Actionable media intel: The Brand Brief delivers a daily snapshot of the conservative media ecosystem - FOX News, podcasts, and more. | Brought to you by On Brand Strategies | Written by Carly Moran and Nathan Brand
📣 Driving the Conversation…
1,319 words | 6 minute read | Written to be skimmable (11+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: What has changed since 2024?
New Media Voices: Angie Nixon and Karen Bass
Leading FOX: IndyCar, Abdul El-Sayed, and Josh Shapiro
Trending: DSA and Nick Shirley
What the Right is Writing: Melania Trump, Simon & Schuster, and Byron Donalds
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
While podcast data is notoriously spotty (more on that here), we internally track YouTube data alongside Apple and Spotify rankings—an imperfect but superior picture to most.
Edison Research just compared its post-election 2024 data with Q2 2026 to track conservative podcast audience changes. Relying on listener survey data, they found:
The Winners: Megyn Kelly (+115%) and Shawn Ryan (+107%) have seen substantial growth.
The Steepest Declines: Dan Bongino (took a break to join the Trump admin) and Jordan Peterson (out with health issues) saw the biggest drop-offs. It is worth noting that Bongino is already back to being a top 25 news show on Apple and Spotify. Others are slightly up or down from the 2024 highs.
Bottom line: Conservative media is expanding and diversifying, fueled by new shows, a growing appetite for non-political topics, and the increased influence of clips. - NRB
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🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 8/19
Kelly slams DSA policies exemplified by Angie Nixon’s Florida primary victory, describing them as “unelectable” for their calls to abolish the US Senate, Pentagon, ICE, and Supreme Court
She questions the electability of Kamala Harris for the 2028 presidential nomination despite her polling lead
Kelly ridiculed Darline Graham’s lack of foreign policy knowledge during her South Carolina Senate special election debate
She criticized The Guardian’s reporting on the Jason Arday scandal, while some left-wing influencers accuse conservative media of causing Arday’s suicide
The panel agrees mainstream hopefuls like Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer are pushing left on issues like the wealth tax and abolishing the Electoral College to try to win the radical vote
The Ben Shapiro Show - 8/19
Shapiro condemns the “Teen Takeover” trend that produces widespread urban violence by predominantly black teenagers
He argues the societal fear of being labeled a racist for addressing cultural issues prevents effective punishment and accountability
Shapiro believes the rise of single motherhood significantly correlates with higher rates of violent crime
He argues cities’ proposed solutions, such as curfews and targeting organizers, are insufficient without a fundamental shift toward punishing bad behavior
Tony Kinnett Cast - 8/19
Kinnett slams LA Mayor Karen Bass for the “Super Match Program,” which funnels taxpayer money into political campaigns
He criticizes VA Gov. Abigail Spanberger for policies that have turned the state into a “sanctuary commonwealth,” directly linking her actions to a surge in crimes by illegal immigrants
Kinnett looks into the UK government’s absurd poster campaigns “begging” migrants not to commit rape and child abuse
He reacts to Democrat primary winner Angie Nixon quoting the “Marxist cop killer” Assata Shakur, while also ridiculing Abdul El-Sayed’s desperate attempt to appeal to black voters by claiming to be “African Jesus”
Making the Argument with Nick Freitas - 8/19
Freitas reacts to Democrats’ internal “civil war,” exemplified by Angie Nixon’s socialist victory over Alex Vindman in Florida
He praises Gov. Ron DeSantis’ unapologetic transformation of Florida from a swing state into a Republican stronghold
Freitas criticizes the Florida Republican Party’s debate qualification rules, which could alienate voters by setting a prohibitive $10 million donation threshold
He dissects the “terminally online” campaign of James Fishback, who prioritized edginess over clear articulation of core beliefs
Freitas concludes by urging Republicans to learn from DeSantis’ model, and replace squishes like Mitt Romney with genuine conservatives
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
The Five
Florida Democrat gubernatorial nominee David Jolly says he rejects socialism and Rep. Jared Moskowitz wins against a DSA challenger, but radical Angie Nixon wins the Senate nomination
Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign aide tries to compare Mike Rogers’ Michigan-made truck to KKK intimidation tactics
PA Gov. Josh Shapiro restricts data center development, Jason Kelce stars in an anti-data center commercial
The alleged ringleader of the Penn State fraternity drug dealing scandal, Agostino Abbatiello, pleads guilty and is denied bail
Groupon now offers deals to go on a “mystery vacation,” destination undisclosed
FOX & Friends
A psychologist testifies Lindsay Clancy can’t be held psychologically responsible for the murder of her three children
President Trump threatens “economic D-Day” against Iran, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise reacts
A pilot and two passengers died in a helicopter crash in Pennsylvania
DHS confirms the captain in a fatal NY Harbor boat crash is illegal
The federal trial against Meta resumes today
Florida DSA candidate Angie Nixon backs a national rent freeze, while Rep. Jared Moskowitz is interviewed on beating a DSA challenger
A manhunt is underway in the shooting of a Tucson, AZ police recruit and his fiancée
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are moving back to the UK after six years of complaining in America
Sophie Cunningham reports that the WNBA needs bold leadership
An illegal immigrant has been arrested for stabbing a Virginia mom to death
Sen. Jon Ossoff is under fire for making affair accusations between Trump and one of his aides
Karen Bass and Nithya Raman both fail to fix LA homelessness
Melania Trump’s senior advisor Marc Beckman is interviewed on how the First Lady plans to use the Freedom250 race to support foster kids
The Penn State drug ring allegedly used Cash App and Snapchat to conduct deals
An Amazon drone accidentally dropped a package in a pool
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
LOL, NY citizens are going to pay to subsidize the 30%-off, city-run stores, and then also pay to subsidize all the stores around those city-run stores. And this is before the tax payers have bought any groceries for themselves. [X, Bateman]
The California Democrat Legislature has formally passed the Stop Nick Shirley Act — sending it to Gov. Gavin Newsom for signature. [X, Daugherty]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
Judge hands Trump, GOP major redistricting win [FOX News]
Legal expert spots a problem for prosecutors in Lindsay Clancy trial [FOX News]
Trump escalates ‘crushing’ economic warfare against Iran [FOX News]
Breitbart
FL DSA Senate Candidate Praises, Quotes Marxist Cop Killer Assata Shakur [Breitbart]
BBD: Fed Paper Finds Sectors Most Exposed to Tariffs Saw Productivity [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
Trump, Canada Tariffs and USMCA [WSJ Ed]
Moderna’s Road to a Cancer Vaccine [WSJ Ed]
Ending the Syrian Nuclear Saga [WSJ Ed]
Byron Donalds and Florida’s Future [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
California clan that swindled $18M from COVID cash inspires Senate bill to crack down on ‘fraudster families’ [NYP]
Melania Trump links up with IndyCar for foster kid scholarships — and a stylish new look [NYP]
Apple News, Google promote outlets that endorse Dem presidential candidates — while shutting out Republicans: study [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
Simon & Schuster’s Disgrace [WFB]
Washington Reporter
Reps. Claudia Tenney and Nicole Malliotakis warn Americans about the dangers of DSA-aligned Democrats [Reporter]
NEED HELP NAVIGATING CONSERVATIVE MEDIA?
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