Abe Hefter and I finally crossed paths in 2002. I recall hearing him on CJFM (FM96) in the 80's, and in 2002 we convened on Fort Street at that station when CHOM, Mix96 and CJAD merged itself into one entity. Abe began to transition into academia in 2003 when he received an opportunity to teach part time at Concordia University. There's something about teaching that brings out the energy in Abe. Very simply, you can hear it in the episode when we talk about inspiring the next generation of broadcasters. In this episode, Abe and I track his career in short order which included stops at notable radio stations like CFNY, CKEY, CKNW, CJFM, and CJAD. He also told us what it was like to be call Montreal Canadiens hockey games. Abe has always done a little of everything, and today that includes hosting a blues show on WWUH 91.3, on campus at the University of Hartford. We also discussed in depth about social media and the impact it is having on news, and whether a platform should be censoring its users. Abe said Twitter was his "go-to" so give him a follow. We also referenced other episodes which featured former personalities and creators now teaching. This includes: Dave Bannerman, Nova Scotia Community College Donna Halper, Lesley University Carlos Benevides, Conestoga College One of the things Abe does with his class is put them through the sports journalism wringer with a field trip to see local sports in action. On this occasion, it is the AHL Wolfpack getting the coverage.

Jon Gay has a radio story that is probably not unlike yours if you have worked on the programming side of radio. It involves a little bit of the WKRP theme song, "Town to Town. Up and Down the dial...". Jon's radio career started with an internship at Kiss 108 in his hometown Boston. His stint at Syracuse University got him even closer to his dream on being a top radio personality. His tenure in Vermont, Detroit, and New Orleans all ended with radio cutbacks - which later became known as "restructuring and what is now affectionately known today as "dislocation". In this episode, we talked about those struggles and how Jon rebounded by starting Jag In Detroit Podcasting which creates branded podcasts for companies. Admittedly, we spent a fair amount of time on Vermont radio because I am very familiar with that radio market and travel through the area often. (I first heard Jon on WXXX (95 Triple X) all those years ago. I promised you a few links in the show notes including: Jon's attempt at a phone detox while on a cruise. Jon's powerful social media piece he circulates annually about losing his best friend Bill Leaf to a drunk driver.

Mistress Carrie spent 22 years on air at WAAF, plus a few others in the promotions department. She has spent most of her life listening and loving the station. She figured one day it would all end with her "moving on" as many in the business do. But what she and many did not expect was for its parent company to sell the frequency to K-Love for ten million dollars; something that also happened to the Sound in Los Angeles. On February 20, WAAF ceased to exist, leaving Boston without the Active Rock station that gave birth to bands like Godsmack, and built hits like Shinedown's cover of Simple Man. (If you think we are making this up, the clip is in the podcast) In this episode, we cover Carrie's early days at the station and how WAAF went from being a Worcester station to a Boston mainstay. Some of it had to do with people migrating to the suburbs, but it doesn't hurt that the station built relationships with artists, sports figures and actors. For now, you can find Mistress Carrie on her new podcast which you should subscribe to immediately. You can expect participation from many of the people who have her cell number like David Draiman from Disturbed, Godsmack, Shinedown, Cory Taylor from Slipknot, Adam Gonthier from Three Days Grace and many others. Fearless prediction: Her podcast is on Simplecast which was just purchased from Pandora/Sirius XM - there's room for her up there, isn't there? We spoke about Carrie's new studio and at looks fantastic. Those a 4 SMB7 Microphones, and the console appears to be a Rodecaster. Thanks to Jon Gay who we had on our podcast a few weeks ago. He hooked us up with Mistress Carrie so we could do this podcast. Jon interviewed Carrie as well and went a little deeper into her involvement with the Troops and work in the community. Something else that is really neat is Jon uses Simplecast's transcription feature - so you can read the podcast. Fancy! Hear Jon's interview with Carrie below. July 18, 2013, Shinedown came by Power 97 to play for about 20 listeners. First off, 99 percent of established acts NEVER DO THIS the day of a show. They were going to be opening for Kiss that night. Before the 2 song set at the radio station was to begin, Brent and Zack from Shinedown asked to speak with me. I thought, "Oh shit... the band isn't happy about something. Maybe it was the setup, or someone was weird. Turns out they just wanted to thank me for having them down to the station and supporting them. A few years earlier, I had told them that one of their songs was a catalyst to change in my life and somehow they remembered that. They were only scheduled to play two songs but played a third. I'm still moved by the gesture.

