The Political Gabfest discusses news items that everyone is familiar with. The Cultural Gabfest not only talks about subjects most of us aren't familiar with but then adds a further abstraction by discussing a magazine article about the subject rather than the subject itself.

On top of that the hosts simply aren't funny, interesting or insightful the way Bazelon, Dickerson and Plotz are.

Check this out: never been a thread-poster, not that big into feedback, but I thought the one-sided dismissal of Rauschenberg on the Culture Gabfest wasn't the least bit incisive or reflective. If you can't find something you know about to discuss (and by discuss I mean consider from more that a reactionary and 'gut' level) then don't do the podcast. I was certainly turned off. If I want to listen to laymen discuss art I'll go to the gallery and eavesdrop. You're supposed to be insightful culture experts, so the least you could do is learn something about what you're going to be talking about. I jumped on because I love the political gabfest... so far the cultural gabfest has been a disappointment.