BIG, BIG, BIG, BIG BIG Changes Coming…

Okay, we all knew big-time changes were coming to Hockey Talk Radio — at some point; we just weren’t sure when these would take place.

Well, our air-time service provider, Radionomy, threw yet another wrench into our station’s workings over recent weeks.  Said yet another way, Radionomy has forced us to move Hockey Talk Radio sooner than planned.

Cutting to the chase here…  Hockey Talk Radio US is down now, and it may remain that way for a few days — a new station will be up shortly, but I don’t want to make any promises there.

Where I do what to make two hard, fast promises…  1)  The resurrected station on Radionomy will be only temporary, and it will be pulled down as soon as it’s no longer needed.  2)  A brand new station is going to be built in the background on another service — beginning within a few days. but it probably won’t be unveiled to the public for about 2-weeks.

That new service is awesome, and it offers the chance for me to do a ton of new things that have been impossible on the Radionomy service.  Moreover, no countries will be blocked by the new service, which means that our friends from Canada, Sweden and a ton of other hockey playing nations will have access at all times.  So will all smartphones have access to apps (amen).

Again, please don’t panic that Hockey Talk Radio might not be on the air for a day or so.

Also, please be sure to return here often, because I suspect I’ll have a lot more to announce over coming days.

Thanks for your patience in this,

— Hockey Talk Radio US Executive Producer, Dennis Chighisola

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Be sure to return here often, for more updates
and Hockey Talk Radio NEWS.

The post Hockey Talk Radio US News (1/22/17) appeared first on Hockey Talk Radio.

We’re psyched to add two great new shows to Hockey Talk Radio US…

As we announced last week, Ray Matz, Jr joins us with a new podcast called “Game Changing Dads“.  Ray is a former professional roller hockey player, three time world champion, and an entrepreneur.  However, the most important role he holds is that of a husband and dad.  So, each week Ray will be here to help us dads remember how to stay motivated as a husband and father.  His goal is to motivate and encourage husbands and fathers to lead, love, and live!

No, his show isn’t always going to be hockey specific, but Ray is always going to address issues we dads deal with. (I’ve had the chance to hear his earliest podcasts, and I’m thinking all Hockey Talk Radio US listeners are going to enjoy these shows.)

Jeremy Boone is an internationally recognized coach/author/speaker/researcher and the owner of Athlete By Design, a coaching and consulting company for over twenty five years dedicated to making athletes better.  Since 1995  he has served as the off season speed and conditioning coach with the NFL Carolina Panthers for eight years, worked with professional soccer teams in the USA, France, England, Canada, and Brazil, published a variety of training DVD’s, Books, and original scientific research, provided mental performance training for NASCAR teams,  provided dryland training programs for six Olympic Gold Medalists, and currently travels and consults around the world with various high school, college, and Olympic organizations on program design for physical/mental performance, leadership, and building winning cultures using a 5 part framework for high performance.

In 2006 Coach Boone was a part of a small group of professionals dedicated to bringing Formal Axiology, the science of human value and decision making to the world of sports.  He is currently considered the world’s leading expert in what is now known as Sports Axiology, the science of human value and decision making in sport.  With this science, he has profiled thousands of athletes world wide and created a number of educational programs for athletes, coaches, and parents helping them to reach their potential both in performance and as people.

Coach Boone’s “Athlete By Design” Hockey Talk Radio programs will include his iTunes featured podcast ‘Coach Your Best’, interviewing New York Times best selling authors, world wide recognized sports scientists, and elite coaches helping coaches make their athletes better while reaching well over 100,000 listeners.

Both Jeremy and Ray would love to receive your feedback and questions,
and they’d even welcome your ideas for future episodes. 

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As a reminder, here are some updates on recent Hockey Talk Radio US NEWS topics…

If my friends in an online radio forum are correct, Hockey Talk Radio US can now be heard again in our neighboring country of Canada. Being stuck in Florida (LOL), I can’t test and verify that for myself, so I’m relying on my many friends north of the US border to let me know if it’s so.

