The Sound Off Podcast

Donna Halper is an associate professor of media at Lesley University. She is also in the process of leading an incredible life in radio as a music director, later as a consultant, and now as a professor of media. She is largely credited for breaking new bands including Rush when she was the music director of WMMS in Cleveland. We spent our time reconnecting as I had e-mailed her back in the 90’s to discuss radio. Our conversation dove-tailed to religion and ironically, I had no idea about the vital role she played in propelling the career of my favourite band, Rush. It wasn’t until 1999 when I finally made the connection. This week, I decided that it was time to meet her for the first time and talk about some of the subjects that have been at the center of my life… religion, radio and Rush.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lauren Hunter from Sonic 102.9 in Edmonton is in the hot seat this week. Apart from a brief stint in Kelowna, she has been in Edmonton her whole life and knows the city well. We talk about everything from how to tackle the social media beast, to what makes a post go viral, and, of course, Connor McDavid and the Connor McPortrait. This episode is brought to you by Promosuite, who has been proudly shredding paper for over 25 years. Tackle the pile of paper on your desk by visiting http://promosuite.com/soundoff Production imaging is provided by Core Image Studios http://www.jd2.ca/ Voiceover by Amanda Logan. http://www.amandalogan.ca/voicework/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week Jason Barrett from Barrett Sports Media joins us after a tumultuous summer that saw Sports and Politics further collide. There were also a number of sports personalities making the news for all the wrong reasons, and ESPN found itself at the center of most national headlines for layoffs or damage control. With the new NFL season upon us, there is no better time to reach out to Jason Barrett to get us ready for the upcoming fall sports season. We spoke about the changes in NFL Sundays with the additional of Tony Romo, and the subtraction of Chris Berman. As well we try to make sense of the NFL's decision to sell all the Sunday Ticket and Gamepass Canadian rights to a digital company in England. aka. The DAZN Debacle. Please follow Jason @sportsradiopd on Twitter; his podcast on itunes here - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/barrett-sports-media-podcast/id1203576506?mt=2 The podcast is brought to you by Nlogic - http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-04-26/m2xt4 If your radio station is in need of talent coaching or programming strategies, contact me at 1-204-414-5541. Production imaging is provided by Core Image Studios http://www.jd2.ca/ Voiceover by Amanda Logan. http://www.amandalogan.ca/voicework/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sometime around 2007, it became about websites and monetizing them. The company I was working for started to remove the digital parts our station was using. The preverbal shit hit the fan and I knew that the people in charge didn’t have a clue on how to use digital to monetize the future. Sadly, the problem persists to this day where there are people in charge who don’t have a digital strategy. Their stations were probably down in revenue from year to year; bolstering their profit margin with some cleaver cost-cutting that masks the problem. In the years after, I was honoured to work with the team at Socast to strengthen our brands via social media, website and the host of other tools. I found that brothers, Elliot and Sandy, along with others that I worked with including Eric Eisen and Sanford Lui, were excited about those who were in radio. In this week’s episode, I speak with Socast CEO Elliott Hurst about why his company LOVES radio and how your station needs to shift into the digital world. If your station is interested in getting a digital strategy, contact Elliott at 1-416-635-6678. Or email [email protected] This episode is powered by Promosuite - check them out here. http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff Take our audience survey. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jamie Watson is more than a station voice. He works with imaging producers, program directors, and morning shows. He started writing and voicing commercials, and parlayed those talents into becoming a leading voice for radio imaging, commercials and cartoons. In this episode, Jamie tells us about the writing and voicing process, and the importance of creating a promo that isn't going to waste the listeners time. I had the joy of working with Jamie for a number of years and over that time, I quickly learned the value of writing strong promos. This episode is brought to you by Promosuite Next! http://www.promosuitenext.com/soundoff To contact Jamie to be apart of your radio station - https://www.jamiewatsonvoice.com/ Take our audience survey. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matt Sutton worked with me in 2013 and 2014. On my trip home from Podcast Movement, we went to lunch.... and made a podcast at the same time. Matt Sutton is the afternoon host at Z95 in Vancouver. I got off the play just before 11am and we went to hit the Wicklow Pub where I pulled out my recorder and announced we were going to be doing a podcast. He didn't think it was for real. It was. We spent our time talking about the positives, perils and pitfalls of both broadcast and podcast. The podcast is sponsored by Promosuite. http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff Feel free to take our survey - http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We wander the halls of Podcast Movement 2017 in Anaheim. I provide a few takeaways of things I have learned so far, plus catch up with some of the notables who have been on our podcast before, or are starting a new podcast shortly. I was speaking on a panel this year at the Jacob's Media sponsored, "Broadcaster Meet Podcaster" event. Radio had it's biggest turnout so far, and by all accounts are slowly find a place for podcast in the radio radio toolbox. Some of the people you will meet in this episode include: Perry Michael Simon from AllAccess.com - his new podcast is on Apple Podcasts and located here. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-evening-bulletin-with-perry-michael-simon/id1274500557?mt=2 Amber DelaGarza is the host of Productivity Straight Talk. Her new podcast is here. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/productivity-straight-talk-how-to-improve-personal/id1239598006?mt=2 (By the way, that's Matt Cundill providing the voiceover) And Jessica Rhodes is one of the host's of Podcast Producers along with Corey Coates from Podfly, and she is the owner in http://interviewconnections.com - Jessica updates us on her progress since she appeared on Episode 6. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Peter Anthony Holder has interviewed a lot of people. From the famous to the quirky, his weekly show "The Stuph File" is syndicated on radio stations around the world and delivered in podcast form every Sunday night. Peter has a new book out now called "Great Conversations: My Interviews with Two Men on the Moon and a Galaxy of Stars." He picked up his interview craft working in radio at Montreal's CJAD. The show later was simulcast on CFRB Toronto before layoffs pushed the show to further syndication and podcast. Being a multi-platform form at 56-58 minutes, it fits nicely onto a radio station with a talk format late at night. To buy his book - https://www.amazon.com/Great-Conversations-Peter-Anthony-Holder/dp/1629331791 To inquire about acquiring the show to air on your talk station - email [email protected] This week's show is powered by Promosuite! Please support our sponsor simply by clicking on the link and seeing if their products would make life at your radio station easier. http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff Finally, part of this interview is also a part of his show this week. Which means we are making our terrestrial radio debut on some of the stations that air the Stuph File.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rob Greenlee is the Head of Content at Spreaker. Recently, I spoke with him on a panel at the Conclave Radio Learning Conference in Minneapolis. At the end of the session, the moderator and panelists all felt we had a few more things we could have gotten to if time had permitted. No worries. That's what podcast is for! Rob and I spoke about some of the things radio does well with podcast, and some of the things they don't do well. We catch up with some of the podcast headlines that have dominated over the past few months, including Apple releasing metrics, Soundcloud's woes, and whether Spotify is a contender or pretender in podcast. I also invite the program director of 93X, Derek Madden and his podcast co-host from KCBS Matt Kolski to talk about their podcast, The Toy Department. This is one of many podcasts "Made by Radio". More have been posted here. http://bit.ly/2w6Lqfl The podcast episode this week is brought to you by NLogic http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-04-26/m2xt4 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dahlia Kurtz does not do things conventionally. She has worked in radio, written a national newspaper column, nearly went to the Olympics, and spent her first day in radio under water. And she lived to tell me about it. We worked together for a period when she was at 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and I felt the need to catch up with her. The link to her demo: http://www.dahliakurtz.com/my-uncover-letter Her full webpage is here - http://www.dahliakurtz.com/ This episode is brought to you by NLogic and their new cloud based application Lens for radio. http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-04-26/m2xt4 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alan Burns has been consulting radio stations since the mid 80's, and knows a thing or two about change. His company Alan Burns and Associates has had long standing relationships with some of the biggest brands across North America. His company is well known for their "What Women Want" research which always creates more than one a-ha moment upon reveal. Now comes word that headphone listening is more pervasive than ever, which should sound more than a few alarm bells for radio stations who rely on PPM for their results. We discuss that and more. This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Promosuite - www.promosuite.com/soundoff See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ira Haberman is the host of the Sound Podcast and passionate about storytelling, and the Grateful Dead. Put it together, and that's a podcast. He has hosted the Sound Podcast since December, but its success has radio roots as he was working as creative director for Corus Entertainment's Deep Sky in Toronto in 2003, and segued to digital content in 2008, right when it all began to happen. We look back at the last 9 years of how digital has changed radio, what it has done right and wrong, and what the future looks like. If you are on the fence about your great idea - Ira will push you off it and get you going. (I think he actually gives you permission to do it) If you want to contact Ira to work