According to our download stats, one length is not preferred more than another (of course, we can’t tell what gets listened to once it’s downloaded), and on-site plays are also pretty equal. We have conducted surveys of our users, and in our case the people are evenly split between hoping each show fits in their average commute (~30) and not caring at all because they just pause and resume later. For the record, I edit every episode extensively, so it’s only as long as it needs to be. But I don’t assign arbitrary time constraints.

Personally, I don’t care about length in the podcasts I listen to. I’m with Dan Benjamin (whose two podcasts I enjoy) actually like them being longer than my commute… it’s like having multiple episodes to listen to each week. But there’s a key point here: the podcast is either interesting or it isn’t. If it’s interesting, I’ll listen to it in 3-4 stints. If it’s not, I’ll turn it off as soon as I’ve established that. FWIW, I listen to MBW and the longer it is, typically, the happier I am. (I do fast forward commercials when they go on for five minutes, which has begun to happen recently. I think Leo needs to address that.)

I think the beauty of podcasting is that it doesn’t have to have arbitrary time constraints. Cover one full topic and stop. Cover three… I don’t think it matters. What matters is that you talk to and please your audience. This is what works for us.

That’s something I love about The Talk Show. They just start talking from the very first second. Podcasters needn’t use radio or television as models for how a “show” ought to be formatted. I think that’s a difficult realization for a lot of people.

Having said that, I usually don’t listen to podcasts that last more than an hour. They tend to ramble on and generally don’t follow a set format. It’s definitely frustrating to listen to them. FWIW, I think most podcasters would appreciate any feedback especially if they’re new to it.

I very much prefer longer podcasts (I’m really digging the expanding MBW) – but this is wholly down to they way I listen.

I listen to podcasts exclusivley in the car, and basically for entertainment rather than edification. Since I spend a whole lot of time sitting in traffic, the longer (but entertaining) ones are good for me…

Fascinating post, though, and it points out that I am pretty unusual in this

Yeah it was great except I consider it to be more of a “clip show” as it were. That’s why I didn’t include it in the graph of The Talk Show’s length. If it had been new content and not culled from parts of episode 17 then it would have worked in your favor.

I too use the pause button on long podcasts Dan, but when they are going on 1.5-2 hours, and I have to keep coming back to them over and over to get through it, I feel like I’ve been listening for days and not minutes. That’s when I lose patience and say buh-bye.

Anyway, thanks for commenting, it’s appreciated.

Then again, doing the show live means that in some respects we’re not as focused on the after-show listeners as we could be.

Much to think about.