The Sound Off Podcast

Richard Stroobant has spent more than 40 years in broadcasting, although for a good chunk of that time, most people in radio knew him simply as "Big Dick." And yes, there's a story behind that nickname.

Richard and I first worked together in Edmonton in 1994, before he returned to Calgary and became part of the legendary team at CJAY 92. Those were some wild days in radio, when a 19 share was possible for a rock station, margaritas appeared on Friday mornings, and management occasionally had to apologize for what happened on the air.

In 2006, Richard made the move from radio production to teaching at SAIT, where he's spent the last 20 years helping launch broadcasting careers. His former students include Ron Tarrant, who went on to become head sound designer for The Howard Stern Show, Winnipeg radio personality and social media star Tyler Carr, Jenn Dalen from Stingray and Angela Valiant at 107.3 The Edge.

We talk about what made radio so much fun back then, the importance of finding a good mentor, and how broadcasting schools have had to adapt to an industry that's changed dramatically. Richard also shares how he was ready to teach online years before COVID forced everyone else to figure it out, and why today's graduates need skills that extend well beyond radio.

There's plenty of radio nostalgia in this episode, but it's also a conversation about where the next generation of broadcasters and content creators might be headed.

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.

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.

Can a podcast make you feel less alone? I’m joined by Jay Nachlis from Coleman Insights to explore what research can tell us about community, companionship, and the relationships listeners build with podcast hosts.

Picking up on our conversation at Podcast Movement in New York, we discuss Coleman’s research with the Locked On Podcast Network and why listeners often describe their favourite hosts as friends. We also explore how those connections can extend beyond listening and bring people together.

Jay and I get into the rise of video podcasts, the role of YouTube and smart TVs, and why audio remains such an important part of the experience. We compare the challenges of podcast discovery with the increasingly frustrating hunt for something to watch across streaming services, and share lessons podcasters can borrow from radio.

We wrap up with practical ways to give your show a clearer focus: testing titles, artwork, and descriptions with Pod Predictor, and creating a trailer that tells people why they should listen. I also explain why a good trailer can keep working for your show long after launch.

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.

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.