Chris St. Clair started at the Weather Network back in 1994. However, before that he had a worked in radio; in later years as the program director at 990 Hits in Montreal. After 26 years at the Weather Network, Chris has retired. In this episode, you will hear how Chris got his start in radio while he was still in high school. We also discussed his short time at Acadia University, his ties to the Annapolis Valley, and how he spent most of the 80's in Kingston, Ontario. We also talk about what he learned as a program director and how it became valuable as a presenter on the fledgling weather network. There's also some insight into hi s forthcoming book and a discussion about climate change. Yes it is a thing. Then there was that time these two got married in a hurricane.

A few times a year, the radio grim reaper makes its rounds and kills off another round of talented people. Depending on the sociopathic behaviour of the company who executes the plan, it is described as "dislocation" or "restructuring". To those that are on the receiving end, it feels more like a mob-hit. Mary Anne Ivison was let go in February of 2021, and spent the rest of the year pivoting away from the profession that was her livelihood for 12 years. In this episode, you will hear how the Tilbury, Ontario native got her start in radio, listened to Dave and Chuck the Freak in Windsor and later WRIF across the river. Also how she wound up falling in love with Ottawa where she worked on Country radio at Rogers and Bell. We will also discuss what lies ahead in the world of voiceover and why she is doubling down on audio. As we mentioned on the show, Mary Anne does voice work and knows what the hell she is doing. You can check out more of her work on her website. Also it would be nice if you could give her Facebook page a like

In this episode Laura discusses the changing face of radio, building a youthful audience, using social media and the importance of being on the ground in your market. Laura was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia where she attended Georgia State. In college she started out in computer science before moving to a degree in journalism. Laura got her start in radio working the graveyard shift at the campus radio station Album88. “It was a really cool thing being someone who got to introduce people to new music. The radio station used to compete with 99x in Atlanta. Album 88 to this day is still known for that. It’s definitely still on the forefront of introducing people to non-traditional artists and genres,” says Laura. Laura remembers her time working the 2-5 a.m. shift fondly. Saying it was as close as she got to working alternative radio. The station and the time slot gave her the freedom to play bands like The Rubens and Lime Cordial. She interned with Adam Bomb. When Adam was working on the on air portion of the show, Laura would attend local events in his place. “I would go out basically interact, take pictures get audio, do stuff for social and kinda, you know, getting an understanding and a taste of street activation for a radio station. It’s important to keep up that face to face interaction and showing people we are more than people that play music. We interact, we attend local events and support community,” says Laura. After graduation and before moving north Laura worked in promotions and as a board op at the Cumulus stations: Rock 100.5, 99x ,and Kicks 101.5 and O.G. 97.9 in Atlanta. Today she in on evenings in Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania. Working at CHR/WBHT which has two transmitters 97.1 Wilkes Barre and 95.7 Scranton (Home of Dunder Mifflin’s top branch). Laura works a time slot that was previously not held by local talent. She says it has been nice to connect with her audience and retrain them to expect a live body in the station on evenings. She notes it is fun to stay involved with all things Gen-Z using Instagram and Facebook live to interact with her audience, but says social media can be very time consuming and that she prefers to schedule it in rather than letting it run her show. Twitter is the platform she uses least and that like it or not, you’re gonna have to use TikTok if you want to capture a youthful audience. Every Tuesday CHR/WBHT does a High School takeover. A bunch of high school students come in and take over programming at the radio station. The station has a pizza party and gets imaging, social and word of mouth out of the deal. “We just hang out get to know them and they really appreciate that,” says Laura. She knows this is helping to build the next generation of listeners and talent. "Radio is changing but not going away. It is in changing the way we interact with our listeners that we will keep radio alive." Her message to anyone who dreams of a career in radio: “keep pushing through.” Laura hopes to one day be a program director at an alternative station. Laura and Matt go to the Conclave in Minneapolis every year, along with several others who have been on this podcast. It's an event she calls exciting and inspiring for all things radio. Laura gives a shout out to some of her favorite people that she has met there: Lori Lewis, Jillene Khan, and Alyssa who was on the podcast. You can hear those episodes below.

