Most Podcasts Are Too Darn Long

After editing text for a quarter of a century, and multimedia content for— well, a lot less than that, but a while— You know what I’ve noticed about most podcasts I’ve heard? They’re too darn long!
Especially the technical ones. They desperately need editing.

Occasionally I’ll download a bunch of podcasts by Conversations Network and others. Then I rarely listen to them, because most are too long. Even now, with money and professionals involved, podcasters still don’t get what broadcasters have long known: an audience's discretionary listening time comes in short chunks.

Throwing up a long, rambling recorded conversation or presentation without editing is just that: throwing up.
Do you know what broadcasters call unedited content?
Raw.
Do you know what they call 75 to 80% of that content?
Cuttings. Floor sweepings. And that’s professional stuff.
Typically, a half hour interview will yield a crisp, informative, entertaining 7-10 minute program, if it's good stuff to start with.
A podcast, just like any media, must be edited to be of value.