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.
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.
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.
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.
