But when it comes to public radio people reading ad copy at the beginning or middle of a show, [Benjamin] Walker told me “that’s a terrible, terrible idea… The leg up that public media folks have going into podcasting comes from this connection to the listener-supported content model,” he said. “And for us to endanger that with the fucking ads seems like a terrible idea. Who’s going to want to give support for their favorite podcast when they hear eight million ads?”
Source: 'Podcasting and the Selling of Public Radio' – The Awl
I really like the way Benjamin Walker tries to protect the atmosphere that keeps trust in podcasting. It's an uphill battle but I respect it.