Richard Stroobant left a winning radio station for a classroom. Twenty years later, he says he has a job he would do for free. That’s saying something. His years at CJAY 92 included a 19 share, an incredible roster of talent, and a margarita machine that came out at seven on Friday mornings. Richard and I worked together in Edmonton in 1994. Our conversation on The Sound Off Podcast covers some of that history, but I also wanted to know where radio broadcasting education is going—and what graduates need now. Radio Broadcasting Education Beyond the Station When I was programming radio, SAIT was one of the schools I regularly turned to for talent. Richard remembers Ron Tarrant arriving at 17 with a skateboard and his dad asking, “What can you do with him?” Nine years later, Ron was the head sound designer and imaging director for Howard Stern. Today, those skills can lead to podcasting, sound design, live production, video, and corporate communications. Richard outlined SAIT’s new Digital Media Production program, which starts with writing, audio, video, and business before offering more specialized study. Teaching people how to invoice belongs in that mix. You can love creating content, but you still need to get paid. Good Mentorship Requires Honest Feedback Richard’s advice for choosing a mentor: ask who they’ve worked with and where those people are now. Then find someone who will tell you what needs work. If nobody identifies your mistakes, more practice can mean more time repeating them. That applies whether you’re preparing for your first radio shift or producing your hundredth podcast. Audio Quality Still Matters Richard’s position is clear: “If it sounds like shit, they won’t listen to it.” We talked about microphone placement, recording levels, and the habit of moving away from the mic to look better on camera. Put your podcast on video. Make it easy to find. Just remember that people may be listening while driving, walking, or making dinner. The audio still has to work. That’s part of what Richard brings to teaching: years of knowing what good production sounds like, and the willingness to tell someone how to improve it. My Recommended Microphones for Podcasters If you're starting a podcast, I recommend using a dynamic microphone, especially if you're recording at home in a room that hasn't been acoustically treated. You don't need to spend a fortune to get good sound, but you do need the right microphone and proper technique. Shure MV7 – A great option for beginners and experienced podcasters. It connects directly to your computer via USB or to an audio interface via XLR. RØDE PodMic – An affordable, durable dynamic microphone that delivers excellent sound for the price. It uses XLR, so you'll need an audio interface or mixer. Shure SM7B – My professional choice and a broadcast industry favourite. It's an XLR microphone that requires an interface with plenty of clean gain. Remember, buying a good microphone is only half the battle. As Richard explains in this episode, proper microphone placement makes an enormous difference. Keep the mic slightly off-axis, about 45 degrees from your mouth, to avoid popping your Ps and Bs. And don't forget a windscreen. For more advice on improving your podcast, this 2022 episode, The Top 10 Reasons Why Your Podcast Isn't Working is more relevant than ever.

A familiar voice can become part of your day. You listen on the drive to work, during a walk, or while making dinner. Over time, you get to know the host’s habits, opinions, and sense of humour. You might never meet them, but spending time with them feels like spending time with a friend. That relationship was at the heart of my conversation with Jay Nachlis from Coleman Insights. Following our appearance at Podcast Movement in New York, I wanted to explore what research tells us about podcasting, community, and connection. We also got into what radio still does well, where video fits, and why finding something to watch has become such a chore. Why Podcast Hosts Feel Like Friends Coleman Insights partnered with the Locked On Podcast Network, Sarah Burke's Women In Media Network, and the Sound Off Podcast Network to investigate the relationship between podcast listening and feelings of connection. Jay Nachlis, Peter Bukoski, Sarah Burke, and Matt Cundill at Podcast Movement. The findings gave us plenty to discuss. More frequent podcast listeners were more likely to agree that podcasts provide connection, that hosts feel like friends, and that listening keeps them company when they are alone. That doesn’t establish that podcasts cure loneliness. It does give us a better understanding of the relationship listeners build with the voices they choose to spend time with. One story from our Podcast Movement