The Sound Off Podcast

If you've ever wondered what our show might look like if it was built by a millennial, look no further than The Radio Fam . It's a YouTube-first podcast that's not unlike this one, and today's guest is its owner and creator, Marie. The Radio Fam' s mission statement is to break the mold of mainstream radio stations' crappy social media integration. All the way back in 2009, Marie was aware that mo...

This week's guest is Dave Beasing. Dave is the CEO of Sound That BRANDS, an audio production and consultation company with a focus on creating brand-affiliated podcasts. We talk with Dave about his career in media branding, the philosophy behind Sound That BRANDS, and what makes a good branded podcast compared to a lazy one. Of course, we also dig into all the services the company offers, such as...

It is fitting that this episode is being published on World Radio Day. Cathy Faulkner worked at KISW in Seattle from 1981 through to the early 2000's. She spent most of her time as the station's music director and on air. During that period, Cathy championed the local music scene and had a front row view to the ascension of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and some of the Seattle bands that d...

This week we're joined by Dean Blundell to talk about his newest venture: Crier Media. It's the best way to find all the blog and podcast content you love from Dean's network, all in one place, but it's also a lot more than that. It's a cooperative of podcasters, writers, bloggers, and all kinds of folks from the radio industry who got sick of seeing big radio companies prioritize the wrong things...

Paul and Fred Jacobs start off every year by going to Consumer electronics Show in Las Vegas. It invigorates and really sets the table for the year. The show takes place the first week of January when many are still in their Christmas and New Year's stupor when many are unaware of what day it is. In this episode, I ask Paul about what he saw at CES and discuss the dash, AI, the future of AM radio,...

Adam Seaborn is a sports media analyst and head of partnerships at Playmaker Capital. Last year, the Nation Network was purchased for $15 million and perhaps a few eyebrows went up. By 2023 standards, it appears to be a bargain given the dissolution of notable sports radio properties that have disappeared in markets like Calgary, Vancouver, Hamilton and Winnipeg. Of note, Maryann Turke who ran Bel...

Buzz Knight should be a familiar name to anyone who's followed us for a while. He's been on the podcast twice before, and we've talked at length about his show, Takin' A Walk: Music History On Foot . This week, we're doing a full-on feed swap! If you're somehow unaware of Buzz and the concept behind Takin' A Walk, it's a show designed around the simple pleasure of a refreshing walk and a good conv...

At its core, podcasting has always been about marketing. So it should come as more surprise that Danny Brown found his way into podcasting. I first became aware of Danny when I found his assisting many others on Facebook groups with typical podcast problems like, "How do I get more Downloads?", and "I just bought a Blue Yeti and it sucks, what is a better podcast mic to use?" That led to Danny bec...

Randi Chase is back for another round on the show. The last time we had her on in 2018, we talked about her adventures up and down the radio dial in 7 Canadian markets- she was certainly living a "WKRP in Cincinnati" lifestyle. She's remained at the same station since 2018, but a few changes have taken place. Firstly, she moved to Red Deer, and her morning show with Vinny Taylor is now simulcast a...

It's that time of year again. Chestnuts are roasting on open fires, homes are lit up like the Las Vegas strip, presents are under trees, and I'm sitting down with my good friend Terry DiMonte for the 7th annual Very Terry Christmas. It's our favourite tradition, especially since we no longer live close enough to each other to go out for drinks together. Although if I'm honest, the theme of this ep...

Rob Greenlee returns to the show. He last appeared back in 2017 just after we did a panel on podcasting at the Conclave in Minneapolis. Rob is someone I hear from every week as he co-hosts the New Media Show with Todd Cochrane. So even though he has not appeared on this show I feel as though I he from him every week. Rob has a new position as SVP of Content and Partnerships. He had been with Libsy...

The last time we had Dani Stover on the show, she was between opportunities and wondering what her relationship with radio should be shaped like. It turns out that she has answered that question and the answer is a new role in the evenings on 640 Toronto. Over the last while she has been producing alongside daytime host Kelly Cutrara and now Dani takes control of 7-10pm in the region on 640 Toront...

