Natali in a glass house throwing rocks...

Yet Rafe and Tom were stepping all over each other--they often do to some extent but yesterday was noticeably more often and longer, whole sentences on top of each other--even joked at the end about "bickering"--but the only problem YOU see was Natali! Seriously, try to see the whole picture, not just go with your bias.

Don't get me wrong as far as Tom and Rafe--I enjoy it mostly--it's very natural and fine--we all have conversations like that--makes it all human and accessible. I've been paying more attention to this issues of interrupting etc. since some of these threads kept bringing it up--I thought maybe I just wasn't paying good enough attention--and what I ended up concluding was everyone doing it pretty evenly. Same for mentioning other shows, or relatives and such. But once you're got a prejudice against someone, you only see them "acting up" and everyone else gets excused away.

And now I'll try to go back to keeping my mouth shut, as I worry about feeding the beast.

I would commend Tom and Rafe for staying professional in light of how snarky Natali can be.

Does she not realize that she is only drawing more negative attention to herself? It's like she doesn't care what the BOL audience thinks of her. It's one thing to brush off her critics and say "let her get used to her job," but it's another thing entirely to defend her once we've seen how confrontational she can get without giving up.

One part of me understands how Natali needs to do her own thing in her own way, and not try to be Molly, while the other side of me is turned off by the attitude. Personally, folks with overbearing personalities, yes Natali, "overbearing", lose my interest. I am much more interested in what is said and not how someone says it.

I'm still hanging in there and listening to the show because Tom is simply one of the best tech journalists in the industry. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take though. A consistent stream of Natali in this mode will make me eventually stop downloading the podcast because it's simply painful to listen to. I've tried hard to cut her some slack, but she should really be working at a perfume counter or the reception desk of an expensive spa.

I'm a month behind in my listening. Looks like what I'm hearing now isn't what I'll be hearing later. Should be interesting.

... just because of Natali, but the show has gone down in my "queue". I stopped listening for awhile because all I had to do was read Slashdot, Ars Technica, and Engadget to be current with the show's daily content. Tom and Molly also seemed to rag on the tech items I really like, Linux/FOSS, Apple, and others.

Yeah, I'm the same. Only reason I'm still listening is for Tom. When Natali's not there, the show is infinitely better. BOL isn't the 'must listen' it used to be for me.

Tom and Jason, with Cooly/Rafe/Brian/Molly... all good. Otherwise.... thumbs down. I've taken to audiobooks - give them a try, v good!

Since Natali came on the show regularly I've finally managed to catch up on my audio books, so that's a good thing on balance, I guess... :-/

Buzz Out loud is my favorite podcast. I listen to it every day. I will always miss Molly but Natalie isn't that bad. I've almost gotten used to her. We had to adjust when Veronica left and we'll probably have to do it it again.

Complaining about Natalie isn't constructive at all. some people will like he and some won't. I'm sure the show looses and gains listeners all the time.

It is interesting that some of you are listening to audio books instead though. I guess that is better then complaining

I haven't adjusted to Veronica leaving yet. And probably won't to Molly leaving either. I don't think natali is bad.
I think it's like losing a classic character. Like star trek losing kirk and Spock or Seinfeld losing George and Elaine. I don't think it's possible to adjust.

I'm still not over how they destroyed ScreenSavers!

erier2003:
"it's another thing entirely to defend her once we've seen how confrontational she can get without giving up."

I know I only like people who make arguments and then fold like a deck of cards one they are contradicted.

Seriously the animosity towards Natali is a double standard, hardly anyone complains when Cooley or Rafe is on acting like a jerk. Get over yourself.

is that Cooley and Rafe know when to say, "We'll just agree to disagree" or something to that effect. Natali just doesn't seem to get it.

If people don't like her on the show, they are free to stop listening at any time. All you need to do is hit that little Unsubscribe button. Natali is her own person. People are entitle to their own opinions, but they should never become harassing. Sadly, it has reached that point.

...and the thing is, we don't want to....that is why we are complaining. I guess you've never felt loyalty to something that you want to fight for.

Forums like this give folks like us a way to make ourselves understood. A show like BOL likes to pride itself on the strength of the listener community. For those of us, that do not get our voice mails read or e-mails read, this his how we can interact. The community of Buzztown lies herein.

Well, I'm still listening, as someone else mentioned, mostly because Tom is tremendously informative. But recent changes have manifested as an overall erosion of the listening experience. There's WAY too much talking over each other (for almost all the hosts) and a more superficial discussion that seems to be a rehash of what's already on the interwebs. We need more opinion and insight - and more discretion in allowing each host to say their piece (presuming that they have something intelligent to say). There's something of a reduced interest in BOL on the part of all the hosts, I think. Perhaps there are bigger fish to fry, or the demands on the hosts pull them in too many directions to devote enough time to make BOL something that adds to the existing reports, rather than summarizing them. I'm trying, I really am, to continue listening. For me it's not *just* about Natali - although many of the current troubles started with Molly's departure. We've seen the rise of the multiple host approach and the regular addition of Natali - I haven't yet decoupled the influence of each event on the quality of the show.

But, let's not make any mistake - the current show isn't just a change from the past - it's an erosion of what made BOL great.

The show has always been rehash of what's being reported elsewhere. That's why "Buzz" was in its name. What made this show great was the important stories were not just reported; they were analyzed and the implications were discussed. Molly got it -- she saw the implications and could discuss the big picture. What bothers me about Natali is that too often she simply reports. Sometimes she seems to be in a rush to get to the next story.

Yes, we could simply unsubscribe and eventually I probably will. It doesn't mean I can't keep hoping it will get close to its former greatness, especially since Tom is still around.

Aside of the "Nataki Rocks" opinion, you might be right. There some of us here, myself included, that do not share your opinion. The last episode with both Molly and Natali prove my thoughts. Natali just doesn't compare. Despite change, which I agree always happens, quality should not.

I work in IT where the slightest change can set some users off. A great example is the migration to M$ Office 2007. That went over like a wet fart in church! Unlike the migration to Office '07, where my users had no choice in the matter, BOL listeners do have a choice.

If we are all right about Natali, the numbers will show and hopefully CBS/CNet will address that in an appropriate manner. She may just piss-off a higher-up with one of her silly little comments and that will be the end of it all together. Right now, I filter my BOL episodes for Natali-free versions...

i'm not sure that the 'numbers' will reflect the opinion - at least not immediately. Are you dissatisfied with BOL? OK. Have you deleted the download stream from iTunes? I thought not. I'm the same way. Continuing to download, but not listening much. How will the powers know from downloads how much (less) listening there is?

A drop in bandwidth consumption may be indicative of lessening subscriptions. Perhaps folks will just get used to Natali and her attitude, and those that do not care for her will go elsewhere? If we are lucky we will get very adept at tuning her out...

I agree with the poster who said that BOL started eroding once they added the guest host to every podcast. It was at its height when it was just Tom/Molly/(Veronica or Jason) because each host got to voice their full opinion. And Tom and Molly were professional enough to get their opinion across without talking over one another. While I love BT, Rafe and Cooley, just the addition of another voice makes for a little too much cacophony. Add to that the fact that sometimes it seems like Natali either doesn't hear the other hosts, or has a lag in when she does hear them, or just doesn't care and wants to get the cast over with, and you have a much less enjoyable experience.