Edison Research: Which Podcasts Women Listen To
Based on data from Edison Research’s Q4 2023 Share of Ear study, the podcast most listened to by women (13+) is audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie,” hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat. Edison notes, “Podcasts with women hosts take five of the top 10 spots, including “Crime Junkie,” “The Daily”
with Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise (#4), “Call Her Daddy” with Alex Cooper (#5), “Morbid” with Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelley (#7), and “My Favorite Murder” with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark (#8). And Dateline NBC’s (#3) 20-year veteran Andrea Canning is part of the team of correspondents on the true crime pod.” However, women to listen to male-hosted shows as the study reveals “The Joe Rogan Experience” was #2 on the most recent chart. “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce” was #6 on the chart and was lifted to this “new height” by the obvious Taylor Swift connection.
Other notable findings: 1) Older Americans and women are listening to podcasts at a faster rate, with a 22% increase in listeners over the age of 55 and a 19% increase in female listeners 18+ over the past two years; 2) Top podcast genres of 2023 were News (22% of downloads), True Crime (18%), and Comedy (15%). Of True Crime podcast listeners, 67% were female, of Comedy podcast listeners 62% were male, and of News podcast listeners 58% were male; 3) The top sales networks of 2023 in the Triton U.S. Podcast Ranker were SiriusXM Podcast Network at #1, NPR at #2, and Wondery at #3. The top podcast of the year was “NPR News Now.” Triton Digital SVP measurement products & strategy Daryl Battaglia says, “2023 was another year of significant growth for the podcast industry, and with increasing female and over 55+ audiences, we can expect more content production to serve those groups in the coming year. As podcast listenership continues to rise and reach new audiences, we’ll continue to provide our customers with in-depth insights around podcast consumption and listener habits in the coming year.” 
positions in audio, and involves personalized conversations with a vast network of high-level radio executives and experts to help advance a career within the radio/audio industry. Dowdy is a regional content director who works with nine Townsquare Media markets in the Southeastern United States. During her career she’s also been a morning show co-host, award-winning news reporter, brand manager, promotions director, and midday host. MIW board president Ruth Presslaff says, “This year we had more applicants and more high-quality applicants than ever before. Meg’s dedication to her future, to the business and to paying her success forward was very impressive. We can’t wait to start working with her.”
holding the GM position in 2022. This is basically flat from last year but has shown consistent growth from 2004, when the percentage of female general managers was only 14.9%. MIW calls the sales manager position “the best management opportunity for women in radio.” Last year, 33.45% of stations had a woman sales manager (basically flat from 33.59% in 2021). The greatest challenge for women in radio management continues to be in the area of program directors/brand managers, according to MIW. Women currently program 11.72% of stations, versus 12.09% in 2021. MIW board president Ruth Presslaff comments, “Historically we have celebrated modest to very modest gains. But this year we’re calling out to industry leaders to recognize the leadership, creativity and dedication of women broadcasters, particularly programmers, and put them to work improving your content, your culture and your cash flow.” MIW points out that a study