Chris Byrne is the afternoon drive host at Pure Country 89 in Windsor. He believes a relative unknown in the radio business but we have memories and remember him changing the sign in Fort McMurray when its residents returned after 2016 fires caused a mass evacuation. Chris was let go in 2020 from his morning show position in 92.7 Rock in Sudbury, but has happily resurfaced at Pure Country. In this episode, you'll hear about his big regret when he didn't take my advice in 2019, and he tells me why he has (and I should) embrace the country radio and the Bachelor Franchise. We also dig into what ails Rock Radio and how the last decade differs from the one before that. We also talk about some of the great radio promotions and stunts that have been by initiated by talent across the country. Anyone know who this guy is? Chris changed the sign when residents were permitted to return to Fort McMurray. Chris made mention of a few great marketing stunts over the last little while, including Lauren Hunter's renaming of the Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavilion. We had Lauren on our podcast a long time ago and love her work! And then there was the time Chris took on Neil Young. When Neil Young went off about the Oil Sands, Chris fought back by removing the singers music for a day, and then let the listeners decide if and when he should return at all. The Globe and Mail rain a story on the moment.

Catherine O'Brien is the owner of Branch Out Programs in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The California transplant turned in her career as a tax preparer for one in podcast. We met back in 2016 in Chicago and have made it point now to meet on a regular basis to help one another with branded podcasts. Sadly, this being another year of COVID, I won't get to see Catherine again - but instead decided to get together on this podcast to see how Podcast Movement was in person, and find out just a little more about her business. In this episode, you will hear what thought about Podcast Movement Appearances from Tom Webster, Mark Cuban and Allison Melody. Plus, she tells us how a branded podcast is done properly and shares some of the success stories from her company including Smidgeon, which you will adore if you love southern cooking. So who are the Podcast Superfriends? As Catherine mentioned, the team includes: Jon Gay from Jag in Detroit Podcasts (Sign Up for the Newsletter!) David Yas from Pod617 Johnny Peterson from Straight Up Pods (Sign Up for the Newsletter!) Catherine O'Brien from Branch Out Programs and Matt Cundill - The Sound Off Network We have had Jon on our podcast previously. You can hear his story here. Here, you can find an article from InRegister outlining the different podcasts Catherine has had a hand in producing. She made a big mark on the Baton Rouge area with her company, and raves about the support the community has given the company. Check out this podcast episode from The Podcast Life featuring Catherine as a guest. It's a great listen. She is a wealth of knowledge on what you'll need to get started, how to get listeners engaged, content, and so much more. Also be sure to follow Catherine on Instagram and Twitter for more updates on what she's up to, tidbits of info on the latest trends in podcasting, stories, and a whole lot more.

We spoke with Skywalker, aka Jarrett Galeno from K104 in the Hudson Valley. Skywalker is a personality you might hear on other stations across America in Cookville, Tennesee, Rutland, Vermont or Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He lives and breathes radio and has stories from New York, Boston and Connecticut to share from his radio path which started back in the late 90's. In this episode, you'll hear how Skywalker has turned his personality into a full-time business in the live and voice-tracked realm. He also shares his experiences working at stations with infamous call letters like WPLJ and 92.3 in NYC, and WBLI in Long Island, as well as the venerable K104 where he works now, just north of New York City. A bit more about Sky: From a young age, Skywalker knew his path would wind to the world of broadcasting. Childhood years were spent on Long Island, listening to the radio and eagerly waiting for his turn to be that voice. Today, he can proudly say that his daydreams have been realized after 15 years as an on-air personality. As of 2015, Skywalker reached the pinnacle of his broadcast career by joining CBS radio and 92.3 AMP in the largest market in the country; New York City. Skywalker’s greatest professional achievement is his show on WSPK K104.7, the #1 most listened to radio station in the Hudson Valley for the past 19 years. Sky’s interactive broadcast plays today’s hit music, reports on pop culture and entertainment news, holds games and contests, and offers traffic updates to daily commuters on their drive home. Sky has taken his show on the road to Times Square and MTV’s TRL studio. With a listenership of over 7.2 million people in eight markets, Sky reaches the masses and has gained loyal followers. Thanks to a college internship, Sky started on radio as a weekend DJ for WBLI Long Island. After moving to New London, CT, he worked nights on WQGN Q105. Currently, his radio work includes WSPK NY in Dutchess, Orange, Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties in New York. Radio exposure has led Sky to attend and cover large scale events, including the MTV Music Awards in Las Vegas and Miami, the GRAMMY Awards in New York, the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square and numerous movie premiers. He’s also interviewed entertainment icons Bon Jovi, Britney Spears, Rihanna and Adam Levine. Skywalker gives back to his community through involvement with local public schools, Autism Speaks, March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, Salvation Army and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sky mentions the New Wave: Dare to be Different documentary in the episode. Take a look at the trailer below; you can find the full documentary on Prime Video or Crave. Finally, be sure to check out Skywalker's Sky Sky Media website. He publishes radio interviews, mixes of several different shows, frequently updates the blog, and gives the low down on what to expect from his brand new podcast coming soon! We love a radio man entering the podcast space! Lots of good stuff here, very easy to go down a radio rabbit hole.

