Josie Dye: What Radio Needs Now

Tara Sands (Voiceover)  0:02  
The Sound Off Podcast. The show about podcast and broadcast starts now.

Matt Cundill  0:12  
This week I'm back with Josie Dye from 104.5 CHUM in Toronto. Josie recently finished mornings on Indie 88, and moved over to what are probably the most famous radio call letters in Canada. Josie will always have the distinction of being our last interview before the pandemic, and then everything changed, including how we do radio. And since then, much has evolved for Josie, too. I gotta say, I love this woman. She was so awesome to work with when she was at Corus-owned 102.1 The Edge in Toronto, and her energy is infectious. She's exactly what radio needs. Here we go. She's got a new podcast, new radio station, new show. The all new Josie Dye joins me from her studio and set in Toronto. So good to see you again.

Josie Dye  0:59  
Yeah, so nice to see you, too.

Matt Cundill  1:01  
Do you know, you have this sort of epic distinction on the Sound Off Podcast for being the very last interview before the pandemic.

Josie Dye  1:10  
What a weird time that was. It's weird, cuz I actually listened to that interview. I listened back to it, I guess a year ago. And you asked me a question in the interview about like, my worst fear. Do you remember that? You said, what's your worst fear? And I'm like, I don't really fear anything, except for maybe COVID. And then it was like, it all happened the next day. I'm like, Oh, my God.

Matt Cundill  1:36  
And the best part was, I think it was like March 10 or 11. And you got on a plane, you went to Aruba. You took one, maybe two kids? 

Josie Dye  1:45  
Yeah. 

Matt Cundill  1:46  
You got there. And then you got to watch sort of the world collapse online. And this is the kind of thing out of like a scary movie.

Josie Dye  1:55  
Yeah, and especially since I was traveling with a child who was immune compromised. The reason I went was to visit my mom who was there, and I feel safe with my mom when my child's sick. Like it's something that- she's in the medical field. She's- yeah, so I wanted to be near her. But I didn't really think it through, because I didn't really realize I'd be on a- like basically, Aruba's a desert. So be on a desert, where all of a sudden you start thinking, can I get off this island if I want to? So- and then you- you know, you see Justin Trudeau come on television telling everyone to get home. And you think, do you put your child through the chaos of having to get a flight that has to stop over in Chicago and New York on the way back to Toronto? And thank God for my mom who had the foresight to bring n95s with her when nobody even knew what n95s were. Like then, no one knew about a mask. No one knew. And my mom had, like a box of n95s. And we wore those the whole time and got back. And yeah, it was scary. It was definitely scary. 

Matt Cundill  3:00  
How'd the kids do?

Josie Dye  3:02  
They thought it was like an adventure. So you know, I mean, I remember them just going well, can't we stay? Like are we not staying? Can we go to the beach? And yeah, that was one really great thing throughout all of COVID. My son is- has extreme anxiety, like extreme. Like, to the point where he doesn't go to sleep at night, he's scared to shut his eyes, he thinks when he shuts his eyes, he's gonna die. So it's extreme. But for- somehow- somehow we managed to isolate him, or not isolate him, but like, protect him from his fears through COVID. We had a little classroom in the basement for him with other students, because I knew he needed socialization, but at the same time, he needed to be away from other people. So we did a really, really good job. I'm really proud of myself for how I handled COVID with him, because, yeah, there were other children, unfortunately, that have the same syndrome that he has, that didn't survive. So yeah, it was- it was scary.

Matt Cundill  3:59  
And you did something fairly unique as a parent throughout the pandemic, and you got together with a few other parents, formed a cohort, I think it was like groups of four, maybe? 

Josie Dye  4:08  
Yeah. 

Matt Cundill  4:09  
Just to sort of do your best to keep the virus away from you. So how did that all come about? Was that an idea that you got from somewhere else, or that maybe the group of you came up with in order to school your children in and amongst just yourselves?

