
The Sound Off Podcast
The Sound Off Podcast is a series of interviews and discussions about Broadcasting, podcasting and New Media. Matt Cundill is a 20 year veteran of radio and has worked on air, and as a program director. Matt has worked with podcasters since 2016 to increase their audience and the amount of time engaged on their audio. ⚡️mattcundill@getalby.com
Latest episodes

Feb 6, 2020 • 18min
187: David Phillips: No Data Strategy Required
David Phillips from NLogic is an admitted nerd when it comes to data. He really loves it. Something he is very good at is deciphering how data should be applied to your brand, your radio stations, your strategies, and your ad sales. However, one thing you should definitely not have is a data strategy. He speaks about numbers having blind spots and becoming too attached to the data we love and not challenging it enough. A couple of times a year, I'll get together with David and we will catch up on anything and everything as it relates to the numbers broadcasters come into contact with.Here is our YouTube discussion from last year. And by the way, please subscribe to the channel when you are there.NLogic has been a supporter of the show since 2016 and many Canadian listeners to the show will know NLogic as the distributor of their radio sales software. Even if you are listening to this from outside of Canada, David will give you a perspective on how too much data could be overload for what you are trying to accomplish as a brand. The accent by the way is English - and David appeared on the podcast back in 2017 where we talked about... wait for it. Data. There's more about this episode on our show page!Thanks also to the people who make this show possible every week including:PromosuiteMatt Fogarty VoiceoversJustin Dove at Core Image StudiosMegatraxNLogicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jan 28, 2020 • 31min
186: Seth Resler: Solutions For The Dislocated
We invited Seth Resler back to the podcast after he penned a blog called, "Is There Life After Radio?" Many of the episodes in this series feature a moment when someone was fired and tell the story of their radio afterlife. The podcast itself was born out of my firing in 2014, the subsequent quest for work in 2015, before landing on podcast in early 2016 and never looking back. Today I have a voiceover business and a podcast company that helps people, businesses and brands build through podcast. The path to it resembles a lot about what Seth wrote about in his blog, including many attempts to swing for the fences, having a resume chalk full of call letters, undervaluing myself and playing "on tilt" as Seth describes it.In this episode, Seth and I share a few of the things we learned about being in between jobs as radio program directors. For the last few weeks, Seth has been putting together a directory that displaced radio people can use to reconnect to the industry. You can enter your listing here for free.We also have more episodes you might enjoy about this topic, listed on our episode page.There's more about this episode on our show page!Thanks also to the people who make this show possible every week including:PromosuiteMatt Fogarty VoiceoversJustin Dove at Core Image StudiosMegatraxNLogicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jan 22, 2020 • 30min
185: Lori Lewis: Remedial Social Media
Lori Lewis is back on our show for the third time? Why so often? Because the world of social media moves that quickly. The last time we had Lori on the show, Instagram Stories was just starting to become a thing and Tik Tok wasn't even a thing. In fact - you might have still been involved with your SnapChat account and over-posting by today's standards on Facebook. Lori is now out on her own working with radio groups and teaching them all about the ways to engage their listeners on social media, and get the sales team selling their digital assets. Lori Lewis Media launched recently, but that doesn't mean she will stop doing some of the other things you might know her for, including being the Chair of the Conclave Summer Radio Learning Conference (which you should go to), and her column in AllAccess.com, Merge.In this episode, Lori and I talked about how many in radio are Introverted Extroverts, and cited an article from 2018; I believe this is it. We also talked about the importance of keeping your passport up-to-date and about how the Internet minute Graphic became so popular. You can see a copy of that graphic on our blog page.Please use social media to SHARE this episode far and wide.There's more about this episode on our show page!Thanks also to the people who make this show possible every week including:PromosuiteMatt Fogarty VoiceoversJustin Dove at Core Image StudiosMegatraxNLogicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jan 14, 2020 • 37min
184: Christian Hall: More Than Radio
There's a reason why Christian Hall thinks differently. He has to. He is the National Program Director for Harvard Broadcasting which is a radio company first. He oversees multiple alternative stations; a format which doesn't even exist a number of top ten markets in Canada, and he believes that talent development is about airchecks, and feedback. (We went into large detail in our first episode with him which you can find here) This time around we spoke about the rise of alternative radio in both Edmonton and Calgary, he also summarized the legal case involving Corus v. Harvard revolving around the use of the name Power 107. (The station has since relaunched as Play 107 in Edmonton) We also discussed the new continuous measurement system for diary markets, and what is on the line if the CRTC moves ahead on a review of the radio regs.We also talked about X929's new marketing campaign, which I found out has been adopted across the company. Have a look at the video and see it for yourself. It's clear that the radio is not the only way to enjoy the station. Christian recalls James Cridland's presentation at Canadian Music Week last year, that spurned more than one good idea he took home to Calgary.By the way - our discussion with James Cridland is right here and it's a good one. There's more about this episode on our show page!Thanks also to the people who make this show possible every week including:PromosuiteMatt Fogarty VoiceoversJustin Dove at Core Image StudiosMegatraxNLogicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jan 7, 2020 • 36min
183: Perry Michael Simon: What's Next?
