The Sound Off Podcast

Michael Osborne is the co-host of the podcast Famous and Gravy - a podcast that explores the lives of deceased celebrities, going beyond typical obituaries to uncover lesser-known aspects of their stories. Co-created with Ahmed Kapoor during the COVID-19 lockdown, the podcast aims to understand celebrities as symbolic representations of societal dreams and fears. As the bio says on their website,...

Valerie Geller is back with an updated edition of Beyond Powerful Radio , a must-have guide for today’s audio communicators navigating podcasting, social media, storytelling, and AI. Six years in the making, the book will continue to act as a companion for any content creator. Staying true to her core principles—tell the truth, never be boring, and make it matter—Valerie urges content creators to...

Jordan Blair first fell in love with the storytelling in podcasts. Then she started a bedtime story podcast called Dreamful Bedtime Stories ; initially for her children, but unexpectedly evolving to attract a diverse audience of adults seeking relaxing content. Her podcasting journey involved extensive research like listener surveya and using Buzzsprout's resources and community. She experimented...

In the podcast world, a feed drop is when one podcast publishes an episode from another podcast directly into its own feed. I know, sounds serious. It's not really. It's basically a way to share and promote another show by letting your audience hear an actual episode of it. That's what you're getting today. Now, for a few years, you might have heard this on the Sound Off Podcast: "Transcription of...

I catch up with Jeremy White, who left his position at 92.5 The Beat in Montreal back in January 2023. He spoke at length about the challenges and limitations he faced while working at 92.5 The Beat in Montreal. After leaving the station, he transitioned to creating his own independent media platform, focusing on his YouTube channel and podcast that features in-depth interviews with music artists....

When it comes to careers in radio, it's not about whether or not you'll get fired someday- you will. It's about how you bounce back. And I can't think of a more perfect example of bouncing back than Bob Willette. A radio veteran of 25+ years, Bob recently joined Indie 88 in Toronto after being let go from his program director role in Kingston. We discuss the challenges facing the radio industry, i...

Heather Osgood is the owner of True Native Media, and returns to talk about the same thing we talked about last time - podcast monetization strategies. A lot has changed since Heather's last visit on the show, but one thing that has not changed is suggesting podcasters consider their niche audience when seeking advertisers. And podcast monetization methods extend beyond traditional ads; consider P...

Mike Farwell is a testament to passion and perseverance in broadcasting. He started as a teacherand quickly realized radio was his true calling. His career began in the small market of Salmon Arm, British Columbia, where he learned the multifaceted nature of radio, handling everything from answering phones to writing commercials and reporting news. Farwell's career trajectory took him through vari...

Ashley Greco discusses her career journey from high school to becoming a morning host at Pure Country in Ottawa. She recounts her early experiences, including moving schools, finding purpose in theater, and starting a high school radio station. Ashley details her career progression, from internships at Kiss 92 and Skyward Traffic to co-hosting at Z103 and CHUM. She shares her transition to Ottawa,...

Graham Richardson, a veteran Canadian journalist, discussed his career, including his time at CBC, ITV (Edmonton) CTV, and his coverage of the 2022 Ottawa trucker convoy protest. We talked about the challenges of maintaining media trust amidst the proliferation of content and the impact of government subsidies on media organizations. Graham talked about the importance of local news in providing es...

Elsie Escobar is, without question, one of the pioneers of podcasting. All the way back in 2006, she started one of the original yoga podcasts: Elsie's Yoga Class , which garnered 4 million downloads in its lifetime. She stuck with it until 2013, when she joined Libsyn, and she's been co-hosting their official podcast The Feed ever since. She also happens to be the first Latina ever inducted into...

Marc Scott knows voiceover, and how to market voiceover. He wrapped up his radio career in 2011 but shared his early fascination with radio and how he got his start in the industry through a high school co-op, and details his early career working at various radio stations across Ontario. Marc pivoted to voiceover in 2011 after being downsized from his final radio job. He emphasizes the importance...

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 cha...

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 conne...

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 "Ar...

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 M...

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 p...

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,...

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 wa...

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 a...

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 medi...

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-Ai...

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 i...

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 int...

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...