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Meet the Podcaster: Carl Anthony, Managing Editor of Automoblog & Host and Producer of the AutoVision News Radio Podcast

I am the managing editor of Automoblog and the host and producer of the AutoVision News Radio podcast. I’m also the host of AutoSens and InCabin Insights, an interview series that coincides with our yearly AutoSens and InCabin conferences in Europe, China, and the United States.

Can you tell us a little about your podcast? (Who your audience is, What types of guests do you seek, What’s the typical podcast length, What types of topics are you most interested in? How often do you drop podcasts? etc.)

Admittedly, I’m not great at elevator pitches around my work, which is further complicated by the fact I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up, but here is the official description:

AutoVision News Radio centers on future vehicle technology, including next-generation ADAS innovations, electrification, and software-defined cars. As we stand in the middle of what will be deemed one of the most significant eras in automotive, Carl amplifies the minds and voices behind this historic transformation while coming to terms with middle age, father loss, and what it means to be successful in Detroit.

In terms of the audience, I would say it’s essentially those who work in the automotive industry and have a vested interest in any topic that can live under the more extensive “future mobility” umbrella.

Regarding guests, I’ve been fortunate enough to share the digital airwaves with many talented and knowledgeable individuals. Some are experts on banner topics like electrification, software-defined cars, or ADAS. Others have shared how to launch successful DEI programs in automotive retail or interpret studies that have revealed specific traffic data points and how such findings can be leveraged to create safer roadways. I’ve also shared the digital airwaves with an automotive historian and a world-renowned expert on proper car detailing techniques.

It’s also vital that AutoVision News Radio serves as a platform to amplify the work women are doing in the automotive industry. I’m a member of the Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation, and AutoVision News Radio continues to be ingrained in that organization. If there is one thing I hope my podcast archives, it is to be a force for women in automotive. 

Who have been some of your better-known podcast guests?

This one is difficult to answer because they are all well-known and respected, either by the industry as a whole or by me personally. I’ve seen “podcast advice” articles talk about landing the so-called big names and influencers or whatever, and while I’m sure that works for some, it’s not my focus. As host of AutoVision News Radio, I’m grateful when someone takes the time to sit with me. I care about how knowledgeable and passionate they are, not necessarily how popular they are.

Describe the craziest or most fun podcast you have worked on.

During CAR MBS 2024 in Traverse City, Jan Griffiths and I co-hosted an episode where we invited industry experts into the media room at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa for interviews. If memory serves me correctly, we did 10 interviews over two days, including three students from Wayne State as part of the Students@MBS program. We managed to piece everything together in post-production in record time, releasing the complete episode on the morning of the event’s final day!

Mark Garrison, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for CAR, posted a banner graphic up on the screen that morning with a QR code for the episode. Jan and I looked at each other, gave each other a high-five at the table, and then kind of laughed. I think we were exhausted, but we had made it through all the prep before the event, the interviews, and all the post-production. Seeing Mark post it on the screen during the opening remarks felt good.  

Jan is someone I look up to and respect, so having the opportunity to co-podcast with her was really something special. 

What podcast episode are you most proud of and why?

I’m proud of our AutoVision News Radio LIVE series that streams during our AutoSens and InCabin events. As part of this series, I talk one-on-one with the top thought leaders in ADAS, with each interview broadcast live on the AutoVision News Radio LinkedIn page during the conferences.  

There is a ton of backend work and coordination that goes into setting this up, which my wife (Danielle) and my brother (Alex) help me with.

When you see us on site and in action, Danielle is snapping photos of the interviews while Alex runs the camera, audio, and computer. By this point, we have it down to a science, but we are amazed at the growth of the series. When we started doing these live interviews at AutoSens a couple of years ago, we had seven or eight interviews over two days. This last May (2024), for our Detroit event, we had about 20.

What elements or characteristics do you look for in a podcast guest?

I appreciate guests who take their experience and put all of their energy, heart, and soul into something they care about in the automotive industry. When you ask them about said topic, their eyes light up, they smile, and it’s off to the races. As a podcast host and producer, it’s my job to try and “bottle” that passion and energy into a digital recording.  

Daniel Shwartzberg, Director of Business Development and System Solutions at Valens Semiconductor, is an excellent example. The next time you see him at an industry event, ask him how the automotive industry can leverage the MIPI A-PHY standard. Watch as he comes alive and speaks with authentic and verifiable energy and emotion about what A-PHY is and why it’s important. I’ve had the opportunity to sit with him and learn about A-PHY, and it was a remarkable experience.   

Mechanical engineer Anne Partington is another excellent example of someone who takes their industry experience and rallies it behind a cause. Anne is the Managing Director of the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan and is heavily invested in paving the way for the next generation of automotive professionals. I’ve sat with Anne and heard her story, which has given me a renewed purpose for how I approach my life and my work.

How long have you been podcasting and how did you get started?

