So I’ve run my own show for just about ten years now. We’ve never had ads or sponsorships of any kind other than a Patreon plug at the very end.

When I go out into the world and listen to other podcasts I’m perpetually annoyed at the lengthy, frequent ad-breaks. I don’t mind being reminded to engage or click on their link or go to a show’s Ko-Fi page, but a two minute dollar shave club or AG1 ad is just too much. And, honestly, the amount of advertising dollars some shows take makes me question their integrity just a bit. I know it might be a bit old-fashioned to think that, but I can’t help it.

What are you favorite sponsorship-free, ad-free podcasts?

  • ByteMe@lemmy.world
    2·
    1 hour ago

    I remember liking to “David Tennant does a podcast with”. I don’t remember any ads. Unfortunately it’s over now

  • Granen@lemmy.world
    2·
    2 hours ago

    Fall of Civilizations Podcast by Paul Cooper.

    He doesn’t release very often, but when he does its high quality, very long and completely ad free.

    It’s a fantastic podcast I would suggest anyone to listen to, Paul is a excellent storyteller and manages to breathe incredible life into history, even if you might not be interested in it.

    • bluelander@lemmy.mlOP
      2·
      4 hours ago

      I’ve listened to this one before! Pretty interesting show, but unfortunately opens with several minutes of ads. Latest episode is about two and a half minutes of ads right off the bad, although one is their Patreon.

      • DarkSirrush@lemmy.ca
        2·
        4 hours ago

        I haven’t overheard them in awhile, didn’t realise they open with ads now. Sorry for the suggestion that doesn’t fit your criteria!

        • bluelander@lemmy.mlOP
          2·
          3 hours ago

          No apology necessary! Many of these are still ending up on lists that may or may not get listened to one day :)

  • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
    11·
    6 hours ago

    Blowback is incredible, and has ads only at the beginning and end, so very skippable. I can’t recommend Blowback enough. Each season covers the “behind the scenes” of different US atrocities, from the Iraq War, to Cuba, to Korea, to the Afghan War, to Cambodia. Any USian needs to listen to it especially to truly understand how and why US foreign policy acts in the manner it does.

    • bluelander@lemmy.mlOP
      2·
      6 hours ago

      Oh yeah I listened to a bunch of them, it was definitely very good. Pre and post ads are probably the most bearable sort, but I’m trying to avoid them altogether if possible. But for anyone with more tolerance than me: absolutely also recommend this one.

    • bluelander@lemmy.mlOP
      11·
      3 hours ago

      I’m looking to avoid doing that and avoid ad-driven shows in general, hence the original question. I have a few that I tolerate it on, but largely looking to avoid it where possible.

        • bluelander@lemmy.mlOP
          2·
          3 hours ago

          It’s not though! I’ve done 500 episodes of my own podcast and we never charged for a single episode or ran a single ad. Not one single time. We have a Patreon, and it’s optional.

          And yes, I’m willing to pay for podcasts if I think they’re worth paying for. I’ve donated to shows I enjoy and paid for others before. I see no issue with people getting paid for their work.

    • bluelander@lemmy.mlOP
      1·
      5 hours ago

      That’s quite the pile of political shows! I’ll dig through them and pick out the ones that hook me. Thanks for taking the time to link them all, makes it easier to use an online took to yank out the RSS feeds for subscription.

      • davel@lemmy.mlEnglish
        2·
        5 hours ago

        I’m not sure those links will render RSS feeds. I just pulled them from my Apple Podcasts app. None of them are exclusive to Apple, though, so if you’re not in the Apple ecosystem you can still find them.

        • bluelander@lemmy.mlOP
          3·
          5 hours ago

          Oh they will, I use a website that yanks the feeds. Having them all in one list like that makes it easier for me to parse through them though.

          If you ever need to yank the RSS from a show then I have lots of success with: https://www.labnol.org/podcast. It’s specifically for just this kind of thing. Weirdly a lot of shows, even on their own websites, don’t make RSS feeds readily available.

            • bluelander@lemmy.mlOP
              2·
              5 hours ago

              Oh wow I didn’t realize it was so simple. I couple just slap that into a bash script and save the effort of going through a website…maybe even use it for bulk processing when I get lots of recommendations.

              • davel@lemmy.mlEnglish
                2·
                4 hours ago
                #!/bin/sh

# Get the original RSS feed URL from an Apple Podcast show URL.

podcast="$1"
id=$(echo "$podcast" | awk '{sub(/^.*\/id/, ""); print}')
curl -s "https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=%24id" | jq -r '.results.[0].feedUrl'

                There seems to be a bug in Lemmy that messes up the script’s rendering a little, but you’ll figure it out.

  • florge@feddit.uk
    2·
    3 hours ago
    • The Cryptid Factor
    • The Modern Mann (very few ads)
    • Darknet Diaries (very few ads)

    F1 related:

    • Superlicense
    • The Midfield F1 podcast
    • For Formula 1’s Sake
    • Box of Neutrals
    • bluelander@lemmy.mlOP
      1·
      4 hours ago

      I assume the first one was a typo and you meant Cryptid Factor? Seems like a really cool show, but unfortunately opens straight up with ads. First one was for 1-800-Flowers and then on to one for Rocket Money.

      • florge@feddit.uk
        2·
        3 hours ago

        Yeah I did, and that’s a shame they now have ads. They definitely didn’t used to, been a while since I listened to one of their episodes tbf.

        • bluelander@lemmy.mlOP
          2·
          3 hours ago

          Well the allure of Rhys Darby might be enough for me to stomach some of it. Time will tell though.

  • Trent@lemmy.mlEnglish
    3·
    6 hours ago

    Thanks for asking something I’d thought of asking but never gotten around to. Also, what’s your podcast OP?

  • Gamma@beehaw.orgEnglish
    2·
    6 hours ago

    If you’re into game dev or retro games in general, Dev Game Club is a small podcast where the hosts play old games and discuss their design + influence on games that would come later. I don’t think they even have a patreon lol

    • bluelander@lemmy.mlOP
      2·
      5 hours ago

      Went to listen to a bit of this one and was instantly hit with ads for the NFL and other stuff. Maybe you’re on their Patreon feed or something?