JJ Kincaid does mornings at New Country 101.5 in Atlanta. He's been in radio since the 90's, making his mark at CHR stations across America, including KDWB in Minneapolis and Z100 in New York. I've been fortunate to meet JJ and get to know him over cocktails, but I also made sure his show was a stop back when I would wake up and listen to morning radio. (The pandemic has meant I do a little less now) In this episode, you will hear all about JJ growing up in his house where radio was more than in the home. He's wanted to be on the air since he was 5. You will hear some incredible stories about getting a call from Kid Kelly, getting hired at Z100, putting together a morning show in Denver, and what he did after his time in Denver came to an end. We spoke briefly about Hurricane Sandy and how it was all hands on deck at Z100 when it happened. I recall an article from just afterwards where someone concluded that everyone should own a radio for occasions like this. No Facebook, Texting, Power.... just radio. Has there been a disaster that affected more people in that manner? No. But just to be safe - make sure you have a battery powered radio. JJ has been interviewing artists for years. It comes with the territory when you have worked with big radio stations. Here's an interview JJ did with Sabrina Carpenter at the late 95.7 The Party in Denver. Did you know Sabrina's dad loved Rush? (That's the Rush fan in me!)

Researching for podcast episodes is different in the pandemic. I often have met the person long before I interview them. Perhaps we shared a coffee or drink, maybe we worked together or I saw them speak at a conference. Perhaps I grew up listening to them, worked in the same market or interviewed them for a job. The pandemic has turned some of episodes into radio Lava-Life dates. That's what happened with this episode with Lena Shulman from Vancouver's Jack-FM. In this episode, I spent a fair amount of time asking her the questions on her online profile, but the real gold was in the after dinner drinks where I found her her family emigrated from the former Soviet Union and later Israel on their way to Canada. As we spoke it was apparent that Lena also knew multiple languages. Her broadcast career started on campus at the University of Toronto where she was studying history. From there she opted for a producer position at Corus Radio Toronto and made her way across Canada to Lloydminster, Saskatoon, Niagara and then back to Vancouver's Jack 96.9 FM where she co-hosts the morning show with Drex and Bob Addison, aka No Fun Bobby. Here's what happens when Lena forgets her glasses. One of the big hits from the pandemic was the Crown. This imitation of Gillian Anderson playing Margaret Thatcher is pretty much bang on. Finally, Lena made mention of a book by Roy Williams called Pendulum. You can order a copy of it here.

Tech Survey has been an annual study by Jacobs Media since 2005. But 2021 will be one for the ages. Completed during a pandemic, Tech Survey 2021 tells the radio story of what happened to our radio listeners when Work from home, Zoom, masks, no travel, and a politically charged internet took hold. Originally, this was going to be a discussion about radio one year into the pandemic but how much better is that discussion with data? In this episode, you'll learn how P1 radio listeners' habits changed in the pandemic, what in car listening looks like, and how the Consumer Electronic Show transpired online. We also talked about the challenges of writing a daily blog in the pandemic, and feel free to register for the daily blog when you register for the webinar.. Participants of this year's Techsurvey, Radio in the Year of COVID, included 470 radio stations and over 42,000 core radio listeners. Access all the information and slides here. While the popularity of music streaming services and podcasting is growing, Jacobs says there's still a market for radio stations with the right formula. "When those shows over perform and really hold up the mirror to the local community and the vibe in their towns, I think that's when they hit home runs," says Jacobs. Jacobs also shares his thoughts about the latest broadcasting and digital media trends at The Jacobs Media Strategies Blog. "It's personality that continues to be proprietary and really radio's secret sauce," says Jacobs. We also spoke about the CES and cars and the future of the dash. A major tech trend coming to the automotive sector are pillar-to-pillar displays. Wide computer screens will replace traditional dashboard instruments and gauges. This tech advancement allows radio stations and content producers to enhance audience experience by incorporating visual elements (photography, video, text, and animation) with their broadcasts. "Radio stations that are thinking visually are well down the path of being modern media outlets," says Jacobs. "How you look in a car is becoming as important as how you sound in the car." Our host Matt purchased The Mercedes Benz A250 which comes equipped with a cool dash. The next model was showcased at CES and is a pillar-to-pillar dashboard. Finally, we spoke about the future of the dash being a place where you can capture your listeners. If you are a podcast, make sure you are providing slick episode artwork. Recently I had a laugh in the car about someone at iHeart Radio whose typo showed up on my dash. All that to say: Metadata matters.