Heather Osgood is the founder of True Native Media and answered all of our questions about podcast advertising. I first met Heather back in 2017 and was fascinated with the vision she had for her company. While the idea of media buying was not new, being a media buyer for podcasts was. It is believed that podcast advertising will hit a billion dollars by 2021, and I took interest in the methods used to connect podcasters with podcast ads. A few weeks later, I shifted this podcast to a new podcast host and began to experience the benefits of dynamic ad insertion; namely the ability to increase our ad inventory. But what I also discovered really bothered me. My Soundcloud numbers were highly inflated and phoney. For someone who relies on consistent metrics to build audiences and trust with advertisers, it was important to work with podcast partners who offered IAB certified metrics. I have written two blog pieces on the matter including why we moved the podcast to Art19 and why you should avoid using Soundcloud or Anchor to host your podcast. A few months ago I asked Heather if she would spend a few moments breaking down the importance of the Apple Charts. They are really more mirage than accurate because if your show is in the top 50 of the Apple Podcast charts - for all we know there could be 50 shows in that category and your 50th. The rankings are merely a comparison against the other shows in your category and you might just be the best of a bad bunch. Yes you might be Top 50 - but that doesn't mean you have an engaged audience. Heather spoke about this one day after I told her one of my clients who was consumed with this stat. As it turned out - the "Top 50" show has a fraction of the audience than my client. Heather has a great way of explaining things. Not everything is as it appears on the Apple Chart - especially with these losers running about. In this episode, Heather explains how mid-level podcasters can access ad dollars for their show. (Yes it starts with having an IAB certified host). But more importantly, Heather explains what dynamic ad insertion is, who needs it and what exactly is the IAB and what IAB certified or compliant metrics are. We also discuss the difference between what is a useful stat (Downloads) and what is a vanity stat. (Apple Podcast Rankings) It may be that your podcast is ready to be monetized with podcast ads and Heather debunks the whole process. I mentioned that Heather is a great follow on LinkedIn - please follow her here and her company here. Also if you are looking to monetize your podcast - you don't necessarily need podcast ads to do it - schedule a call with me and I'll point you in the right direction. By the way - a complete list of IAB certified podcasting hosts can be found here.

I hired Graham Mosimann back in 2014. I had to be reminded that I had lured him out of Grande Prairie, Alberta to come to Winnipeg to be music director and be our evening personality. In the ensuing months, the station went through a number of changes including the person hiring him getting fired, everyone else getting fired, and then a re-brand that saw the station's share get cut in half. In the ensuing months, Graham landed at the Bridge in Lethbridge, Alberta and eventually at one of Canada's best radio stations in X92.9 Calgary's Alternative; hired by Christian Hall who was the subject of a past episode with is well worth listening to if you want to grow your personal brand. In June of 2020, Graham shared this update. Please watch this!

Canadian Music Week is taking place in at the Sheraton Centre Downtown in Toronto April 18 to 23. Greg Simpson has been working them since 1993, and tells us what to expect this year, how the conference has evolved to include digital, and the value in attending. The venerable conference has been the premier place for radio, music and now digital people to network and share ideas. Please take the opportunity to shine a spotlight on one of the rising stars in your chain, as CMW and “Friends of Steve Young” once again salute Steve with the “Allan Waters Young Broadcaster of the Year Award in Honour of Steve Young”. The winning recipient’s travel, accommodation and CMW registration will be covered so they can receive this award in person at Canadian Music Week, April 17-22. The two runners-up will also be recognized for their contributions. Anyone working in the industry can nominate any young broadcaster that meets this criteria found here.

He shouldn't have been fired to begin with. There. I said what everyone knows. For the 34th instalment of the Sound Off Podcast, I took the show on the road for the first and drove south past the perimeter to find Hal had not only fled St. Boniface, but also added a beautiful studio to his thriving Hal Anderson Productions. We managed to cover everything in the one hour we spent together. Including his relationships management, his co-hosts, and two of the more famous stunts he was involved in: The naked girl on a bike and being crowned 34th Greatest Canadian of All Time. Hal Anderson returns to 680 CJOB February 4th at 7am for weekends. He will also be filling in from time to time for others on the station. Bonus Bit! There was also the famous Power 97 Wheeler and Hal prank they pulled on the Wolf in Regina.

You will understand why the title of the episode refers to "the Chair" when you hear the show. Carrie Doll was someone I met in the late 90's at CFRN Television in Edmonton. She was a reporter and later a news anchor. She covered the events of 9/11 from the anchor desk in Calgary and learned how to report without a script. Back then the news came at you fast and the last 280 characters were a lot different than the next 280 characters. The youngest of ten children from Fairview, Alberta, Carrie was a natural when it came to communicating and public speaking. She had an incredible run on CFRN-TV in the anchor chair alongside Daryl McIntyre. We spoke about "the Chair" in the physical and metaphorical sense. With so many great broadcasters having occupied the chair previously, Carrie knew that sitting in it required great responsibility. In this episode we re-connected for the first time in 18 years and took a small walk down broadcasters row in Edmonton. We spoke about the people who sat before her on CFRN-TV (Daphne Kuhn, Leslie Miller, Shawna Randolph) and others who graced the Edmonton airwaves who have gone on to larger markets. (Todd Battis, Tara Nelson, Darren Dutchyshen, Catherine MacDonald, Brian Mudryk, Graham Richardson, Ian Leonard, Pat Kiernan, and so many more) Today, Carrie hosts a weekly podcast called the Inner Circle which you should connect to here. What's Carrie Doing Now?