discussion belonged to Peter Bukowski who is the host of Locked On Packers: Two brothers who had drifted apart discovered they both listened to Locked On Packers. The show gave them something to talk about, and they began reconnecting. For creators, that’s a reminder that the value of a show can extend well beyond the listening session. A shared interest can become the start of a conversation, a friendship, or a renewed relationship. WATCH our panel session about Podcasting and Loneliness from Podcast Movement earlier this year. Radio Listeners Still Want to Have Fun Jay and I both have roots in radio, so I was interested in what his research says listeners want from FM music stations: An escape. The news cycle is constant, and everyday life can be overwhelming. Sometimes people turn on the radio because they want music, a laugh, a silly game, or a conversation about something familiar. Even an argument about which way the toilet paper should hang can give someone a welcome break. Morning shows have done this for decades. It’s easy for those of us inside the industry to wonder whether listeners have grown tired of it. Jay’s answer was that they still want it. There’s a lesson here for podcasters, too. Knowing what your audience needs from you matters. That might be information or analysis. It might also be company and a little fun. Audio Still Powers Podcasting The headlines about video podcasting can make audio creators feel like they’re falling behind. Jay encouraged them to look more closely at the research. He explained that the State of Video Podcasting study showed audio growing in the situations where you would expect people to listen. He also pointed to smart TVs and YouTube on those TVs as a major factor in video’s growth. That distinction matters. Watching a podcast on the living room television serves a different part of someone’s day from listening during a commute or workout. Some shows make sense with video as their primary format. Others build their strongest relationships through audio. Creators need to understand how their audience uses the show before deciding where to put their time and money. Podcasters NEED to keep paying attention to audio. The ability to accompany someone through their day is a powerful part of this medium. As we explore more ways to reach people, that experience deserves care and investment. How Much Work Should Discovery Take? Our conversation about smart TVs led us into the frustrations of streaming. You know the show you want to watch, but you can’t remember which service carries it. You find the service, then discover you need another subscription or a different package. Following a sports team can mean navigating several platforms just to watch the season. Jay described the difference between thinking from inside a company and thinking from the consumer’s perspective. Inside the company, the new offering makes sense. Everyone knows where it lives and how to access it. Outside the company, people have busy lives and limited patience. Publishing something doesn’t mean people know how to find it. That applies to podcasts as much as television. We can become so familiar with our own distribution that we forget what a new listener needs. Clear directions, a recognizable identity, and a compelling reason to press play all help. Give Your Podcast a Clearer Start I’ve worked with Jay and Coleman Insights and used their Pod Predictor, so I wanted to discuss how it helps creators make decisions before launching a show. The Sound Off Media Company launched The Declutter Queen after testing different titles, cover art, and descriptions with real podcast consumers. It follows the choices someone might make while browsing: does the title and artwork catch their attention, and does the description make them want to listen? Those elements can perform very differently. A strong description might be hidden behind artwork that fails to attract interest. Testing helps identify where the problem is and gives creators a clearer direction. We also talked about trailers, which I think deserve more attention. Writing a trailer forces you to explain what your show offers. If you’re struggling to put that into words, you may need to sharpen the idea before launching. Jay also made a useful point about measuring a trailer’s value. Someone can hear it, remember the show, and come back much later. An immediate play isn’t the only worthwhile outcome. You’re building familiarity every time someone encounters it. I still hear trailers for older podcasts and think, “I need to listen to that.” A good trailer—and a good back catalogue—can keep introducing people to your work for years. Anyhow - here is the trailer we landed on for the Declutter Queen AFTER the Pod Predictor Research.

