Search For An Episode

With Podcast Movement 2026 right around the corner, this week seemed like the perfect time to brush up on podcasting knowledge and learn what makes the event so special. And who better to sit down with than the President of Podcast Movement himself? This year's Podcast Movement is a big one. It'll be taking place in New York City, and Bryan and his team are making sure the event itself matches the gravitas of The Big Apple. Rather than the usual small-scale, stand-around-the-bar conferences we're all used to, they're focusing on facilitating real conversations and connections by setting up independent meetups and proper networking sessions. The talks at this year's Podcast Movement will also be free to watch online after the fact, so you can still scoop up all that juicy knowledge if you can't make it - though obviously you'll be missing out on a huge abundance of networking opportunities if you're not there in person. I really can't stress enough that this is not an event podcasters will wanna miss. But if you do miss out for whatever reason, then it's lucky for you that Bryan is also the founder of Sounds Profitable, the internet's premiere hub for podcasting education and research. What started as a simple informative newsletter has since grown into the leading trade organization in the podcast space, connecting buyers and sellers and making sure podcasters stay savvy on all the latest trends and data. If you haven't yet, definitely make sure to visit their website for tons of free research, articles, and even job postings for editors and producers. And yes, they do still have that newsletter. If the theme of Sounds Profitable is to streamline connection & knowledge sharing, then that theme is certainly being brought to Podcast Movement as well. Bryan and the rest of the folks behind the event have demonstrated a clear focus on making it easier for creators and advertisers to actually meet and do business, which is much-needed in this age of endless email chains and bottomless forums. You can learn more, grab Podcast Movement tickets, and take part in session voting here. If you'd prefer to watch the episode on video, you can do so below:

When I first started podcasting in 2016, choosing a podcast host meant comparing storage limits, download caps and monthly pricing. Today, it's about much more than that. Your hosting platform influences where your show appears, how people discover it, and the features you'll have as podcasting continues to evolve. That's why I wanted Justin Jackson, co-founder of Transistor.fm, on the show. He appeared on my other show The Podcast Superfriends back in March. Justin isn't just building podcast hosting software—he's an active podcaster himself. That perspective gives him a unique view into why certain features get built while others never make it past the drawing board. Instead of chasing every trend, he pays attention to what creators are actually trying to accomplish. For first-time podcasters, there's an important lesson here. Don't get distracted by every shiny new feature or every debate about what a podcast is supposed to be. Focus on creating something people genuinely want to hear, then choose tools that help you publish it reliably and grow over time. We also spend time discussing where podcasting is headed. Video is becoming more common, but Justin makes an important point: audio isn't disappearing. People still listen while they're driving, walking the dog, exercising or doing chores. Your audience will decide how they want to consume your show—not the industry. If you're trying to launch your first podcast, this conversation will help you understand the technology without getting lost in the jargon. More importantly, it will remind you that successful podcasts aren't built on features. They're built on useful content, consistent publishing, and a genuine understanding of the audience you're trying to serve. I also have a newsletter where I sounded off about how podcasters need to start standing up for the RSS feed and telling people about its value. Check out the episode on video if you would like. We are happy to offer the show any way you want.

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 where what you're doing is happening." Three months later, they had three record deal offers. Six months in, Sharon Osbourne wanted to sign them. They went on Ozzfest. They toured the world. In this week's Sound Off Podcast episode - Jason reflects on industry upheaval—from label mergers to Napster—and the shift toward streaming, vinyl resurgence, and merchandise revenue. He explains how radio shaped his desire to help bands, leading to a 14-year run at CHOM and later roles at CJAD and now The Beat 92.5, plus his podcast and comic‑con work. He shares candid personal moments about getting sober in 1992 and maintaining recovery while touring. Anecdotes include championing The Tea Party, producing live in-studio band sessions, and embracing new formats despite initial skepticism. The episode blends music history, radio culture, personal resilience, and pop‑culture enthusiasm, highlighting Jason’s passion for supporting artists, adapting to change, and connecting with devoted communities like Comic‑Con attendees and Bills fans.

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 back? Those questions require different data. Data that's been available for years from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube—but fragmented, hard to access, and often ignored in favour of the simpler, more familiar download number. What's changing now is that the platforms consuming the most podcast listening don't generate downloads at all. YouTube never did. Spotify is moving away from them with video uploads. Apple has refined automatic downloads to reduce phantom transfers. The technical infrastructure is shifting. And advertisers are demanding better verification. The result: we're entering an era where creators can finally measure what they've always cared about—real people, real listening, real engagement. That doesn't mean the download disappears. It means we stop pretending it tells the whole story. Better data doesn't just help advertisers. It helps creators understand what's working, where to invest time, and how to build deeper relationships with their audience. Transparency isn't a threat. It's an opportunity. Yes We Are On You Tube Here is the video I recorded with Dan. As promised - here is how you get your podcast on to the Bumper Dashboard. Start Here.

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 — with no roadmap, no training, no clear definition of what that even means. The result? Talented people second-guessing their instincts. Copying viral formats that don't fit their voice. Chasing metrics they don't understand. Nails has spent years working with presenters across multiple continents, and his approach is refreshingly direct: strip it down to three words that define you. Not three words you hope to be — three words your audience would actually use to describe you right now. Warm. Funny. Controversial. Unpredictable. Pick three. Own them. Build from there. What struck me most was his belief that fear can be useful. Not paralyzing fear, but the kind that makes you ask: if I lost this job tomorrow, what would my audience follow me for? That's the question driving his work with Radio Star, now in its ninth year. They're not just looking for presenters anymore — they're looking for ideas that could reshape how the industry thinks about content. If you're in audio (podcast or radio or streaming or whatever) and you feel stuck, Nails offers one-hour sessions with written feedback. No three-month courses. No overcomplication. Just clarity on what makes you different and how to use it. And if my conversations with some of his past clients is any indication - the best development isn't about adding more — it's about seeing what's already there.

