Larry MacInnis has had an incredible career in radio, working largely for the legendary CHUM Radio in Toronto. He shares his incredible journey - from growing up listening to CJCB in Cape Breton, to getting his start in radio at CKEC in New Glasgow, to landing his dream job at CHUM in the most unpredictable of ways. MacInnis describes the supportive and collaborative environment at CHUM, where character and talent were valued above all else. He recounts the creative freedom he was given to devel...
Feb 11, 2025•49 min•Ep. 438
James Cridland is Editor of Podnews , the daily podcast newsletter. He is also radio futurologist - a writer, consultant and public speaker on radio’s future. In this episode you will hear him highlight the complexity of measuring podcast success with metrics like downloads and streams, noting inconsistencies across platforms. James also emphasizes the importance of community and human connection in podcasting, cautioning the shift towards video which dilutes audio's unique benefits. He also dis...
Feb 04, 2025•49 min•Ep. 437
Sarah Spain was a three-sport athlete in high school and heptathlete at Cornell before going on to her epic broadcasting career, highlighting her experiences in sports and media. She explains the challenges and myths surrounding women's sports, citing Title IX and the different forms of perceived equality and opportunities that come with it. Spain shares her work at ESPN, including her time on "Around the Horn" and her podcast, " That's What She Said", which wrapped up in 2023. She also talks ab...
Jan 29, 2025•51 min•Ep. 436
This week Jay Stone, station manager and program director of 102.3 NOW! Radio and 99.3 Up in Edmonton, shares his journey from the Air Force to radio. Jay highlighted the NOW!'s various successes, including winning Major Market Station of the Year and Best Community Service Initiative for the Alberta Day of Caring for Jasper, which raised over $3 million. Jay himself also took home the award for Major Market Program Director of the Year. You can see all the station's awards, as well as a full li...
Jan 21, 2025•52 min•Ep. 435
Dani Stover is back on the show for a 3rd time and she discussed her experience with AM 640's "Let's Talk with Dani Stover," a non-live, pre-recorded radio show that curated content from across The Corus Radio Network. The show, which involved creating six to seven new segments daily, was well-received but faced challenges, including a shift in station direction and a negative climate during the pandemic. Sadly, Corus decided to end the show and part ways with Dani last month. Merry Christmas I ...
Jan 13, 2025•38 min•Ep. 434
Our fearless leader, Matt Cundill discusses the challenges and outlook for radio and podcasting in 2025. He criticizes the current state of radio, noting its lack of innovation and the disinterest of station owners. He advocates for a CRTC-led consultation to enhance radio for listeners, not record companies. Matt warns podcasters against adopting every new trend, particularly the shift to video, which can dilute the audio experience and complicate monetization. He highlights the stringent requi...
Jan 08, 2025•9 min•Ep. 433
Matt Cundill and Terry Dimonte get together for their annual Christmas podcast tradition, which began in 2016. Terry explains the difficulty in scheduling a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau due to his busy schedule and Terry's travel plans to England. They reminisce about their radio days, including Terry's time at CITI FM, CHOM-FM and his experiences with new wave music. Both of them watched the Yacht Rock Dock and loved it. They also discuss the decline of traditional radio, the rise...
Dec 25, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 432
Podcast Pioneer Rob Greenlee is a podcast Hall of Famer (Class 2017), host of the New Media Show (along with Todd Cochrane), Podcast Tips, Trust Factor, Spoken Life Show and Behind the EV Wheel. That's a lot of shows. Over the course of his career Rob has worked on the Zune Marketplace, where he helped develop and grow podcasting on the Zune platform. The first time I met him, he was at Spreaker and Voxnest where served as VP of Content and Partnerships, contributing to the development of tools ...
Dec 17, 2024•44 min•Ep. 431
Annalise Nielsen is the head of podcast strategy and development at Lower Street. We talked about the college years at Queen's University and how her professor was an early podfader in an attempt to create lecture podcasts. We also spent some time discussing her work at a Television station and later, Rogers and Pacific Content. She emphasized the importance of newsletters and targeted social media for podcast promotion. Nielsen also discussed the shift from video-heavy podcasts to clips and the...
Dec 10, 2024•50 min•Ep. 430
Thanks to our group sponsors: Rogers, Pattison Media, Corus Entertainment, iHeartRadio, Stingray, Vista Broadcasting, Harvard Media. The Following summary of winners is from Broadcast Dialogue. Pattison Media’s 102.3 NOW! Radio (CKNO-FM) Edmonton is among the multiple winners at the 2024 Canadian Radio Awards . NOW! won Major Market Station of the Year, and Best On-Air Promotion (Major Market) for its “Swiftie-oke” contest, while Program Director Jay Stone captured Program Director of the Year (...
