Todd Cochrane, an ideal podcasting pioneer, an advocate for impartial podcasters, and one in every of my good pals died Monday morning, September 8, 2025.
Todd was among the many first 50 podcasters—launching Geek Information Central on October 4, 2004—and he wrote one of many first books about podcasting, Podcasting: The Do-It-Your self Information, revealed on June 10, 2005—almost 3 weeks earlier than Apple launched help for podcasts in iTunes, and earlier than I even heard of podcasting.
You could by no means know the way you contact the lives round you. And whereas I definitely cannot inform you of every part Todd has carried out and given, I want to share how I knew Todd.
Though I had discovered about Todd’s firm, Blubrry, someday in 2006 or 2007, I did not meet Todd till June 2008 at PodCamp Ohio in Columbus, Ohio. Todd was talking on podcast sponsorships. I keep in mind it effectively due to his reply to one in every of my questions again then, and likewise that when he spoke badly about Google, lightning struck proper outdoors the window!
Todd created the Individuals’s Alternative Podcast Awards, the first podcasts awards. Todd was additionally the founding father of the Tech Podcasts Community, of which I used to be a member for a few years. In January 2013, I had the chance to attend the Shopper Electronics Present (CES) in Las Vegas with Todd Cochrane and a crew of different podcasters from Tech Podcasts Community. I used to be a bit hesitant to go. It overlapped with New Media Expo (NMX), additionally in Las Vegas, however I wasn’t positive each occasions have been well worth the journey for me. However Todd very kindly pressured me to decide to attending CES with him. It turned out that he additionally needed me to be there dwell at NMX as a result of Leo Laporte was internet hosting the Podcast Awards ceremony, and that is when The Audacity to Podcast gained its first award! After all, Todd could not reveal that I had gained, however he was intelligent in convincing me to be there so I may have the enjoyment of receiving the award in particular person from one in every of my podcasting heroes.
It was at that very same convention that Steve Lee and Dave Lee shared the concept of Worldwide Podcast Day and requested me to assist and be one of many cofounders. And I’d not have been there if it wasn’t for Todd Cochrane!
These years of masking CES supplied nice reminiscences, too! Todd and I partnered up a number of instances. He would run the digicam whereas I interviewed an organization I discovered attention-grabbing, and I’d run the digicam for him when he would interview somebody. We might additionally live-stream protection all through the day from our Tech Podcasts Community sales space outdoors the north corridor of the Las Vegas Conference Heart.
I keep in mind a humorous time throughout that dwell protection that somebody introduced a water-based eye-massager. I believed it sort of bizarre. However I wore contacts at the moment, so whereas Todd continued interviewing the consultant from the corporate, I slipped the VR-like headset over my eyes and turned it on. I really let loose of form of sigh and moan due to the aid on my burdened eyes. Todd burst out laughing saying, “We have by no means had somebody moan dwell in our protection!”
On the finish of these CES occasions, Todd would deal with the entire crew to dinner at Tony Roma’s, a restaurant within the Fremont Lodge. That is the place many people had the perfect cheesecake of our lives!
Todd was all the time beneficiant like that. After we would hand around in the evenings at podcasting conferences, he would regularly purchase everybody’s meals or drinks on the desk. And the conversations have been all the time so enjoyable as he would inform tales (with out compromising nationwide intelligence) from his days within the Navy. We might discuss into the late hours about podcasting and the way we may assist podcasters and make the entire trade higher.
Certainly, Todd cared very a lot about impartial podcasters and the podcasting trade. And he was a robust proponent for anybody to have the ability to converse freely in podcasting. I keep in mind him usually saying, “I could not like what you must say, however I’ll defend your proper to say it!”
In actual fact, Todd was such an ideal supporter after I was inducted into the Podcast Corridor of Fame. I had lately skilled an assault and defamation marketing campaign, and there have been some considerations about my security and the habits of the group at that Corridor of Fame ceremony. Todd was very direct with me, telling me that I deserved to be there, and that he would personally escort out any hecklers that I would get.
It was additionally due to Todd that I began listening to No Agenda, with Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak. And listening to that podcast is what helped begin my friendship with Adam Curry and the way I first discovered about Podcasting 2.0 when Adam was simply formulating the concepts.
Todd was identified for saying, “Get your individual .com!” And, sarcastically, he was really the unique proprietor of the area cnnpodcasts.com, and it was in a joking dialog with him that I advised he name it “The Cochrane Information Community” when precise CNN got here demanding the area. He is additionally been the proprietor of whatsapodcast.com, for which he lately entrusted me to make the web site for it to publicize a podcast definition.
Todd and I spoke many instances, particularly at podcasting occasions. He stood up for the podcasting group numerous instances, even making some enemies alongside the best way due to his advocacy. However he cared extra for the podcasters to construct their very own platforms.
Todd was the one I’d regularly take into consideration after I would inform podcasters that they need not voice of angels to achieve success—and Todd absolutely owned that he did not have a “radio voice.”
However in his personal podcast, Todd was all about his “ohana,” which is a Hawaiian time period for “household.” And he liked his actual and podcast household very a lot. It was whereas he was visiting household in Washington {that a} blood clot reached his lungs and the medical doctors’ greatest efforts weren’t capable of save him.
Sadly, whereas Todd was all the time pleasant towards Christians (and folks of any religion), I don’t imagine he knew Jesus. However in the event you studying this need to know extra about Jesus, I’d be joyful to speak with you!
The podcasting trade misplaced an ideal pioneer who helped drive many inventions, many requirements, and helped numerous podcasters to launch and develop—by his greater than 2,000 episodes of Geek Information Central, New Media Present, and Podcast Insider; by his podcasting corporations RawVoice and Blubrry; by Blubrry’s involvement in defining the IAB podcast measurement tips; by his instructing; by his freely serving the group with PowerPress for WordPress; and thru his management and advocacy within the podcasting trade.
I’ll drastically miss my good friend Todd Cochrane: all of the laughter, his insights, his management, and most of all, his friendship.
I’m not the perfect orator. I nonetheless destroy the English language. I am nonetheless a nerd. I am nonetheless a techie, and I like giving my perspective. However I believe 1 factor that we’ve to know is that podcasting is right now due to RSFs and no gatekeepers, which has allowed folks such as you and I to create content material with out asking anybody’s permission and doing it our method.
I simply suppose again to all of the moments, and we have shared so much collectively over all these years. And and I do say we since you are Ohana. You might be our household right here. And I’m positively not the perfect podcaster on the market. I am not a Joe Rogan nor will I ever be.
However what I’m is a man that grew up within the nation with humble beginnings, highschool schooling adopted by a bachelor’s diploma late in life on a area that I am not even working in proper now, and 1 that positively destroys English phrases regularly. And by god, if I can do it, If I can do that and succeed, anybody can.
—Todd Cochrane, October 9, 2024
See extra about Todd’s life and reminiscences:
