luvs_simcoe wrote:...please keep in mind my context as I deliver this delicately worded reply. I'm afraid this won't get noticed because it's not in a thread with 600+ posts.
I'm a long-time (since 2008) BN listener and an occasional forum poster. You can probably see from my account history that I'm neither new nor prolific. That said, I've heard every episode of every BN show and many (most?) more than once. I enter competitions as TBN, and my voice can be heard on three or four Sunday Sessions.
Those are my BN qualifications.
That said, don't listen if you have a problem.
The off weeks suck. Deal with it. They are well-publicized. My POV is biased as a mostly podcast listener, so I often hear things in a more lucid state of mind than I would if I listened live. I follow TBN on the twitter and the book of face, but I don't check those daily (or even weekly). Despite all of that, there were maybe one or two Mondays this year that disappointed me with the lack of a Sunday Session. In all cases, a quick forum search explained why I misunderstood.
Regarding the BN "going pro", I've got 2 things to say.
1. The BN is going pro. I am. Mills did. Sven did. Lots of others did/are. The increased pro focus is a natural evolution of the BN's target demographic. How many breweries has the BN interviewed in the past two years that started from BN listeners? Lots.
2. If you can't learn something from listening to the pros, you are either not listening or are too drunk. The pros offer tons of advice that could help n00bs (or relative n00bs) with process and recipe formulation. I do think the BN could do better with a show or so each year dedicated to beginners, but many of the people listening should know everything that would be covered. Having a show once every other month dedicated to n00bs could be a good idea. I listened to TBN for almost a full year before I brewed a single batch because I wanted to get it right. I'm not saying everyone will/should obsess like I do, but I do think the pro brewing focus and its limited applicability to home brewing is overplayed.
Yes I'm going pro. No I didn't link to my FB/twitter/www in my post. That's not what this is about.
The point is that haters gonna hate and the BN should keep grinding on.