Just so our faithful listeners know, the recent court battle involving Radionomy evidently has something to do with what those in the industry call “geo-blocki

ng”. And, while I’m sure there’s some reasoning behind which countries get blocked and unblocked, it’s obviously hurt Hockey Talk Radio US badly when such a great hockey nation as Canada was blocked.

Here’s our problem now, and where we really need some help… I suspect a lot of friends from blocked countries have just given up, or they no longer bother trying to connect with our station. That has to change, of course, from the new word being spread — by me and by anyone else who likes the station.

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Despite the temporary setbacks, Hockey Talk Radio US continues to forge forward…

Although I wasn’t sure last week, the ballots are now in on the ideas I had about combining Hockey Talk Radio and Junior hockey podcasting.  That other company never came through, so I’ll be taking on this new challenge myself.  Of course, that also means there’s more thinking and planning to be done, and yet another announcement to be made (probably around New Years Day).

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Returning briefly to the major change outlined in the previous NEWS announcements, I’m still looking for a window where I can get most of my other work out of the way, and then devote close to an entire week to build and tweak the new station with a different airtime provider.

There shouldn’t be any downtime while this is happening, meaning that I’ll try to keep the current station going as the new one is taking to the airwaves.

Make no mistake about it — or God willing, this will happen fairly soon — maybe within the coming month. Hockey Talk Radio has been in existence for over one year now, I love it, I love the podcasters I deal with, and I want to be as true to them and to our listeners as they’ve been to me.

So, as is appropriate in radio speak, “Stay tuned.”

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If you happen to live in one of the countries that has been blocked by Radionomy, try the following — I use this service quite often…

I’m supplying an alternative link (see to the right) that will allow anyone to hear our station. It’s not as attractive as our usual player, but it works. Clicking on the link will open in a new tab, but right-clicking and opening in a new window will give you close to the same experience as our normal link does. I always resize that window or minimize it to keep it out of the way and playing for long stretches.

If there’s one thing that hasn’t been resolved yet, it might be an alternative to mobile apps. Mine still works with my Android, so I might have to hear from listeners from outside the United States to know what difficulties you’re experiencing. With your feedback, I promise to chase down an alternative.

— Hockey Talk Radio US Executive Producer, Dennis Chighisola

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Be sure to return here often, for more updates
and Hockey Talk Radio NEWS.

The post Hockey Talk Radio US News (12/14/16) appeared first on Hockey Talk Radio.

Hockey Talk Radio US – Some really good news (I think)…

If my friends in an online radio forum are correct, Hockey Talk Radio US can now be heard again in our neighboring country of Canada.  Being stuck in Florida (LOL), I can’t test and verify that for myself, so I’m relying on my many friends north of the US border to let me know if it’s so.

Just so our faithful listeners know, the recent court battle involving Radionomy evidently has something to do with what those in the industry call “geo-blocking”.  And, while I’m sure there’s some reasoning behind which countries get blocked and unblocked, it’s obviously hurt Hockey Talk Radio US badly when such a great hockey nation as Canada was blocked.

Here’s our problem now, and where we really need some help…  I suspect a lot of friends from blocked countries have just given up, or they no longer bother trying to connect with our station.  That has to change, of course, from the new word being spread — by me and by anyone else who likes the station.

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Despite the temporary setbacks, Hockey Talk Radio US continues to forge forward…

Although I’m not ready to make an announcement just yet, listeners can expect something new in the area of Junior hockey podcasting during the coming month (December – 2016).  One scenario has another company being involved, while there’s also the possibility I’ll take on this new challenge myself.  Again, though, it’s sure to come; only a final format needs to be decided.

I’m still looking for quality shows, too, including ones that are only slightly connected to hockey.  So, in that regard, Ray Matz, Jr joins us with a new podcast called “Game Changing Dads”.  No, it’s not always going to be hockey specific, but Ray is always going to address issues we dads deal with.  (I’ve had the chance to hear his opening podcast, and I’m thinking all Hockey Talk Radio US listeners are going to enjoy Ray’s show.)

