Podcasts first gained popularity with the rise of the iPod in the early 2000s, allowing people of all qualifications and interests to spread their ideas to anyone who would listen. In 2015, this form of Internet radio enables some impassioned conservatives to reach as many listeners as conservative broadcast idols like Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Michael Savage, as well as the stars of Fox News Radio.
According to the Pew Research Center, the overall percentage of American podcast listeners has steadily increased over the last decade, and some predict that the low-cost technology will eventually replace traditional AM/FM radio, as well as satellite radio.
When it comes to conservative podcasts, there is no shortage in choices, and we've gathered some of the best below.
For this list, we have taken consideration of the number and ratings of reviews a show has gotten across podcast distributors like iTunes, and have also grouped some podcasts by associated organizations. Podcast frequency, length, audio quality, and content of conversations were also determining factors. While the list allots the most weight to native podcasts, we have also included some terrestrial AM/FM radio shows and satellite radio shows that have been repackaged as podcasts. We have also given some editorial preference to new and emerging names in order to make the list a place of discovery.
Below is Newsmax's list of the top 50 conservative podcasts:
1. Ricochet.com — Ricochet.com, a center-right discussion site where the audience is encouraged to "join the conversation," produces more than a dozen shows native to the podcast format and available exclusively online. Hosted by commentators from leading conservative outlets, Ricochet's shows offer commentary on politics and a variety of related subjects like entertainment, religion, history, and more. Here are some of the top Ricochet podcasts:
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The Ricochet Podcast — Ricochet.com's flagship weekly podcast is hosted by former Reagan Speechwriter Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institute and National Review columnists James Lileks and Rob Long. The trio regularly host guests like Ann Coulter, Michael Barone, and Thomas Sowell to discuss politics and culture.
Power Line — John Hinderaker, Paul Mirengoff, Scott Johnson, and Steven Hayward bring you the Power Line blog’s perspective on the week’s big headlines.
Law Talk With Epstein, Yoo & Senik — Former George W. Bush speechwriter and Ricochet.com editor Troy Senik hosts attorneys Richard Epstein (NYU Prof./Hoover Institution) and John Yoo (former Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General) to discusses current events from a legal perspective.
Kudlow and Pawlenty's Money and Politics Podcast — CNBC’s Larry Kudlow and former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty discuss the issues of the day.
GLoP Culture — Jonah Goldberg of National Review, John Podhoretz of Commentary Magazine, and Rob Long of Ricochet humorously converse about everything from movies to elections.
American Wonk With Avik S. Roy — Roy, of the Manhattan Institute and Forbes, discusses Obamacare and other in-depth topics.
2. TheBlaze Radio Network — TheBlaze offers more than 20 on-demand radio shows from top conservative commentators, including founder Glenn Beck. Fans can listen live online throughout the week during normal broadcast hours, or download shows in podcast format for anytime, anywhere consumption. Upholding the values of "Truth. Respect. Ingenuity and Family," TheBlaze offers commentary on a variety of subjects from politics to religion, culture, and more. Here are some of the most popular:
The Glenn Beck Program — Former Fox News host Glenn Beck brings his energetic and incisive conservative commentary to listeners on a daily basis.
The Chris Salcedo Show — The Chris Salcedo Show is the only conservative podcast with a conservative Latino host. Salcedo is a veteran, author, political analyst, and commentator, as well as executive director of the Conservative Hispanic Society. He discusses a range of topics including pop culture, politics, and finances in this Texas-based podcast produced by TheBlaze.
The Buck Sexton Show — Buck Sexton, The Blaze national security editor, offers his analysis of various global world events on this show produced by TheBlaze. The Buck Sexton Show has a 5 star iTunes rating and more than 27,250 Facebook likes.
Pat & Stu — Co-hosts Steve Burguiere “Stu” and Pat Gray discuss political topics that Glenn Beck “didn’t have time to get to that day” on this podcast produced by The Blaze.