I’ve had AutoVision News Radio for nearly three years now, but I started in commercial radio 20 years ago. I graduated from the Electronic Media Studies program at Iowa Western Community College, working many nights and weekends at the college station, 89.7 The River, while attending broadcasting classes during the day.

My eventual mentor at The River, Sophia John, had cut her teeth in commercial radio and the music industry, particularly with rock/metal bands and labels. Although she had to kick my butt a few times, she believed in me and helped me improve on the air. When I join organizations like the Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation and advocate alongside them, I always think of Sophia and her success in a man’s world of commercial radio.

Finish this sentence: When I’m not working on the podcast, I am …

… playing these stupid crossword puzzles on my phone. It’s addicting! My grandmother did crosswords and similar types of puzzles, but I could never figure out the allure when I was a teenager. We used to buy her stacks of these puzzle books for stocking stuffers at Christmas. Now I’m playing the same sort of games on my phone!

What advice do you have for your podcast guests?

Don’t be nervous. We can always do a second take. I’m a good editor, and I’ve got you.

If it does happen to be live, like a panel discussion, and you get anxious, ignore everyone else and look only at me. Pretend we are having coffee. I’m your friend; there is no need to impress me or prove yourself. I already believe in you. When you are finished talking, you relax and let me handle the narration and the transitions to the following questions and panelists.

What advice do you have for PR people that want to pitch their executives for your podcast? 

The best PR pros understand the value of good content creation. While “pitching” is part of the relationship between podcaster and PR, it’s how that pitch is structured and in what tone it’s delivered.

The best PR pros I work with understand that, despite the outward nature of AutoVision News Radio, I’m introverted and often shy. One PR pro recently went so far as to arrange a separate conference room during a media day event so that I could be in a quiet space with the guest.

This not only increased the audio quality but calmed the “microphone nervousness” of both myself and the guest, who had a number of notes and talking points they wanted to make sure they covered. We could work and record at our own pace, away from the bustle of the event, but that’s all thanks to an astute PR rep who understands me as a host as well as the person they are pitching to reporters.    

PR pros who embrace product functionality, terminology, and details are the ones I enjoy working with. My goal with AutoVision News Radio is to be 100 percent accurate when explaining how a particular innovation or solution works. The PR pros who work with me to fact-check and provide supplemental information before recording are irreplaceable.

The best advice I can offer PR pros is to think like a content creator as you are making your pitches and doing your outreach.

Tell us a little about yourself (family, interests, hobbies, background, etc.)

My wife Danielle and I are usually up at Round1 in Auburn Hills on the weekends playing the claw machines or Gold Railroad. If not there, we like to visit the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, the Pontiac Transportation Museum, or the Detroit Zoo. We are season pass holders to Cedar Point and have a knack for getting the front row on major thrill rides like Steel Vengeance, Valravn, Raptor, and Millenium Force.

We wish we didn’t live so far away from our nieces and nephews, but at least we get to be the “cool aunt and uncle from Detroit.”

The older you get, the more your priorities change. I wish my father and grandmother were still here. I’d give anything to talk with them again. However, my mother-in-law and father-in-law are in good health, and I never miss an opportunity to be with them. My mom is a bit farther away in South Dakota, but we see each other as often as possible.

My mom always knew how to nurture creativity. Alex, my brother, would be legit shredding a guitar in the basement at full blast, but she would be right next to him with her bass jamming away. Meanwhile, Mom listened to me on the radio and was my biggest fan in those early years when I was on KEZO and KELO-FM.

 Is there anything else you’d like to share with our audience? (Maybe something that would surprise people?)

I have a collection of over 20 radar detectors from brands like Escort, Cobra, Uniden, Radenso, and Valentine. It’s a hobby I enjoy as a member of the Radar Detector and Countermeasures forum. I also write reviews on many of these radar detectors for Automoblog.

Oddly enough, I don’t have a lead foot, so I don’t have a reason to have a radar detector. However, when you get into the hobby, you will find that many radar detector enthusiasts don’t endorse speeding either. Instead, we like evaluating and observing how the detector works in real-world driving scenarios, whether that’s looking at the detection range on certain roads or false alert filtering in high-traffic areas in the city.

Radar detectors have come a long way over the years regarding technical capability, and high-quality units are far from a tacky box that attaches to your windshield. Units today have advanced antenna platforms (range), digital signal processing (filtering), and smartphone app integration. There are even “two-in-one units” that combine a radar detector with a dash camera.

Where can your podcast be found/subscribed to?

AutoVision News Radio is available on the digital antennas of Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podean, iHeart, Amazon Music, and more. I would be grateful if you decided to follow the podcast on LinkedIn or connect with me on LinkedIn as well. If you want to go a step further, my brother and I are really trying to build up the Automoblog YouTube channel with content and subscribers!

Check out a recent episode of the podcast here: Building Blocks of Mobility ft. Tom Rucker of Magna International

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