Josie Dye  4:23  
It was actually my doctor. My doctor, who's one of the head doctors at SickKids. She was the one who was like, I don't know what we're gonna do with Cole, because he needs people. One of his big fears is being around other kids. He gets so- he has so much anxiety, so I couldn't take him away from that system. So she said to me, she's like, have you ever thought of, you know, having a group of kids in your house or in someone's house, and then just a small group and making sure everyone's safe? And it was really- I just asked some teachers, teachers that I knew, I said, does anyone know a teacher that would want to be paid outside of the school system, and- or maybe who's just like in- in school right now, and would want to teach some kids? And we found a teacher whose mom was immune compromised, and had cancer, and was going through treatment. And so then we all made a pack. We found- we basically interviewed families. And it was funny because some families wanted to come in because they didn't like the restrictions of COVID. Right? So you had to really figure out which family was right for your child. And then we ended up having five kids in the basement, and this teacher, and it was the best education they've ever had. It was so good. I wish I could go back to that. But, you know, you also want your kid to go out and live, right? So yeah.

Matt Cundill  5:46  
This will probably be the last time that I asked anybody on this podcast, this question, because I feel like we've- you know, we've already talked about the pandemic, on and on and on and how it sort of affected us. But you deserve to answer this one, and be the last one, because you were the last episode I did before we got to the pandemic. And I kind of felt that, like, our episode we did was a little bit out- it got outdated, super, super fast, like three weeks later. So what was your pandemic experience like when it came to radio? You get home from- from Aruba. Now you got to figure out, how are we going to do a radio show?

Josie Dye  6:23  
Oh, that was the worst. I absolutely hated COVID radio. And I can't imagine anyone, especially if working on a morning show, enjoying that. I mean, there was a time where I guess it was- it was nice to be able to talk to people, like we were some comfort in some people's homes, which I loved. And we had our regulars. But what are you supposed to talk about? Right? Like nobody did anything. That was the hardest part is, my whole show is based around, you know, our lives, living a life. Like as a broadcaster, you need to have a life. If you're not living a life, you can't broadcast on the radio. So that was the hardest part. I hated being by myself, the guys I- my co hosts were in the studio, and I was by myself at the cottage, like trying to isolate my son, or here in the home with the school after, like, the restrictions had lifted a little bit. And yeah, it was lonely. It was lonely radio.

Matt Cundill  7:25  
You did mention the cottage, you must have been consecutive months up there at one point? 

Josie Dye  7:29  
Yeah. So at the very beginning, you know, when it all first started, and there was- all the kids were completely at home, I just went to my parents' cottage, and I stayed there with them. Because I wanted to isolate from my husband who wasn't in Aruba with me. So and he still was running a business. So I didn't want Cole, my son who's immune compromised, anywhere near my husband, so I lived up there. And then when I came back when restrictions lifted a little bit, that's when I started the school in the basement.

Matt Cundill  7:54  
I feel like I need to re-qualify that Joel, your husband, has a record label. 

Josie Dye  7:59  
Yeah. 

Matt Cundill  8:00  
Called Dine Alone Records, lots of bands, you're in radio. Both those industries, heavily, heavily heavily hemorrhaged by a pandemic. I mean, how many conversations did you have together where you look at each other and go, what are we going to do for money?

Josie Dye  8:16  
Joel pivoted. He did a really good job. That's one thing I will say about him. He is so innovative, that guy. Like I wish I could have the business sense that Joel has. He went to merch, everything became merch. He sold everything online. And he had the infrastructure for it before COVID hit. He sold more money during COVID, from merch, than I think he sold in a regular year with bands. So he made his whole office a warehouse. And he just kept ordering, ordering more merch, different designs, cooler designs and promoting it online. And yeah, he's a really clever guy. So he was good.

Matt Cundill  8:54  
How did the radio station do throughout the pandemic? We saw numbers drop, but then we saw a lot of people double down on listening and listen twice as long and throughout the day. Like what was the feel with your audience about what you once had, versus what you wound up with a year or two in?

Josie Dye  9:09  
I think the first year, we were fine. I think we were okay. But then I think it killed us. COVID really hurt Indie. Indie, a local radio station. I mean, you might have heard, it just sold. But I think it just- when it came to even losing personnel, like we lost, I think most of our sales team during COVID. So that was really hard. And yeah, we struggled because a lot- even if you think about the people who listened to Indie, I felt like it was a lot of teachers. You know, you kind of have a vibe of who's always listening, and it was the teachers, the ER workers, the health care workers, and some of them obviously were still working, but a lot- lot weren't, and were really busy and too busy to listen to us. So yeah, it was hard. It was a struggle.

Matt Cundill  9:59  
I know you're forward looking person. But I want you to look back at 2023, where you launched an awesome podcast and you transitioned from Indie to CHUM. That's a busy year. So just rate the year out of 10.

