Guests

Matt Speaks with Christian Hall, Program Director of X92.9 in Calgary

This week, I look back on the last few episodes and provide some lingering thoughts. Special appearances and re-appearances from Georgia Beasley and Jeff Vidler. In this episode: * I make reference to Larry Gifford's insightful conversation with Jeff Vidler which you can listen to here: http://www.podbean.com/media/share/dir-qk8cs-2670662 * If you are talent and looking for new on air opportunities, please send your resume and demo to matt@mattcundill.com This episode is brought to you by NLogic and their new cloud based application Lens for radio. http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-04-26/m2xt4

If you don't tell your story, someone is going to tell it for you; which is why we have Radio Connects. They speak to advertisers and agencies on behalf of 540 stations in Canada. Today we provide a little background on what they do for Canadian radio. Radio Connects has commissioned a Share of Ear Study for Canada – aptly called "The Canadian Audio Landscape Study". The results show that radio is slightly stronger in Canada than in the United States - for interesting reasons. And it also tells a story about our relationship with streaming and podcast. This Episode is brought to you by Promosuite and the new cloud based paperless studio stystem - Promosuite Next. http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff Speaking of surveys - take ours here. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard

Georgia Beasley has penned 2 articles for Radio Ink magazine called, "My Life as a Radio Millennial". The podcast was in the midst of assembling an episode on the Millennials coming of age now that they occupy a whole key ad-buying demo to themselves. (Adults 25-34) We speak to Georgia Beasley, Digital Sales Director for Beasley Media Group. Other contributions from Matt Abra who attended #NAB2017 in LasVegas in April, and Rebecca Henderson who provided us with a review of the new Radio Player Canada App. This episode is brought to you by NLogic and their new cloud based application Lens for radio. http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-04-26/m2xt4

Broadway Bill Lee is one of the reasons I fell in love with radio. In the late 80's I would watch Vuolo Video airchecks and Bill stood out amongst the crowd. Fast forward to the digital era and Bill is still entertaining people on multiple social media platforms with his unique song intros that make him one of a kind. His afternoon show on the legendary WCBS-FM is top rated because of the hard work he puts into the show, and the great programming team at the station. Yes, it's a trip down memory lane at times, but if you want to work for 5 decades in radio, you had better be able to rebrand yourself. (We talk about that)

Pat Holiday has spent 9 years away from work inside a physical radi station. In that time he has seen that its issues remain the same and there is both good and bad in that. He moderated the Broadcast Leadership panel "Like a Boss" at Canadian Music Week and did not serve up any softballs, but he did admit to leaving a few fast balls on the table. From his iconic beginnings at the Big 8 at CKLW in Detroit, to working in three Canadian cities in management, Pat has a knack for taking a market's temperature and reflecting it in the radio station he champions. He readily admits that radio has changed but things are not as bad as they seem, and radio is perhaps fixing the product at the wrong end. Update 2021: Pat has started a Program Director's course. Subscribe to it here on Youtube! It is really good. My thanks to Karen Steele at Virgin Radio in Kitchener for the show idea. Other notable credits include Matt Abra from Red River College who edited the episode, and Lauren Siddall wh…

David Phillips is the President and COO of NLogic, His discussions on data and surveys have been well received at media conferences, which spurned my interest in bringing David onto the podcast last fall. The timing was right this spring with the recent upgrades to the Lens product. His perspective is unique and refreshing; it will leave radio people wondering why we behave and think the way we do. I have spent nearly 30 years in radio through 100+ rating books and will be look at data differently after my conversation with David. You will too. His company just unveiled some program additions to NLogic's Lens, which has always been about what clients need, not what they thought the clients needed. If you would like to use Lens, you can click here. http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-04-26/m2xt4 This episode is brought to you by Promosuite and the new cloud based Promosuite Next. Try it for yourself at http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff Finally, it is budget time at many stations. On…

A few weeks ago, we had J.J. Johnston on the podcast to give us the story and background behind Steve Young and the Alan Waters Young Broadcaster Award. This year the award goes to Jesse Modz from CJAY 92 in Calgary. In this episode, you will get to know Jesse and what it takes to win this award. He is already wise enough to realize that one will always do better with more creativity (and more creative people) around you. Jesse also gives the early picks on who might win the award next year. This week's episode is brought to you by NLogic - http://bit.ly/2oLHQmQ This episode is also brought to you by Promosuite and the new cloud based software Promosuite Next. http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff

