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Brad Karp is the winner of the 2019 Alan Waters Young Broadcaster of the year award in memory of Steve Young. Born and raised on Montreal's West Island, Brad grew up with a steady dose of Terry Dimonte and Ted Bird on #CHOM. After Algonquin College, Brad found himself working in Thompson, Manitoba and later Fort McMurray, Alberta where he does the morning show at Country 93.3. Here is the release from JJ Johnston & Bob Saint. If you would like to know more about Steve Young - check out this Facebook page. #CMW Brad was doing us all a favour by calling into the 100 Huntley Street Prayer line and asking for the Leafs' to lose Game 7 in Boston. His prayer was answered:

I don't often do the solo show thing unless I have something to share. There are times when going to conferences is hard. It's hard to listen to radio talk about the 93 percent reach it has when we know people are listening less and less every day. (In Canada that number is 85 percent, but no one dare say that that might be because of archaic Cancon rules that radio's competitors don't have to carry) There was also the time in 2013 when four radio leaders are talking about the need for the FM Chip to become active in cell phones so people can listen on their cell phone. As the debate is going on, I am wondering why no one is pointing out that two of the four companies on the stage are employed by phone carriers. An hour went by on this discussion and it surmounted to a waste of time. In 2016, four radio leaders in the U.S. could not name one innovative initiative their company had taken for radio in the last 6 months. In 2017, there was the executive who wondered where the future radio execs were going to come from. Perhaps it was lost on him that middle management's role had been significantly reduced over the previous decade. There is a word for all this behaviour. Denial. I have no problem pointing it out. Some might call it cynical, I believe its the truth. I don't mind being called the village idiot so long as the truth is recognized. So it was refreshing this week to hear James Cridland take the stage at Canadian Music Week's Radio Active summit and offer some words of reason of advice for Canadian radio to get together, collaborate and come up with solutions to update itself. No one really knows if this about ownership, Cancon, or its relationship with the CRTC, but James suggested that Canadian radio could start with a lobby group and go from there. In this episode, I speak about how complacency has become the norm where I live and also in Canadian radio, and I am only betting on the latter to make changes. If you would like to read the highlights from James Cridland's keynote, Sharon Taylor assembled a nice summary. Her Notes from Day 1 of the Radio Active Summit. Her Notes from Day 2 of the Radio Active Summit. Finally, if Matt saw you at Canadian Music Week and invited you on the show, you can book yourself in here. I made mention in the show about a piece from Perry Michael Simon from All Access discussing regulatory changes in the USA regarding ownership. I believe the same applies to Canada. You can read it here.

Ian Howarth taught in Montreal for many years, and one of his passions was radio. He knew one day he would want to write a book about all those wonderful moments and sounds that emanated from great radio stations like 1490 CFOX, 980 CKGM, and later CHOM 97.7 once AOR became a thing in the early 70's. In this episode you'll hear names like Dave Boxer, Charles P. Rodney Chandler. (Chuck Chandler) Marc "Mais Oui" Denis, Ralph Lockwood and many more. Buy the book here. Special Thanks to Marc "Mais Oui" Denis for keeping great Montreal radio memories alive. His fantastic page is here. We used a small clip in our podcast but there are many more to be enjoyed. We discussed things like the Beatles first appearance in Montreal which Ian later added: "The band had received threats based on the assumption that Ringo Starr was Jewish. There were also alleged bomb threats phoned in to a local radio station. Unfortunately, the Starr threats were the result of an anti-Semitic sentiment that still runs deep in this province (McGill faculty of medicine had Jewish applicant quotas, for example) and the boys were there for the beginning of what was called the Quiet Revolution, which evolved into a not-so-quiet revolution when the FLQ got up and running. The anger towards the Beatles would have been a part of the Amit-English sentiment going around at the time; the Queen, the language and in the case of the Beatles was all part of decades old anger to anything British, the colonizer, a word making a come back these days. #montreal #ckgm