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Returning briefly to the major change outlined in the previous NEWS announcements, I’m still looking for a window where I can get most of my other work out of the way, and then devote close to an entire week to build and tweak the new station with a different airtime provider.

There shouldn’t be any downtime while this is happening, meaning that I’ll try to keep the current station going as the new one is taking to the airwaves.

Make no mistake about it — or God willing, this will happen fairly soon — maybe within the coming month. Hockey Talk Radio has been in existence for over one year now, I love it, I love the podcasters I deal with, and I want to be as true to them and to our listeners as they’ve been to me.

So, as is appropriate in radio speak, “Stay tuned.”

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If you happen to live in one of the countries that has been blocked by Radionomy, try the following…

I’m supplying an alternative link (see to the right) that will allow anyone to hear our station. It’s not as attractive as our usual player, but it works. Clicking on the link will open in a new tab, but right-clicking and opening in a new window will give you close to the same experience as our normal link does. I always resize that window or minimize it to keep it out of the way and playing for long stretches.

If there’s one thing that hasn’t been resolved yet, it might be an alternative to mobile apps. Mine still works with my Android, so I might have to hear from listeners from outside the United States to know what difficulties you’re experiencing. With your feedback, I promise to chase down an alternative.

— Hockey Talk Radio US Executive Producer, Dennis Chighisola

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Be sure to return here often, for more updates
and Hockey Talk Radio NEWS.

The post Hockey Talk Radio US News (11/30/16) appeared first on Hockey Talk Radio.

Hockey Talk Radio US – ugh…

Well, although I need to apologize for not updating here often lately, there really is a good explanation.

As I’ve shared a few times in the past, our air-time provider, Raidionomy, has experienced some big-time problems.  Tops among them is that they’re being sued by Sony over things that most producers are just guessing at (my belief — and it’s just a guess — is that Radionomy hasn’t kept up with music royalty payments to Sony).

Whether connected to the legal issues or not — and I sense they are, Radionomy has changed a lot of scheduling rules that have made it a nightmare for me to change the programming on a regular basis.  Worse yet, they’ve blocked a number of great hockey countries from hearing their stations, including what would normally be one of my top countries, Canada.  Then, if all that hasn’t made matters difficult, Radionomy has doubled the time they take for placing advertisements within each day.

The sum total of all those things has me readying to move Hockey Talk Radio US to a different service.  I believe I’ve already picked the company that will host my station, and it’s one that almost all other Radionomy stations are moving to…

On the very good side, I am going to be able to set all my own rules for that station — oh, man, I can hardly wait!

On the not-so-good side, the new service has a rather difficult learning curve.

Taking the latter into consideration, I’ve decided to look for a window where I can get most of my other work out of the way, and devote close to an entire week to build and tweak the new station.  There shouldn’t be any downtime while this is happening, meaning that I’ll try to keep the current station going as the new one is taking to the airwaves.

Make no mistake about it — God willing, this will happen fairly soon — maybe within the coming month.  Hockey Talk Radio has been in existence for over one year now, I love it, I love the podcasters I deal with, and I want to be as true to them and our listeners as they’ve been to me.

So, as is appropriate in radio speak, “Stay tuned.” 

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If you happen to live in one of the countries that has been blocked by Radionomy, try the following…

I’m supplying an alternative link (see to the right) that will allow anyone to hear our station. It’s not as attractive as our usual player, but it works. Clicking on the link will open in a new tab, but right-clicking and opening in a new window will give you close to the same experience as our normal link does. I always resize that window or minimize it to keep it out of the way and playing for long stretches.

If there’s one thing that hasn’t been resolved yet, it might be an alternative to mobile apps. Mine still works with my Android, so I might have to hear from listeners from outside the United States to know what difficulties you’re experiencing. With your feedback, I promise to chase down an alternative.

— Hockey Talk Radio US Executive Producer, Dennis Chighisola

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Be sure to return here often, for more updates
and Hockey Talk Radio NEWS.

