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Starting with This American Life, podcasts were a daily part of my life at home for more than 15 years. Then the pandemic happened and for reasons I can't full

Starting with This American Life, podcasts were a daily part of my life at home for more than 15 years. Then the pandemic happened and for reasons I can't fully explain I just stopped listening to all of them. Part of it was the subject matter became less compelling. There were also internal drama issues like with Reply All and I just lost interest. Kind of a shame as the podcast format is great way to consume media when you're primarily doing something else like cooking or doing the dishes.

cglong 4y ago
At least for me, it was two main factors: 1. I started driving a lot less, so I really couldn't get into a topic. 2. The conversations became very focused around the pandemic. There are pros and cons to escapism, but that was the main thing I wanted out of the medium.
ironmagma 4y ago
I am not convinced I could get into podcasts if I started today. They are filled with ads, unnecessary intro music, intros to the intros, and network readouts. On top of that, the corporate-ness of it has ramped up and it's really hard to find a good indie podcast these days.
- jononomo 4y ago
  I've adjusted my habits and now every time I start a podcast I immediately hit the "fast-forward-30-seconds" button 2-3 times and just start listening from whatever spot that lands me on. Once in a blue moon I'll rewind a bit if I really want more context. And for stupid podcasts (that I still listen to occasionally for some reason (like The Fifth Column)) I'll just keep fast-forwarding 30 seconds until the joking has stopped and there is only one person speaking at a time.
- dehrmann 4y ago
  There are a few more indie podcasts I listened to that sold out in the last few years. Since then, they've felt both slicker and lazier.
- saberience 4y ago
  I agree times 1000. I don't care about any of the fluff, intros and outros, interludes, additional production values, constant music in the background. In fact, the more overproduced it is, the less I like them. I much preferred Dan Carlin's Common Sense style, it's just him and mic being honest and thoughtful.
- dredmorbius 4y ago
  There are podcasts which are not, and which I find vastly more interesting. I do find US public broadcasting podcasts to be among the less tolerable of the set I do listen to in terms of ad / sponsorship spots, though they're probably far better than the run-of-the-mill example. (My standards are high, and tolerance of any advertising exceedingly low.) Academic and informational channels tend to be better, with Peter Adamson's "History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps" and Stephen West's "Philosophize This" among my faves. Even here there are exceptions with intrusive spots (often dropped without any break / segue from the main content), with LSE and the New Books Network (otherwise both excellent) being notably annoying. Learning to skip into/outro themes is part of the game. "You Are Not So Smart" wins my award for most annoying intro, and the opening monologue / ad break are highly skippable in most cases. Otherwise, my principle problem with most US public-media pods is that they're overly popular (in the negative sense) and talk down excessively (Freakonomics, Planet Money, etc.), though there are exceptions. I find Fresh Air's long-form interviews typically excellent, for example, and its ad spots whilst excessive are clearly indicated and can be skipped pretty easily.
subpixel 4y ago
I’m right there with you and it’s the homogeneity that killed podcasts for me. To be fair, it started with This American Life, which managed to become so repetitive stylistically that the subject matter suffered. Then that approach was in large part copied by Planet Money and associated programs. There were a couple novel podcasts worth a binge and then everything started getting turned into a podcast series nobody has time for. In the end it’s the chasing of engagement over solid reporting and storytelling, a slide towards mediocrity that moves the needle right up until it doesn’t. Nowadays I subscribe to nothing and trust if something is good, friends will clue me in. Plus I poll the BBC Radio iPlayer for the occasional gem.
- matt-attack 4y ago
  Not sure if the subject interests you, but this is a well-made Podcast that's still trickling out: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-witch-trials-of-j-k-rowling/id1671691064 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-witch-trials-of-j-...
- saberience 4y ago
  I think you phrased this well and it's something I've been feeling about Youtube also. It's like Podcasters and Youtubers all follow some pre-baked format which they perceive as the one which gets most clicks or they are blindly following some other popular Podcast/Youtuber. I find this especially grating on Youtube where all the title cards look the same, there is a lengthy intro/outro, person trying to add loads of "wacky" humor, constant shifts in tone and topic, basically seeming like it's made for people with the attention span of a fly. I really just want something bare-bones, the bare minimum of music intros and interludes, not trying to be overly funny or preaching every episode, just give me the facts and details in depth, and don't try to over-produce it.
alex_sf 4y ago
I had the same experience, but it was almost entirely due to the new podcasts NPR put out, and the content. Every single show has to have a chunk of time dedicated to race issues. Something like Planet Money I'm willing to just skip past, but most of them I just unsubscribed.
- nostromo 4y ago
  Yeah, NPR just got lazy. Every story is viewed through an identity lens. I remember when Bitcoin dropped dramatically and they had a story about how it was disproportionately impacting black investors.
  - jononomo 4y ago
    This perfectly encapsulates what makes NPR uninteresting.
- kerpotgh 4y ago
  [dead]
PragmaticPulp 4y ago
> Part of it was the subject matter became less compelling. There were also internal drama issues like with Reply All and I just lost interest I’ve had similar feelings toward a lot of media. The early iterations felt so much more special and genuine. Lately everything feels so overproduced, formulaic, and optimized to some generic blended target of what they think will drive the most clicks/views/listens. The early days of a lot of media felt like they cared more about producing the content the creators wanted to make. The more recent material feels like everyone is just following a formula to produce content on schedule.

