The Sound Off Podcast

Jessica Rhodes is the founder of Interview Connections and joins me to discuss the evolution of the podcast guest industry. The first time I heard about this side of the podcast business in 2016, I didn't even think it was a thing. Jessica emphasizes the importance of being a podcast guest for business owners to reach new audiences and explains the benefits of niche podcasts over large, broad ones. If you are unsure if you...

Adam McNeil is a senior vice president at Adopter Media, about podcast advertising. Adam went from an e-commerce startup, to becoming a podcast ad expert, revealing insights into the industry's inner workings. We discussed how brands can effectively match with podcasts, using a five-step vetting framework that considers renewal history, demographics, engagement, and ad efficacy. McNeil highlights the challenges in podcast ...

I attended PodSummit YYC in Calgary back in September—a creator-driven event reminiscent of the early days of Podcast Movement. Supported by Amazon / Art 19 and highlighted by an outstanding keynote from Jesse Lipscomb, the event buzzed with meaningful conversation about podcast discoverability and monetization.The hoser factor was high for this event. It was great meeting Alex Patterson from YouTube Canada, who offered gr...

I'm leaving Winnipeg. So it seems only fitting that I interview the man responsible for bringing me here 19 years ago. Garth Buchko was the General Manager at CJOB/Power 97 when we met in July 2006. "Butch" shares his journey from a young radio enthusiast to becoming a successful general manager at Corus Entertainment He discusses the competitive Winnipeg radio market, highlighting the importance of relationships, hard wor...

Alan Zweig's new podcast is called "Tubby". It's a unique show that explores conversations about weight, body image, and self-esteem, and not a typical self-help podcast. Together with Alan Black, (Left Of Dial Media) the show approaches the topic with authenticity and humour, focusing on storytelling rather than providing solutions.

They've intentionally kept the podcast audio-first, while still considering video; for mark...

There are a few Instagram accounts that operate anonymously. Now comes a podcast that is somewhat anonymous. A 15 year radio pro dubbed "Radio Girl" reveals enough about herself to tell us why she has embarked on this project, and also showing us that while the podcast's artwork is AI, she definitely is a real person. She shares candid insights about the challenges of working in radio, including toxic workplace dynamics, s...

Anna Zee has been with Q104 in Halifax for nearly 38 years. Her first radio foray was in 1981 at Queens University's. She transitioned through various stations including Rock 103 (Now C-103) in Moncton before landing at the legendary Q104 in Halifax, where she became a daytime fixture.

Throughout her career, she's witnessed significant changes in radio, from physical record deliveries to digital platforms and social media i...

Paul Jacobs has the same advice he had in 2019 when he came on this show and said, "Stop Selling Radio." In 2025, it's stop selling radio and start selling solutions. With revenue trending flat to down, the radio must innovate or risk falling further behind digital platforms that promise instant results and granular analytics.

Paul and I explored how radio’s real strength lies in local content, strong communit...

Professor Michael Geist is someone I think about often. It could be from the writings on his blog or his words from his podcast, Law Bytes. With the CRTC spending its valuable time these days discussing with Canadian Radio, what qualifies and should qualify as Canadian Content, I thought now would be a good time to have him on the show to discuss some of the inner workings of their policy making.

We explored t...

Damian Rickards is a second generation broadcaster who has spent over 25 years navigating his way across the country through broadcasting. From his early days at Mix 99 to pioneering urban radio at Flow 93.5 in Toronto and Vibe 98.5 in Calgary, Rickards shares insider stories of radio's evolution. He discusses his journey through multiple markets, including Toronto, Calgary, and Ottawa, while highlighting the challenges of...

Todd Cochrane passed away September 8, 2025. Here is his obituary as it appeared in Podnews. Yesterday I spent the day listening to our discussions about podcasting from past episodes of this show. Here are the parts I highlighted and re-shared from Todd, in his own words.

He also took the time to appear on other programs that I enjoy including the Stuph File with Peter Anthony Holder, and Audio Branding with Jodi Krangle.

T...

Greg Wasserman from RSS.com is on the show to talk podcasting. Having made his way through the media ad buying world, Greg spent some time selling for the CBS radio cluster in LA before hooking in to podcasting. We share some similar views when it comes to the importance of show packaging, including artwork and descriptions, to attract and retain listeners. We also talked about the shift from downloads to audience engageme...

Pat Moran is the host of Talking Buffalo, He covers all things Buffalo, which includes the Buffalo Bills and Sabres, and Buffalo Wings. In this episode we emphasized the importance of credibility and trust in reporting. Moran highlights mistakes in sports media, such as a false report about Max Hairston's injury and a red helmet story, stressing the need for accuracy over speed. He also discusses the competitive lan...

Romina Hakim is the owner of Red Lips Media. She is one of those creators who scores a hattrick in audio creation as her work extends from radio, to voiceover and to podcasting. We talked all three with the Argentinian, from successful radio host and podcast coach to her voiceover work as a Spanish voice for big brands. She highlights her move from Argentina to Barcelona, where she faced challenges adapting to the Castilia...

I had the pleasure of speaking with Dave Sturgeon, a true veteran of the radio industry. With over 40 years of experience, Dave shared his journey from starting on-air in small-town Ontario to managing stations across North America and eventually running his own agency. We discussed his unique path—transitioning from rock radio to talk, then into sales and management, and finally agency ownership. Dave offered candid insig...

For the last month we have been surveying listeners to the show.. and anyone else who clicked on our links. In all, the feedback was largely positive; as I expect it would be when you are asking high users of the product. Overall, we learned that a lot of our audience does not listen to every episode. We kind of knew that because of how different the audiences are between broadcast and podcast. We also found that you like ...

It was announced at Podcast Movement last year that Paul Riismandel would be taking over as President of Signal Hill Insights and Jeff Vidler would be stepping back from day-to-day duties, and segueing towards retirement. The same way a musician never stops being a musician, and a writer never stops being a writer; researchers may stop doing working for research companies, but their minds never stop asking questions. I've ...

Norma Jean Belenky is the host of the Podbiz, and we didn't get a chance to finish our conversation we started at the Podcast Show in London - so we did so on a podcast. We also didn't have time to talk about everything in London, given her experience living in seven countries. Ideally all of her pod-merch should have "Where's the Money?" emblazoned on every t-shirt and mug; it is the question everyone asks.

We explored her...

Paul Ferguson, VP of Programming and Operations at Starboard Communications in Belleville, Ontario discusses radio in a very unique market. Belleville is free from corporate ownership. Paul and I talk about how they keep radio relevant by focusing on local content, like the “Good News in Quinte” newsletter and a robust news website that keeps listeners informed and engaged. We discuss the challenges of adapting to new radi...