The Week Ahead In Russia

The host mumbles a lot, I keep turning up the volume to hear what he’s saying then the guest speaks at a normal volume, so it’s loud. Otherwise, very informative for the parts that are audible

Sometimes the guests are good, but the host sounds kind of like he hates being there.

This is absurd. Great content, desperately needed, but I can’t hear what the host is saying. Get a new microphone, check your levels, and speak clearly. The guests are all clear and easy to understand — what isn’t the host???

When I first subscribed to this podcast, I was surprised, given the gravity of the subject matter, that Gutterman seemed to be sleepwalking through his interviews, regurgitating what everybody else had said. I don’t know what happened, but I am glad to report that he has perked up, brought on sources that I don’t find anywhere elsewhere and is prompting interesting discussions. I hope that continues. The stakes are very high. I am not wild about the podcast rating system, where anyone who gets less than five stars is somehow considered a failure. I gave Gutterman five to get around the algorithm, but would probably give the podcast maybe four stars, with the distinct possibility that it would rise to five in my estimation, if Gutterman continues to do what he is doing now.