Todd Cochrane, a great podcasting pioneer, an advocate for independent podcasters, and one of my good friends died Monday morning, September 8, 2025.
Todd was among the first 50 podcasters—launching Geek News Central on October 4, 2004—and he wrote one of the first books about podcasting, Podcasting: The Do-It-Yourself Guide, published on June 10, 2005—nearly 3 weeks before Apple launched support for podcasts in iTunes, and before I even heard of podcasting.
You may never know how you touch the lives around you. And while I certainly can't tell you of everything Todd has done and given, I would like to share how I knew Todd.
Although I had learned about Todd's company, Blubrry, sometime in 2006 or 2007, I didn't meet Todd until June 2008 at PodCamp Ohio in Columbus, Ohio. Todd was speaking on podcast sponsorships. I remember it well because of his answer to one of my questions back then, and also that when he spoke badly about Google, lightning struck right outside the window!
Todd created the People's Choice Podcast Awards, the first podcasts awards. Todd was also the founder of the Tech Podcasts Network, of which I was a member for many years. In January 2013, I had the opportunity to attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas with Todd Cochrane and a team of other podcasters from Tech Podcasts Network. I was a bit hesitant to go. It overlapped with New Media Expo (NMX), also in Las Vegas, but I wasn't sure both events were worth the trip for me. But Todd very kindly pressured me to commit to attending CES with him. It turned out that he also wanted me to be there live at NMX because Leo Laporte was hosting the Podcast Awards ceremony, and that's when The Audacity to Podcast won its first award! Of course, Todd couldn't reveal that I had won, but he was clever in convincing me to be there so I could have the joy of receiving the award in person from one of my podcasting heroes.
It was at that same conference that Steve Lee and Dave Lee shared the idea of International Podcast Day and asked me to help and be one of the cofounders. And I would not have been there if it wasn't for Todd Cochrane!
Those years of covering CES provided great memories, too! Todd and I partnered up several times. He would run the camera while I interviewed a company I found interesting, and I would run the camera for him when he would interview someone. We would also live-stream coverage throughout the day from our Tech Podcasts Network booth outside the north hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
I remember a funny time during that live coverage that someone brought a water-based eye-massager. I thought it kind of weird. But I wore contacts at that time, so while Todd continued interviewing the representative from the company, I slipped the VR-like headset over my eyes and turned it on. I actually let out of sort of sigh and moan because of the relief on my stressed eyes. Todd burst out laughing saying, “We've never had someone moan live in our coverage!”
At the end of those CES events, Todd would treat the whole team to dinner at Tony Roma's, a restaurant in the Fremont Hotel. That's where many of us had the best cheesecake of our lives!
Todd was always generous like that. When we would hang out in the evenings at podcasting conferences, he would frequently buy everyone's meals or drinks at the table. And the conversations were always so fun as he would tell stories (without compromising national intelligence) from his days in the Navy. We would talk into the late hours about podcasting and how we could help podcasters and make the whole industry better.
Indeed, Todd cared very much about independent podcasters and the podcasting industry. And he was a strong proponent for anyone to be able to speak freely in podcasting. I remember him often saying, “I may not like what you have to say, but I will defend your right to say it!”
In fact, Todd was such a great supporter when I was inducted into the Podcast Hall of Fame. I had recently experienced an attack and defamation campaign, and there were some concerns about my safety and the behavior of the crowd at that Hall 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 might get.
It was also because of Todd that I started listening to No Agenda, with Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak. And listening to that podcast is what helped start my friendship with Adam Curry and how I first learned about Podcasting 2.0 when Adam was just formulating the ideas.
Todd was known for saying, “Get your own .com!” And, ironically, he was actually the original owner of the domain cnnpodcasts.com, and it was in a joking conversation with him that I suggested he call it “The Cochrane News Network” when actual CNN came demanding the domain. He's also been the owner of whatsapodcast.com, for which he recently entrusted me to make the website for it to publicize a podcast definition.
Todd and I spoke many times, especially at podcasting events. He stood up for the podcasting community countless times, even making some enemies along the way because of his advocacy. But he cared more for the podcasters to build their own platforms.
Todd was the one I would frequently think about when I would tell podcasters that they don't need to voice of angels to be successful—and Todd fully owned that he didn't have a “radio voice.”
But in his own podcast, Todd was all about his “ohana,” which is a Hawaiian term for “family.” And he loved his real and podcast family very much. It was while he was visiting family in Washington that a blood clot reached his lungs and the doctors' best efforts were not able to save him.
Sadly, while Todd was always friendly toward Christians (and people of any faith), I do not believe he knew Jesus. But if you reading this want to know more about Jesus, I would be happy to talk with you!
The podcasting industry lost a great pioneer who helped drive many innovations, many standards, and helped countless podcasters to launch and grow—through his more than 2,000 episodes of Geek News Central, New Media Show, and Podcast Insider; through his podcasting companies RawVoice and Blubrry; through Blubrry's involvement in defining the IAB podcast measurement guidelines; through his teaching; through his freely serving the community with PowerPress for WordPress; and through his leadership and advocacy in the podcasting industry.
I will greatly miss my friend Todd Cochrane: all the laughter, his insights, his leadership, and most of all, his friendship.
I am not the best orator. I still destroy the English language. I'm still a nerd. I'm still a techie, and I like giving my perspective. But I think 1 thing that we have to understand is that podcasting is today because of RSFs and no gatekeepers, which has allowed people like you and I to create content without asking anyone's permission and doing it our way.
I just think back to all the moments, and we've shared a lot together over all these years. And and I do say we because you are Ohana. You are our family here. And I am definitely not the best podcaster out there. I'm not a Joe Rogan nor will I ever be.
But what I am is a guy that grew up in the country with humble beginnings, high school education followed by a bachelor's degree late in life on a field that I'm not even working in right now, and 1 that definitely destroys English words on a regular basis. And by god, if I can do it, If I can do this and succeed, anyone can.
—Todd Cochrane, October 9, 2024
See more about Todd's life and memories:
- Blubrry CEO Todd Cochrane has died
- Todd Cochrane's Obituary by James Cridland and Rob Greenlee
- Blubrry Podcasting Mourns the Loss of Founder and CEO Todd Cochrane
- Blubrry Founder Todd Cochrane: In Memoriam
- Todd Cochrane: 20 Years of Podcasting Innovations and Insights
- Remembering Todd Cochrane Podcast Hall of Famer and Blubrry CEO (final episode of The New Media Show)
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