cglong 4y ago

At least for me, it was two main factors: 1. I started driving a lot less, so I really couldn't get into a topic. 2. The conversations became very focused around the pandemic. There are pros and cons to escapism, but that was the main thing I wanted out of the medium.

ironmagma 4y ago

I am not convinced I could get into podcasts if I started today. They are filled with ads, unnecessary intro music, intros to the intros, and network readouts. On top of that, the corporate-ness of it has ramped up and it's really hard to find a good indie podcast these days.

jononomo 4y ago
I've adjusted my habits and now every time I start a podcast I immediately hit the "fast-forward-30-seconds" button 2-3 times and just start listening from whatever spot that lands me on. Once in a blue moon I'll rewind a bit if I really want more context. And for stupid podcasts (that I still listen to occasionally for some reason (like The Fifth Column)) I'll just keep fast-forwarding 30 seconds until the joking has stopped and there is only one person speaking at a time.
dehrmann 4y ago
There are a few more indie podcasts I listened to that sold out in the last few years. Since then, they've felt both slicker and lazier.
saberience 4y ago
I agree times 1000. I don't care about any of the fluff, intros and outros, interludes, additional production values, constant music in the background. In fact, the more overproduced it is, the less I like them. I much preferred Dan Carlin's Common Sense style, it's just him and mic being honest and thoughtful.
dredmorbius 4y ago
There are podcasts which are not, and which I find vastly more interesting. I do find US public broadcasting podcasts to be among the less tolerable of the set I do listen to in terms of ad / sponsorship spots, though they're probably far better than the run-of-the-mill example. (My standards are high, and tolerance of any advertising exceedingly low.) Academic and informational channels tend to be better, with Peter Adamson's "History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps" and Stephen West's "Philosophize This" among my faves. Even here there are exceptions with intrusive spots (often dropped without any break / segue from the main content), with LSE and the New Books Network (otherwise both excellent) being notably annoying. Learning to skip into/outro themes is part of the game. "You Are Not So Smart" wins my award for most annoying intro, and the opening monologue / ad break are highly skippable in most cases. Otherwise, my principle problem with most US public-media pods is that they're overly popular (in the negative sense) and talk down excessively (Freakonomics, Planet Money, etc.), though there are exceptions. I find Fresh Air's long-form interviews typically excellent, for example, and its ad spots whilst excessive are clearly indicated and can be skipped pretty easily.

subpixel 4y ago

I’m right there with you and it’s the homogeneity that killed podcasts for me. To be fair, it started with This American Life, which managed to become so repetitive stylistically that the subject matter suffered. Then that approach was in large part copied by Planet Money and associated programs. There were a couple novel podcasts worth a binge and then everything started getting turned into a podcast series nobody has time for. In the end it’s the chasing of engagement over solid reporting and storytelling, a slide towards mediocrity that moves the needle right up until it doesn’t. Nowadays I subscribe to nothing and trust if something is good, friends will clue me in. Plus I poll the BBC Radio iPlayer for the occasional gem.

matt-attack 4y ago
Not sure if the subject interests you, but this is a well-made Podcast that's still trickling out: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-witch-trials-of-j-k-rowling/id1671691064 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-witch-trials-of-j-...
saberience 4y ago
I think you phrased this well and it's something I've been feeling about Youtube also. It's like Podcasters and Youtubers all follow some pre-baked format which they perceive as the one which gets most clicks or they are blindly following some other popular Podcast/Youtuber. I find this especially grating on Youtube where all the title cards look the same, there is a lengthy intro/outro, person trying to add loads of "wacky" humor, constant shifts in tone and topic, basically seeming like it's made for people with the attention span of a fly. I really just want something bare-bones, the bare minimum of music intros and interludes, not trying to be overly funny or preaching every episode, just give me the facts and details in depth, and don't try to over-produce it.

alex_sf 4y ago

I had the same experience, but it was almost entirely due to the new podcasts NPR put out, and the content. Every single show has to have a chunk of time dedicated to race issues. Something like Planet Money I'm willing to just skip past, but most of them I just unsubscribed.

nostromo 4y ago
Yeah, NPR just got lazy. Every story is viewed through an identity lens. I remember when Bitcoin dropped dramatically and they had a story about how it was disproportionately impacting black investors.
- jononomo 4y ago
  This perfectly encapsulates what makes NPR uninteresting.
kerpotgh 4y ago
[dead]

PragmaticPulp 4y ago

> Part of it was the subject matter became less compelling. There were also internal drama issues like with Reply All and I just lost interest I’ve had similar feelings toward a lot of media. The early iterations felt so much more special and genuine. Lately everything feels so overproduced, formulaic, and optimized to some generic blended target of what they think will drive the most clicks/views/listens. The early days of a lot of media felt like they cared more about producing the content the creators wanted to make. The more recent material feels like everyone is just following a formula to produce content on schedule.