Paranormal News Insider Xpress

In September of 2008 the Paranormal News Insider made its debut with a 6:29 segment heard during the (then monthly) Grand Dark Conspiracy. I had been the first guest earlier that spring and had been invited back to help steer the show away from the ghost guests that had started the show for the first few months. Dan Bautz, the host, and I had talked about a paranormal news segment and it didn't take long until it was born. Dan gave me full autonomy to create the show as I saw fit and I wanted to keep it ten or less minutes.

As the show went weekly in September of 2010 I was nervous that I wasn't sure if I could even get enough content to do a ten minute segment, but everything turned out fine and I did over a year's worth of shows without missing a week. There came a break in the show every now and again and ultimately in May of 2015 the Darkest Hours Late Night (the Grand Dark Conspiracy's Friday night show name that took main billing for the show as a whole starting in early 2015) turned off its mic for the last time as of this writing.

I had contemplated doing my own stand alone show since a break in the show the year before, but knowing we were close to getting on terrestrial radio on an AM channel in Marysville, Ohio kept me glued to that show. After the hiatus in May the show was supposed to start back up in mid-July, but never did. After a few weeks of weighing my options I prepared to go live. My beloved dog, Sasha, passed away in late August and I really did not feel much like doing paranormal radio let alone much else. At the same time I felt like I needed a distraction from things and I did not want to wait too long to get a show started. I had picked a great network and was forced to get an early time slot due to a new shift I was working at my job. I have enjoyed the first nine weeks of the hour long live show and there are only a few things I wish I could do different, but I highly enjoy what I do.

In talking with a few other show hosts I have heard that paranormal radio shows are slowly dying out. I think part of the problem is there are too many out there that share the same format. When this happens in regular radio the stations always struggle. The good news is the Paranormal News Insider is a rather unique format especially for what I bring to the table. I am not concerned about ratings, hits, or even sponsorship (but it would be great to have some paying sponsors!). But I have thought about how I miss producing my own shows with musical intros and backgrounds along with sound effects which the live show currently can not allow me to do. I had also thought about how some listeners state they do not like the longer two hour shows which is why I went after an hour format (I felt like 30 minutes might not be enough time).

On November 17, 2015 the WCJV Digital Broadcasting network had some computer issues which prevented me from having a live show that night. I was bummed and also worried that I would not be able to provide a show for the second time in a month (I did put on a Halloween special since the network had a scheduled down week for upgrades). I had quickly agreed to come on the following Tuesday to do two hours in which I will do back-to-back episodes. I had also thought about just recording an episode from my material for the 17th no matter the length of time. It dawned on me then that maybe it was time to test the new format I had thought of. A stand alone segment that was five minutes or less and essentially a summary of the hour long live show; a condensed version missing a lot of the detail and insight. Let's face it, many people don't have an hour to hear about five or six paranormal news stories no matter what valuable information is there. Others who work in the field may not need or want to hear all of those details so a quick and condensed version of the show might just take off. The other idea I had with the show would be to license the Xpress segment to other paranormal (or even non-paranormal) shows with the idea that it could help my show grow.

Like I said before, I don't care much about ratings. But, it would behoove of me to try and make my show the best it can be in content and in being as widespread as I can possibly make it. This latest segment idea is just one way I feel I might be able to help make the show grow.

Check out the first Paranormal News Insider Xpress episode: The episode, like all the new ones, is available through Podbean. With Podbean you can download their app for Apple or Google products and listen to the show on the go. If you do like the short format, please let me know!

New Website Enhancements

Following the switch to a standalone one hour show on the CJMARS Radio Network I have decided to add some new things to the Paranormal News Insider website.

When I first started the Paranormal News Insider in August of 2008, I created the website to be a running blog of stories that I was personally researching to any degree. I split the site up into cryptozoology, UFOs, ghosts, and strange Earth stories. Granted, at the time the PNI was a monthly show broadcast during the Grand Dark Conspiracy podcast. When the show went weekly in September of 2010 I knew I could not keep up with the website and I got rid of the blog format.

The biggest change is the addition of an rss feed of the Anomalist and Unexplained Mysteries paranormal news. I consider these two sites to be the leaders in reporting interesting and relevant stories that are seen by the masses. While these sites are affected by outside submissions they are not run by them. While these two sites essentially do the same thing the Anomalist tends to stick to traditional paranormal stories involving cryptids, UFOs, ghosts, and strange Earth mysteries. Unexplained Mysteries is a little more general in its approach, but also offers quality and noteworthy stories. The addition of this "News" page provides a one stop shop for anyone wanting to know what is going on in the world of the paranormal.

The second change involves a contact form on the "About" page. While this doesn't seem like much of a big deal I want to make a better effort to be able to provide simple and effective communication other than giving out my email address during the show. I have received a lot of emails this way and I hope the form makes things easier for people who want to communicate information quickly and efficiently.

I have also added Soundcloud and Mixcloud links to the new one hour shows for the latest episodes. I still allow the play of the file directly from the Paranormal News Insider webpage, but giving these other alternatives should help those who want to listen via phone or other device as well as provide alternative locations for the podcast to be available.

As always I am continuing to provide as many links to conferences and conventions as possible. I am also going back to accepting classes and tours in addition to smaller events. I have been told by many that my list is consistently one of the best.