Josie Dye  10:16  
Oh, fuckin' fuck. Sorry. It was a great year, and a lot of other things behind the scenes happened that pushed me to leave Indie. So I think it was- I think it's- it was an 8 and this year is going to be a 10.

Matt Cundill  10:33  
We don't have regular conversations about that. But you know, you just mentioned there were things behind the scenes that led me to make the decision to leave. Pandemic- again, I'll touch on it, but there's wear and tear in there. There's- there's revenue loss for the owners, and they're wonderful people. There's wear and tear on trying to get back in the studio and regain your footing and stuff like that. Did that help contribute to your departure? Was there more?

Josie Dye  10:57  
No, nothing like that. No, I love Indie. I love Indie. I love the people at Indie. I love my co-hosts at Indie. I love the vibe of Indie. I mean, I am somebody who is always looking to move forward. And I knew there was a ceiling. So what are you supposed to do, right? Like I- that- that was my only reason I left. That was like, the only reason, that what I meant by other contributing factors is, a lot happened in Canadian media, a lot of shifts. I got a call to audition for Breakfast Television. And it went amazing. And it was fun. And Meredith got it as well. And her and I felt like kind of had a- it was something different, it was something just so completely out of what I was doing before. And I got- it gave me a whole bunch of confidence. Like hey, Josie, what do you doing, you're- you did television, for how many years did I do TV Corus, I did TV for almost 15 years. And I- it was always in my plan. My plan was always to go to Indie, but to do TV as well. And I think the biggest problem was that nobody wanted to take the independent radio girl in this- in their big company and put them on television. So that was a huge part of it. Cynthia and I and our podcast has taken off. And I mean, I'm sure because of her name. You know, she's got a huge name in media, people love her. But I think the two of us together have a great chemistry. And I was always worried I wouldn't have the same kind of chemistry that I had with Carlin and Brent, or Carlin and Matt within- with anyone else, like you- you worry about that. Because I feel like we had something special, right? And I still love them. I love them dearly. But when I was able to recreate it with Cynthia, I was like, I can do this other places, Josie, you gotta do more. So that's what kind of pushed me to make this move.

Matt Cundill  12:49  
And for a lot of people who don't know this, the amount of prep that went into putting that podcast together, goes all the way back, at least I know, to- well, well before 2022, because you and I sort of talked a little bit about it. But then I saw you June 2022, and you're like, yeah, good to move forward with this. I think I've got the idea. I think we're talking, I think it's gonna go this way. But still, you're still six months, I believe, out of launching the show, or at least a number of months before it before you actually put it out there in the ether. So tell me about what you were thinking in that process of, I'm going to do a podcast, I'm just going to wait for the right moment.

Josie Dye  13:29  
Well, so during that school time I told you about, where it was like four parents in the basement, Cynthia was one of them. So Cynthia and I had a lot of time just to hang out, and to try to figure out what we wanted to do. We wanted to create something. But we didn't know what. We started with video, where we thought, okay, we'll make it into a television series, then we thought maybe we would make it into like a blog or a website. And then we pivoted to an app, which we were really excited about. And then we- the whole time were like, but we don't want to do a podcast, but we don't want to do a podcast. Of course, we ended up doing a podcast. We knew how challenging podcasts were, how grueling they are, how time consuming they are. And we didn't have any of that, we didn't have that desire. But then when you do it, and you realize that there are- there's an audience out there, and you really feel like it's your best work, and that it's exciting and interesting, then you end up sticking with it. And that's what we're doing. So we're doing the podcast.

Matt Cundill  14:37  
Did you not want to do a podcast because of the stigma that comes from everybody just doing a podcast, and because there are, by the way, so many bad podcasts out there, and it became very cliche, and everyone's got a yoga membership, or is- if you don't have a yoga membership, you've got a- you know, you're a yoga instructor. Where everybody sort of has one and you wanted to do something just a little bit different, but- yet the most successful content creators always find find a way to have a successful podcast.

Josie Dye  15:02  
Yeah. And that's the thing, right? It's like, you always hear about people who get fired from radio, and then they start a podcast. And I was like, I don't know, I don't want to do a podcast. But I think if you can do it well, and it's interesting, like yours, then there's something there. And we're doing- our numbers are great. We have such loyal, loyal fans that listen to every single episode. And, yeah, I'm really excited.