It's been 2 years since we have caught up with Perry Michael Simon from AllAccess.com on this podcast. He has a pretty good idea of what is going on in the radio and podcast business given that he writes about it weekly, provides talk topics on a twitter account, and attends a dozen radio and radio-related conferences annually. If you get a chance, follow his twitter account just for the joy in hearing about all the goings on at these conferences.He is also the host on the Evening Bulletin podcast; a two minute pieces of news and subject commentary - named after the long departed Philadelphia newspaper. (RIP 1847-1982)In this episode, we talk about how little has changed about radio, while everything around radio has changed. We also wonder what the next breakout hit is going to be for both radio and podcast. After all, it has been 18 years since classic hits appeared on the scene, and 4 since Serial become a podcast phenomenon. What's next? We aren't sure - but Perry has some ideas of what needs to happen.There's more about this episode on our show page!Thanks also to the people who make this show possible every week including:PromosuiteMatt Fogarty VoiceoversJustin Dove at Core Image StudiosMegatraxNLogicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 31, 2019 • 4min
Happy NEW Year!!
Happy New Year from Matt at the Soundoff Podcast.If you want to have a chat with Matt - just click here and set up a time.Top 5 Podcast Episodes this year:Tom LeykisTerry O'ReillyCorey DylanDean BlundellLisa KeysBring on 2020!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 24, 2019 • 1h 10min
182: Still Another Very Terry Christmas
Terry Dimonte loves Christmas, and I love doing a podcast with him to discuss... whatever. Sometimes we talk about radio, and other times it's just life. This year it was a lot of the latter. So many of the things we spoke about can be found on the blog page which is located at Sound Off Podcast dot com.We talked about Terry's move to Griffintown in Montreal which was a big mistake. This led to conversations about the poor designs of all cities including Montreal and Winnipeg. And we shifted our attention to politics and talked about the recent Canadian election and then it all devolved into how i believe people are troubled. Special thanks to my son Andrew who came on the show for a few minutes. We used the audio without his permission but this will ensure that his college fund stays afloat.At this point, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, including our producer Evan Surminski who puts these thing together every week. Also to Rick Clement who has been interning on the show for the last 5 weeks.There's more about this episode on our show page!Thanks also to the people who make this show possible every week including:PromosuiteMatt Fogarty VoiceoversJustin Dove at Core Image StudiosMegatraxNLogicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 18, 2019 • 32min
181: John Mamola: Talking Tampa Sports Radio
I'm reminded every time I travel through Tampa on my way to Sarasota, how busy the radio market is. Equally busy is the number of sports teams that compete for media attention. By my count there are the NFL Buccaneers, NHL Lightning, Major League Baseball Rays, and plenty of college football needing attention from the Gators, Seminoles and University of South Florida Bulls. That's a lot to program and keep track of. John Mamola is the program director of Sports Radio 95.7 WDAE in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, and shared his thoughts on the audience and how he can best disperse the overload of sports in the area.Add to that, many in the audience and in the stands are displaced northerners, (like himself) who come with pre-determined team allegiances that aren't local. In this episode, you'll find out why the NHL Lightning do so much better than that other team in Florida, the Panthers, what his thoughts are on the futures of Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Rays. We also chatted about working within the confines of carrying National radio shows like The Herd with Colin Cowherd and The Dan Patrick Radio Show,John is a great Twitter Follow ... so follow him. There's more about this episode on our show page!Thanks also to the people who make this show possible every week including:PromosuiteMatt Fogarty VoiceoversJustin Dove at Core Image StudiosMegatraxNLogicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 10, 2019 • 31min
180: Laura G: Broadcasting to Gen Z
In this episode Laura discusses the changing face of radio, building a youthful audience, using social media and the importance of being on the ground in your market.Laura was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia where she attended Georgia State. In college she started out in computer science before moving to a degree in journalism. Laura got her start in radio working the graveyard shift at the campus radio station Album88.