I met Kim Blair back in 2013. He was looking to make a change in his radio career and was leaving Australia behind in search of a more a country that was going to offer more of a challenge for him. Consolidation has caught up with Australia and Canada as well. In the months after we had dinner together, he found his new home in Auckland, New Zealand, where the radio is as competitive as any radio market names New York or Los Angeles. Kim grew up in Perth, Australia and started his radio career there. North Americans who have no grasp of Australia, don't understand the sheer size if the country. Firstly, there are those who call it an island... it is not. However, New Zealand is an island. I have never really considered how remote Perth is from other cities like Sydney and Brisbane. The driving and distance is the same between Toronto and Vancouver. We also discussed some of intricacies of radio in Australia, and how it varies differently with the radio in New Zealand. He also mentioned that New Zealand is a country that continually punches over his weight when it comes to performance. (See Below) Kim is also the first person from New Zealand to be in the podcast, and the third with an Australian accent after Ronnie Stanton and Matt Sutton. You can connect to Kim's Voiceover website if you need an Australian voice for your roster. Here are some facts about New Zealand that we lifted without permission from Sable International. They would be happy to help you emigrate to New Zealand or Australia one day. The world’s first commercial bungee jump was a 43 metre leap off the Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown in 1988. New Zealanders love their cars! 2.5 million cars for 4 million people (including the kids) makes New Zealand’s car ownership rate one of the highest in the world. Although it is around the size of Japan, New Zealand’s population is just over four million, making it one of the world’s least populated countries. In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to give women the right to vote. Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to climb Mount Everest in 1953, was a New Zealander. Baron Ernest Rutherford, the first person in the world to split the atom in 1919, was also a New Zealander. It’s no wonder New Zealanders have always been ahead with regards to things like inventions and politics…. New Zealand is after all the very first country to greet each new day! While Rugby remains the most popular spectator sport in New Zealand, golf is the most popular participation sport, with more golf courses in New Zealand per capita of population, than any other country in the world. Auckland also has the largest number of boats per capita than any other city in the world. New Zealand won the first ever Rugby World Cup, held in 1987. New Zealand has won more Olympic gold medals per capita, than any other country. The Hector’s Dolphin, the world’s smallest marine dolphin, which grows to a maximum length of 1.5 metres, is found nowhere else in the world but in New Zealand waters. New Zealand is also home to the world’s only flightless parrot, the Kakapo. Dairy farmers produce a whopping 100 kg of butter and 65 kg of cheese each year, for each person who lives in New Zealand! Notable New Zealand filmmakers include ‘The Piano’ director Jane Campion and Peter Jackson, who made King Kong and the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. The most popular New Zealand films include ‘Once were Warriors’, ‘The Whale Rider’, ‘The Piano’ and the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. Here’s a really good reason to visit New Zealand – there are no snakes in the country! There are also no nuclear power stations in New Zealand. The Maori name for New Zealand is ‘Aotearoa’. It means “the land of the long white cloud”. Another great reason to live in New Zealand if you love surfing and other watersports is that nowhere in New Zealand is more than 120 km from the coast.

Evo Terra is the host of Podcast Pontifications. A short form podcast providing insights into the future of podcasting. As luck would have it, news of the Joe Rogan signing to Spotify broke the day before recording of the episode. I met Evo in Orlando at Podcast Movement last August and he shared some of his tips and tricks with me regarding how to refine solo podcast presentation. There were also some things I didn't know about Evo, including that his son was a hockey goalie. That's only surprising to me because Canadians can be snobs and believe that no one plays hockey in Arizona or California in Florida unless they are employed by one of the local NHL teams. Although I do know that Matthew Tkachuk was born there; a given in that his dad was relocated to Phoenix when the Winnipeg Jets moved to the desert in 1995. What I didn't know was that Ty Conklin is from Phoenix, and I got to see him play for a few years when he was in Edmonton. In this episode we discuss how Evo went from filling in on KFYI in Phoenix, to Satellite radio and then to podcast. We discussed a few of his books including Podcasting for Dummies and The Beer Diet. (Which is what you think it is) I ask about the importance of metrics, should you release your podcast in seasons, and the departure of Joe Rogan to Spotify and why podcasters freak out whenever change is afoot.