Matt Cundill  15:28  
It took you just a few months to get to a quarter million downloads. It took me seven years to get to a quarter million downloads.

Josie Dye  15:38  
Well, I'm telling you, I think Cynthia's name has a lot to do with that. I'm going on Cynthia's name. That's what I'm going on. But yeah no, we- we've done really well. And we've just been really open and have talked about our journeys. And Cynthia just went through, like, a burnout period in her life, where she was just had- she was taking on too much, including the podcast, and we uncovered that on the podcast. And yeah, I think that's like, our biggest thing, is we've been- we thought we were going to be extremely open on day one. And I think we still are, but not as extremely as we thought at the beginning. But yeah, we just share our lives.

Matt Cundill  16:21  
You talked about cheating on your boyfriend. That's pretty open.

Josie Dye  16:25  
Yeah, that's- Yeah. Yeah, that's pretty open, yeah.

Matt Cundill  16:27  
She's talking about rolling over onto her side and exposing hemorrhoids. That's pretty open. 

Josie Dye  16:33  
Yeah, we talk about everything. 

Matt Cundill  16:35  
There are sexcapades involved. You're not a keen fan of sex positions and going by the book, you just like to let it happen. I think this is a pretty open podcast, Josie.

Josie Dye  16:46  
I think so too, now that you give me- Yeah, now that you're actually talking back about all of our topics. Yeah. You're right. It's a pretty open podcast.

Matt Cundill  16:55  
This subject matter is why you have a quarter million downloads in a few months, and the subject of broadcast takes seven years to get to the same level. 

Okay, maybe. 

You're not afraid of controversy. This week, you've got Jann Arden on. 

Josie Dye  17:08  
Yes, Jann's on talking about how everyone shouldn't drink. No drinkers. She's great. She's- She's- this is her second time on, the first episode she came on, it was titled, did Jann Arden sleep with Cynthia Loyst? And we we got to the bottom of that. And this time she's just talking about- I don't want to say just, she's talking about a real serious topic, and talking about alcohol and her relationship with alcohol. So yeah, check it out if you get a chance.

Matt Cundill  17:36  
One of the things you're worried about when you're coming up with this idea for the podcast, is am I going to get along with Cynthia and are we going to have- is it going to click and is it going to work? Okay, it works. Now I'm going to put the Ross Winters, program director hat on here, and talk about role definition. So usually when personalities get together to do- to do a show, I'm going to be this and this is really what I'm about, you're gonna be this and this is what you're about. Give me a little sneak peek into the difference between the two of you when it comes to role definition on the podcast, or is there any at all?

Josie Dye  18:10  
There is, there's definitely a definition which we never really spoke about. It was just so natural. I think that Cynthia's a host. She's a great host. She's a way better host than I am, even though that was my job on air. And I think I'm more of the reactor. She has a beautiful laugh. So she really- you know, you always want someone to have a beautiful laugh. And she has a beautiful laugh. And yeah, she keeps the fun going, and I love to always have fun. So yeah, it's a complete role reversal from me at Indie, when I was the host, and like the guys were like the comic relief.

Tara Sands (Voiceover)  18:48  
Yranscription of the Sound Off Podcast is powered by the You May Also Like podcast, the show about people, places and things. Follow the show on your favorite podcast app, or at YouMayAlsoLike.net. The Sound Off Podcast supports podcasting 2.0. So feel free to send us a boost if you're listening on a newer podcast app. If you don't have a newer podcast app, you can get one at NewPodcastApps.com.

Matt Cundill  19:16  
You took the summer off, did that have a lot to do with Cynthia's need to take a step back? Or did you guys just like summers off?

Josie Dye  19:23  
We just like summers off. We wanted summers off. We work hard. We both work really hard. And then actually, it's funny, because we took the summers off from, like, actually putting episodes out. But we managed to have more downloads in the summer, because we kept our social media going strong, like really strong. In fact, our social media in this summer was way better than our social media in the winter. So I think it worked. We got to focus on social media. Every day we were together because she was at my cottage or her kid was over, and we were doing videos, and we were outside, and we loved doing that. So we're going to do that again this year. Oh, that's quite

