I've been listening to podcasts regularly for well over a decade (not quite 20 but since before 2010 at least) and your comment conveys the complete opposite of

I've been listening to podcasts regularly for well over a decade (not quite 20 but since before 2010 at least) and your comment conveys the complete opposite of my experience. I've always disliked over-edited and vulgarized programs like RadioLab. I got into and still listen to podcasts because they are relatively raw and unfiltered, unlike commercial programs. When I look for new programs to pick up, my main red flags are short runtimes, rigid structures, excessive editing (music and sound effects), and hosts that "talk down" to the listeners, which is a feeling that I always have when I give RadioLab a(nother) try. If anything, I'm starting to feel like podcasts are becoming too fake, commercialized and overproduced lately. Constant ad reads, hosts that don't really seem enthusiastic about what they're talking about, rotating guests who "coincidentally" have something that they want to promote. Most of the shows that I subscribe to have been going on for several years and are independent, but I struggle to find something new that's interesting and doesn't feel like a rehash of another one.