“It was a really cool thing being someone who got to introduce people to new music. The radio station used to compete with 99x in Atlanta. Album 88 to this day is still known for that. It’s definitely still on the forefront of introducing people to non-traditional artists and genres,” says Laura.Laura remembers her time working the 2-5 a.m. shift fondly. Saying it was as close as she got to working alternative radio. The station and the time slot gave her the freedom to play bands like The Rubens and Lime Cordial. She interned with Adam Bomb. When Adam was working on the on air portion of the show, Laura would attend local events in his place. “I would go out basically interact, take pictures get audio, do stuff for social and kinda, you know, getting an understanding and a taste of street activation for a radio station. It’s important to keep up that face to face interaction and showing people we are more than people that play music. We interact, we attend local events and support community,” says Laura.After graduation and before moving north Laura worked in promotions and as a board op at the Cumulus stations: Rock 100.5, 99x ,and Kicks 101.5 and O.G. 97.9 in Atlanta. Today she in on evenings in Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania. Working at CHR/WBHT which has two transmitters 97.1 Wilkes Barre and 95.7 Scranton (Home of Dunder Mifflin’s top branch).Laura works a time slot that was previously not held by local talent. She says it has been nice to connect with her audience and retrain them to expect a live body in the station on evenings. She notes it is fun to stay involved with all things Gen-Z using Instagram and Facebook live to interact with her audience, but says social media can be very time consuming and that she prefers to schedule it in rather than letting it run her show. Twitter is the platform she uses least and that like it or not, you’re gonna have to use TikTok if you want to capture a youthful audience.Every Tuesday CHR/WBHT does a High School takeover. A bunch of high school students come in and take over programming at the radio station. The station has a pizza party and gets imaging, social and word of mouth out of the deal. “We just hang out get to know them and they really appreciate that,” says Laura. She knows this is helping to build the next generation of listeners and talent."Radio is changing but not going away. It is in changing the way we interact with our listeners that we will keep radio alive." Her message to anyone who dreams of a career in radio: “keep pushing through.”Laura hopes to one day be a program director at an alternative station.Laura and Matt go to the Conclave in Minneapolis every year, along with several others who have been on this podcast. It's an event she calls exciting and inspiring for all things radio. Laura gives a shout out to some of her favorite people that she has met there: (All have appeared on our podcast) Lori Lewis, Jillene Khan, Alyssa from 107.7 The End who was on the podcast.There's more about this episode on our show page!Thanks also to the people who make this show possible every week including:PromosuiteMatt Fogarty VoiceoversJustin Dove at Core Image StudiosMegatraxNLogicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 3, 2019 • 40min
179: Matt Fogarty: Making the Jump
If you want to get pointed in the right direction to break into voice acting listen to this episode. Matt Fogarty is a name you may not be familiar with, but if you listen to the radio in western Canada you have probably heard his voiceFogarty is currently the creative director for Island Radio a group of 6 stations located on Vancouver Island. Fogarty says he loves going to work and the creative interaction that happens at his day job in radio.Beyond radio Fogarty says he spends what feels like every other waking moment doing voice over work. Matt Fogarty made the jump from radio voice work a few years ago. In this episode of Sound Off he discusses what it takes to make it in the voiceover industry. Shares a list of tips for those aspiring to break into voice acting and talks about the importance of developing a close network.“It starts with an idea, then you’ve gotta execute on that idea by having an awesome script, Then you’ve gotta have the talent interpret and understand that script, deliver and perform that script. And then you need an amazing producer to put it all together,” says FogartyFogarty markets heavily to radio stations and much of his work comes from imaging where he works closely with Hoss Management. ( https://hossmgmt.com/) “He’s a brilliant marketer himself,” says Fogarty. He also shows love for Eric Romanowski for demos, and some of his favorite voice coaches Nancy Wolfson, Mary Lynn Wisner and Dave Walsh.Fogarty has worked for big name national brands including Subway and Kleenex. In this episode he also explains that clients are looking for talent that comes off as “real” and “natural”.“You’re an actor there’s no doubt about it. You’re not a radio DJ coming down to voice a mattress blowout sales spot black Friday in between breaks. You are conveying a brand message and that brand has probably spent a whole lot of money figuring out their targeting and their demographics and they want to make sure when they hire somebody they’re gonna be able to deliver on all those brand pillars.” He says this can be as simple as adlibbing once in a while or altering the pace of your speech to avoid sounding sing-songy.At this point in the episode Matt Cundill tries to sell Fogarty a mattress.There's more about this episode on our show page!Thanks also to the people who make this show possible every week including:PromosuiteMatt Fogarty VoiceoversJustin Dove at Core Image StudiosMegatraxNLogicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.