I respect that podcasters are spending their time and effort putting together a program which I enjoy. The price I pay for that is listening to them talk about some product I don't give a shit about for a few seconds until I can hit the skip button. To me, there is a clear cut deal with no deceit.

Do you feel people should volunteer their time gratis to entertain you?

What Hacker News does with adverts slipped into the newsfeed is essentially the same as what podcasters do.

Please don't take offense in this, but your "advertisement doesn't influence me" take is quite silly and naive. Not being rational about the effects of advertisement is the whole point of these product placements. It is not information, but manipulation.

> Do you feel people should volunteer their time gratis to entertain you?

No. They can do as they please. I'd prefer them to do it for the sake of it, or charge in a direct matter like a subscription model. However they should not, never, try to manipulate me for their profit.

I merely said the scene dominated by enthusiasts/hobbyists changed to a predominantly revenue-focused environment. You see the same dynamic at play, which made youtube the signal:noise hell it is today.

Mind you, the German and American podcast scene were very different in that regard, as in America monetization of every possible creation seems to be much more common. I assume this is down to a different set of factual constraints and values.