Matt Cundill  20:01  
Oh that's quite eye opening to- you know, to hear that. Because I think the subject matter, again, sort of lends itself to summer. It's summer, I want to be free-er, I want to listen to stories, I want to escape into your lives. I don't know anybody who wants to, you know, take the Sound Off Podcast to go listen to a business conversation about radio consulting on their August long weekend at the lake. Like that's just- that's not going to happen. But it's so nice to know that you don't need to produce new episodes in the summer. But I will preface, because I heard this on one of your recent episodes, is that you didn't stop recording. You would leave messages, you would bank some audio. So you were preparing for the move to CHUM. But you banked some audio about your feelings in the moment, about what it's going to be like to make that move. And then when- then you release the audio at the front end of an episode. And I can still feel that- you know, there was still that authenticity. This is recorded on July 12. If you're listening to this, now I've made the move. And now I'm letting you know that it's public.

Josie Dye  21:00  
Yeah, we did a lot of that, we do a lot of that. Whenever we feel like we have something we want to talk about in the moment, I'll just say let's go to the basement and record it. So we'll record it. And then it's banked. And then we love to just be completely honest and open with anyone who's listening and say, listen, this was recorded on August 20, or this part of the episode was recorded on this day, because it happened to us on this day. And then here's how we feel about it. So we do that a lot. I always feel like it's better just to be in the moment, and to be genuine when stuff's going on with you. When- when Cynthia was crying nonstop. And she was like, I can't do a podcast. I'm- I've got so many emotions. I said I get it. But let's just talk. We don't have to put this out. But let's just record what you're feeling now. And we'll come back to it in two months. And you can look at- listen to it, and tell me how you feel. So we did. And then we came back to it, and she was like, Oh, I think it's good to put the messy out there. So people see what it was actually like in that moment. At the time, she couldn't clearly think, so I didn't want her to put it out. But looking back at it, we have that and she thought, you know, this is good that people are able to hear and see what I actually went through. So yeah.

Matt Cundill  22:07  
Who's going through all this audio? Who's banking this audio? Who's carrying around the recorders to do this all the time?

Josie Dye  22:13  
That's called Josie. Hi, it's just the two of us. We have nobody else. We have absolutely nobody. It's just the two of us. We've split up our roles. I do all the editing, I do all the audio. And I do all the social media. And Cynthia does all the writing. She does all the booking of the guests, she does all the- if there's any interview, she does- like we do a lot of like print, she'll write all of that stuff. I will transcribe the audio, and she'll go through it and highlight edits, and then I'll just edit it from that. So yeah, we both work really hard, and I think we're a good team. We both love it.

Matt Cundill  22:50  
So it's a team of two. 

Josie Dye  22:52  
It's a team of two. 

Matt Cundill  22:53  
That's incredible, and the video that goes along with it. So you dabbled with video to start. And now everyone in podcasting is like video strategy, video strategy, video strategy, on and on and on. How does the video intertwine with what we listen to on Apple Podcasts?

Josie Dye  23:08  
So we still record everything. You see, as my nice background, we still record all of our stuff. And we don't put up the whole episode. We just feel like, what's the point? We don't put up- but we do, you know, take clips out and put it online. And then we do other video, like so we do video that has absolutely nothing to do with a podcast, or maybe it does, but it's something completely different. And then we'll either put that on our website, we haven't done that lately, but mostly just goes on social media.

Matt Cundill  23:36  
And that's really the template now for podcasts, is to just put out a clip of what you're talking about. It could be two minutes, it could be three minutes. It could be- it could be short, it could be five minutes, but most people will watch it and go, yeah, I'd totally listen to that show. And they'll never download the episode. But they feel like they're always in contact with the show by just watching the clips.

Josie Dye  23:56  
Absolutely. You can tell, too. When someone's like, oh, yeah, when you talked about this, I'm like, oh, that's the one clip we put up online. Yes, of course, which is fine. I don't even care as long as our name is out there. And I think eventually, people who know us are going to come to us for certain episodes. And that's what has- what has happened lately. You know, we'll have the one where Cynthia just came back after burnout. We had 14,000 downloads in one day. And it's like, okay, there's, you know, people want that. They're not going to come back for the next one. But that's okay, because there's something for everybody.

Matt Cundill  24:29  
So there's a myth that I've perpetuated to many of my clients, I've just said, no breaks, never take a break. You're not allowed to take a break. You should always be putting stuff out there. And I guess a lot of people can't afford to take breaks, but just I think with the content that you have, you can come back after a certain period of time off, but I also think it helps if you don't really go away. We see you in other forms of social media. You've got a radio show. You'll make appearances on- on the social. So yes, you can take a break from your podcast, but you should be still visible in other aspects.