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. Apple's HLS video integration is a perfect example of this tension. It's not fully proprietary, but it's not fully open either. It creates a seamless user experience (audio in the car, video at home) while subtly shifting control toward the platform. Other platforms are watching closely. What we're seeing now is a fragmentation of the creator economy. Platforms like X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are building siloed ecosystems that reward native content and penalize cross-posting. Algorithms downrank external links. Discovery mechanisms favor platform-specific engagement. The result: creators are being forced to choose between broad distribution and deep platform optimization. Here's what I think this means: For established creators with loyal audiences, RSS remains a hedge against platform risk. It's a way to own the relationship and maintain control over distribution. For newer creators, the economics are shifting. Building natively on one platform may be more viable than trying to be everywhere at once — especially without a team. The real risk isn't that RSS will disappear. It's that fewer creators will understand why it matters. And when the platforms inevitably change their terms, shift their algorithms, or deprioritize certain content types, the creators who never built a direct distribution channel will have no leverage. The question every creator should be asking: Do I own my audience, or does the platform? I'm also reminded of Rob's former co-host on the New Media Show, the late Todd Cochrane, who would remind listener's once a month about the dangers of building your media empire on rented ground. Speaking of Rented ground... here is this week's episode in YouTube. You will note that the episode is longer than the audio. These shows are meant to be listened to. We are only here for the discovery.

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 into a permanent arrangement. And the apartment turned into a lakeside home on an island in rural Nova Scotia — an hour from anywhere, surrounded by woods and water. Now, when the pressure of producing imaging for a dozen radio brands across multiple time zones becomes too much, Anthony walks out onto his deck, casts a fishing line, and lets his mind reset. He's learned something most of us take years to figure out: you're too close to your work when you're in it. Distance — physical, mental, temporal — is where clarity lives. What started as a pandemic workaround became a masterclass in remote creative work. Anthony's day starts with morning show intros for Halifax, moves to K-Rock in Newfoundland, then shifts to promos, imaging, and voiceover sessions that stretch into the evening when Vancouver needs something turned around. He's always accessible. Always organized. Always producing. And he's doing it all from a place where the only interruption is the call of loons on the water. Sometimes the best creative decisions happen when we stop asking for permission and start asking better questions. You can watch the video but you will not hear the good stuff....

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 McCartney and covering the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting. What's Follows after JC Douglas Rocked the Atlantic? He plans to archive his extensive media collection and spend more time with his four-year-old son. Douglas emphasized the importance of radio's human connection and the impact of social media on community engagement. If you are interested in hearing more about his career up to 2016, you can listen below: And in that episode he talks about the time he brought so Big Ass Clams to David Letterman and they made more than one appearance on the show: And the recording of our episode. As usual I am only putting this here because it's great for SEO. It's at the bottom because you can choose to sit through 56 minutes of this - or get a nice refined audio version everywhere you get your podcasts. But do Hit Subscribe to my YouTube Channel. How's thay for mixed messages?

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—while the public’s need for credible local information has only grown. This is what led to the creation of Riply, an AI-assisted production tool that scans trusted local sources, assembles hyper-local scripts, and frees up journalists to focus on reporting, interviews, and creativity. Jen explains how Riply is carefully constrained to avoid hallucinations, keeps sourcing transparent, and always leaves a human editor at the final gate. Your newsroom isn't AI, but there is AI in the newsroom. We also look ahead to RSS distribution, potential video, and global expansion into markets like Canada. (If your newsroom currently has zero people in it - Riply is not for you or your station) You can connect with Jen here on LinkedIn.

Rhys Waters spent over a decade making award‑winning TV and radio for the BBC in Wales before moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in search of a better work–life balance. In this episode, Rhys traces his path from a neurodivergent kid who struggled in traditional classrooms to a documentary filmmaker, broadcaster and eventually co‑founder of Podstarter, a podcast production company helping brands make shows with highly specific goals. Rhys explains how one client’s podcast needed only 12 listeners—and still generated over $5 million in revenue—illustrating why success isn’t always about download numbers. He talks about learning podcasting through BBC radio, the explosive growth of on‑demand audio, and the evolving role of video and short‑form clips in discovery. Rhys also dives into how his dyslexic, ADHD brain shapes his creative process and why he launched The Echo Podcast Summit, an East Coast podcast conference focused on themes like trust and community in audio. The Echo Podsummit is June 18 Towards the end of the show - we talked about the upcoming Echo Podsummit in Halifax is quickly becoming one of the most important gatherings in Canadian podcasting. Created and organized by Rhys Waters, the event brings together creators, industry leaders, brands, and media thinkers for conversations about where podcasting is headed next. This year’s summit is centered around the theme of community — exploring how podcasts build loyal audiences across audio, video, social media, newsletters, live events, and beyond. Hosted in Halifax on June 18, Echo has carved out a unique identity by focusing not just on podcast growth and monetization, but on trust, connection, and the evolving role podcasters play in modern media. Attendees can expect panels, workshops, networking opportunities, and discussions featuring some of the most influential voices in Canadian podcasting. As the industry continues to evolve, Echo Podsummit is positioning Atlantic Canada as an increasingly important hub for the future of audio storytelling and creator-driven media. You are forewarned that Matt Cundill will be there.