Every year, Terry Dimonte and I get together for some Christmas cheer. This year we wound up talking a little more about podcasting as he and Ted Bird have recently launched their new show. Terry has recently moved to British Columbia with his wife Jessica and Terry recounts his first few weeks in the area battling torrential rains. As tradition has it, if there is a weather event, Terry will find it. We also made mention of voiceover professional and awesome cousin of mine, Geoff Allan who is the voice of their show. You have definitely heard Geoff as the voice of the Burger King ads. I hope you enjoy our annual conversation and from everyone here that works on the show, Taylor, Courtney, and Evan - Merry Christmas! Terry usually interviews the Prime Minister of Canada and it's really good. The interview has happened and details are coming soon on where that interview will air. We will embed it if we can. And a Merry Christmas from the people who make this show possible every week including: Promosuite Justin Dove at Core Image Studios Megatrax And if you haven't done it yet - check out Standing By - The Terry & Ted Podcast.

Last April. Gillian Foote returned to her home province of Nova Scotia after spending the better part of two decades in Edmonton at 100.3 The Bear. Along with her co-hosts Paul Brown an Yukon Jack, they were authors of some pretty amazing radio over the course of 13 years. Gillian has now relocated to Q104 in Halifax where she is writing the next stanza with BJ Wilson and Bobby Mac. In this episode, you will hear how Gillian was inspired by the late night airwaves featuring Andy Frost on Overnight on the Rock Radio Network, applied and got in to Kingstec (Now NSCC) where she was taught by Dave Bannerman., and how the Paul Brown show evolved and de-volved over the years. We also got into some of the challenges of radio life, raising a family and the decision to move home.

Tom Bedell is the afternoon drive host at Q104 in Halifax. His career started in the late 80's in Saint John, N.B at the legendary CFBC, and has been driving Metro Halifax home since 1998. In this episode, Tom recalls those early days in New Brunswick and his early stints in Woodstock, NB, Halifax and later on up in Kentville, Nova Scotia working at Annapolis Valley Radio. We recall fondly how the area and the station and the people at those stations shaped both our radio careers, We also get into the history of Q104 and its durability as one of North America's premiere rock stations. There are a few other episodes featuring Maritimers, all of whom were mentioned by Tom in the episode, including: Dave Bannerman, Darin Harvey, and JC Douglas. To listen to Tom's show in Canada, use the Radioplayer Canada app. At the outset of the show, Tom and I talked about seeing one another while we dropped of our kids at Mount Allison University. After I recorded the show I realized that we probably should have seen them graduate in May 2021 as well, but all that went awry with the pandemic. What's really sad is that missing stuff has just become to feel normal... and I think that's sad. Anyhow, shoutout to Andrew Cundill, Julia Bedell, and the MT. A classes of 2002 and 2021 who couldn't cross the stage in front of their families.

We had Matty Staudt back on the show in July of 2019, when he was heading up Jam Street Media after leaving iHeart as the head of podcasting. In that episode, we talked about his early podcast career, which dates back to Stitcher in 2008, how he produced the G. Gordon Liddy Show, and played the hits on great radio stations across America. Since then, he has been building some of the best branded podcasts out there for clients like Ford, Nissan, and MAC Cosmetics. And then came the news that Jam Street had been acquired by Amaze Media Labs. Cool! Matty is now the chief development officer at Amaze Media Labs, and we caught up with him to talk about our two favourite subjects…. podcast and broadcast. Check out some of the great stuff happening at Amaze Media Labs here. Here is an episode from one of Amaze's branded podcasts, Breaking Beauty:

The copy just screams off the page: She was a blogger and social media maven. He, a former morning radio host. Together they struck out on their own and created The Upside. Callie and Jeff Dauler started their podcast when Jeff's radio career abruptly changed in 2019 from Star 94.1 in Atlanta. Their success could be considering "overnight" by podcast standards. In this episode, you'll hear how Callie and Jeff met, and how they transitioned both their skill sets into creating a show that supports their family. You'll hear how they monetize not just the show, but their social media handles, and how they engage with listeners beyond the RSS Feed. We also discuss how they have used conventional and unconventional podcast strategies to support their brand. They will also tell you how you are doing your merch incorrectly. (Secrets get shared) Do you want to know what I really love? How well they have covered off the details. A nice website. A phone number where I can all and participate in the show. (Try it... 1-800-434-5454) Nice Merchandise. And within the show, care and consideration for the listener when it comes to production. And then there was the story of the Nyquil in the champagne glass. While this long pre-dates the podcast, it is a testament to the couple's social media prowess. Callie had been battling a very bad cold and one night Jeff delivered her medicine in a champagne glass. The people at Nyquil loved it enough to reach out for some additional partnerships. Last July, that and a number of other strategies were shared at Podcast Business Journal's "How To Make Money At Podcasting" conference. You can read up on some of their tips here. Connect with The Upside: The Website Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify

It's safe to say that Growing up Much is something millennials and Gen Xers have in common. Erica Ehm was one of the first batch of VJs to grace Canadian airwaves back when MuchMusic launched in 1984. Her broadcast journey actually began in Montreal in the late 70's when she entered her College into a contest on CHOM-FM to have Max Webster play in the Marianapolis Cafeteria. While her school did not win the contest, Erica did score a job in the CHOM-FM music library, and work and Broadway Live as a DJ where Suggs from Madness crashed on her family's sofa, she saw the GoGo's perform, and Bono told her to go into P.R. In this episode, we talk to Erica Ehm about her journey to MuchMusic, through MuchMusic, and all the creative projects that came after including television, stage productions and songwriting. Check out the madness that ensued when Erica sat down with Duran Duran. And guess what is next? Podcast! Erica's brand new podcast is Erica Ehm's Reinvention of the VJ, where she reconnects with MuchMusic alumni to explore the challenges of reinvention with entertaining anecdotes and useful insights to inspire you to face the next chapter of your life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Google Podcasts Follow on Spotify. The Sound Off Media Company is excited to be working with Erica on this venture and there are many episodes in the works. Also the name Wendy Lands popped up in the show. She is one of Erica's best friends and I had the opportunity to reconnect with Wendy myself at the recent V.O. North Conference. You might remember Wendy from MuchMusic when this video played. But did you know that she is now doing voiceover work? You can connect with her here and please hire her to read your words. Did you know Erica has won multiple Junos and Canadian Country Music Awards? Exactly! That's why you need to hear how Erica evolved. Juno Country Female Vocalist, Cassandra Vasik (THEM Records) Juno Country Female Vocalist, Cassandra Vasik (THEM Records) SOCAN Best Country Song: Fortune Smiled on Me SOCAN Best Country Song: It Comes Back To You SOCAN Best Country Song: Diamonds Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMA): Album Graphics (THEM Records) Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMA) Vocal Collab (THEM Records) Finally, the Go Go's and Madness got a few mentions from Erica. I saw this wonderful documentary which tells a number of stories from that era and also features an appearance from Suggs who crashed on Erica's couch back in the 80's.

Mike Goral is someone I have only met once, haven't seen in 7 years but we have a long track record of working together. Long before the pandemic taught us to work apart, Mike and I, along with Jamie Watson and Evan Surminski would all collaborate to make audio magic in radio. Since then, all four of us have continued on creative paths that involve voiceover. Albeit, Evan produces still, and Matt started a podcast company. Mike's career in entertainment began at as a part-time assistant at Energy 108 under the guidance of Scot Turner. After several years as a full-time commercial producer and getting to work with amazing voiceover talent like the late Bumper Morgan and Dude Walker, Mike became a voice actor himself. In this episode, you'll hear us share some voice and imaging tips for radio and beyond. I asked Mike what he's been up to and why he moved to Arizona. Ironically, it's one the places I enjoy traveling too, and I shared a few of my favourite food stops on the episode page. If you would like to have Mike Image your radio station.... you can reach him through his website. Mike also has a very cool story up on medium about being a voice actor. Okay, now a few restaurants that I really love in the area of Scottsdale and Phoenix. These are offered up in no particular order other than I loved it. Chino Bandido: Yes it is possible to have Mexican-Chinese fusion. Bootleggers Modern American Smokehouse: The Bacon tastes homemade. Barrio Cafe: The best authentic Mexican Food ever. The Spotted Donkey: Tasty Mexican Food Slanted Rice: Wonderful Vietnamese Food