There are a million people online trying to crack the algorithm. Sam Bird might be better off because he never really tried. Sam is a comedian, content creator, podcaster and host of CBC’s Street Cents. He grew up around broadcasting, experimented with stand-up and acting, made a hockey comedy podcast, created branded content and worked behind a bar and at Starbucks while figuring out exactly where he fit in the media business. Then this summer, something clicked. A series of simple videos built around a Québécois character Sam had been doing for years suddenly found a massive audience. But the interesting part of Sam’s story isn’t that something went viral. It’s what he did with the attention once it arrived — and everything he had already learned before it did. Sam and I talk about building an audience in a media world where your competition isn’t necessarily another creator or podcast. It’s everything else fighting for someone’s attention. We get into why Sam deliberately keeps much of his content lo-fi, why an iPhone and ten minutes of editing can sometimes outperform expensive production, and why creators need to recognize when something is connecting and move quickly without overthinking it. Sam is also a second generation broadcaster - his father is Ted Bird who worked in Toronto and Montreal on legendary stations like CFTR, CHOM, CJFM and CJAD, K103, and others, is the host alongside Terry Dimonte of Standing By: The Terry and Ted Podcast. We also talk about growing up in a broadcasting family, learning comedy, his work hosting CBC’s Street Cents, building Birdcore, negotiating brand partnerships, and the surprisingly useful lessons bartending taught him about managing a career with a dozen things happening at once. Most importantly, Sam understands that building an audience doesn’t mean allowing the audience — or an algorithm — to decide who you become. If you create podcasts, videos or anything else that requires people to give you their increasingly scarce attention, there’s a lot in this conversation worth stealing. Here is Sam's Podcast called Birdcore which comes in Audio form but also on YouTube.

We remember David Marsden, who passed away on September 25 at the age of 85, by revisiting a conversation recorded in December 2016, during the early days of the Sound Off Podcast. David helped shape the Spirit of Radio at CFNY, and his passion for discovery continued through NYthespirit.com. When we spoke, he was looking ahead—exploring how the internet could give broadcasters the freedom to be creative and listeners the chance to discover music they wouldn’t hear elsewhere. We talk about the parallels between FM’s early days and internet radio, what broadcasters misunderstood about younger audiences, and the lessons he learned from pioneering online radio at Iceberg. David also shares the thinking behind NYthespirit.com, from giving DJs creative freedom to making audio quality a priority. Nearly ten years later, his conviction still resonates: “It’s not about the platform; it’s about what you put on the platform.” You might prefer to listen to this podcast done by Connie Thiessan at Broadcast Dialogue who spoke Ivar Hamilton, Liz Janik and Scot Turner about David's Legacy.

Susan Reade got her start in Edmonton radio wearing an orange Tina Turner wig and leopard-print pants as CHED’s “Janet from Another Planet.” As she prepares to retire from Stingray, I catch up with her to talk about a career that took her from the morning show to sales and leadership—and why she still believes in radio. Susan shares how a difficult experience as a talk show producer in Vancouver led to selling postage meters at Pitney Bowes. The sales training was valuable; the passion for postage wasn’t there. A chance encounter with former colleague Mike Bowman helped her connect the dots between what she loved and what she was good at. That discovery took her to Toronto to help launch a country station, before eventually bringing her home to Edmonton. We compare notes on our Edmonton years, including her time at Easy Rock, launching Magic 99, and leading sales for The Bear and TSN. I ask what makes someone good at selling radio, how the move from diary ratings to people meters affected advertising rates, and where the industry missed opportunities to build stronger relationships with listeners online. Susan also shares how Marty Forbes and Karl Stark recognized her leadership potential before she saw it herself. We get into the return of local sports talk with Sports 1440 and Jason Gregor, the importance of streaming, and how Dash Sync connects an advertiser’s audio message with a visual on the dashboard. I also explain why I see TuneIn as the Yellow Pages of audio—and why keeping a station easy to find on smart speakers matters to its future. Along the way, we talk about the strength of local radio in Edmonton and Kamloops, what Susan has planned for retirement, and how she responds when someone tells her radio is dead. Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show. Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.