If you've listened to sports radio in Alberta anytime in the last three decades, you probably know Bryn Griffiths. He's been positively prolific in covering the NHL and CFL teams in the area since the 90's- which is around when I met him. Bryn joins us from Edmonton this week to talk about his lifelong passion for sports and broadcasting, and fair warning, this episode is a big one. We begin by ex...

If you're a Canadian audience member who's tuned in to a CBC News broadcast anytime in the last 20 or so years, this week's guest should look very familiar. We're joined by Wendy Mesley, the longtime Sunday host of CBC's The National, among several other shows in CBC's repertoire. In this episode, you will hear about Wendy's early years as a reporter at CFCF in Montreal, her time in radio in Toron...

This is what they call in podcasting... a Feed Drop. An opportunity for you to sample another podcast. We had Paige Neinaber on our show back in June 2021. Y ou can and should listen to that episode here . We are sharing this because we know you may not have budget to access great radio toys - but you should spare a little time for the people who are sharing their wisdom... especially when it's fr...

NLogic has been a supporter of our podcast since 2017. In that time, we've had NLogic's President and COO David Phillips on the show to discuss the radio industry's relationship with audience data. In the current day and age, we have more audience data than ever before, and often we can't see what is relevant in the moment. I saw David at a panel at Canadian Music Week not too long ago, and had so...

This week, we're making what might be the longest-distance connection we've ever made for an episode. Tony Doe is a Nigerian Radio and Podcast Consultant who spent years on-air in the past, and remains a podcast staple in Nigeria. I'm willing to bet most of our audience has never really thought about the podcast and radio scene in Nigeria, but as Tony will tell you, it's certainly different from w...

Podcast Hall of Famer Evo Terra is ending his Podcast Pontifications show. The show has dissected all points of the podcast business and there have been moments of punditry, contemplations, skepticism, and at times political positioning. This show along with a selection of others have been my "go-to" shows to learn more about what is happening in podcasting. In this episode you will find out what...

This week's guest is Tessa Malisani. Tessa is a voiceover artist, and if you couldn't tell from the title, one with quite the diverse portfolio. Aside from her current VO work, you'd probably be most likely to recognize her as the voice of the weeknight shift on 99.9 Virgin Radio in Toronto. You might also know her as the host of the backstage lounge at the iHeartRadio MMVA's. Or for her time on C...

Matt hears more bad radio than good radio. There are stations and shows that are mailing it in, doing smash and grab type bits that don't brand build for either the radio station or the personalities; and radio's share of the audience against streaming and podcasting continues to diminish as a result. Spoiler: Matt does not twist his ankle coming off his soapbox. A thanks to the people who support...

Bryan Barletta is back to tell us about the evolution of his company, Sounds Profitable. He started it two years ago, and since then it's evolved harmoniously alongside the podcast industry. You don't need even need to have podcast ads on your show to find value in its podcasts and newsletters, which we highly recommend you subscribe to. In this episode, we speak to Bryan about the first two years...

Clayon Kroeker came out of Don Scott's Western Academy of Broadcast back in 2010 with eyes on becoming a sports commentator. Don suggested that he try FM Music to start as there are more opportunities avaiable. He landed the very coveted overnight position at GX94 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan which still believes in the power of overnight radio. Clayton then went on to work at Golden West Broadcasting...

This week, we're joined by David Yas, founder and CEO of the Boston Podcast Network. David's name is attached to about 1000 episodes of various shows, which have altogether garnered over 367,000 downloads. David and I talk about that network of his quite a bit, including how he got into podcasting in the first place, and how he built it up into one of the most successful independent podcast networ...

Shawn Smith is the owner of Broadcast Dialogue, and its parent company Momentum Media Marketing. Broadcast Dialogue has been around since 1992, and is well-established as Canada's premiere broadcast industry trade publication. If you've been following The Sound Off Podcast since the beginning, you might remember that Shawn originally appeared on this podcast in its infancy. In this episode, we dis...

It has been 515 days since we had Fred Jacobs has been on the show. Back then we were unpacking a lot of the surprising results from a Covid induced Tech Survey. This time we have the benefit of catching up on three pieces of research that I felt needed discussing: The two Tech Survey's for Public Radio and Commercial radio, and the AQ4 Survey which targets air talent. The fourth instalment of AQ...