The post Hockey Talk Radio US News (10/31/16) appeared first on Hockey Talk Radio.

Despite some air-time provider problems, things are still roaring for Hockey Talk Radio US…

If you’re not up on the legal problems our air-time provider has been experiencing, please quickly browse the previous NEWS entry: Hockey Talk Radio US News (5/11/16).

The shame of it all — or the shame of some things being in limbo — is that everything else here within Hockey Talk Radio US is absolutely flying…

• Within the week, those who like the great hockey advice shared on Hockey Talk Radio US are going to really enjoy a new podcast providing us guidance when it comes to physical training.

• I just received an inquiry about joining us from one of the top hockey skills advisors in Canada.  I’ve followed the guy for years, as have numerous other high level coaches.  So, I’m going to be psyched if we’re able to make an announcement in this area within the next week or so.

• Listeners should notice a new section on our slider, this having to do with Junior Hockey Podcasts.  Within a few days, the first show will air from the Phoenix Knights Junior organization, and I’m guessing it’s just a matter of time before a number of other programs also come on board.  One thing Junior teams need to know, though…  In fairness to those who do join us, I’m going to only accept one team from any given league.  For sure, being with us should be a recruiting boost for any team that does get our kind of exposure, so it makes sense that Junior team reps should touch base with me as soon as possible.

• I happen to love the two NHL fan based podcasts we currently have, and I’m planning on keeping them with us forever (they’ve been so faithful, and I appreciate such efforts).   With that, I am only going to accept one more such podcast program, bringing to just three shows that will ultimately own our late night hours.

As always, I promise to help anyone who might be interested in going on the air with Hockey Talk Radio US.

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My understanding is that some countries that were previously blocked from hearing Hockey Talk Radio US broadcasts are now unblocked.  So, it’s worth it to try the above link first.

If that link still doesn’t work in your country, I’m supplying the alternative link (see to the right) that will allow anyone to hear our station. It’s not as attractive as our usual player, but it works. Clicking on the nearby link will open in a new tab, but right-clicking and opening in a new window will give you close to the same experience as our normal link does.  I always resize that window and minimize it to keep it out of the way and playing for long stretches.

If there’s one thing that hasn’t been resolved yet, it might be an alternative to mobile apps. Mine still works with my Android, so I might have to hear from listeners from outside the United States to know what difficulties you’re experiencing. With your feedback, I promise to chase down an alternative.

— Hockey Talk Radio US Executive Producer, Dennis Chighisola

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Be sure to return here often, for more updates
and Hockey Talk Radio NEWS.

The post Hockey Talk Radio US News (6/5/16) appeared first on Hockey Talk Radio.

A HUGE problem for some of our listeners…

I tend to be a pretty understanding guy, and I hope my podcasting and listening friends will see the following as I do.

Radionomy, our Hockey Talk Radio US airtime provider often faces some difficulties, some of them due to the awesome tasks they take on.

To be honest, they not only host tens of thousands of radio stations around the world, but they also offer “royalty free” music that the average station couldn’t afford.  It’s the latter feature that’s now causing member stations some programming difficulties, and it’s also the music side of things that is causing listeners in some countries to be blocked from hearing their stations.

I hear our regular player just fine, and it might still work for many.  In the event you experience problems, though, please read on…

All this might not be fixed anytime soon.  So, feeling that Hockey Talk Radio US is a truly worthwhile endeavor, I’m taking two steps to keep things going:

First, I’m supplying an alternative link that will allow anyone  to hear our station.  It’s not as attractive as our usual player, but it works.  Clicking on the nearby link will open in a new tab, but right-clicking and opening in a new window will give you close to the same experience as our normal link does.  I always resize that window and minimize it to keep it out of the way and playing for long stretches.

If there’s one thing that hasn’t been resolved yet, it might be an alternative to mobile apps.  Mine still work, so I might have to hear from listeners from outside the United States to know what difficulties you’re experiencing.  With your feedback, I promise to chase down an alternative.