Doc Thompson — Doc Thompson examines political topics concerning personal freedom, responsibility, and everyday topics with a humorous twist on this show produced by TheBlaze Radio Network.
3. The Rush Limbaugh Show — Rush Limbaugh is a titan of terrestrial AM/FM radio, the format he's dominated for several decades. For those who can't tune-in during normal broadcast hours, Rush has recently made his daily program available in an on-demand, Internet-based podcast format as well.
4. The Adam Carolla Show — The Adam Carolla show is one of the most downloaded podcasts in the world. Carolla is a conservative comedian who talks about his life, daily thoughts, and complaints with his listeners. The show is not predominantly political but features an open conservative.
5. Laura Ingraham Radio Show — Laura Ingraham, nationally syndicated radio broadcaster and Fox News personality, has hosted her top-rated program since 2001. According to her website, "The hugely successful 'Laura Ingraham Radio Show' is now available everywhere, on demand" in podcast format. "So if you can't listen to the program or worse yet, you're in a city that doesn't carry it on the radio, you can now listen to the latest show when you want and where you want with the click of a button."
6. The Dana Show — Host Dana Loesch has been featured on The Blaze, Fox News, ABC, and CNN. She refers to her show as the “conservative alternative,” partly in reference to her initial “young, punk-rock” brand. The Dana Show discusses a spectrum of political issues.
7. The Mark Levin Show — Mark Levin, former chief of staff for President Ronald Reagan's Attorney General Edwin Meese, has offered his unique brand of incisive political commentary for over a decade on traditional broadcast radio. These days, he also offers "The Mark Levin Show" in downloadable podcast format.
8. The Ben Shapiro Show — Ben Shapiro, best-selling author, attorney, and political commentator, hosts this daily podcast produced by My Northwest where he evaluates the day’s biggest news events while also advocating traditional conservative American values. Although he's been on several regional terrestrial radio stations, his podcast has nationwide reach.
9. Foreign Edition, Wall Street Journal (WSJ Opinion) — Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bret Stephens discusses the effect of political events on U.S. security with various WSJ opinion writers.
10. Savage Nation — Michael Savage has garnered an audience of millions over the course of two decades on terrestrial broadcast radio, syndicated nationally. With the growing popularity of on-demand podcasts, "Savage Nation" is now available to those who prefer to download or stream the show on their desktop computer or mobile device.
11. Armed American Radio — The official podcast of the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA), Armed American Radio discusses topics concerning the Second Amendment and is hosted by Mark Walters, author and political columnist.
12. NRA News — NRA News is the official podcast of the National Rifle Association. The three-hour show is hosted by Cam Edwards, who conducts interviews with NRA leaders, politicians, journalists, and other commentators to emphasize the importance of Second Amendment rights.
13. The Weekly Standard — Hosted by Michael Graham, writer and conservative talk show commentator, TWS relays news from a conservative perspective. Common guests include Bill Kristol, Fred Barnes, Stephen F. Hayes, Andy Ferguson, Dan Halper, and other popular conservative commentators.
14. Ace of Spades HQ Podcast — In this humor-driven podcast, hosts John Ekdahl, Rick Tempest, Gabriel Malor, and Drew McCoy invite political guests to discuss current events and news. The group also has a blog in which they discuss political topics.
15. Banter: An AEI Podcast — Banter is a weekly politics and public policy podcast produced by the American Enterprise Institute, which is an organization that aims to promote liberty, free enterprise, and individual opportunity through free-thinking. The show’s hosts are Stu James and Janine Nichols.
16. Family Research Council's Washington Weekly Watch — Tony Perkins, FRC president, hosts this FRC-produced podcast where he interviews U.S. leaders and experts about topics important to Americans’ faith, family, and religious freedoms. The show airs every Saturday.