Josie Dye  25:02  
Yeah. And I think that our social media has really helped, I think just by- on our own accounts, and then we have our Cynthia and Josie's account, that has really helped. And we've also put out episodes. So if we started last year in February, we put out an episode in the middle of summer as well, like one of our old ones. And we're going to start doing that, we're going to start recreating, like, some of our old episodes, and maybe have a different beginning, and then just repurpose it.

Matt Cundill  25:31  
What is something you've learned from podcasts that has surprised you?

Josie Dye  25:35  
I think I've learned a lot about myself. I actually think that I was always really insecure about my abilities. And I always thought I was like, the token girl on like, the rock radio- radio, and I have a nice voice, right? You know, when it's like you're pigeon holed into a girl who has a nice voice, and you're like, oh, yeah, she's the girl with a nice voice. But I think it took me to do the podcast to really realize that I have talent. And it's so weird to say, because it's like you- you're bragging about yourself. But it's true. Like it took me to be able to actually let people either laugh or cry, and some of the messages that we've had, because you talked a lot about, like, the sex stuff. But we also have had, you know, I've talked to- did a whole episode about Cole. I've done a whole episode about my stalker that I can't shake. And there's just been so many really great episodes that people have connected with. So I've learned that I have a talent as a storyteller. And it's also- I think, other than the fact that it's grueling, it's a lot of work, I think it's nice to be able to know that you have a partner, who is a friend, who you truly want to succeed. I think we're lying to ourselves if we think that we always want our friends to do really well. Sometimes in the back of our heads, we're kind of jealous. And we think, oh, I want them to do well, but not as well as me. Whereas when you're with somebody who you have a business with, because this podcast is a business, I want her to kill it. I want her to be the biggest star. And selfishly, yes, because it helps me, but also because I'm proud of us. I'm proud of her talent, I'm proud of my talent. It's like a really nice feeling to really want your partner to do really well in life. So I don't know, that's kind of what I learned.

Matt Cundill  27:30  
I was gonna ask sorta like, how is podcast different than radio, but you've just brought so many of your radio skills into creating this- this podcast. What are the differences other than just one's real time and the other one's on demand?

Josie Dye  27:42  
I don't think there's very many differences at all. I mean, I think that radio at least in- I mean, what I'm doing now is very different than a morning show. So it's hard to like, you know, change my mind, but- but it's still about telling a story. It's about teasing the story. It's about somehow connecting with some sort of emotion. And it's about being vulnerable. And that's our whole industry. Our industry is like, it's about you, when someone criticizes you, the reason why it's so hard to take, it's because it's either you're telling a story about yourself, or you're telling- you're talking, but you- it's you, it's you as a person, and that's why it's like- it's- and it's the same with a podcast, you know, if someone's like, oh, I hated that episode. They didn't actually hate the topic. They hate the way you portrayed it, or the way you told the story. So, yeah, I think they're very similar. 

Matt Cundill  28:39  
I'm sure you're a very smart negotiator when it comes to making a job change. For instance, I am not. I would look at- I'm doing mornings. And now I get the opportunity to do three to six every day on another radio station. Where do I sign? And I don't care what I get paid, because the hours would be so much better.

Josie Dye  28:56  
Oh, no, come on. No.

Matt Cundill  28:59  
But that's such a big transition for you and your family. Because you've done mornings for so long. Now you're going to the afternoon. So what's the adjustment been like for the whole fam?

Josie Dye  29:08  
It's different. What time is it? It's 9:30 in the morning, so yesterday, I was at work at 10am. And everyone was like, why are you here at 10am? And I'm like, I don't know why. I don't know what to do. I have to go to work. So I've been- I'm only on week three. So I still have to figure out the hours. I haven't adjusted to the hours yet. I did go out last night. It's been a long time since I've gone out on a Tuesday night. I went out on Tuesday night. 

Matt Cundill  29:37  
Where'd you go? 

Josie Dye  29:38  
I went to dinner in Leslieville here with a few radio friends, which was fun, but it's an adjustment. I'm a morning girl. My eyes open at four. Opening your eyes at seven is harder than opening your eyes at four. That's what I think. I will always think that. Seven it's like, I could sleep, why- this- it was so hard to get up at seven right now. But I think there'll be some beautiful things that come out of this time shift, having breakfast with my kids in the morning, not doing homework with them after school, just gonna be some great things. So I just have to keep going.

