Terry O'Reilly (broadcaster)


Terry O'Reilly is a Canadian broadcast producer and personality, best known as host of the CBC Radio One series O'Reilly on Advertising, The Age of Persuasion, and most recently Under the Influence - which alone has received nearly 30 million podcast downloads. These programs examine the cultural and sociological impact of advertising and marketing on modern life.
O'Reilly was born in Sudbury, Ontario to parents Mel and Betty O'Reilly with younger brother Michael O'Reilly. Previously an advertising copywriter, O'Reilly, a graduate of Ryerson University, launched his own radio and television advertising production company, Pirate Radio and Television, in 1990. All three of his CBC Radio series and podcasts were independently produced for the network through Pirate until 2018, when O'Reilly began recording his program through his own Airstream mobile recording studio called "The Terstream."
With his Age of Persuasion co-producer Mike Tennant, he published the book The Age of Persuasion: How Marketing Ate Our Culture in 2009. In 2017, O'Reilly published his second book This I Know: Marketing Lessons from Under The Influence - a collection of marketing insights and tips to help small to medium-sized companies that can't afford a high-priced advertising agency. In 2018, it reached national best-seller status.
O'Reilly has been married to his wife Debbie since 1983 and has three daughters.