EPISODES

Justin Jackson is the founder of Transistor.fm and shared his thoughts about podcasting today.

Jason Rockman had spent years grinding with Slaves on Dope—a Montreal nu-metal band that never quite fit on the radio erfectly. Not grunge enough. Not polished enough. A group of musicians influenced by Faith No More and Jane's Addiction, forging their own path in a Canadian radio industry that didn't know what to do with them. They won CHOM L'Esprit in '94. They toured across Canada twelve times. And still—nothing stuck. Then their manager said: "Move to Los Angeles. That's

The download became the proxy for everything—audience size, engagement, ad value, show success. But it was never designed to carry that weight. Dan Misener and I talked this week about why the podcasting industry is finally ready to move beyond the download. Not because the download is fake or wrong—it's a real measure of file delivery. But because it doesn't answer the questions that matter most. Did a person hit play? Did they listen long enough to hear an ad? Did they come

Nails Mahoney will reframe how you think about talent development.We talked about what makes being a radio presenter so difficult today, and I expected him to point at consolidation, budget cuts, or programming restrictions. Instead, he said something I hadn't considered: "The radio presenters themselves. They overthink everything." He walked me through how the word "content" changed the entire industry psychology. We went from DJs and presenters to content creators overnight

The tension between RSS and proprietary distribution models isn't just a technical debate — it's a philosophical one about who owns the relationship with the audience. Rob Greenlee pointed out something critical in this podcast episode: large platforms have been waging a slow, deliberate campaign to disrupt RSS because it doesn't give them control. RSS allows creators to publish once and distribute everywhere. That's powerful for creators — and threatening for platforms. Appl

Anthony McNutt didn't sleep well the night COVID sent everyone home. He is the senior imaging producer at Stingray Radio, and found himself sitting in his apartment with a blanket draped over his head — not out of despair, but necessity. The echo in his space made voicing commercials impossible without it. But here's what he did next: he asked a simple question. "Is there any reason I can't do what I do from home?" That question turned into a trial run. The trial run turned i

Jen Austin is the founder of Riply Media. We talked about how AI can actually strengthen local news rather than replace journalists. Jen walks me through her journey from a shy high school student in rural Nebraska to working at iconic stations like KZKX, later producing for The Dorsey Gang in Dallas, and reporting news on 9/11 with support from the CBS News network. We talk about the long, slow decline of newsrooms—layoffs, shrinking staffs, and the closure of CBS News Radio

We last had JC Douglas on our show 9 years ago when I got the full run down of his career highlights. JC Douglas announced his retirement on Facebook in May 2026, reflecting on his 40-year tenure at Q104, his morning run at C100, and in-between time at 89.9 The Wave. Here is JC's announcement on Facebook. He discussed the success of Q104 and C100, attributing it to loyal audiences and long-tenured talent. Douglas highlighted his pivotal moments, including interviewing Paul Mc

Rhys Waters from Podstarter joins Matt Cundill to talk career and the Echo Podsummit.

This week, I’m celebrating the 500th episode of the Sound Off Podcast by turning the spotlight on why so many shows underperform—and what you can do about it. Truths & Myths in Podcasting After nearly 10 years and 500 episodes, I’ve seen the same mistakes again and again, so I break down 10 big ones: blaming a vague “discovery problem” instead of doing the work of promotion, skipping a proper trailer, tolerating shit audio and lazy editing, and relying on weak interview struc

Kattie Laur is one of the most insightful voices in the Canadian podcasting landscape today. As a producer, audience growth specialist, and creator of the Pod the North newsletter, she sits at the intersection of content creation and strategy. Her work spans both the creative and analytical sides of podcasting—helping shows not only sound great, but actually reach and grow their audiences. Known for her candid takes and deep industry knowledge, Kattie brings a unique perspect

TrueFans.fm founder Sam Sethi is forward thinking about podcasting. Sam explains how True Fans grew out of the podcasting 2.0 movement into a full creator marketplace where podcasters can host audio and video, build real fan communities, and earn through value-for-value models, including micro payments, subscriptions, and one-off episode payments. Sam Sethi walks me through how True Fans removes friction for listeners with a built-in virtual wallet, gamified SATs, and simple

I reconnect with multi-hyphenate broadcaster, singer, actor, and live selling expert Dawn Chubai. We start in Edmonton, where she talks about growing up, singing in backyard concerts, finding her way into PR straight out of high school, and then accidentally falling into broadcasting through her music. Dawn shares stories from her days at A-Channel/Citytv, including doing weather and traffic, musical performances, and the energy of those street-facing Jasper Avenue studios—pl

I reconnect with Doug Downs, whose career has criss-crossed radio, television, corporate communications, and now podcasting in a way that feels almost tailor‑made for the medium. In the 90's we worked in Edmonton and grew very familar with one another's work in traditional media. Today I learn about his trek into the world of podcasting. Doug takes me back to the time before we knew one antoher - to being a three‑year‑old kid in Scarborough, Ontario, running up and down an a

After nearly 10 years, Todd Hancock is back. As only a select few may remember, Todd's last Sound Off appearance was on our second-ever episode. At the time, he had just been let go by CFOX in Vancouver and was in the process of launching The Toddcast , his own podcast endeavor. With a great website and some excellent audio, there's no doubt he had about as strong of a start as one can possibly have... And now, a decade later, we're both still here. Build-A-Brand If you've ev

Let's go to Lagos! Tony Doe is one of the most thoughtful voices in Nigeria, and he's here to provide some excellent insights into the past, present and future of podcasting. As a former Nigerian radio broadcaster turned podcaster, Tony reflects on the lost intimacy of radio as studios chase visual appeal and social media reactions, and explains why he rejects the idea that video is the “next phase” of podcasting. He warns creators about building shows inside walled gardens l

Back in 2006, the first time I met Andrea, she was just finishing up her tenure working promotions for Power 97 in Winnipeg. Little did I know just how far she'd go. Over the following 14 years, Andrea made herself into a prominent radio figure in Winnipeg, Montreal and Toronto. She spent time on air at major stations like Curve 94.3 in Winnipeg, Virgin Radio, CTV, and iHeartRadio, all the way up until 2018 when she was laid off (as is the case for many radio employees). But

If you’ve ever wondered what actually goes into making a podcast sound polished and professional, this episode delivers a candid look at both the craft and the business of editing. Bryan Entzminger’s path into podcasting began in 2014—but not before two years of hesitation. Like many creators, he wrestled with perfectionism before finally hitting publish. Inspired by John Lee Dumas and the tight, repeatable format of Entrepreneurs on Fire, Bryan leaned on his music backgroun

I reconnect with Buzz Knight to explore the evolution of Buzz’s podcasting journey and his growing audio network. Buzz traces the roots of his “Takin a Walk” podcast from its original in-person, outdoor concept—where he literally walked and talked with guests—through the practical challenges of weather and audio quality, to its current virtual format with a strong focus on music-centered storytelling. Leveraging his radio experience both on air and in programming, Buzz expla

Kristi Lee has quietly become one of the most trusted voices in true crime – and in this episode of the Sound Off Podcast, we dig into how and why. As the host of Canadian True Crime, Kristi has eclipsed **75 million downloads** over more than **200 episodes**, including milestone instalment **“Robert Picton – The Final Chapter”** for episode 200. Born in New Zealand, raised and educated in Australia, and now based in Toronto, Kristi’s path to podcasting wasn’t linear. A fam