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Perhaps historians will offer honest answers on the effect of the Joe Rogan interview of Donald Trump on the election. It likely swayed some votes. Kamala Harris was never going to appear and submit to a long-form interview.  

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Regardless, most people were convinced that Rogan had moved the needle with the interview. It did, but how much is open for debate. If one were to ask the “man on the street” if “The Joe Rogan Experience” is the most popular podcast in America, I would bet that the majority would answer “Yes.” However, according to Apple, his show comes in third in the “most popular podcasts” category. What does that mean? There is a difference between “popular” and most followed.  

The New York Times’ “The Daily” podcast was the most popular podcast of 2024, Apple said, beating out “The Joe Rogan Experience” in an election year. 

“The Daily” took the top spot over “Crime Junkie” and Rogan’s show, which came in third, according to Apple’s rankings, which were released over the weekend with year-end charts localized for listeners in nearly 100 countries and regions. 

The Apple Lists: 

  1. The Daily
  2. Crime Junkie
  3. The Joe Rogan Experience
  4. Dateline NBC
  5. SmartLess
  6. Huberman Lab
  7. This American Life
  8. New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
  9. Up First from NPR
  10. Morbid

That is different from the “most followed shows.” I admit that I haven’t listened to, let alone heard of, some of these podcasts. “The Joe Rogan Experience” is the most followed of podcasts, with “The Daily” last on the top ten list. 

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Most Followed Shows  

  1. The Joe Rogan Experience
  2. New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
  3. Huberman Lab
  4. Call Her Daddy
  5. The Tucker Carlson Show
  6. The Mel Robbins Podcast
  7. SmartLess
  8. Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus
  9. Crime Junkie
  10. The Daily

As noted, “The Daily” is 10th on the list of followed shows. I have a guess as to the differences. Rogan’s show is a long-form show. It’s usually three hours requiring a lot of time investment. “The Daily” usually clocks around 30 minutes. It’s more like a 30-minute variety show on TV. It even has background music. More people can invest 30 minutes but will balk at three hours. Nonetheless, with enough time, people will tune into Rogan.  

 Here are the top three episodes for the year: 

  1. Crime Junkie: “SERIAL KILLER: The Alphabet Murders Part 1”
  2. The Joe Rogan Experience: “#2219 – Donald Trump”
  3. The Daily: “Harris Baits Trump: Inside Their Fiery Debate” 

On another list, “The Daily’s” episode on Taylor Swift beat out Rogan’s interview with Trump. 

Podcasts are the go-to spots for opinion and even news shows. Websites like RedState and Townhall are as well. A few days ago, a RedState reader noted that RedState was her “go-to” news aggregator. Nice.   

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It’s obvious to me that legacy news like NBC, CBS, ABC, and on the paper front, the LA Times and The New York Times are dying models. “The Daily” is a New York Times product and the Times has poured many millions into its online presence. It is making the shift to new media. The LA Times has tried but has not made a successful shift. Unless it does, it, like other legacy media, will get run over like roadkill on a desert highway.