Joking aside, I don't see how this is a debate. I can see how non-Drabblecast listeners might not be used to Norm, but most will get used to him if they don't become Drabblecast subscribers eventually (Drabblecast is Escapepod quality or better but shorter stories with the best production you've ever heard.)
Otherwise, the same folks here will yammer about ANY new voice that speaks for 2 minutes before and after, just for lack of better things to do. If you are so picky on your FREE weekly science fiction that a new occasional co-host for a few minutes will turn you off and make you quit altogether, then good luck and good riddance. Hey, start you're own show if you want, with better SF stories than Escapepod; be more interesting than Norm yourself, give it a go. Dare ya.
Beth, while I understand what you're saying, I think you should think about your own tone here. You may be a long-time EP listener and fan, and we all appreciate it, but this forum has been around for a long time, and it has its own culture, which has been
actively develoed and encouraged by the EA authorities (esp., in early days, Steve). And part of this culture is -
everything is a debate. We keep the tone civil, but everyone here is welcome to give their opinions on any aspect of the podcast. This has been, as I said, welcomed by the people running the podcast. There are rules to this - one of them, as I said, is we keep the tone civil, and the other is that EA doesn't have to do something just because the forum wants it to. Norm, Ben, and Steve, make their own decisions, but I haven't heard a single one of them telling people to stop giving feedback on Norm as host - positive or negative. Another one of the rules is that we give feedback on the podcasts, not on other forum posters. I know your intentions are good, but I think you'll find that your own posts so far as going to be less appreciated by the people you are defending, than the posts of the people who are criticising them.
As for my own opinion - I love Drabblecast, and I love Norm on Drabblecast. I'm not so sure I love Norm-on-Drabblecast-on-Escapepod. But I agree with Russell - these things take time, and they happen naturally. I have every faith in Norm that he will end up with a variation of his hosting style that works for EP, and another one on Drabblecast. It's not like his Drabblecast hosting style hasn't evolved over the years. So my point is - I'm in the "not sure it's 100% working now, but am more than willing to give it time" camp.