Jillene Khan is the afternoon host on Magic 98 in Madison, Wisconsin. Her story to radio is rooted in Minneapolis. From growing up listening to great personalities like Tony Fly from KDWB and Tom Bernard on KQRS to a time when her family was apart of Dave Ryan's Christmas Wish back in the 90's. Jillene is an ideal guest to bring on at a time when many people in her hometown are struggling with death of George Floyd at the hands 4 Minneapolis police officers. In the episode, you'll hear about Jillene's rise through the radio ranks as she goes Country in the Quad Cities and Milwaukee, and then the decision to move to Madison, WI. She also spoke about coming out to her listeners how accepting her friends were. And by friends, we mean radio listeners. Jillene points out that it's about friends and not fans. Jillene is also a good follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter too. We spoke in the podcast about how Jillene has shared some very real moments with her friends. Here she is talking about getting a COVID-19 test. Update! Jillene is back in Minneapolis and happy to be home. She is the overnight host at Minnesota Public Radio. This post by Jillene on her Facebook page made me reminisce about doing an all-night radio show. The odd sleep hours, the new relationship with coffee, and the discovery of black out blinds for your windows at home. If you do find yourself up late and in need of some music - this is a good place to do some overnight listening.

Yes it has been five years since we had Jessica Rhodes from Interview connections on the podcast. Since then Jessica has grown the business to a six and now 7 figure business. How did she do it? Small steps and "grind and grit". In this episode I reconnect with Jessica , 5 years in between episodes and ask her about some of the business moves she has made like getting a physical office space, partnering with Margy Feldhuhn, and working with female business coaches like Kelly Roach and Ali Brown. Jessica also notes there's a difference between scaling to 7 figures as opposed to 8; it's a different set of strategies to get to 8. Both Jessica (president) and Margy (CEO) have their own podcasts. You can find Jessica's "Monetize the Mic" here - and Margy's "We Get It, Your Dad Died" here. There was so much I didn't know about building a company in the podcast space when I first started back in 2016, but simply following Jessica and paying attention to how she operates, I learned a lot. There are about 7 people who I follow like that. It's not unlike listening to your favourite radio performer to hear their show every day - and learn how they connect. If you are in radio and wondering why you should listen to the show: (1) Because Jessica got to the top by not worrying about the copy cat competition. (2) Because you don't have a podcast and should consider guesting on podcasts if you aren't going to podcast. (3) Even if you have a podcast, learning to be a guest will help you become a better interviewer. Follow Jessica and everyone at Interview Connections on the Facebook Group By the way, one of the first things I learned from Jessica is about time management and booking. She turned me on to Once Hub for booking people on to podcasts. So anyone who has ever been on my show was asked to choose their time slot at OnceHub and from there all the details were set out so we could have a chat. I do this for all my meetings now. Here's Margy Feldhuhn and Jessica Rhodes on why you should be guesting on podcasts.

Things got a little weird at a conference a few years ago. There was a Michael Jackson impersonator. Then the next conference it was Prince, then Madonna.... what was going on? Turns out those impersonators were a stunt by the people at Throwback Nation, a newly created syndicated show that was going to be targeting Classic hits stations across America. The former Entercom PD of great radio stations like Star 94.1 in Atlanta, and 99.7 the Point in Kansas had worked his way up through Go Radio and Saga working on air and in the programming department. (Yes we even get a little nerdy discussing music systems) In this episode, you will hear all about Tony's career path through the midwest and eventually down to Atlanta. And then came the moment when he jumped out of radio and being an entrepreneur. Throwback Nation airs nightly across America. If your station would like a piece of the action, you can call Tony at 414-841-3243. Follow TB Nation on Facebook Follow TB Nation on Twitter Follow TB Nation on Instagram Also we had Chris Cruise on a few weeks ago and he is the host of Throwback Nation 2K, which will be launching in the new year. In the episode, Tony made a couple restaurant recommendations when stopping in Fargo. They've all since closed, but for when we're all allowed to make day trips again, here are some awesome restaurants to try: Johnny Carino's - Italian comfort food with fancier options available for a nice dinner. Noodle's & Co. - A noodle chain with tons of options, served fast and fresh. They also serve beer. 100% recommend. Spitfire Bar & Grill - When your heart says Applebee's, but your stomach and mouth say The Keg, this is a great American middle ground. Vinyl Taco - Mexican bar food, cocktails, really awesome atmosphere, an incredibly fun time. Spicy Pie - New York style pizza you can buy whole or by the slice. You have to fold it to eat it, not just because it's tradition, but because it's impossible to eat any other way due to the sheer size of the slices.