It takes a whole conversation with J.C. Douglas to realize that the journey lies somewhere between the Grateful Dead's "Truckin'" (What a Long Strange Trip it's been...) and Motley Crue's Wild Side. From the early days at Q104, to nearly 30 years at the station - and now at long-time rival C100. His durability on air is a result of hard work, learning and knowing the brand of your station. I know that sounds hoaky but if you're gonna rock, you had better rock; if you want to attract females on a heritage morning show, you need to make a few subtle changes. I have always loved Halifax and full disclousre, I worked in Nova Scotia for 4 years and spent many afternoons listening to JC Douglas and Andrew Gillis on the Mighty Q. Recently I took a trip back and heard JC Douglas on C100 - and thought there is no better person to tell Haligonian Radio Tales than JC. (I think I should trademark that)

Ronnie Stanton emigrated from Australia to Canada in 2008 after a successful stint as a morning show host and programmer on the Sunshine Coast. His 5 years at Astral Media's 95 Crave then Virgin Radio, morphed into a difficult decision to cross the street to Corus Radio's CFOX and Rock 101. His latest career move has him heading south to Alpha Media where he is VP/Programming and residing in San Jose. We spend our time discussing the rise of the classic hits format, and discussing life under the divisive Trump presidency. This week's episode is brought to you by NLogic - get your free trial of LENS here - http://bit.ly/2oLHQmQ

Chuck McCoy has been in radio for 52 years. But he won't tell you he has worked in radio - but in audio. He is forward thinking enough to recognize that he has been an audio business all along. You might think that when we bring someone onto this podcast who has had a long and storied career, that we would talk about the past. Instead he wanted to talk about the NOW and the future. Chuck also provides a great advice on how to stay sharp. Chuck's brother Jeff Vidler appeared in Episode 33 of this podcast series. They will both be at Canadian Music Week in April to honour their brother Gary Russell who will be receiving a lifetime achievement award posthumously. This week's episode is brought to you by Promosuite. http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff Also take our audience survey here - http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard

Eric Samuels hired me to do evenings at 100.3 the Bear in Edmonton in 1994. Although Eric would move on to Vancouver a few years later, the two years I worked under him set the tone for how I would broadcast and program radio for years to follow.

TJ Connors has come full circle. The station he grew up around is now his afternoon home. His father, the legendary Scruff Connors, was the morning man at 97.7 HTZ-FM in St. Catherines during the height of rock radio's mass appeal phase in the early 90's. A quarter century later, the Connors name is back on HTZ-FM. I hired TJ to do mornings at Power in 2012, and had a chance to work with him as a consultant to his Country 103 station in Kamloops, where he was morning man and program director. We spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of following his dad on a station he helped make famous, and what makes HTZ-FM so legendary in the Niagara region. SPONSORED BY PROMOSUITE: http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff Also on the show, Edison research released their annual "Infinite Dial" update. Jason Barrett of Barrett Sports Media was kind enough to lend me 9 minutes of his take on the podcast portion of the report. All of which I agree with. (You know those boring infomercials and ba…

The Allan Waters Young Broadcaster Award, (a tribute to Steve Young) will be announced this week. It goes to a Canadian broadcaster under the age of 30 for their creative contributions on radio and in the community. Past winners include Fearless Fred, Amanda Logan, Rena Jae, Adam Wylde and others. It made me wonder how much younger broadcasters know about Steve and his contributions to radio in North America. So I called up JJ Johnston, someone who knew him very well, and had him paint a picture of the kind of radio Steve created, the impact on the people he mentored, and the kind of person he was. As JJ put it on this podcast, Steve was simply the best radio programmer to ever come out of Canada. He mentored many, including many on air performers as well as future programmers. JJ also put me in touch with Vanessa Thomas from Boom 97.3 and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame who worked under Steve's tutelage. This week's episode is brought to you by NLogic - get your free trial of…

Larry Gifford has worked at great radio stations across the U.S.A. like KIRO in Seattle and Sports radio 710 ESPN in LA. After a stint in consulting, he found his way north to CKNW in Vancouver where he watched the American Election of a lifetime unfold from the other side of the border. Larry also has a podcast called “Radio Stuff” which is now out of hibernation and sponsored by the same people who support this podcast - http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff - I also asked him about his home state of Ohio - and why is serves as the American political barometer; and we shared our podcast knowledge with one another. This episode is brought to you by Logic and the new cloud based software Lens. http://go.nlogic.ca/l/130651/2017-02-02/khtd2 Finally - take our survey for the podcast here. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=c-pwg3hNJ1tz&ver=standard

