Big Changes For Penalty Box Radio
I would call them "improvements", but let's be transparent
This is really long, if you don’t want to read it all, scroll way down to the bottom and read the very short version.
Hey everyone, Shaun Smith here. I keep the lights on at PBR. If you’ve been to our website recently, or, uh, tried to go to our website recently, you probably found it unavailable. In fact, last season, the website was an entire mess. But that’s fixed now (or, almost fixed now).
First and foremost, we had to move the website from WordPress. Let me tell you why:
When Alex (Daugherty, now of The Tennessean) and I bought Penalty Box Radio back in 2023, we were told that the website was held together with duct tape, hopes, and dream. Alex gussied it up with a fresh coat of paint and (to be fair) it looked GREAT!
Then, at some point toward the beginning of the 2024-25 season, something went wrong with the duct tape…or maybe the hope and dreams. We noticed that when we posted new articles, they didn’t appear up top on the homepage and sometimes didn’t populate under the correct categories. It was insanely frustrating for all of us at PBR. But you want to know something funny? It really only seemed to bother us.
Not only did it only bother us, but we were part of a very small group of people that even noticed. So that got me thinking…
I don’t think people access our content the same way they did back when I started covering the Preds back in 2017. Personally, I don’t think I’ve typed a website’s homepage address into my search bar in the last five years. I believe most people click our links directly from social media posts and never see the homepage. And you know what? I think that’s actually pretty cool, because it allowed me to make the change over to Substack.
And, no, this isn’t some weird “Why I’m Joining the Athletic” (Substack edition) post, Substack just made the most sense.
First, its free.
Second, it has a nice clean look and easy to use interface.
Third, all you really need any more is “landing place” for your content.
But beyond that, my incredible writers can control their own content and keep it on their own Substacks as well. I think that’s pretty cool, too.
I’ve never wanted to inundate my readers with ads, especially pop-up ads. No one enjoys having to close a thousand little windows and weird videos that pop up on other sports sites, so we don’t have to do that here. This content is FREE to anyone who wants to read it. No payments, no income from you clicking on our stories or viewing our ads.
You know what that means? It means we don’t have to post 1,000 clickbait articles in an attempt to get you to close our ads so we can make a few pennies.
No, we won’t be doing that. Of course, when you visit our site (from clicking on a social media post, I’m assuming) it’ll give you the option to subscribe to us, but that’s also free as well. It just means that whenever we post something (which we can guarantee isn’t clickbait nonsense) you’ll get an email. So, if you want to know when we publish a cool article, you’ll get an email. If you don’t want to be notified every time we publish something, you don’t have to subscribe, it’ll still be free. (you can subscribe right below here:)
Now, don’t get me wrong, we’d LOVE for you to subscribe (again, it’s free) because it means you like what we’re doing, but it isn’t going to hurt my feelings if you don’t. I promise.
Of course, you may wonder, “Well, Shaun, why are you doing all of this for free?”
Great question.
First and foremost, we here at PBR genuinely enjoy covering the Nashville Predators and their various affiliates and prospects. Ice Hockey is the most electrifying entertainment experience in sports and the Preds are in our backyard.
Now, you may also ask, “Okay, cool, but HOW are you doing this for free?”
Also a fair question. So let me be transparent. We also have a radio show. It’s live on 102.5 The GAME in Nashville. If you’re farther out, you can get The GAME on 106.3. We’re on Wednesday nights at 8 during the season (unless there’s a Preds game). Our wonderful radio advertisers support this website. There may be a sponsors page here soon with our sponsors on it. You’ll probably be able to click links to their websites. But that’s all the advertising we plan to do on this site. I sincerely hope you don’t mind.
Of course, if you miss the live show, it pops up as a podcast the next day. We host it on Spotify (there’s video if you go through Spotify) and it’s also available as audio wherever podcasts are available. I’ll point out, listening to the radio show and/or the podcast is also free.
At the end of the day, we want to cover hockey and we want you to feel like you’re getting the best value possible for high quality hockey coverage. The best way you can ensure that this keeps going on is to, seriously, tune in to the radio show. And make it even more popular than it already is. What I can guarantee is that every time we’re on the air, we will talk about the Predators the entire time.
And, of course, if you have a business (regardless of size) and you’d like to advertise on the radio show with us, then WE HAVE A PACKAGE FOR YOU! Seriously, I’ll figure something out to get you on the air and/or our social media platforms. Just contact me at penaltyboxradio@gmail.com
So, what can you expect from Penalty Box Radio this season?
Aside from the radio show, we’ll have insightful articles about the Predators, Admirals, and the Preds prospects. We want to be your trusted source for insight and analysis when it comes to Nashville hockey. We’ll have the radio show each week. We’ll be active on social media. We won’t clog your inbox with junk if you subscribe. We won’t waste your time.
If you read all that, THANKS for reading and trusting me to be transparent with you.
Here are some things that will happen soon:
www.penaltyboxradio.com will bring you to our new site.
Our old content will be imported and archived here.
The radio show will start up soon.
Content will start rolling out soon.
We’re glad to have you along for the ride.
IF YOU DIDN’T WANT TO READ IT ALL, THIS IS WHERE YOU SHOULD START!!!
I had PBR AI sum this up for everyone:
Penalty Box Radio Update (Quick Version)
Website Fix: The old WordPress site was a mess, so PBR has moved everything to Substack. It’s cleaner, free, and easier to manage. Most people already access articles through social media links, not the homepage.
No Ads/No Clickbait: The site will remain free with no pop-ups or clickbait. You can subscribe (also free) to get articles by email, but it’s optional.
How It’s Funded: PBR runs a weekly radio show on 102.5 The GAME (and 106.3 outside Nashville) every Wednesday at 8 p.m. Advertisers on the show help keep the website free. Miss the show? It’s available as a podcast on Spotify and other platforms.
What to Expect:
Weekly radio show & podcast
Articles on the Predators, Admirals, and prospects
Active social media presence
Soon, www.penaltyboxradio.com will redirect you to the new site, with old content archived there
Support PBR: The best way is to tune in to the radio show and, if you own a business, consider advertising with them. Just contact me at penaltyboxradio@gmail.com