Matt Cundill  30:12  
The thing I love about afternoons and three to six, is that you get the lion's share of the show prep. I mean, you've got three hours to fill. And you've got- you've had a whole day where the tone has been set. And all the news items of the day are in front of you, you just get the lion's share of what to talk about in this short period. And I'm sure there's- I mean, it's a lot easier than doing it at three or four in the morning.

Josie Dye  30:36  
I don't know about that. So my only criticism with that would be, then you talk about the exact same thing everyone else talks about. Right? So I think the best content is the content that naturally happens to you, which could happen to you if you have the entire day off, after a morning show, where you're, you know, going to a mall and something happens or- or walking down the street. Whereas when you have your shift in the evening, you're kind of always preparing, always preparing, sometimes preparing too much. And it- like this is- listen, this is just me, I haven't figured it out yet. I'm getting there. I'm getting there. And maybe you're right, I'm getting there. I'll figure it out.

Matt Cundill  31:19  
I think that was- it was kind of my point, is like, you can talk about, you know, what you saw at lunch or something, like a real life moment. It's still live two hours later, and you can refine it and away you go. I mean, you get the lion's share of real life things that happen. I certainly don't want to get into the- you know, the very short news cycle that we're all in. Because stuff just comes and goes, but you are living a life.

Josie Dye  31:41  
It'll be different. And I'm going to love it. And I'm going to enjoy it. And it's just an adjustment.

Matt Cundill  31:47  
Well, I can tell you're enjoying it. I mean, the picture you posted yesterday, has his beaming smile. And you look so happy in this space. And the only thing that's different are the colors, you know, where you're doing it from, and the music. So- so let's talk about the pop radio thing, because so, so many years of Foo Fighters, and now it's different.

Josie Dye  32:10  
Could you- if you could look at my DMs right now, if you could look at my DMs, you would be like, oh, fuck. I have a lot of angry rock people who are like, what did you do to me? Josie, you're a sellout. Josie, why would you do this? Why would you leave? You know, because they think for some reason that I'm only allowed to stay in alternative music. And that's it. I can't leave. But yeah, it's- listen, I'm a music lover. And I am so happy to be still in music. And I'm happy that I'm doing something different, because it's actually made me love alternative a little bit more. When you work in alternative every day, you don't want to go home and listen to the new Black Keys album. It's like the last thing you want to do. I was listening to Katy Perry when I was coming home. I was listening to- you know, I would put Taylor Swift on for my kids. And then we were all dancing. Now I have- oh, I want that new Black Keys album, someone give it to me. So I think that's just the way it's going to be in life. It's going to be- for me, especially as someone who is a music lover, my husband owns record label. Most people think it's alternative. He works with P!NK! People forget that. He works with P!NK. So I don't think it's ever been genre based for me.

Matt Cundill  33:26  
What's the secret to a good marriage?

Josie Dye  33:29  
I don't know. 

Matt Cundill  33:30  
Okay, great. 

Josie Dye  33:31  
Don't ask me. Why are you asking me? Joel probably can hear me right now. He's like in the other room. No, we're good friends. We're great friends. We're both really, really passionate about our jobs and our work and we love our kids. And yeah, it's working. So knock on fucking wood right now. Find it.

Matt Cundill  33:50  
I mentioned that because you post up some of the things that go on in his life as well. There's going to be an event taking place at Montebello Park. That's important to him, and I go, there's support going on there. There's- there's a lot of sharing that goes on, and you don't have to share everything on air or online about your marriage. So as somebody who went 0 for 1 on it, I thought it as somebody who's 1 for 1.

Josie Dye  34:13  
Are you still doing it? No. I'm- I mean, like, yeah, he works hard. I have a lot of respect for all the stuff that he does. And it's funny, he said to me after I shared like his little- cause they just announced the concert. The first thing he said is, thanks. That was really sweet. You made me look a little desperate, Jos. You know what's gonna sell out, right? And I was like, oh, I didn't know that. I wouldn't have asked everyone to share it. Because like it's beautiful what he does, he's an independent- in this case, promoter. Because this is his show. He has done everything. He has looked at, you know, who's coming to pick up the garbage. He's looked at the food trucks, like he takes care of this show, and he does a really good job, so.