Maria Palmer got her start in radio because iHeartMedia's James Howard walked into a dive bar in Washington D.C., possibly ordered a whiskey, and witnessed talent in action. She was bartending, working her way through acting school, when James, then Program Director DC 101 noticed something: she was both entertaining and taming simultaneously. He asked if she'd ever considered radio. Two weeks later, she was in. She's now part of the Morning Mosh Pit on Chicago's Rock 95.5, and she's built a significant following online. But the words I loved to hear: She's adamant that radio is her number one. Social media is apart of the gig, not the destination. In an industry asking talent to do more with less—skeletal staffs, endless platforms, daily content demands—Maria's approach is instructive. She spent a year just building the habit of posting. No expectation of perfection. Just repetition. Just showing up. If you somehow decide to skip this episode, you are going to miss some really amazing takeaways. These are the things where I said "Oh wow": Take an acting class or 10: Play the role of a villain. You'll learn empathy. Post consistently: Your audience with thank you for being there and the algorithm will reward you. Strategize for the nasty parts of being public: Your audience projects, they don't know you. The vulnerability of being seen is real, especially for radio talent used to the cloak of the studio. But the harshest comments aren't about you—they're about what people bring to the screen. Resilience comes from recognizing that distance. "I always tell people just for at least your first probably year, the only thing that you should be focused on is posting. Just for at least your first probably year, the only thing that you should be focused on is posting. If you can post every single day and just build that muscle, then just inherently by doing that, you're going to get to know yourself more because you'll be watching yourself on camera. You're going to get to know your followers more. You're going to see what videos get liked more, what gets comments more, which ones get sent to people, which ones get reposted. That's data you're going to be inherently taking in, and that's just going to make you better without having to even think about it." — Maria Palmer, Morning Mosh Pit, Rock 95.5 Chicago

Did you know that one of the top countries that listen to the Sound Off Podcast is Nigeria? In the last ten years, this is only the 4th episode we have done with a Nigerian. Dami Dawson began his career believing he had the right voice for radio, but quickly learned that a voice wasn’t enough. He studied the craft, worked as a researcher and intern, and eventually moved behind the microphone. Today, he leads digital entertainment initiatives at TVC Communications and manages Rewind 107.9 FM, a station built around music that listeners may not find in their usual playlists. Maybe it's not surprising but Nigerian radio’s struggles mirror our own in North America. Lagos has nearly 80 stations, yet many are chasing ratings, social-media followers and cheaper talent instead of investing in knowledgeable personalities who connect with their communities. Dami doesn’t believe radio is dead. He believes it has lost some of its soul. We also talked about unreliable audience measurement, weak signals, expensive internet access and the pressure to turn radio personalities into social-media influencers. Dami’s advice is refreshingly clear: radio should bring its authority, research and substance to social media—not allow social media to dictate what happens on the air. From Lagos to North America, the lesson is the same: technology changes, platforms change, and measurement changes. But radio only matters when the people making it understand the audience, respect the craft and have something meaningful to say.