17. The Joe Rogan Experience— Joe Rogan is a right-leaning comedian. Rogan’s comedic podcasts invite a variety of guests like musicians, commentators, and even porn stars to make his viewers laugh. He also manages to throw in the occasional comment condemning big government. The Joe Rogan Experience was iTunes’ Best Comedy Podcast of 2012.
18. The John Batchelor Show — John Batchelor, author and ABC radio host, cracks breaking news and current events with a conservative perspective. Batchelor was hired by WABC-AM after 9/11 to and was told he would continue to be on the air until Osama Bin Laden was killed or captured.
19. Common Sense with Dan Carlin — Named after Thomas Paine’s revolutionary political pamphlet, Common Sense is a politically independent podcast that is popular among history buffs and news junkies alike. The podcast has over 2,409 reviews and 5 stars on iTunes. Carlin’s also widely popular second podcast, Hardcore History, analyzes history in non-traditional ways.
20. The Alex Jones Show — Alex Jones, libertarian writer and host, aims to alert listeners to the "war on for your mind," by exposing them to the liberty movement. Jones discusses the problems with big government and power and has more than 1,300 iTunes ratings.
21. This Morning With Gordon Deal — In this daily podcast hosted by The Wall Street Journal, Gordon Deal discusses world and national business news as well as digs deeper into the morning’s headlines. Deal offers his expert analysis on the business implications of current events.
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22. Cato Institute Daily Podcast — The Cato Institute is a libertarian public policy think tank. Caleb O. Brown, Cato’s multimedia director, hosts the Cato Institute Daily Podcast where he offers a libertarian perspective on a variety of political, social, and economic issues.
23. The Federalist Radio Hour — Hosted by Federalist Magazine publisher Ben Domenech, this daily podcast presents “contrarian” perspectives on hot topics including culture, religion, and politics. Frequent guests in include TheFederalist.com editors and writers.
24. Federalist Society's Practice Groups Podcast — This podcast produced by the Federalist Society takes shape in the form of various monologues, political debates, and discussion of political issues. The show features a multitude of speakers. The Federalist Society also offers a SCOTUScast podcast and Event Audio.
25. National Review's Three Martini Lunch — Radio America’s Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty bring humor into the day’s headlines with center-right commentary in this podcast produced by Radio America.
26. My History Can Beat Up Your Politics — In this 5-star iTunes-rated podcast, Bruce Carlson, former director of the reconnaissance office and U.S. Air Force general, relays breaking news alongside its relevant historical roots.
27. The Tom Woods Show — Tom Woods, libertarian New York Times bestselling author, discusses politics and topics like war, the FDA, net neutrality, and economics with notable political guests including Ron Paul and Andrew Napolitano to provide a “daily serving of liberty education.”
28. American Conservative University Podcast — American Conservative University Podcast hosts various authors, lecturers, professors, and other guests to offer an educational conservative program. The podcast tries to avoid “empty rhetoric.”
29. Free Speech — Gavin McInnes, frequent Fox News guest, hosts this
Stand Up NY Labs podcast in which he hopes to incite controversy, discussion, and "to counter political correctness."
30. Manhattan Institute Podcast — The Manhattan Institute is a New York think tank that aims to promote free markets. Economic and political experts interview one another on the group’s informative podcast.
31. The Huckabee Report — Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and 2016 Republican presidential hopeful, discusses current events and politics multiple times a day on his online podcast.
32. Miller Time with Dennis Miller — Dennis Miller, comedian, former "SNL" actor, and radio personality, rants to his listeners about politics, sports, news, or anything else on his mind that day.
33. WallBuilders Live! — WallBuilders Live! is a podcast produced by WallBuilders, a pro-family organization that aims to keep America’s history alive while emphasizing the moral and Christian beliefs that guided the founding fathers. Co-hosts David Barton, founder of WallBuilders, and Rick Green, former Texas politician, relate modern news events to events throughout American History. Politicians, activists, authors, and other experts are frequent guests.