Matt Cundill  34:53  
yeah, and we're gonna give away tickets to that show right now. Caller 9 will receive four VIP tickets to the show. So give us a call. We'll take care of that. Thanks.

Josie Dye  35:02  
Podcasts could do that. I still don't know why they don't. We could figure out a way to do that.

Matt Cundill  35:07  
I'm thinking about how that can be done, yeah.

Josie Dye  35:09  
I could get you the tickets. If you want to do it right now, I could get you the tickets.

Matt Cundill  35:13  
How cool is it, by the way, it was- or maybe it wasn't cool. But Edge, you know, our former company, Corus, giving you the shout out on social media when you made the jump?

Josie Dye  35:22  
They do? What? I didn't see that.

Matt Cundill  35:25  
Oh, God. Gonna make me go look for this? They did. 

Josie Dye  35:31  
Shit, who did it? 

Matt Cundill  35:32  
Somebody at Edge in the social media department, I guess.

Josie Dye  35:35  
What did they say? Oh, good. She's gone.

Matt Cundill  35:38  
And that's what I was thinking. They can't wait to get her off our number one cross tuning radio station. Goodbye and good luck.

Josie Dye  35:46  
Tucker is a good friend of mine. And I talk to him all the time. And my- right, like I- so many of them, right? Because it's such a small industry. We know everyone. And yeah, he was like, everyone's happy you're going. And I'm like, thanks. Thanks, Tucker. No, in a nice way. But I didn't know that, that they gave me a little shout out. That's really sweet.

Matt Cundill  36:03  
Gotta be Tucker and Maura. 

Josie Dye  36:05  
It has to be, probably it was them. Yeah. 

Matt Cundill  36:07  
That would be in their wheelhouse.

Josie Dye  36:08  
Yeah, yeah, for sure. But yeah, no, I mean, like that's the thing. Looking back in my career, I have loved every station I've been at, like CFNY, people are still- that's all they talk about is, you know, oh, you were there in the heyday, which everyone thinks it's the heyday when it's their time as a kid listening to that station. And then what I got out of Indie, both of those stations today, without fail, I would go back to if the situation was right. You know what I mean? Like if it was right for my career. I love both of those stations with everything that I have. Like I put a lot into them, I worked hard at them. And I think Indie will be great with the new owner and I'm excited for them.

Matt Cundill  36:47  
Is it like going to the All Star Game of radio when you go to work every day? Because you walk down the hall, there's there's Ashley. There's Lisa. Oh, Karen Steele. Sam East. It's an all star lineup, like at every turn.

Josie Dye  37:01  
Yeah. Darren Jones is there now. I love Darren, Darren and I have worked together so many times. So every day he kind of like comes in this little room that I'm in, and we just chat. I'm like Darren! It's so great that you're there. Oh my god, everyone is great at CHUM. And yeah, they've all been around for so long. And they've got so much experience and, you know, even working with like, all the managers, there's so many of them. And they're so skilled. So it's really nice that I have that, and it's- it feels good.

Matt Cundill  37:30  
If I were to throw you on the social today or any other day, how much busier does that make your day? Because I often think about oh, there's Josie, okay, how busy is she today?

Josie Dye  37:42  
I mean, I'm the girl who was there yesterday at 10am, so... Looking for something to do. Like, oh, you take everything you do on the social, and you put it on your radio show. So as long as someone can do your hair and makeup and you've got a dress available, I'm ready.

Matt Cundill  37:57  
Thanks for doing this at this early hour of the morning. I really appreciate it.

Josie Dye  38:00  
Thank you for having me.

Matt Cundill  38:02  
It's not like we once did this when it was 2020 and there was no video involved. But-

Josie Dye  38:07  
Oh, yeah.

Matt Cundill  38:08  
Video what it is now, I guess we have to have a video component, and even if people just want to watch us talk, I think it's gonna be great.

Josie Dye  38:14  
You can look at my background. There we go. 

Matt Cundill  38:18  
Thanks, Josie. 

Josie Dye  38:19  
Thanks, Matt.

Tara Sands (Voiceover)  38:20  
The Sound Off Podcast is written and hosted by Matt Cundill. Produced by Evan Surminski. Edited by Chloe Emond-Lane. Social media by Aidan Glassey. Another great creation from the Soundoff Media Company. There's always more at Soundoffpodcast.com.