Dec 06, 2024•54 min
We love having Fred Jacobs from Jacobs Media on the show to discuss things like Tech Survey and the AQ Study. What do listeners come to radio for? Well since 2018 it has been for personalities first, then music. I'm not sure what you are being told from your program director, but depending on the market or format, they could be working off some old thinking. We also spoke about the lack of women in various radio roles including on air and the need for more female program directors. We also discu...
Dec 03, 2024•46 min•Ep. 429
Ian March, Program Director of Indy 88 in Toronto, discussed his 25-year radio career. He started at Sports Radio 1200 in Ottawa, then moved to Kingston for K Rock 1057. Ian became APD for Magic 100 and Bob FM in Ottawa, and later PD for New Country 94. He highlighted the impact of Gord Downie's death on K Rock, leading to a week of Tragically Hip music. Ian joined Indy 88, focusing on digital integration and targeting a broader audience. He noted the recent ownership change to Local Radio Lab a...
Nov 26, 2024•41 min•Ep. 428
Lisa Brandt's career in radio and voiceover is a testament to the power of versatility, resilience, and a willingness to embrace change. From her early days in small-town radio to her time at some of Toronto's most iconic stations, Brandt's story is one of navigating the evolving landscape of the industry with determination. One of the most striking aspects of Lisa's journey is her ability to keep it young. Whether it was cueing records and producing commercials in the analog era, or pivoting to...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 427
Legendary radio broadcaster John Leslie, shared his journey from building a three-watt transmitter in his bedroom to becoming a program director at WEIR in Weirton, West Virginia. He discussed his service in the Marine Corps, his early radio roles, and his transition to television. Leslie highlighted his significant achievements, including a 38 share in Binghamton, a 27 share in Des Moines, and a 22 share in Albany. He recounted his historic trip to the Soviet Union to broadcast uncensored, mark...
Nov 13, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 426
We dive deep into the importance of audio promos for podcasts. Steve Goldstein, returns to make a compelling case for why every podcast needs a well-crafted audio promo. Steve told us that as the podcast landscape becomes increasingly crowded, using owned media to promote your show is essential. However, he notes that promos are often overlooked, sitting low on the priority list for many podcasters. This is a missed opportunity, as an effective promo can hook listeners and drive them to tune in....
Nov 04, 2024•29 min•Ep. 425
Our Quarterly Feed Drop. This is where we play an episode from another awesome podcast. You might remember a few week's back we had Jeff Umbro on the show. His show is called Podcast Perspectives and you should give it follow. The podcast world is growing rapidly, and podcasters can fall behind without a glimpse of the future. Predictive analytics have become vital for podcasts to survive and thrive. In this episode of Podcast Perspectives, Jeff Umbro, host and The Podglomerate’s CEO and Founder...
Oct 31, 2024•36 min
Mary Anne Ivison was laid off in 2021. Ivison discusses the difficult transition and mental health challenges she faced after losing her job, but how she eventually found success in voiceover work and launching her own podcast "Let's Take This Outside". We covered the ups and downs of building a voiceover business, including the challenges of working with agents and the impact of AI on the industry. Ivison shares her perspective that while AI may take over some lower-end voiceover work, the leve...
Oct 22, 2024•49 min•Ep. 424
Donna Reed, a former radio host, podcast creator, and voiceover talent discusses her dcareer in radio, including her times at WQDR and WRDU in Raleigh, NC; then to KLOL and KODA in Houston, Texas and WCXR in Washington, DC. where she enjoyed the freedom of night shifts. She transitioned to voice acting after a car commercial opportunity and has since worked on audiobooks, commercials, and transit announcements. Reed also curated the "Leopard Print Lounge Chair" channel for AccuRadi o during COVI...
Oct 15, 2024•26 min•Ep. 423
Tony Garcia's journey through the radio industry over the past four decades provides a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of syndicated content and the changing landscape of the medium. From his early days as an intern at the iconic WNBC in New York during the 1980s, Tony's enthusiasm for radio was palpable, as he recounted the excitement of being part of the station's shift from album rock to the burgeoning new wave scene. This passion led Tony to create his own syndicated show, "Wave Break...
Oct 08, 2024•49 min•Ep. 422
You likely know Steve Pratt's name from his days as founder of Pacific Content. The company that created stories about brands set the bar for branded podcasts in the late 2010's. The company was later sold to Rogers in 2019 and just recently sold to Lower Street in the UK. Unlike our interview with (former Pacific Content Director of Audience developement) Dan Misener, we are going to ask Steve about his thoughts when it was announced Rogers would be mothballing the company he started. In this e...