with your new podcast or get some social media help, he is on every platform known to the internet - and through the podcast website. https://www.thesoundpodcast.com/contact/ This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Promosuite - www.promosuite.com/soundoff See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tootall is a Montreal radio legend. Earlier this week he announced his retirement this September, making it an even 40 years on Montreal's legendary CHOM 97.7FM. Tootall is well known not only to Montreal radio listeners, but in Canadian Music Industry circles. He's interviewed every band long before they had airplay, a video, or even a label deal. I worked with Tootall twice in my radio career and we have kept in touch over the years. While his radio career may be coming to an end, I have the honour of enabling his podcast debut.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dave Farough has a lot of ideas about radio. Today he published some of those ideas on his LinkedIn page entitled "If I Had a clean Sheet of Paper" and I asked them if I could add them to my page - and then the only thing that was missing, was the companion podcast. On this Canada Day in 2017, we spent our time talking about radio and tossing out ideas that could move it forward. So of these ideas aren’t new - but they also haven’t been tried yet. This episode is why I started the podcast: To table new ideas about what radio could be. If you want to contact Dave to work with your stations, e-mail him at [email protected]. This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Promosuite - http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff - Finally - take our survey for the podcast here. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard At the beginning of the show, you heard part of the new single from Skye Holland called, "We Could Be". Download it and bring it to your next music meeting. https://sable.godaddy.com/c/28384?id=42885.2890.1.c20752e09753c320a39f81bafce4f1d5 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fred Jacobs is the president of Jacobs Media. Their tech surveys have become increasingly important as we progress through the digital revolution. The survey itself undergoes changes with the inclusion of new questions about personal assistant devices like Alexa. Which brings me to Podcast itself. Jacobs Media went all-in on podcasting a few years ago and I met up with Fred Jacobs and Seth Resler at Podcast Movement 16 in Chicago. This year they have partnered with the Podcast Movement Organizers to create Broadcaster meet Podcaster. You can read more about this exciting opportunity here. http://jacobsmedia.com/broadcasters-podcast-movement/ If you do wind up going to the conference in Anaheim August 23-25, please let me know so we can meet for a coffee or any of the other fine beverages served in the lobby bar. Of great interest to all radio people is this webinar that shows the relationship radio listeners have with podcasting. The webinar was done by Fred on June 15th and you can watch it now here. http://jacobsmedia.com/webinar-podcasting-radio-learned-techsurvey13/ This episode is brought to you by NLogic and their new cloud based application Lens for radio. http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-04-26/m2xt4 Please rate and review the podcast as it helps others find it. At the beginning of the show, you heard part of the new single from Skye Holland called, "We Could Be". Download it and bring it to your next music meeting. https://sable.godaddy.com/c/28384?id=42885.2890.1.c20752e09753c320a39f81bafce4f1d5 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

X92.9 in Calgary is celebrating 10 years of being Calgary’s Alternative radio station. The station launched January 1, 2007 and immediately found an audience. It’s brand promise has made it a favourite in a city where Millennials are becoming the majority. In this episode we discussed hiring talent, managing talent, and giving yourself permission to create great radio programming in the name of branding instead of ratings. We also spend some time discussing Power 97 in Winnipeg which we programmed at different periods. Christian from 2002-2004; and me from 2006 to 2014. Its parent company unloaded the brand in 2015, only to bring it back 20 months later. This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Promosuite Finally - take our survey See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, I look back on the last few episodes and provide some lingering thoughts. Special appearances and re-appearances from Georgia Beasley and Jeff Vidler. In this episode: * I make reference to Larry Gifford's insightful conversation with Jeff Vidler which you can listen to here: http://www.podbean.com/media/share/dir-qk8cs-2670662 * If you are talent and looking for new on air opportunities, please send your resume and demo to [email protected] This episode is brought to you by NLogic and their new cloud based application Lens for radio. http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-04-26/m2xt4 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you don't tell your story, someone is going to tell it for you; which is why we have Radio Connects. They speak to advertisers and agencies on behalf of 540 stations in Canada. Today we provide a little background on what they do for Canadian radio. Radio Connects has commissioned a Share of Ear Study for Canada – aptly called "The Canadian Audio Landscape Study". The results show that radio is slightly stronger in Canada than in the United States - for interesting reasons. And it also tells a story about our relationship with streaming and podcast. This Episode is brought to you by Promosuite and the new cloud based paperless studio stystem - Promosuite Next. http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff Speaking of surveys - take ours here. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Georgia Beasley has penned 2 articles for Radio Ink magazine called, "My Life as a Radio Millennial". The podcast was in the midst of assembling an episode on the Millennials coming of age now that they occupy a whole key ad-buying demo to themselves. (Adults 25-34) We speak to Georgia Beasley, Digital Sales Director for Beasley Media Group. Other contributions from Matt Abra who attended #NAB2017 in LasVegas in April, and Rebecca Henderson who provided us with a review of the new Radio Player Canada App. This episode is brought to you by NLogic and their new cloud based application Lens for radio. http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-04-26/m2xt4 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Broadway Bill Lee is one of the reasons I fell in love with radio. In the late 80's I would watch Vuolo Video airchecks and Bill stood out amongst the crowd. Fast forward to the digital era and Bill is still entertaining people on multiple social media platforms with his unique song intros that make him one of a kind. His afternoon show on the legendary WCBS-FM is top rated because of the hard work he puts into the show, and the great programming team at the station. Yes, it's a trip down memory lane at times, but if you want to work for 5 decades in radio, you had better be able to rebrand yourself. (We talk about that)The podcast is brought to you by Promosuite and their new cloud based paperless studio. We wanted to have Rocco from Promosuite on the show to talk about his time with Bill Lee at Hot 97, but alas... he had laryngitis. Visit the website - it will make him feel better. http://www.promosuite.com/soundoffSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pat Holiday has spent 9 years away from work inside a physical radi station. In that time he has seen that its issues remain the same and there is both good and bad in that. He moderated the Broadcast Leadership panel "Like a Boss" at Canadian Music Week and did not serve up any softballs, but he did admit to leaving a few fast balls on the table. From his iconic beginnings at the Big 8 at CKLW in Detroit, to working in three Canadian cities in management, Pat has a knack for taking a market's temperature and reflecting it in the radio station he champions. He readily admits that radio has changed but things are not as bad as they seem, and radio is perhaps fixing the product at the wrong end. Update 2021: Pat has started a Program Director's course. Subscribe to it here on Youtube! It is really good. My thanks to Karen Steele at Virgin Radio in Kitchener for the show idea. Other notable credits include Matt Abra from Red River College who edited the episode, and Lauren Siddall who heads up the Social Media and Digital side of things here at the podcast. If you enjoy this episode, please take a moment to rate and review it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Phillips is the President and COO of NLogic, His discussions on data and surveys have been well received at media conferences, which spurned my interest in bringing David onto the podcast last fall. The timing was right this spring with the recent upgrades to the Lens product. His perspective is unique and refreshing; it will leave radio people wondering why we behave and think the way we do. I have spent nearly 30 years in radio through 100+ rating books and will be look at data differently after my conversation with David. You will too. His company just unveiled some program additions to NLogic's Lens, which has always been about what clients need, not what they thought the clients needed. If you would like to use Lens, you can click here. http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-04-26/m2xt4 This episode is brought to you by Promosuite and the new cloud based Promosuite Next. Try it for yourself at http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff Finally, it is budget time at many stations. One way you can support the podcast is to consider using the services of one of our clients on your station. Maybe it's showprep with http://www.radiopepperprep.com Radio Imaging with Core Image studios https://99designs-56d0bb796dae6.jimdo.com/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A few weeks ago, we had J.J. Johnston on the podcast to give us the story and background behind Steve Young and the Alan Waters Young Broadcaster Award. This year the award goes to Jesse Modz from CJAY 92 in Calgary. In this episode, you will get to know Jesse and what it takes to win this award. He is already wise enough to realize that one will always do better with more creativity (and more creative people) around you. Jesse also gives the early picks on who might win the award next year. This week's episode is brought to you by NLogic - http://bit.ly/2oLHQmQThis episode is also brought to you by Promosuite and the new cloud based software Promosuite Next. http://www.promosuite.com/soundoffSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It takes a whole conversation with J.C. Douglas to realize that the journey lies somewhere between the Grateful Dead's "Truckin'" (What a Long Strange Trip it's been...) and Motley Crue's Wild Side. From the early days at Q104, to nearly 30 years at the station - and now at long-time rival C100. His durability on air is a result of hard work, learning and knowing the brand of your station. I know that sounds hoaky but if you're gonna rock, you had better