Okay - so there won't be a huge celebration or a big cake; and you won't find the date on any calendar. But it's an important day to mark: The 30th anniversary of the day disco died. The last of the great rock songs was released in 1974. Go ahead - ask Marty Forbes and Homer Simpson. The subsequent years for rock music featured follow up records from Skynyrd, and Zeppelin. Queen was kinda cool. Boston was overplayed. Bad Company was just Bad Company, and AC/DC had not quite found their footing in North America yet. Meanwhile, some of the best that rock had to offer had died. (Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, all died in their mid to late 20's) The birth of disco is tough to track. Seriously, who would want to lay claim to creating the first disco song? Suggestions about who is responsible for the first disco song range from Gary Glitter's Rock and Roll Part II to the Hues Corporation, and that piece of junk "Don't Rock the Boat". Donna Summer was already a household name by 1975 with the disco-like "Love to love You baby". But this could have been passed off as urban funk. As disco grew, she was anointed as the queen of disco. Talk about being at the right place at the right time. By the time the format was at its peak, even Yvonne Elliman could get a song played on the radio simply by singing what the Bee Gees put in front of her. No one disputes that disco's peak was Saturday Night Fever and the #1 double album soundtrack that got played everywhere in summer of 1977. That movie kept John Travolta a one-hit wonder until 1994's Pulp Fiction. Chicago Rock DJ Steve Dahl was fired from a station that had flipped to the disco format. He spent the next few years venting his frustration by smashing disco records on the air. Mike Veeck, son of Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck, loved the on-air antics and invited Dahl to be the master of ceremonies at Disco Demolition Night between games at a doubleheader between the White Sox and the Tigers on July 12, 1979. The promotion was designed to attract an extra 5 thousand people: Anyone with a disco record would get in for 98 cents. (98 being the location of WLUP on the FM band) But the organizers misjudged how many people either hated or had grown weary of the Bee Gees. Paid attendance will show that 47,000 went to the game, but over 75,000 people showed up at the door. An interview with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC on the 25th anniversary of Disco Demolition Night with Steve Dahl tells what happened next. The end result : The White Sox forfeited the second game to the Tigers after failing to provide an adequate playing surface. Beyond the Olbermann interview, there is some great Chicago news coverage of the event on YouTube; including Bill Curtis throwing to Gene Siskel and Greg Gumbel doing the local sports. The event is significant because it can be dissected in many ways. Radio people can't agree on whether this was the best or the dumbest radio promotion ever. The answer is that it's the worst promotion on July 13th, the best after that. Baseball executives agree that it ranks up there with Cleveland's ill-fated ten cent beer night. Fans storm the field. July 13th wasn't any easier if you were in the music business. Disco was dead, and Rock music was so lost that some of its core artists had resorted to infusing disco into their catalogue. (The Rolling Stones' Miss You, and Rod Stewart's Do you Think I'm Sexy come to mind) Any music executive who got out of bed to see the national news of Disco Demolition Night, went to work facing declining vinyl sales, the failure of Quadrophonic stereo and 8 Tracks as its subsequent technological bust. What happened next in the music world is well documented in books like APPETITE FOR SELF-DESTRUCTION: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age By Steve Knopper. (CD's, MTV, Michael Jackson, the 80's - the [counter]parts that created the Golden Age for the music industry. This post-disco period also gave way to Alternative as a commercially viable format. (Touched on great detail in Alan Cross' book, Over the Edge: The Revolution and Evolution of New Rock) I thought I might be one of a handful to commemorate the event, but it turns out the New York Times also thought the anniversary was significant. Fitting considering New York and Philadelphia was disco's hotbed; fitting that Chicago provided its funeral given its strong blues and rock and roll roots. In a recent episode of the Ongoing History of New Music, Alan paid tribute to the city with mention of bands like the Smashing Pumpkins and Chicago. Personally, I always thought Urge Overkill never got a fair shake. Disco went away, but it came back as dance in the late 80's and early 90's; led by Technotronic, C&C Music Factory and Robin S. And now we have Lady Gaga. So here's to a great radio promotion - even if it didn't feel that way the next day at WLUP. Here's to the death of Disco. May it never rise from the ashes. [This article was originally written on my Facebook page on July 11, 2009 in recognition of the anniversary of Disco Demolition Night. My son Daniel asked me to reprint it so his Rock History class could read it without having to fish through the "notes" section fo Facebook] #disco #wlup #stevedahl #chicago #baseball [Post Script, July 12, 2021] The Foo Fighters release this.