
Okay, this is pure hyperbole—the
Slate Political Gabfest is still one of the best podcasts on U.S. politics, but audible.com has cost the Gabfest a dash of integrity. Three weeks ago, John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz introduced the gabfest’s newest sponsor: an audiobook site called
audible.com. While we understand that the Gabfest needs a sponsor, the plugs for audible.com have been cringe worthy. Even though we’re sure that Bazelon was being sincere, hearing her talk about how she bought an audiobook book for her kids called
Babe and Me—a book about a boy that travels back in time to meet Babe Ruth—was painful and reeked of hucksterism.
What’s weird about this is that audible.com should be the perfect sponsor for the Gabfest, as all of the participants regularly recommend books. However, the audilble.com ads just seem to break up the natural flow of the Gabfest. Perhaps once the participants get into a groove, the ads won’t seem so abrupt—but were not hopeful. For now, we’ll just jump ahead anytime audible.com is mentioned.
> Continue Reading: Audible.com, You Ruined The Slate Political Gabfest