Secondly, a current law suit between Radionomy and Sony — over music rights — isn’t expected to be settled quick enough for me.  So, I am brainstorming with tons of other radio station producers who are looking at alternative airtime providers.  There are tons of alternatives out there, but each carries its own good and not-so-good features.  On the positive side, we producers are being promised a new option that is going to come close to offering what Radionomy previously has.  That alternative probably won’t be ready for a week.

All that said, let me restate the fact that I believe Hockey Talk Radio US is an extremely worthwhile venture.  Moreover, I truly believe that Internet radio is a thing of the now and of the future (“136 Million Now Listen to Online Radio“).  And I want to be smack dab in the middle of the cutting edge stuff, as usual.

— Hockey Talk Radio US Executive Producer, Dennis Chighisola

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Be sure to return here often, for more updates
and Hockey Talk Radio NEWS.

The post Hockey Talk Radio US News (5/11/16) appeared first on Hockey Talk Radio.

Perhaps the BIGGEST update to date…

Listeners don’t need to know much about the background to this announcement, but it may help in various searches, to know that there’s been a slight change to the name of this station.  Yes, as you might notice in the accompanying Hockey Talk Radio logo, there’s been a “US” added.  And, with that, the ever so slightly changed new station name will be “Hockey Talk Radio US”.

This will fit well with our unique web address, which is “hockeytalkradio.us”.  However, as I said earlier, it might affect your search for the station — in many online radio directories, and when you initially look for our station via your smartphone.  For sure, “Hockey Talk Radio” might work sometimes, but you’re sure to find this station if you plug in “Hockey Talk Radio US”.

About the above change…

I have to laugh when I quote an old axiom, in that, “If you want to find the innovator, he’ll be the one with the arrows in his back.”    Been there, done that, more times than I can recall, but those instances usually involved new drill methods or hockey training gadgets I’d invented.  In just about every case, though, I was ahead of the curve, and I was paving the way for others.  And in almost every case, my drill and gadget ideas were eventually used by hundreds or even thousands.

Interestingly, I wrote a couple of articles for my Hockey Diary a month or so ago, with the second in that series — “Understanding The Latest Internet Craze – 2” — explaining how much easier it is for for fans to listen to an ongoing Internet radio station, as opposed to having to search and research for a podcast each time one ends.

The ink was barely dry from writing that post when I ran across an article claiming that “136 Million Now Listen to Online Radio“.  Then, to put things into even better perspective, the subtitle claims, “Over half of americans now listen to online radio…”

So, while I’ll be pulling an arrow or two out of my back over the next year or so, I’m believing in the fact that figures have doubled since 2011, meaning that 136 million unique listeners are now tuning in to online radio on a weekly basis.  My take is that some hockey podcasters don’t believe this, while I think the future of online radio — and its future growth — just makes sense.

— Hockey Talk Radio US Executive Producer, Dennis Chighisola

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Be sure to return here often, for more updates
and Hockey Talk Radio NEWS.

The post Hockey Talk Radio US News (4/22/16) appeared first on Hockey Talk Radio.

A HUGE Update…

For sure, podcasting is great — no doubt about it.  However, I’ve been saying and writing (“Understanding The Latest Internet Craze – 2“) something for months now, that maybe a lot of hockey folks didn’t appreciate.  What I’m saying, though, is that trying to promote a podcast is a lot like doing business in a closet, in comparison to the drawing power of an online radio station.  In other words, listeners sometimes tire of hunting and pecking for single episodes, and they’re likely to prefer to listen to a constant flow of hockey related shows.

Enter a new study confirming my beliefs, that contained in an article titled “136 Million Now Listen to Online Radio“.  I urge everyone to read that story, but I’ll add here its subtitle, “Over half of americans now listen to online radio…”  Figures have doubled since 2011, which means that 136 million unique listeners are tuning in to online radio on a weekly basis.

Answering Listener Requests…

Just as a reminder from last week’s Hockey Talk Radio NEWS…

It may have taken me a few months to solve the problem — or find an answer to a listener request, but I never do give up.

