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- I Replaced My Son with AI
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Twice a year I pay out creators on the Sound Off Podcast Network. It always a painstaking process of converting text data to CSV files, then adding them to a spreadsheet and figuring out how much each of the 20 podcasts were getting from the revenue split. My son, Jacob is pretty swift at math and would have the work returned to me in about 6 hours. I would try to do it and it would take me twice that.
Last week I asked AI to do the task and it took 20 seconds.
Later that day I told my son he had been replaced, thanked him for his time and told him to clean up the yard. His other jobs are rather AI proof so he’s good. For the record, I double checked the work done by AI, and it was good.
Did You See this Video making the rounds?
Announcing at events used to be one of my jobs. Matt Cundill Voiceovers had about 5 or 6 events a year where people would hire me to keep events moving with my warm dulcet tones. The cost would range between 275 and 1500 dollars, depending on how much there is to read. If you asked the woman in that video, College President Tiffany Herendez, if she would pay $1500 to make that awkward situation go away… do you think she would? Anyhow – that’s not how you use AI. Also of note - Gen Z hates AI.
What’s my lesson from all this? Last month, we passed a new company policy that says that any position that is replaced by AI, a creative position will be opened. Watch this space for a production or editing job soon.
If you are in radio and curious about some AI Innovation - listen to my episode with Jen Austin from Riply Media who has created an AI Newsroom tool to help journalists… not replace them.
Rob Greenlee on Trust, Video and What's Next In New Media
I summoned Rob Greenlee for some orientation — someone who's been navigating the podcast and new media space for over two decades. We wrestled with a fundamental tension: the medium that democratized content creation is now demanding professional-grade video production, multi-platform distribution strategies, and technical fluency most creators don't have.
Rob broke down how Apple's HLS video integration, YouTube's dominance in podcast discovery, and the slow drip toward proprietary distribution models are all converging at once. Today, his New Media Show is more than podcast. The barrier to entry that was once a few hundred dollars and an internet connection, but today a full service show now requires cameras, high-speed bandwidth, editing teams, and platform-specific content strategies.
But here's what stuck with me: RSS isn't dying — it's just no longer the only game in town. The real shift is that these large platforms don't want you cross-posting anymore. They want native content. They want control. And they're rewarding creators who commit to their ecosystems. Full Episode can be found here.
Congrats Terry Evans and the Reluctantly Podcast
Some podcasts launch with a detailed strategy, a marketing plan, and a three to five-year vision. Reluctantly with Terry Evans wasn’t one of them.
When Terry first started podcasting, “reluctant” wasn’t just a clever title—it was an accurate description. After 4 decades in Edmonton Radio, Terry wasn’t entirely convinced podcasting was for him. But what he did have was curiosity, incredible storytelling instincts, and a lifetime of relationships that audiences genuinely wanted to hear from.
Tuesday, we’re celebrating 100 episodes of The Reluctantly Podcast and a milestone conversation with his daughter, Kate Chernoff.
Kate Chernoff began bartending in Victoria, B.C. after stepping away from a political science degree in 2020, quickly making a name for herself through cocktail competitions and work at acclaimed bars including The Courtney Room and Humboldt. She rose to national prominence by winning World Class Canada Bartender of the Year 2025, represented Canada internationally, and now works at Vancouver’s The Keefer Bar, where she is regarded as one of the country’s top bartenders.
Anthony McNutt on the Sound Off Podcast
Want to know how to make something sound good? Listen to this.
Best Thing I Listened To This Week
I’m on year 9 of telling the Liberal Government of Canada what losers they are at trying to regulate the internet. Last week they finally gave up when they accepted what myself and others had told them: There is no scenario where streaming services like Apple, Spotify and Netflix are going to fund our content eco-system. It was no more plausible than Mexico paying for a wall that Trump wanted built. There was a time when regulation did work on radio. It was called the 90’s. But since Napster - it has been a slow descent into Cancon hell for radio listeners. 99% Invisible did an excellent job discussing the history of Cancon.
I did mention that I have have been losing certain parts of my business…. possibly to AI. The part of the company is definately evolving. If you would like your grad ceremony to go smoothly - give me a call and I’ll even do an AI sounding read that works.
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