The Sound Off Podcast

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.

Follow Sam:

Instagram: @sambirduel

TikTok: @sambirduel

YouTube: @birdcoreshow

Listen to Birdcore

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.”

This episode includes references to events and offerings from the original December 2016 recording. We’re sharing it again in memory of David—and to spend a little more time with his voice, his ideas, and his love of music.

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. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.

But seriously - just listen to the episode. And Follow Maria!

Instagram - YouTube - Twitter - TikTok - Reddit

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. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nigeria has consistently been one of the top five countries listening to this podcast. With so much great English-language radio being made there, I wanted to hear more about what’s working—and what’s changing.

Dami Dawson is an award-winning writer and new media executive based in Lagos. Dami’s career has taken him from radio into television and digital media, including his work at Pulse and now TVC Communications. He also manages Rewind 107.9 FM, “where nostalgia lives.”

We explore what it’s like to make radio in Nigeria in 2026, and I hear plenty of parallels with North America: questions about audience measurement, pressure to hire personalities based on social media followers, and the challenge of keeping experienced broadcasters behind the microphone.

Dami explains why conversation connects with Lagos listeners, how broadcasters can build a social audience without sacrificing substance, and what holds back emerging Nigerian creators. He also shares why he believes radio hasn’t died—it has lost its soul—and what it will take to bring that connection back.

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. You can see how well this episode does in Nigeria.

Thank you Megatrax for continuously supporting the show

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New From the Sound Off Media Company! What happens after a dog leaves a research laboratory—and begins learning how to be a dog?

Dogs Beyond the Lab, a podcast about former research dogs and the people helping them discover life on the other side. Join John Ramer of Kindness Ranch, Lori Cohen of The Beagle Alliance, and behaviour specialist Chelsey Marino of Keeper And Kin honest conversations about rescue, rehabilitation, and the patient work of building trust.

Through stories from adopters, fosters, and experts, the series explores the setbacks, surprises, and small victories that make a second chance possible. From a first walk to feeling safe in a new home, these experiences reveal how deeply dogs and people can change each other’s lives.

If you’ve ever loved a dog, there’s something here for you.

Enjoy this trailer, then follow Dogs Beyond the Lab and explore the full episodes at beyondthelab.dog.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I went to PodSummit or the first time last year, and it quickly became one of my favourite podcast events. In this episode, I talk with founder Tim Truax about what makes it different—and why he believes community is the answer to the isolation many podcasters experience.

We talk about Calgary’s growing podcast scene, the need for a truly Canadian podcast event, and how Pod Summit brings independent creators and industry leaders together without feeling like a typical conference. Tim also previews this year’s speakers, live podcasts and hands-on workshops, including sessions on audio branding, storytelling and audience growth.

PodSummit 2026 takes place October 16 and 17 at The GRAND in downtown Calgary. I’ll be there—and whether you already have a podcast or are simply curious about starting one, this conversation explains why you might want to be there too.

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.

Thank you Megatrax for continuously supporting the show

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nearly six years after I released an episode called Death of the Diary, It's the dawn of a new era for Canadian radio with the release of Radio Local + by Numeris.

Derrick Gray, Chief Research and Operations Officer at Numeris, joins me to explain Radio Local+—the hybrid ratings system replacing the online radio diary in 22 Canadian markets. The system combines streaming information with online and telephone surveys to estimate total listening, including traditional over-the-air radio.

Derrick explains how Numeris turns device-level streaming activity into demographic audience estimates, filters bots and abnormally long sessions, and determines whether a listener belongs to the local market. We also discuss why testing revealed significantly more audience reach than expected—and what Numeris had to fix before launch.

Radio Local + will deliver four ratings releases annually using a 13-week rolling average, replacing the diary’s two annual releases and 48-week average. That should give programmers and advertisers a more current view of changing listener behaviour.

The Three Best Things We Talked About:

1. How Radio Local+ combines streaming data with audience surveys to measure total radio listening
2. Why the new system found more listeners than the diary—and what Numeris learned during testing
3. How quarterly ratings and future impression-based metrics could change radio programming and advertising

Radio Local + is not the finished destination. It is the first stage of a larger Numeris audio strategy that could eventually include additional markets, national radio reach and audience metrics that are easier to compare with podcasts and other digital media.

NEW! The podcast is now available in on video on Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon Music in the USA. (And naturally YouTube)

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.

Thank you Megatrax for continuously supporting the show

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OMG it's been 7 years since Kolter Bouchard was on this show. When he last joined me in September of 2019, he was doing afternoons at 102.1 The Edge in Toronto. Since then, his life has taken some dramatic turns: a Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis, a stem cell transplant, leaving radio, launching a creative agency with his wife, and building a powerful presence as a content creator and author.

Kolter shares what it’s like to hit the five-year remission milestone and how cancer permanently reshaped his outlook, his work, and his sense of identity. We dig into why vulnerability, honesty, and genuine connection matter more than ever—on-air and online—and how one on-air cancer announcement actually helped save a listener’s life.

We also get candid about burnout in radio, panic attacks, and the difficult decision to walk away from a major-market show. From there, we explore how radio talent can future‑proof their careers by building multi-platform brands, treating podcasts as marketing engines, and not building their entire media empire on rented digital ground.

Reach out to Kolter on LinkedIn

Here is his creative agency

Stuff I Said I would put in the Show Notes:

Kolter and Dominique's Playing House Podcast

The forthcoming book that you can pre-order...

The infamous Mike Sea Podcast Episode about inter-racial relationships.

NEW! The podcast is now available in on video on Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon Music in the USA. (And naturally YouTube)

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.

Thank you Megatrax for continuously supporting the show

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Radio's relationship with its audience has fundamentally shifted, and the industry's summer of mass layoffs at Cumulus, iHeart, Rogers, Audacy, and Corus has exposed a deeper crisis than spreadsheets can solve. I basically recap the absurdity of how radio companies built their talent's social media followings only to sever connections abruptly, freeing listeners to explore alternatives. While industry data still shows radio leading in car listening and ad delivery, the reality on the ground tells a different story: the best moments on any station come from people and personalities, not songs or commercials. And going forward, radio is going to have to do live on some rented ground.

Discussed:

- Why attention, participation, community, and trust have replaced traditional broadcast ratings as the new flywheel

- How algorithms are prioritizing local content just as radio stations abandon local programming

- The financial viability of AM radio ownership and why long-form content must be repurposed across multiple platforms

- What podcasters are getting right about monetization that radio continues to fumble

Promised in the show notes:

The Bobby Bones prank story from 2004

The Broadcast Dialogue podcast with Connie Thiessen, Matt Caine, and Rob Brown about buying and running an AM station

Lamont Hollywood’s Facebook post about being cut from 107.7 The Bone

NEW! The podcast is now available in on video on Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon Music in the USA. (And naturally YouTube)

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.

Thank you Megatrax for continuously supporting the show

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.