This episode is titled after Buzz's podcast called Healthy Paranoia. (Check it out) We spoke about his past in radio working at legendary stations like doing weekends at WNEW and programming legendary WZLX. From there we dove into radio's future, podcast strategy, why Beasley Media Group got involved with e-Sports, and defining innovation overall. His role at Beasley began evolving back in 2016 when Greater Media was sold to Beasley. If you are wondering where radio is going - this is a good listen. Also take the time to subscribe to his podcast which features conversations about leadership, innovation and change in fields that are associated with radio. There's also a 5 part interview with historian Doris Kerns Goodwin that I thoroughly enjoyed, and was played out in the type of room I imagined; surrounded by cozy chairs and a lot of books. Buzz touched on a few podcast initiatives at the company including Twisted Philly and Wrestling Inside the Ropes. You can connect to both shows by clicking on the links. I also brought up Checkpoint Radio is a part of the e-Sports initiative I referenced. We've relocated for a good portion of the month to Arizona on a combination of radio and podcast adventure. On our trip down here, I listened to a few of the podcasts offered up at Beasley Media Group. Below are a few we binged on: #beasley #podcast #broadcast #Boston

Drex became Canadian famous just before Christmas in 2012 when he asked then Premier Christy Clark. on behalf of a listener, if she was more MILF or Cougar. And with that started radio's era of internet outrage. That was not the first time Drex had been fired. He has a cool back story from his days on air in Australia, and hopscotched the British Columbia coast and interior before making his way to CFOX and then CKNW and the Corus Radio Network. One of things I love about Drex is his versatility from Rock to Talk to whatever format. He identifies it as radio and connection. He also takes chances, and admits when he is wrong. You can connect with his show's podcast if staying up late is not your thing. By the way, there is a good story about how Drex got fired from a job in Australia. His old boss heard the episode and weighed in. For many who first connected with radio in the late hours or early mornings, the return of shows like The Shift with Drex in Canada and the continuation of Ryan Wrecker's Overnight America at KMOX is refreshing and needed in an industry that wound up ceding those late night hours to on demand listening. Inversely, both these shows have strong podcast numbers as it is fresh content that can be consumed first thing in the morning. Not surprisingly, the two of them got together recently to talk politics on air. Check out Steve Kowch's "View From the Kowch" about the creation of this show. #vancouver #corus #talkradio

Steve Anthony retired from active broadcasting about a year ago, moved to Prince Edward County, and took his business ventures with him for the ride. He and a wife Tanya who has been riding shotgun with Steve since 1997, have enough stories for a book he says he will never write. I spoke to Steve about his early days at John Abbott College on Montreal's West Island, to his time at 980 CKGM and then down the 401 to work for Gary Slaight at Toronto's Q107. As I spoke to Steve, I learned a few things about the broadcaster that others had told me about. He is loyal, but never to a fault. And the number of other broadcasters he has mentored along the way. We spoke for an hour but we could have gone three. No there is no book in the future but he did hint and some other ventures that are coming. This episode is brought to you by Nlogic. I will be at Canadian Music Week moderating a panel for Broadcasters about... wait for it. Podcasting. You'll likely hear Steve's voice wafting throughout the Broadcast awards and a few other places. If you would like to have Steve Voice anything for you... his website is here. One name that came up during the show was that of Rob Braide. He also played a role in getting another MuchMusic VJ's career started, Erica Ehm. You can seem that video from Boom 97's 97 Seconds Series. #Muchmusic #CHOM #CKGM #Q107 #CFNY

Alyssa Page grew up in Connecticut, found her way on to the radio by doing everything. Then worked her ass off to get to Atlanta and then a dream position on the legendary 107.7 The End in Seattle. This podcast marks the third member of the radio station to appear on the podcast, and with good reason. The station is oft quoted as one other station's could look to for innovative and brilliant ideas. So what's it like to work there? Alyssa answered those questions along with sharing some of her interview strategies, show prep tactics and what she does when she is not on air. Alyssa and I met back in 2016 at the Conclave and every year she is a joy to see again. The excitement in her eyes was infectious as she told me she has just landed her dream job in Seattle, and in the subsequent years, had been elevated to the midday show. We spoke about the importance of networking, and what attending the Conclave has meant to her career. She also gives back by volunteering on the Conclave committee to put on a great event every year. Please consider joining her and a few others who have also appeared on this podcast June 19-21 in Minneapolis. Some of the fine people mentioned in this episode who can speak to the benefits of this conference include Jillene Khan from Magic 98 in Madison, WI and Laura G from 98BHT in Wilkes Barre, PA. Of note, our main sponsors Promosuite will also be there. CJ & Rachel will be demoing some of their new products and it would be very much appreciated if you can thank them for keeping this podcast free to you every week. #conclave #seattle #theend