rock; if you want to attract females on a heritage morning show, you need to make a few subtle changes. I have always loved Halifax and full disclousre, I worked in Nova Scotia for 4 years and spent many afternoons listening to JC Douglas and Andrew Gillis on the Mighty Q. Recently I took a trip back and heard JC Douglas on C100 - and thought there is no better person to tell Haligonian Radio Tales than JC. (I think I should trademark that) This episode is brought to you by Promosuite and the new cloud based software Promosuite Next. http://www.promosuite.com/soundoffSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ronnie Stanton emigrated from Australia to Canada in 2008 after a successful stint as a morning show host and programmer on the Sunshine Coast. His 5 years at Astral Media's 95 Crave then Virgin Radio, morphed into a difficult decision to cross the street to Corus Radio's CFOX and Rock 101. His latest career move has him heading south to Alpha Media where he is VP/Programming and residing in San Jose. We spend our time discussing the rise of the classic hits format, and discussing life under the divisive Trump presidency. This week's episode is brought to you by NLogic - get your free trial of LENS here - http://bit.ly/2oLHQmQSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chuck McCoy has been in radio for 52 years. But he won't tell you he has worked in radio - but in audio. He is forward thinking enough to recognize that he has been an audio business all along. You might think that when we bring someone onto this podcast who has had a long and storied career, that we would talk about the past. Instead he wanted to talk about the NOW and the future. Chuck also provides a great advice on how to stay sharp. Chuck's brother Jeff Vidler appeared in Episode 33 of this podcast series. They will both be at Canadian Music Week in April to honour their brother Gary Russell who will be receiving a lifetime achievement award posthumously. This week's episode is brought to you by Promosuite. http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff Also take our audience survey here - http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eric Samuels hired me to do evenings at 100.3 the Bear in Edmonton in 1994. Although Eric would move on to Vancouver a few years later, the two years I worked under him set the tone for how I would broadcast and program radio for years to follow. The best way I could describe his approach is that it is okay to broadcast outside the lines of the unwritten rules of radio. (And by that, I don't mean vulgarity or profanity - those are the written rules of radio) A few months ago, Eric reached out to me and asked about doing a series about life after radio. That theme comes up often on this podcast with Todd Hancock, John "Milkman" Milke, Humble & Fred and others. (All of who are actually doing radio; just not for radio stations) The Sound Off Podcast is an audio record of radio stories told by the people who were there. In last week's episode, TJ Connors spoke of his dad Scruff and his return to 97.7 HTZ-FM in Saint Catherines; those two elements return again and serve as a continuation of sorts. Eric was program director from the station's inception through to 1992, then he and Scruff and a cast of characters went to Edmonton and started 100.3 The Bear. In the years that ensued, we spoke about being at the forefront of ratings success at Z95 in Vancouver and becoming the head of programming for Standard Radio nationally - and knowing when it was time to step away. This week's episode is brought to you by NLogic - get your free trial of LENS here - http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-02-02/khtd2 Also take our audience survey here - http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard People mentioned on the podcast and the Episodes they appeared in: Jeff Woods - 2 Marty Forbes - 16 Terry Evans - 22 J.J. Johnston - 39 TJ Connors / Scruff Connors - 40 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

TJ Connors has come full circle. The station he grew up around is now his afternoon home. His father, the legendary Scruff Connors, was the morning man at 97.7 HTZ-FM in St. Catherines during the height of rock radio's mass appeal phase in the early 90's. A quarter century later, the Connors name is back on HTZ-FM. I hired TJ to do mornings at Power in 2012, and had a chance to work with him as a consultant to his Country 103 station in Kamloops, where he was morning man and program director. We spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of following his dad on a station he helped make famous, and what makes HTZ-FM so legendary in the Niagara region. SPONSORED BY PROMOSUITE: http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff Also on the show, Edison research released their annual "Infinite Dial" update. Jason Barrett of Barrett Sports Media was kind enough to lend me 9 minutes of his take on the podcast portion of the report. All of which I agree with. (You know those boring infomercials and bad radio shows used to fill weekend slots on sports radio and news/talk? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Allan Waters Young Broadcaster Award, (a tribute to Steve Young) will be announced this week. It goes to a Canadian broadcaster under the age of 30 for their creative contributions on radio and in the community. Past winners include Fearless Fred, Amanda Logan, Rena Jae, Adam Wylde and others. It made me wonder how much younger broadcasters know about Steve and his contributions to radio in North America. So I called up JJ Johnston, someone who knew him very well, and had him paint a picture of the kind of radio Steve created, the impact on the people he mentored, and the kind of person he was. As JJ put it on this podcast, Steve was simply the best radio programmer to ever come out of Canada. He mentored many, including many on air performers as well as future programmers. JJ also put me in touch with Vanessa Thomas from Boom 97.3 and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame who worked under Steve's tutelage. This week's episode is brought to you by NLogic - get your free trial of LENS here - http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-02-02/khtd2 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Larry Gifford has worked at great radio stations across the U.S.A. like KIRO in Seattle and Sports radio 710 ESPN in LA. After a stint in consulting, he found his way north to CKNW in Vancouver where he watched the American Election of a lifetime unfold from the other side of the border. Larry also has a podcast called “Radio Stuff” which is now out of hibernation and sponsored by the same people who support this podcast - http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff - I also asked him about his home state of Ohio - and why is serves as the American political barometer; and we shared our podcast knowledge with one another. This episode is brought to you by Logic and the new cloud based software Lens. http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-02-02/khtd2 Finally - take our survey for the podcast here. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lori Lewis is the Chairperson for the 42nd edition of the Conclave which will be taking place July 26-28 in Minneapolis. She is also the VP of Social at Cumulus; which means this call was a great opportunity to ask her some of the social media and radio questions that I get asked a lot. If you want to check out the line up at the Conclave, go to http://www.theconclave.com - tickets are on sale for a very limited time for $249. Our show sponsor Promosuite is also going to be at the Conclave! http://www.promosuite.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Erica Farber is the CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau. And as the picture says - she loves radio! If you ever get the feeling that no one has your back in radio, stop by the website and you will remember the great things radio has going for it. There are tools, tips and tricks for non-members, but as we discussed - membership does have its privileges. She has a storied career that spans great decades at stations with legendary call letters. (Think KRTH, KABC and KIIS in Los Angeles) Many who enjoyed their radio years where an R&R magazine circulated the building, will remember her columns and contributions, including the infamous "back page". Titles like Publisher, COO and CEO came quickly after. Also this week, we flash back to the launch of WKTU in New York. We would like to thank this week's sponsors: Promosuite - http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff NLogic - NLogic - http://bit.ly/2yn3uCo  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jason Barrett is the owner of Barrett Sports Media, a New York based sports programming and marketing company designed to help sports radio and television companies, professional sports teams, and sports agencies, enjoy long-term success in the audio, digital and social media space. Okay - I took that part from his website, but if any part of your radio day involves sports or digital - you need to watch the digital trends in sports to understand how it's all going to be consumed in the future. I had Jason on before the NFL season got underway and I thought it would be fitting to bring him back again to discuss the myths about ratings, what happens when your team leaves town, and where the sports broadcast talent of tomorrow is going to come from. This episode is brought to you by Promosuite - please support the podcast by checking them out at http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hal Anderson has been a fixture on the radio in Winnipeg since the late 80's. On our 34th episode, we thought it would appropriate to have the 34th Greatest Canadian on the podcast; which also coincided with his return to 680 CJOB, after being let go in a move that ratings wise, appears regrettable. I took the podcast on the road this week to catch up with Hal and talk about the 1999 "Naked Girl on the Bike" incident, how he became the 34th Greatest Canadian, and his co-hosts over the years.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jeff Vidler has been involved in research for a long time. After the podcast had been recorded, I remembered a time when, as program director of CJFM in Montreal, he would use his research to entice clients as much as listeners. As the years went on, I worked with Jeff on music testing, perceptuals, and format finders. All my experiences have been positive as research generally shone a light, showed direction, and moved our stations to where they needed to go. As the industry has changed, Jeff's research now includes the more complex listening habits and rituals that exist across all platforms. We also had Peter Anthony Holder come on the show to tell us about his show, the Stuph File. If you would like to have this show on your radio station, please email him [email protected] The podcast is brought to you by NLogic and the new cloud based platform Lens. http://bit.ly/nlogicso Please take the Podtrac survey - It helps us do a better job. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Canadian Music Week is taking place in at the Sheraton Centre Downtown in Toronto April 18 to 23. Greg Simpson has been working all of them since 1993, and tells us what to expect this year, how the conference has evolved to include digital, and the value in attending. This week's episode is sponsored by Promosuite - who will also be in attendence at Canadian Music Week. If you are going, be sure to say hello to Rachel, CJ and Rocco and thank them for supporting this podcast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sports is fast becoming the format of choice for graduating media students. With the commodity value of music at an all time low, and news becoming polarizing and at time "fake", Sports broadcasting attracting aspiring millennial broadcasters. Alex Rawnsley is the owner and creator of Sportscasterlife.com - a website designed to help Sportscasters get better at their craft. He has made available all the things he wished he had when he was developing as a sportscaster. After spending a few minutes on the site, having access to scoresheets and quick tips on building storyboards was interesting. There are many other resources on the site. This episode is sponsored by NLogic and there new cloud based ratings software LENS. For a free trial - http://bit.ly/nlogicso We also hear from Logan Anderson and his podcast "Say the Damn Score!". See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We release this episode in the moments when we say goodbye to 2016 and hello to 2017. Perry Michael Simon is the news talk columnist for AllAccess.com and he provides us with some year end perspective. Radio is a reflection of the community and often the format is a record of how we react to what happens in the world. There's optimism, pessimism, and a while lot left on the table. If one of your New Year's Resolutions is better show prep for you podcast, radio show and streaming show - start here. Also in this episode, I have a few theories as to why death seemed larger than life in 2016.HAPPY NEW YEAR!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Terry Dimonte is the morning man at CHOM 97.7 and he LOVES Christmas. Every year he spends the Friday before the morning show breaks for the holiday. Justin Trudeau has always made a point of stopping by to see his good friend and share some music from his iPod. When you become Prime Minister - everything changes. But not Justin's appearance on the Christmas show. He stills makes a point of seeing his good friend annually. In this episode, Terry tells the story of how their friendship started and how the show became a thing on the CHOM radio calendar.This episode is powered by NLogic and their new cloud based radio application - Lens. For a free trial, go to http://bit.ly/2yn3uCo  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Marsden was inducted in the Canadian Music Industry and Broadcast Hall of Fame back in 2011. Most of us might consider hitting the beach at that point, but David carries the Spirit of Radio onward with http://NYtheSpirit.com - a high quality streaming free form station whose sound rivals that of any FM product. David penned an editorial for FYIMusicnews.ca, citing the disconnect between radio and millennials. I wanted to know more about the man who had propelled CFNY to great notoriety in the 80's, what he is up to today, and what radio can do to reconnect with the connected. Also - Scruff Connors who passed away over the weekend.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Paul Kaye is the National Talent Coach for Rogers Radio. He held a similar role at Newcap in Calgary (Amp 90.3) and Vancouver (Z95.3) before heading to Toronto to join Rogers owned Kiss 92.5. His blog posts are widely shared and refreshing in a era where what constitutes great content is frequently contested. What's really encouraging is that the positions involving "talent" and "coaching" are (re)appearing in companies across North America. Also - "There's a podcast for that!", 2016 is the year of the retiring sports announcer, and the benefits of putting your work up on Soundcloud. You never know who will hear it. The show is brought to you by NLogic! http://bit.ly/2yn3uCo   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steve Kowch is a talent coach, radio consultant and ran two of the biggest News Talk stations in Canada for many decades; CJAD in Montreal and News Talk 1010 CFRB in Toronto. As I was interviewing Steve about talent and journalism, I thought of all of his experiences he had with the mega-sized news stories he covered in Montreal and Toronto. (FLQ, PQ, Referenda, Olympics, Sars, Rob Ford) As this is a podcast designed to better broadcasters everywhere, it's only fitting that we spoke to the author of "99 Things You Wish You Knew Before You Make it Big in Media". Most of what I know about newsrooms and journalism came from having worked at CHOM/CKGM in the early 90's, (although Steve had left for CJAD, he had taught the likes of Mark Kelley, Ann Shatilla and countless others how to pass on what they knew to others. If it sounds like Steve laments the days of busier newsrooms and the knowledge sharing that transpired, he has high praise for those doing journalistic work today.Thanks also to the people who make this show possible every week including:PromosuiteJustin Dove at Core Image StudiosMegatraxSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Charles Adler has made his way back to the Corus Radio, the place he spent nearly a decade doing a national radio show from 2004 to 2013. In this episode, Charles tells us who the best radio personality is in Canada, what makes terrestrial radio great, and how the media mishandled the U.S. election. I had the luxury of working with Charles for a number of years and if it sounds like we are catching up, it's because it's been a year. This