The Sound Off Podcast

Matt Cundill and Dan Misener discuss the launch of the Bumper Dashboard, which offers a unified view of podcast metrics across platforms like Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. The Dashboard includes a new metric, the Bumper score, which measures the gap between file delivery and actual playback, helping shows understand their ad engagement. The score ranges from 0 to 200, with 100 being the median. They also touch on the limitations of download metrics and the need for better data to serve creators a

I invited Nails Mahoney to unpack what it really means to be a radio presenter/personality today. We talk about how the shift from DJ and announcer to “content creator” has forced many presenters to overthink and lose their natural talent, and why formal training for content creation is almost non‑existent. Nails explains how branding—narrowing yourself to three defining words—helps you stand out, and why fear of failure can be a useful motivator if you let it sharpen your work.

I welcome back Rob Greenlee for a discussion about how podcasting is changing under the weight of new media, big platforms, and AI. Rob and I talk about how the real battle lines are drawn around who controls distribution and audience, as companies like YouTube and Spotify push proprietary ecosystems while RSS still quietly powers most of my downloads. We look back at the early days of video podcasting, why big media walked away from video in RSS, and how HLS video might reconnect audio and vide

Anthony McNutt is one of the best when it comes to radio imaging. He gets it. He is a senior imaging producer at Stingray Radio, managing multiple brands including Q stations, K Rocks, and The Breeze across 5 time zones.We discussed what separates exceptional imaging from average work, the evolution of production styles, and how remote work has transformed the producer's role in modern radio. Including: - Why voice talent versatility matters more than technical perfection - How silence and restr

Jen Austin is the founder of Riply Media . We talked about how AI can actually strengthen local news rather than replace journalists. Jen walks me through her journey from a shy high school student in rural Nebraska to working at iconic stations like KZKX, later producing for The Dorsey Gang in Dallas, and reporting news on 9/11 with support from the CBS News network. We talk about the long, slow decline of newsrooms—layoffs, shrinking staffs, and the closure of CBS News Radio—while the public’s

We last had JC Douglas on our show 9 years ago when I got the full run down of his career highlights. JC Douglas announced his retirement on Facebook in May 2026 , reflecting on his 40-year tenure at Q104, his morning run at C100, and in-between time at 89.9 The Wave. He discussed the success of Q104 and C100, attributing it to loyal audiences and long-tenured talent. Douglas highlighted his pivotal moments, including interviewing Paul McCartney and covering the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting. W