Lori Lewis is the Chairperson for the 42nd edition of the Conclave which will be taking place July 26-28 in Minneapolis. She is also the VP of Social at Cumulus; which means this call was a great opportunity to ask her some of the social media and radio questions that I get asked a lot. If you want to check out the line up at the Conclave, go to http://www.theconclave.com - tickets are on sale for a very limited time for $249. Our show sponsor Promosuite is also going to be at the Conclave! http://www.promosuite.com

Erica Farber is the CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau. And as the picture says - she loves radio! If you ever get the feeling that no one has your back in radio, stop by the website and you will remember the great things radio has going for it. There are tools, tips and tricks for non-members, but as we discussed - membership does have its privileges. She has a storied career that spans great decades at stations with legendary call letters. (Think KRTH, KABC and KIIS in Los Angeles) Many who e...

Jason Barrett is the owner of Barrett Sports Media, a New York based sports programming and marketing company designed to help sports radio and television companies, professional sports teams, and sports agencies, enjoy long-term success in the audio, digital and social media space. Okay - I took that part from his website, but if any part of your radio day involves sports or digital - you need to watch the digital trends in sports to understand how it's all going to be consumed in the future. I had Jason on before the NFL season got underway and I thought it would be fitting to bring him back again to discuss the myths about ratings, what happens when your team leaves town, and where the sports broadcast talent of tomorrow is going to come from. This episode is brought to you by Promosuite - please support the podcast by checking them out at http://www.promosuite.com/soundoff

Hal Anderson has been a fixture on the radio in Winnipeg since the late 80's. On our 34th episode, we thought it would appropriate to have the 34th Greatest Canadian on the podcast; which also coincided with his return to 680 CJOB, after being let go in a move that ratings wise, appears regrettable. I took the podcast on the road this week to catch up with Hal and talk about the 1999 "Naked Girl on the Bike" incident, how he became the 34th Greatest Canadian, and his co-hosts over the years.

Jeff Vidler has been involved in research for a long time. After the podcast had been recorded, I remembered a time when, as program director of CJFM in Montreal, he would use his research to entice clients as much as listeners. As the years went on, I worked with Jeff on music testing, perceptuals, and format finders. All my experiences have been positive as research generally shone a light, showed direction, and moved our stations to where they needed to go. As the industry has changed, Jeff's research now includes the more complex listening habits and rituals that exist across all platforms. We also had Peter Anthony Holder come on the show to tell us about his show, the Stuph File. If you would like to have this show on your radio station, please email him peter@thestuphfile.com The podcast is brought to you by NLogic and the new cloud based platform Lens. http://bit.ly/nlogicso Please take the Podtrac survey - It helps us do a better job. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.as…

Greg Simpson (RIP) joined us to talk about Canadian Music Week.

Sports is fast becoming the format of choice for graduating media students. With the commodity value of music at an all time low, and news becoming polarizing and at time "fake", Sports broadcasting attracting aspiring millennial broadcasters. Alex Rawnsley is the owner and creator of Sportscasterlife.com - a website designed to help Sportscasters get better at their craft. He has made available all the things he wished he had when he was developing as a sportscaster. After spending a few minutes on the site, having access to scoresheets and quick tips on building storyboards was interesting. There are many other resources on the site. This episode is sponsored by NLogic and there new cloud based ratings software LENS. For a free trial - http://bit.ly/nlogicso We also hear from Logan Anderson and his podcast "Say the Damn Score!".

We release this episode in the moments when we say goodbye to 2016 and hello to 2017. Perry Michael Simon is the news talk columnist for AllAccess.com and he provides us with some year end perspective. Radio is a reflection of the community and often the format is a record of how we react to what happens in the world. There's optimism, pessimism, and a while lot left on the table. This Episode is brought to you by PEPPER PREP http://pepperprep.com - If one of your New Year's Resolutions is better show prep for you podcast, radio show and streaming show - start here. Also in this episode, I have a few theories as to why death seemed larger than life in 2016. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Terry Dimonte is the morning man at CHOM 97.7 and he LOVES Christmas. Every year he spends the Friday before the morning show breaks for the holiday. Justin Trudeau has always made a point of stopping by to see his good friend and share some music from his iPod. When you become Prime Minister - everything changes. But not Justin's appearance on the Christmas show. He stills makes a point of seeing his good friend annually. In this episode, Terry tells the story of how their friendship started and how the show became a thing on the CHOM radio calendar. This episode is powered by NLogic and their new cloud based radio application - Lens. For a free trial, go to http://bit.ly/2yn3uCo