How PodSummit Builds Canada’s Creator-Focused Podcast Community Podcasting may sound like a social medium, but creating a show can be surprisingly isolating. Independent podcasters often spend countless hours recording, editing, publishing and promoting episodes alone. Outside Canada’s largest media centres, simply finding other creators who understand that experience can be difficult. That challenge inspired Tim Truax to help build PodSummit: a distinctly Canadian podcast event centred on creators, community and genuine connection. In a conversation with podcast strategist, Tim explained how PodSummit grew from a desire to give Canadian podcasters a place to meet, exchange ideas and realize they are part of something much larger. Today, PodSummit brings podcasters, storytellers, brands and industry professionals together for practical education, live podcast experiences and meaningful networking. A Podcast Event Designed Around Creators What makes PodSummit different from many podcast conferences is its focus on the creator experience. Its programming combines big-picture conversations with practical sessions covering areas such as: Audience development and podcast growth Audio and video production Storytelling techniques Video podcasting Industry trends Podcast branding Live podcast production This balance is valuable for creators at every stage. New podcasters can develop foundational skills and meet potential mentors, while established hosts and producers can explore new formats, strengthen their networks and discover opportunities for collaboration. PodSummit is not limited to people who already have a podcast. Writers, marketers, filmmakers, business owners and other storytellers can also benefit from its sessions and creative community. An Event Venue That Encourages Creativity The setting also plays an important role in the PodSummit experience. Rather than using a standard hotel ballroom, PodSummit takes place at The GRAND, a historic cultural venue in downtown Calgary. The building’s theatrical character helps establish the creative, welcoming atmosphere behind the event. It feels more like entering a space for storytelling and performance than attending a traditional corporate convention. That atmosphere supports PodSummit’s broader philosophy: podcasting is an evolving craft, and creators do not need to arrive with every detail perfected. They can share unfinished ideas, ask candid questions and learn alongside people facing similar challenges. PodSummit 2026 in Calgary PodSummit 2026 takes place October 16–17, 2026, at The GRAND in Calgary. The two-day event will feature speaker sessions, workshops, panels, networking opportunities and live podcast experiences. Passes include access to the complete PodSummit program, live recordings and the Friday evening reception. Current pass options include: Summit Pass: general all-access admission Trailblazer Pass: a special rate for eligible returning attendees Horizon Pass: reduced admission for eligible students and recent graduates The 2026 program also includes live podcast experiences such as Unlonely with Dr. Jody Carrington. Event details, inclusions and pricing are available on the official PodSummit passes page. Tickets can be purchased through the official PodSummit 2026 ticket page. Join Canada’s Podcast Community PodSummit offers an opportunity to learn and build lasting relationships. Visit the official PodSummit website to explore the event, review the latest program information and secure your pass for October 16–17, 2026, in Calgary.

In October 2020, I released an episode of The Sound Off Podcast called Death of the Diary. Asking people to remember what they listened to—and then record a week's worht accurately— felt like a tall order when media was being consumed at record pace. And Now It's a New Era in Measurement Numeris is preparing to introduce Radio Local Plus in 22 Canadian markets. The new system combines streaming information with online and telephone surveys to estimate both digital and over-the-air radio listening. That makes this more than a new ratings product. It represents a fundamental change in how Canadian radio and advertisers understand audience. How Radio Local Plus Works Derrick Gray is the Chief Research and Operations Officer at Numeris. I asked him to explain Radio Local Plus. Numeris will use online and telephone surveys to establish demographic profiles, co-listening and the relationship between streaming and over-the-air consumption. That information is then applied to the streaming data through a statistical model to estimate a station’s total audience. Streaming currently represents only about 10 percent of total radio listening, although that number varies considerably by station, demographic and time of day. As streaming grows, the model should become more precise. And of significant note, Derrick indicated that radio may be reaching more people than we thought. It came during the testing phase. Reach went up—dramatically. The reason makes sense once you hear it. People tend to remember the stations they love and listen to regularly. They are much more likely to forget the station they heard briefly in a store, during a short drive or while someone else controlled the radio. Passive streaming data captures some of those forgotten listening occasions. The initial testing produced a few surprises and exposed problems Numeris had to correct, including audiences being counted across multiple stations. Derrick is refreshingly candid about what the testing uncovered, how deduplication was added and why Radio Local Plus will continue to evolve after launch. Radio Ratings Will Now Get 4 Releases Annually For programmers, one of the biggest improvements may be the frequency and recency of the data.The old online radio diary used a 48-week rolling average and produced two releases each year. Radio Local Plus will use a 13-week rolling average with four annual releases aligned with the existing PPM schedule. That should give programmers a much better opportunity to see the effects of talent changes, marketing campaigns, format adjustments and seasonal listening habits. Twice-a-year ratings never really told the continuing story of a radio station. They provided two snapshots from a moving vehicle. There's a whole lot more covered in the show including, what counts as listening, and keeping the methodology flexible in order to grow trust with advertisers and broadcasters. What I am excited about is that this could eventually make radio easier to compare with podcasts, streaming audio and other digital media. It also raises important questions about what advertisers are actually buying when every platform defines an impression differently.