episode is powered by NLogic and their new cloud based radio application - Lens. For a free trial, go to http://bit.ly/nlogicso Take our audience survey here - so we can do a better job! http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Christopher Ward was one of the first Much Music VJ's. His new book is called Is This Live? Inside the Wild Early Years of Much Music: The Nation's Music Station. There's a lot we forgot or don't know about the station's early years. Partly because not everyone had the channel for the first few years; it was not apart of the basic cable package until 1987. That led to some lean years budget wise. And this is where the genius of programming head John Martin came in: He hired creative types who knew how to fill a blank canvas. Enter Christopher Ward. You can learn a lot from the past. Being challenged by a budget can always be overcome by hiring creative people who can fill the space. Other things I learned: The first female VJ was Catherine McClanahan, (not Erica Ehm) that I once wrote to MuchMusic and complained, and how often Christopher's friend Mike Meyers would appear on the station. Christopher left for reasons that were all too obvious; writing and producing Alannah Myles' number one song in 1989, "Black Velvet". He told me about the joys of having a number one song on his resume. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Leslie Scott is the Program Director 107.7 The End in Seattle. the alternative station started in 1991 in the throes of the grunge movement. Earlier this year - they committed to their millennial audience by committing to less commercials and playing great music. Now, that's a time old cliché that every station claims, but they backed it up with a 2 minute cluster guarantee, marketed it with a hashtag #2MinutePromise and cut their inventory in half. Entercom is so serious about debunking the myths and highlighting that reality - they have a website dedicated to it. http://www.millenniallab.com/ Want to appeal to Millennials? It's not hard. Don't lie. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Terry Evans has been an Edmonton radio mainstay for 36 years. I know this because 18 years ago, he reminded me that he has been in radio for 18 years. He has been written off and told time and time again that his time is over; yet maintains a solid following and entrenchment into the community. We could all learn from Terry; which is why he is on the podcast this week. Also I provide a small take on the American Election. I wrote a full blog about it here - but also shared audio from Van Jones about presidents who master new mediums. Randy Renaud's new radio feature is called "Myths & Legends" and deserves your attention. This is what happens when you write well and match it with incredible production. If you want the series for your station please contact him [email protected] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mark Ramsey is a media strategist and researcher who has a history of innovative thoughts and approaches towards the audio medium. Consider his Hivio gatherings in 2015 and 2016 which celebrated audio under the banner of a “festival” rather than “conference”, and “audio” rather than “radio”. His twice monthly podcast with author Tom Asacker is a half hour of time well spent in this era of multi-platform media delivery. Take a few moments to take the Podtrac Survey so we can do a better job: http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The first ever Sound Off Convention took place this week. An amazing collection of speakers came out for the Sound Off Convention and the W Downtown Hilton Hyatt Marriot. Speakers Included: * Matt Cundill, Sound Off Podcast Host. * Jason Barrett, Barrett Sports Media discussing Sports talent. * Perry Michael Simon, All Access.com on Radio innovation. * Marty Forbes, Radiowise & Alan Cross, Major League Mixes, on digital / radio. ​​* Humble & Fred, http://www.humblefredradio.com * Seth Resler, Jacobs Media. I want to thank all the organizers for their efforts and we will see you again next year! If you could take a few moments to take the audience survey for the Podcast - it would be appreciated. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An anniversary for Humble & Fred. Five years ago they rolled the dice and took a chance that their radio brand still had cache. It was a great gamble. Their radio brand is alive and well and flourishing on Sirius XM weekdays from 7-9am Eastern, and in the podcast world daily. They have the downloads, business model and clients to prove it. They are also generous in lending their studio space to radio people who want to further their craft. If you are considering making the jump into the podcasting or online radio space, grab a pen and take notes on the online and podcast part of their journey. Also I speak with Danielle Doiron who became the first female to broadcast a professional baseball game in Canada. Join our Podtrac Audience panel here - survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.as…tz&ver=standard To advertise on this podcast cast - send an e-mail to [email protected] and we will send you a rate card. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alan Cross wears many hats and has many titles. My favourite two are historian and author. His perspective on music's intersection with the digital world is refreshing. Every day he works to find the answers to what ails two of his great passions, music and radio. Also, I address the idiots in radio who won't get on board the digital train and at least acknowledge that listener habits are drastically changing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.