How I use Pinchflat/Sponsorblock to avoid podcast ads

I listen to a lot of podcasts. I spend a pile of time where I need something to distract me and keep me awake, and I also just like podcasts. But there's a lot of podcasts, especially from sources like IHeartRadio, that have scads of annoying ads (mainly for other podcasts, which seems weird, but OK).

I had gotten to the point where subscriptions like Behind the Bastards just weren't worth listening to because the ads went on for like 5 minutes. I had to come up with something or drop them.

Enter Pinchflat. You can create a "Podcast" media source profile that's audio-only, and respects Sponsorblock. If you have a podcast that has a Youtube channel, you can pretty much eliminate ads this way. And Pinchflat makes an RSS feed that you can subscribe to in your favorite app like Antennapod to consume that feed. One thing I like to add to the Media Profile is to redownload after a day or two so it updates the Sponsorblock info that might not have existed if Pinchflat grabs the episode when it's very fresh.

Links:

Pinchflat Docker compose setup

Podcast RSS feeds (Ignore the reverse proxy if you already use an always-on VPN like Wireguard/tailscale or download your episodes while on your LAN)

The heroes at Sponsorblock and the other heroes that contribute timeblock entries

Donate on behalf of Pinchflat to Zakkarry, a collaborator that the developer of Pinchflat has identified as a good donation target, as well as the EFF.