San Jose Hockey Now Podcast Going On Hiatus

Effective immediately, the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is going on indefinite hiatus.

There are irreconcilable differences between the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast and The Hockey Podcast Network’s new payment model.

Because of this new model, which was first instituted in Jan. 2022, San Jose Hockey Now Podcast’s compensation was cut by 62 percent in Q1 2022 from Q4 2021, despite virtually identical download numbers.

This was not an acceptable new normal, so the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is now a free agent.

The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast debuted in Aug. 2021 and has featured key San Jose Sharks guests like Doug Wilson Jr., Dan Boyle, and Mario Ferraro. The weekly podcast averages 771 downloads an episode.

Special thanks to recently-departed co-host Nick Flohr for all the hard work you put into making the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast a must-listen for San Jose Sharks fans. Nick was my producer and co-host for 39 of 41 episodes. A shout-out to JD Young for stepping into Nick’s shoes for our final two episodes.

The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast will return, in one way or another, and soon. If you have any inquiries, please direct them to shengpeng@gmail.com.

UPDATE: I spoke on Jun. 1 with Stephen Master, co-founder of Amaze Media Labs. Amaze owns THPN. Master explained — and I believe him — that a major THPN sponsor recently ran into some significant financial challenges, which forced THPN to change their payment structure. This sponsor is responsible for the cash pool that the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast and the about 150 or so other network pods (including basketball and football) are compensated with. I do appreciate Master taking the time to spell out some of the difficulties that Amaze and THPN faced on their side, and for hearing out my side.