast launched on March 17, coinciding with Coglianese’s new syndicated radio show, also produced by Silverloch, which is now airing on over 250 stations. The podcast version saw an immediate surge in listenership following its release.
Additional March debuts in the ranker included Trump’s Terms (NPR), This is Gavin Newsom (iHeart Audience Network), and Fantasy Baseball Today (Audacy Podcast Network), among others. Listener debuts included On Fire with Jeff Probst: The Official Survivor Podcast, The Nateland Podcast, and Happier with Gretchen Rubin.
Triton’s Podcast Metrics reporting, certified by the IAB Tech Lab, provides standardized audience data for publishers, advertisers, and agencies. The rankings are based on average weekly downloads and users across a growing list of sales networks, using the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines v2.2.
VINCE’s rapid rise highlights the continued power of conservative voices in podcasting and the enduring influence of legacy radio brands. It’s interesting to see how Bongino’s production company is still involved.