34. Hoover Institution's Uncommon Knowledge — Uncommon Knowledge is a Libertarian podcast and a project of the Hoover Institution, an organization that strives to protect private enterprise, peace, and personal freedom. The show is hosted by Peter Robinson, a business and politics research fellow at the Hoover Institution. Hoover also offers a podcast named Strategika, which discusses military history and ongoing national security issues with the Military History Working Group.
35. Louder With Crowder — Steven Crowder, a comedian with a Fox News background, brings conservative news to his listeners via interviews and discussions. The show prides itself on being “the most politically incorrect show on the web.”
36. We The People Podcasts— This podcast is produced by the National Constitution Center and hosted by the nonprofit’s CEO, Jeffrey Rosen. The National Constitution Center aims to “disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.” Rosen’s podcast does just that by leading conversation with former presidents, journalists, judges, scholars, and other political experts.
37. Twisted Conservative — Twisted Conservative is a Texas podcast hosted by Jason Vaughn, political activist. Vaughn’s podcast is an outlet for informed conservative commentary on Texas politics and other important news.
38. Out Loud Opinion — OutLoudOpinion refers to its shows as “podcasts for thinkers.” The podcasts features vocal editorials that reflect conservative values from different speakers.
39. Consider This! — In Consider This!, Doug Payton,
author at Red State, introduces listeners to the day’s news from different perspectives in 10 minutes or less. The 5-star podcast encourages feedback as to get new perspectives and to further “consider this.”
40. Feet to the Fire Politics: Conservative Talk Show — The Feet to the Fire Politics podcast aims to conquer liberal bias in American politics and presents a staunch conservative perspective on news and events. They are pro-American heritage and history, pro-conservative, and pro-Bible.
41. David Boze— David Boze, conservative commentator, hosts this morning My Northwest podcast in which he talks about current events with his own conservative twist.
42. Larry Kudlow— On his podcast through 77WABC, conservative economist and columnist Larry Kudlow discusses economic and international affairs with a variety of guests. Past guests include U.S. representatives, military generals, and journalists. Kudlow also co-hosts a Ricochet.com podcast with former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
43. Hudson Institute Events Podcast — This U.S. domestic and foreign policy think tank promotes new ideas for the advancement of global security, prosperity, and freedom.
44. Heritage Foundation Audio Podcasts — The Heritage Foundation is a conservative political think tank that aims to promote conservative policy. The Heritage Foundation Audio Podcasts are hosted by different conservative experts on a variety of topics.
45. Chuck Woolery’s Blunt Force Truth — Gameshow host turned conservative commentator Chuck Woolery hosts Blunt Force Truth with Mark Young, author and CEO of Jekyll & Hyde Advertising and Marketing. The duo provides listeners with a serious but humorous account of the truths surrounding current events that liberal media often brushes over.
46. Coffee & Markets — Coffee & Markets is a daily podcast that discusses economics, markets, and politics. Hosts Benjamin Domenech, Brad Jackson, Francis Cianfrocca, Kevin Holtsberry, and Pejman Yousefzadeh all have extensive backgrounds in politics and economics that make for powerful and interesting banter.
47. The Lone Conservative — The Lone Conservative is hosted by a Portland, Oregon, resident who feels as though they are the only non-liberal affiliate in their entire state. The Lone Conservative talks about politics, science, religion, and other hot topics from a rational and conservative viewpoint.
48. Glen Meakem Program — Glen Meakem, entrepreneur and co-founder of Meakem Becker Venture Capital, started his podcast show because of his concern regarding the overbearing liberal political agenda in the U.S. The show discusses controversial topics like global warming, foreign policy, and Internet freedom.
49. The Lars Larson Show — Lars Larson, radio commentator and broadcast journalist, hosts this Oregon podcast where he relays news and conservative commentary.
50. Town Hall Review— Conservative news site Townhall.com’s weekly podcast reviews the news highlights each week. The show features Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved, Dennis Prager, Bill Bennet, and Mike Gallagher.
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