Oct 01, 2024•48 min•Ep. 421
Back in 2016, Leslie was the PD for 107.7 The End in Seattle, driving the station to huge success in the millennial market. Since then, she's taken on a few more stations, been elevated to overseeing programming of Audacy's exclusive streaming-only channels... And like so many people in radio, been restructured out of a job. Their loss. We discuss where Leslie's currently at both life and career wise, but mainly this is a time for us to catch up and learn how Leslie's thoughts and predictions fr...
Sep 25, 2024•33 min•Ep. 420
Jordan Heath Rawlings, host of the Big Story Podcast, returns to discuss the evolution of daily news podcasts over the past five years. We first had Jordan on the show in 2019 after year one on the show. Since then, he noted the increased competition and the shift to virtual interviews post-pandemic. There's simply more choice with outlets having rushed into the space after the success of the The Daily and The Big Story. The Big Story has evolved into video, releasing episodes on two YouTube cha...
Sep 17, 2024•37 min•Ep. 419
Over a year after Matt recorded a Summer of Discontent - he looks back on a second summer of discontent which feature more radio stations closures on AM, small FM size stations and one FM station in Canada's #4 market. Also layoffs in Kingston and London, and across iHeart in the USA. Matt also wonders why no one in radio seems to talk much about the audience... Matt reaffirms that the Sound Off Podcast is about audience building and teases a few episodes in the works with Steve Pratt, Valerie G...
Sep 11, 2024•14 min•Ep. 418
Jeff Umbro, is the founder of The Podglomerate , an award-winning podcast services firm specialized in production, marketing, and monetization of outstanding content. In this episode, we discussed his transition from book publicist to podcasting, highlighting the company's evolution since 2017. He emphasized the importance of podcast promotion, noting that cross-promos are effective but should not be the sole strategy. Jeff also shared his insights on video's role in podcasting, noting its poten...
Sep 03, 2024•50 min•Ep. 417
Sharon Taylor, Senior Vice President of Podcast Strategy and Product Operations at Triton, discusses her career journey from hospitality management to podcasting. She joined Omny Studio in 2016, initially on a contract basis, and later becoming CEO. Sharon highlights the evolution of Omny Studio from a radio tool to a comprehensive podcast platform, and its acquisition by Triton. She emphasizes the importance of brand safety and suitability in podcast advertising, and introduces Sounder, a tool ...
Aug 27, 2024•42 min•Ep. 416
Blubrry's CEO Todd Cochrane is back once again this week, and this time he's got a new toy he's eager to share: The Thrive bundle , Blubrry's first major foray into AI integration for podcasters. We begin by going over what exactly the Thrive bundle offers its users, including various AI-powered tools to help podcasters with tasks like episode planning, production, social media clips, and email. For those who fear AI will run the world someday, worry not. Anyone who's used the current suite of o...
Aug 19, 2024•35 min•Ep. 415
You likely know Dan Misener for his work in Podcasting - but I managed to trace his roots back to radio. Specifically, to CBC and shows like DNTO (Definitely Not the Opera) and Spark with Nora Young. His radio days actually stretch back a little further than that to campus radio at Dalhousie's CKDU in Halifax. But it was his time at Pacific Content where Dan began to explore audience development in the podcast space. Yes, he could have continued on making great sounding shows at places like the ...
Aug 13, 2024•57 min•Ep. 414
Carlota G is the midday host at 107.5 XTreme Radio in Vegas. We discussed her early career path in radio, starting as a vinyl collector in high school and later transitioning from a medical billing job and then into broadcasting. She was inspired by DJs like Dusty Street and Doug "Sluggo" Roberts of KROQ fame. Carlota shared stories of her early days in radio, including moving from Southern California to smaller markets like Porterville and Fresno to get her start. She quickly moved up to doing ...
Aug 06, 2024•39 min•Ep. 413
At least once a year I get the urge to do an episode about career management and what to do when there are mass layoffs from the impactful culprits like Bell, Audacy, iHeart, Corus, Rogers, or Cumulus. Yes these aren't the only companies that lay off staff but it feels worse when public companies do it. Over the last few months, Corus and Audacy have faced restructuring and rumours abound of being de-listed from their local stock exchange. If you are thinking a career change is inevitable, I hav...
Jul 30, 2024•33 min•Ep. 412
This week, I speak with Rob Grant from 101.5 Today Radio in Calgary. Back in 2022 I went to Spain and landed in Seville for the Copa Del Rey final between Real Betis and Valencia. On my Instagram I wondered why there were so many firecrackers going off. It was Rob who explained that it is the Valencian way of saying hello - it football terms. Over the years we have had football chats, and some radio ones as well. This conversation features some of the many things I love including radio, politics...
Jul 23, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 411