She answered the very first question I asked her correctly. She was supposed to get it wrong. How Very Meredith Geddes of her. Meredith Geddes arrived in Vancouver at the World Famous CFOX and pretty much everything changed. She'd never been out west before and was about to take a big step in her radio career. From evenings, the shifts began to fall her way; whether it was voice tracking a daypart in another part of the country, then co-hosting the afternoon show with Jeremy Baker, or interviewing one of the many bands that wander the hallways at CFOX. Then came an opportunity that was covered about a month ago with her current co-host, Kolter Bouchard. The pitch to collaborate with Kolter and co-host the afternoon show at 102.1 The Edge in Toronto. And while we heard Kolter's take on it a few weeks ago, Meredith was moving cross-country for this opportunity. In this episode, we talked about high school, the trials of working in a small market, arriving in Vancouver, techniques on interviewing bands and show prep, and just how much fun it is to work in radio - no matter what the format. (And she has done them all) As you heard on the show, Meredith and Kolter spend time writing and collaborating between writing and voicing their content. One that affected us all recently, Daylight Savings. #toronto #vancouver #theedge

Sean Dilworth is half the man he used to be. Figuratively only. In whole, he is stronger, smarter and more confident than ever. He made a life decision to get physically stronger, which led to a number of other changes in his life. Then he came out and told his audience about it last September. In this moment, I knew I wanted to have him tell the longer version of this story on the podcast. I hired Sean back in 2012 and he was every bit as eager, with a smile that's infectious and lights up a room. Back then he was heavier and a lot less confident. He was spending most of his energy hiding his anxiety for tasks that aren't easy for everyone; like bringing a band on stage for example. If I ran into Sean on the street - I probably wouldn't recognize him. He isn't afraid to keep the old pictures of himself on his social media accounts. In fact, he doesn't consider himself overtly millennial. And we even put him to a test. It's no coincidence that this episode was released during the same week that Canada's biggest media company, Bell Media is having Let's Talk Day. It's the planet's biggest Mental Health media campaign. #winnipeg #health #mentalhealth

This week I give you my take on the Podcast Movement and do a little Remedial Media about podcasting and its future. I also mentioned during the podcast that if you are in radio, you might be interested in its future and how radio will be offered on the car dash. Jacobs Media is now 3 episodes in on their podcast, the Dash: The Future in the Connected Car with host Seth Resler. We chat with Shika Rebecca about her show prep service Pepper Prep. From the moment she answered the phone, she will full of energy. If you are in radio or podcast, this is an affordable show prep service. Shika Rebecca came up with the idea of Pepper Prep back in 2014 while she was filling in for the morning show. She was staying up later and getting prep and thought it would be nice to find an affordable prep service. After trying different services she found none of them suited her needs or were out of her price range. So with over 10 years of radio broadcast experience she decided to start her own. She has also started a podcast called Peppercast where you can get the lowdown in just a few minutes. At the very least, follow her service on Facebook and Twitter for free prep. We also big adieu to a great radio engineer. H.A. David Morrison died last month in Kentville, Nova Scotia. He instilled his love of sound upon all those who worked with him. Dave would not have been happy with the sound of the original version of this podcast, which is why I had it redone. Radio people past and present created a wonderful tribute to Dave; you may not have known Dave, but you will feel as though you did through the power of audio. Dave would be pleased to know that I have brought Evan Surminski on board to oversee (overhear?) production of this podcast and make sure it is the best possible listening experience for you. That just leaves the host as the largest contributor to tune out. (Which, all things considered, is the way it should be) The Sound Off Podcast would like to thank our sponsor Yappy. If your business would like to add a texting component for customer contact, click on their logo below. For advertising enquiries, please e-mail us. Take me to the Podcast Page. #pm16 #yappy #podcast #podcasting