You only need to refer to her by her first name: Dahlia. From 2013 to 2016, she graced the airwaves of 680 CJOB with her unique perspective on life, issues and creating social good. Unlike traditional talk show hosts who approach topics with an aggressive "tear it down" approach. Dahlia would choose a different route that involved empathy, emotion and engagement.
Throughout my years in broadcasting, I have learned to reserve judgement until later before decreeing something as "good" or "bad". As she readily admits, even Dahlia's first few weeks on the air, weren't good. But as the leftover listeners from Charles Adler's old timeslot gravitated to the 9a-Noon timeslot where Charles had recently taken up residence, Dahlia slowly began building an audience through word of mouth and "social good". Audiences that included more 35 plus females than the station was accustomed to.
Only in the final year of the show did I start to have an appreciation for the type of radio she was creating daily, and made a point of listening. In her last two ratings books on CJOB, the station finished #1 for females 35 plus.
And then she was gone...
Last week, the Sound Off Media Company spent the week at the Conclave in Minneapolis learning about radio, and sharing what we know about the podcast space. I was honoured to speak at the event and although we did not get through all the things we had planned, that doesn't mean you cannot reach out anytime to ask questions and talk about radio or podcast with us. You are welcome to book time using our online booking system, or just call the studio. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have about becoming a better broadcaster or podcaster.