Arelith

This whole suggestion can be blamed on the Cordorian Crier in the merchant district, because he makes every single conversation a pain in the Snuggybear.

In fact, he is the best example of all that can go wrong with a very useful system. He is annoying more than helpful, often immersion breaking and just stupid. I am also fully aware that this is simply because the player base has misused them.

In medieval times, the town crier or bellman was a public official, someone payed by the local governments to announce not only the news, but laws, special edicts and events.
With this in mind:

-Tie Town Criers to their settlements, making it so only citizens, or prehaps only town officials, can use them.
-Reduce the ammount of characters they can speak.
-Give them proper, pompous official outfits to go with the job.

Or maybe just go hang out somewhere quieter if you want to have a long conversation?

Part of the reason for having criers in public places is to make them, y'know, noisy