OMG—it has been seven years since Kolter Bouchard was last on The Sound Off Podcast. When Kolter joined me in September 2019, he was hosting afternoons at Toronto’s 102.1 The Edge. Since then, his life has taken some dramatic turns: a Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis, a stem-cell transplant, leaving radio, launching a creative agency with his wife, Dominique, and building a new career as a content creator, entrepreneur and author. This conversation took place on an especially meaningful day: the fifth anniversary of Kolter’s transplant—the milestone at which he could officially say he was cured of cancer. Cancer Five Years Later Cancer permanently changed Kolter’s outlook on life, work and identity. He talks candidly about what it feels like to reach the five-year milestone, how difficult it can be to trust your body again and why surviving cancer doesn’t mean everything immediately returns to normal. One of the most powerful stories in the episode involves Kolter’s decision to announce his diagnosis on the radio. Sharing something so personal with thousands of listeners required enormous vulnerability—but it also had an impact neither of us could have anticipated. A listener heard Kolter describe his symptoms, recognized those same warning signs in himself and went to see a doctor. That listener was subsequently diagnosed with cancer. Kolter’s honesty may have helped save his life. It’s an extraordinary example of what radio—and now podcasting and social media—can accomplish when the person behind the microphone is willing to be real. When the Dream Job Starts Hurting You We also get candid about Kolter and hid decision to leave radio. Working on a major-market station had once represented the dream, but the pressure, burnout and uncertainty eventually began taking a serious toll. Kolter describes experiencing panic attacks while doing his show—including one episode that left him believing he was having a heart attack on the air. Walking away meant confronting a difficult question familiar to many broadcasters: Who are you when the job that shaped your identity is no longer healthy for you? For Kolter, leaving radio wasn’t the end of his creative career. It was the beginning of building one with greater ownership, flexibility and purpose. Kolter and The Five-Legged Stool One of my favourite ideas from this conversation is Kolter’s “five-legged stool.” Too many media personalities build their entire careers on one employer or one digital platform. But radio stations change formats. Social platforms change algorithms. Accounts get suspended. Companies restructure. Audiences move. If everything you have built depends on a single platform, your career can disappear with one decision you don’t control. Kolter’s advice is to build multiple legs beneath your career: radio, podcasting, YouTube, social video, a newsletter, speaking, consulting, products or services. The exact combination will be different for everyone, but the principle is the same. Don’t build your entire media empire on rented ground. Kolter now applies that lesson through Symal Creative, the agency he created with Dominique. Together, they help brands and creators tell better stories while also developing projects of their own. A Podcast Is More Than a Podcast We also explore why podcasts shouldn’t be treated as isolated audio products. A podcast can be the engine that powers an entire content strategy. One thoughtful conversation can become a full episode, a YouTube video, several short-form clips, a blog post, a newsletter and weeks of social content. The episode itself is valuable—but so is everything that can emanate from it. That approach allows creators to meet audiences wherever they choose to spend their time while maintaining something they genuinely own. Reinvention Without Losing Yourself Kolter’s story is about more than leaving radio or surviving cancer. It’s about finding a way to evolve without abandoning the parts of yourself that made the original dream meaningful. His humour, curiosity and ability to connect with people are still at the centre of his work. The difference is that he now has more control over where that work appears, how it supports his life and what he wants it to become. Seven years after our first conversation, Kolter has been through more than anyone could have predicted. He has also emerged with a clearer understanding of what matters: health, family, honest connection and building a career you actually own. Connect With Kolter Bouchard Connect with Kolter Bouchard on LinkedIn Visit Symal Creative Listen to Kolter and Dominique’s Playing House podcast Pre-order Playing House: 10 Steps to a Secure Relationship Hear Kolter discuss interracial relationships and “the Black wife effect” on The Mike Sea Podcast