What I’m talking about is finally finding a way to provide a printed schedule of our current daily programming.  In other words, if you Click Here, or if you click on the Programming Schedule graphic in the slider, you’ll be able see which podcasts play through the day and night, and also be able to locate your favorite show.

— Hockey Talk Radio Executive Producer, Dennis Chighisola

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Be sure to return here often, for more updates
and Hockey Talk Radio NEWS.

The post Hockey Talk Radio News (4/14/16) appeared first on Hockey Talk Radio.

Answering Listener Requests…

It may have taken me a few months to solve the problem — or find an answer to a listener request, but I never do give up.

What I’m talking about is finally finding a way to provide a printed schedule of our current daily programming.  In other words, if you Click Here, or if you click on the Programming Schedule graphic in the slider, you’ll be able see which podcasts play through the day and night, and also be able to locate your favorite show.

Please check that often, and also let me know how I might help make it better.

I can’t count how many ways you can now connect to Hockey Talk Radio…

I truly mean that!  Of course, it all began with you only being able to listen to our station by clicking on the “Launch Radio Player” graphic up on the top right of this screen.

Next, I began registering Hockey Talk Radio with numerous online radio directories around the globe.  Among my very favorites to this point are “A Better Radio“, “Live Online Radio” and “TuneIn“, because those links will allow us to listen right there on the site.

More recently, I’ve arranged an exciting deal with a number of quality hockey businesses, whereby they place a Hockey Talk Radio player on their site or blog for some special considerations (you can discover more about that be using the link).  If you get a chance to read about the possible benefits to working together, I’d be willing to help with installation.

Practicing what I preach, I placed players on my two primary hockey sites, on CoachChic.com and my Hockey Diary.  Take a look at any the sites, try the player there, and let me know what you think.

— Hockey Talk Radio Executive Producer, Dennis Chighisola

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Be sure to return here often, for more updates
and Hockey Talk Radio NEWS.

The post Hockey Talk Radio News (4/10/16) appeared first on Hockey Talk Radio.

Consolidating Our Best Hockey Podcasts…

Listeners may notice that we’ve reduced the number of shows we’re carrying, just to give faithful contributors more air-time.  This will especially help those who produce NHL fan-based podcasts — they’re usually fairly long, and deserving of being aired more than once each night on Hockey Talk Radio.  That doesn’t mean we’re not looking for more shows of that type, but we will likely seek shows that run closer to 30-minutes (as opposed to 60- to 120-minute podcasts).

Special Guest Podcasts…

We had such great luck with our original few guest shows — like Win Now Analytics, Fit Across Cultures and Shaun Goodsell’s Mental Edge Podcast, that I’d like to continue trying other shows.

Listeners might like to recommend a favorite show for us to talk with about this, and so do we invite independent producers to contact us.

Then, if anyone is interested in creating their own show, they might scan this linked page about creating your own show for some basic info.  I’ll help further from there.

Still offering a Hockey Talk Radio player for your hockey related website…

Don’t forget that we now have the ability to share a Hockey Talk Radio player on the blogs and websites of our friends.  In other words, I can now provide a special code with any reputable hockey site, and our station will play right there, at the push of a button.

I’ve done that on both CoachChic.com and my Hockey Diary, just to show how it looks and works, and I’ve more recently helped some of our Hockey Talk Radio show hosts place a player on their websites.

We know blog visitors will enjoy quick access to Hockey Talk Radio, but I want to do more than that. So I plan on promoting participating blogs or sites, here on this site, and to my 18,000+ social media contacts.

The techie side of this is easy-peasy: I give you the code, and you just paste it in to where you want the player to appear. That’s it! And if you have any problems, I’ll be available to help.

— Hockey Talk Radio Executive Producer, Dennis Chighisola

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Be sure to return here often, for more updates
and Hockey Talk Radio NEWS.

The post Hockey Talk Radio News (3/14/16) appeared first on Hockey Talk Radio.