Podtrac has released its ranking of top shows for June and it offers a fresh illustration of the limitations of podcasting’s opt-in ratings. The four-year old Morbid: A True Crime Podcast made its debut on the list at No. 2 after the Alaina Urquhart and Ashleigh Kelley-hosted show jumped to Wondery starting last month. The series presumably has been a hit for years, but it wasn’t until it signed with Wondery – which is measured by Podtrac – that it turned up in the ranker.
Launched in May 2018 by Kelley, a hairstylist, and Urquhart, an autopsy technician, Morbid: A True Crime Podcast is a light-hearted true crime and “creepy” history podcast that mixes in a dash of comedy to a genre not known for its laughs. Starting June 1, its deal gave the Wondery and Amazon Music apps a one-week exclusive window to new episodes. As part of the move, supporters of the indie show on Patreon were given a six-month free subscription to Wondery+ to listen to the show ad-free. The alliance also allows Kelley and Urquhart to develop additional podcasts.
The New York Times-produced The Daily remained the most listened-to show in June among the publishers measured by Podtrac.
After no change in the prior month, the top five also had another big mover. The Daily Wire’s conservative talk The Ben Shapiro Show jumped two spots to No. 3 in June. That pushed back NPR’s hourly five-minute podcast NPR News Now to No. 4 and the public radio network’s morning news podcast Up First to fifth place.
The big winner in April -- Exactly Right Media’s My Favorite Murder – slipped one spot since its debut a month earlier, sliding back to No. 8. And May’s big debut – Vox Media’s Today, Explained – advanced one spot to No. 18.
NPR had the most shows on Podtrac’s list of top 20 shows for June. It had four make the grade. Wondery had two. No other publisher had more than one.