Be sure to tune in every Tuesday night from 7-8 pm eastern and feel free to jump into live chat while you listen! Listening to the show on the go is easy as well with Tunein app as well as Live365.

As always, if you have any information about any event and would like to hear it on the show (or see it on the website) feel free to let me know at Insider @ Paranewsinsider.com.

Paranormal News Insider growing to one hour

The Paranormal News Insider has been on hiatus since July 11, 2015, when a mid-season review was made. At the time a question was lingering about the return of the host show, Darkest Hours Late Night, which had been on hiatus since May when it departed from WQTT AM in Marysville, Ohio. The show was slated to return on July 11, but did not. It was then that I revisited my thoughts on going out on my own with the show to see if I could successfully take the show from a prerecorded ten minute segment to a full one hour standalone program.

After some deep thinking and a few personal issues I have decided to pursue the dream of taking the Paranormal News Insider into second gear after seven years and 230 episodes. I have opted to join forces with CJMARS radio network which operates WCJV digital broadcasting based in Youngstown, New York. One big reason is that it is a successful network with a nice variety of programming, yet it allows the show to blossom on their own. I have heard a few horror stories of networks demanding things from their programs from reading sponsors to the content of their shows, for me that would not be worth the time. I have also been a guest on one of the networks shows "Paranormalities and Ponderings" with host Frank Lee. Frank's style reminded me a lot of how Daniel Bautz, host of the Grand Dark Conspiracy and later renamed Darkest Hours Late Night operated his show. I have also had the pleasure of talking with one of the owners of the network on a couple of occasions and I felt this would be a great fit.

How will the show change? Well, I will have an extra 50 minutes for starters. I plan on expanding the stories a little bit and hopefully having more than four or five stories a week. With that in mind I still want to concentrate on the stories that truly matter, not just to fill time. Of course, there will be a lot of education behind the stories which is the reason for the "insider" aspect of the show and the extra time will allow to bring on a guest that has something to do with the stories. I will also expand the conferences and conventions aspect and will seek out guests from some of these events or the owners to come on and speak about them. I have received a lot of input about the conferences and conventions so this will definitely be an aspect I expand on and continue to track on my list of events.

The show will be from 7-8 PM eastern every Tuesday night. Listeners will be able to communicate directly in chat while listening to the show at the CJMARS radio home.

Second Edition for "Handbook for the Amateur Cryptozoologist"

My fifth book, "Handbook for the Amateur Cryptozoologist", was published in February of 2014. Since then, the book has been recognized in the July/August 2014 edition of "Skeptical Inquirer Magazine" in the New and Notable Section as a positive book review. At the end of the year it was again recognized as one of the The Best Cryptozoology Books of 2014 by renown cryptozoologist Loren Coleman. He labeled the book as "The Best Guidebook for The Cryptozoologist-In-Training of 2014." It was a huge honor to be recognized by a living legend of the field of cryptozoology for my work. It was also a huge honor to be reviewed by a skeptical organization and given a virtual "thumbs up" for a book that offered a balanced view on a controversial subject.

After Loren Coleman contacted me for a review copy, a few weeks later he let me in on the fact that the book would make his year end list. Loren also wanted to sell this book at his International Cryptozoology Museum that is located in Portland, Maine. He was also curious to know if I was interested in including a preface to the book supplied by him. Earlier in the year I had made some revisions to the book in order for it to be included in an online school (name withheld due to not being completed at this time) and knew of a few other changes I wanted to make. I had never considered having someone write a preface, or rather a foreword by definition, for one of my books, but if I was for this book it would be no one other than Loren. So, in March of 2015 I re-released the book as a second edition. It is still only available at my personal online bookstore at Lulu Press and will be available at Amazon and other online retailers soon as the first edition is still available.

Interestingly, this book was a lot of work but I really did it for fun as it was a "diversion" of sorts away from my ghost handbooks and my work on the "E4" Method that included several on-site client investigations and months of research prior to that. This book was a lot of fun to write and I felt like it connected to me more of a person as I used my past to talk about concepts of the book. My other books were successful in their own right and I enjoyed my "tour" with the "E4" Method book that included conferences in Maryland, Virginia, and several appearances in Ohio and Pennsylvania not to mention numerous podcast interviews which was still a lot of work. Offers to review the "Handbook for the Amateur Cryptozoologist" seemed to come to me with little effort (there are more to come) and I had never thought of this book as one that would generate as much interest as it has so far. Every project I work on I attempt to expand my knowledge or experience with something, and while this book is still "self published" I am still proud of what it provides and I feel this is my best writing and overall book to date.

The “Handbook for the Amateur Cryptozoologist” explores the history and mystery behind some of the most elusive creatures found - and some that are still hidden. The handbook provides a well-balanced look at many concepts necessary to conduct proper client-based investigations. Cryptozoology has been shadowed under the umbrella of pseudoscience due to a myriad of problems. This book takes a skeptical, yet balanced, stance to help the newcomer or seasoned veteran gain solid footing into using a more scientific approach to the field. It will also arm you with the basic abilities necessary to become a successful researcher and field investigator in the field of cryptozoology. It explores the use of technology in the field as well as the methodologies behind investigations and expeditions that go beyond the television style of thrill-seeking. This handbook will be your basic guide to becoming a responsible and rational investigator in a field wrought with hoaxes and misinterpretations.

This book is available now at my personal bookstore at Lulu Press.