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Coast to Coast AM is an overnight radio show, originally hosted by Art Bell (out of KNYE, in Pahrump, NV) and currently hosted by George Noory. It is the most popular show in its time slot, and is heard across the nation and around the world. At its peak, it was syndicated on nearly 500 stations, but has since decreased. The show is typically formatted with a short interview or reportage, followed by open lines, during the first hour. The remaining hours are generally devoted to long-format interviews, with a mix of callers. Entire shows are also regularly devoted to open lines.  Art Bell, in his natural habitat From the Kingdom of Nye... Art Bell's Coast to Coast AM Most listeners will agree that Art Bell was the golden age of Coast to Coast, with a rapid and steep decline in quality/entertainment value after his third and final retirement in 2007. Bell had decades of considerable experience with radio (and is an active ham operator). He also starred in a short, self-deprecating aluminum foil commercial that goes exactly as you'd expect. Art Bell began hosting an overnight time slot in 1993, with the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995 prompting a considerable shift in the show's tone and subjects. It transitioned from a politically-oriented call-in show to one that approached conspiracies, fringe theories, alternative history, etc., with a call-in format and guest interviews. During his tenure as host, Art Bell didn't utilize call screeners - an unusual practice in talk radio - which meant all manner of insane, unintelligible, and genuinely creepy individuals made it to the air. Unless the caller was identifiably inebriated, or engaging in particularly salty or abusive language, virtually any topic was allowed for discussion. Friday nights' shows (1am - 5am EST) were almost exclusively reserved for open lines, with periodic designations for special subject lines ('Time Travelers,' 'Extraterrestrial Encounters,' etc.). In a broader cultural context, Bell's subjects deviated considerably from the 'norm' of talk radio (and popular culture). He invited unusual guests and entertained a variety of subjects that weren't part of mainstream media, ranging from Nazi-occupied hollow Earth theorists to people screeching about the reptilian One World Government. If you want to know the cultural framework for the 9/11 Truthers, Alex Jones' insanity, etc., it was likely laid by Coast to Coast AM: via Bell's show, conspiracy theories, alternative histories, fringe science, and all manner of woo-woo ideas were presented. Among other subjects regularly discussed, Coast to Coast AM introduced the world to John Titor (time traveler), the Face on Mars, remote viewing, and hollow Earth theory. Multiple Retirements, Multiple Comebacks, Multiple Wives Bell's time hosting Coast to Coast AM was marked with a number of unusual events, some of which have achieved near legendary status. Starting in 1998, Bell went through a number of retirements and comebacks, tied to various/sundry off-air events. Mike Siegel took over the show during Bell's hiatuses, with listenership dropping with each of Bell's absences. In 2006, Art Bell reported that his wife of 15 years unexpectedly passed away. Like any emotionally-normal and rational man, in the throes of grief, he found a 22 year old girlfriend from the Philippines online and was re-married within a few months. Between visa troubles and network difficulties, Bell - who had originally intended to return to the air, routing the radio show through an ISDN line from the Philippines to the United States - retired indefinitely.  Art Bell, picture with his As of 2007, Bell has retired indefinitely from hosting C2C, citing a desire to spend time with his wife and daughter. Contractually, he was obligated to host 15 shows each year with Premier Radio, but never fulfilled them -- protracted health issues, his new wife (and even newer daughter), technical difficulties -- kept him from the air. In 2012, his non-compete agreement with Premier expired, and he has publicly remarked on the possibility of again getting on the air. On his personal Facebook page, he often laments the direction Coast to Coast has taken after his departure, and publicly airs his scorn for Premier Radio (the current syndicator of Coast to Coast). Current Iteration, or: What is this Dreck, Anyway?  George Noory. Enough said. George Noory is the current regular host of C2C. He is, in turns, dull, gullible, and incapable of insight. With Noory at the helm, C2C has transitioned from a heavily paranormal/conspiracy/fringe radio show to something akin to Alex Jones Lite, without the intellectual powerhouse at the helm. Noory is unremarkable in his interview style, often just re-stating guests' opinions, and failing to offer any semblance of critical analysis to the generally paranoiac or delusional ideas presented. Other than the lack of charisma, Noory differentiates himself from Bell by clearly buying into all manner of woo science and spirituality. Periodically, old staples make an appearance on C2C -- Richard C Hoagland, Ed Dames, etc. George Noory routinely refers to Alex Jones as the "Paul Revere of our time." George Noory also occupies his non-radio time by hosting a dismally poor online television show, entitled Beyond Belief. Weekend shows are hosted by a number of individuals, on a rotating basis: George Knapp, Ian Punnett, and John B. Wells regularly host weekend and occasional weekday shows. Recurring Guests  Richard C. Hoagland, vacant stare and all, presents his findings that support ancient civilizations on Mars Richard C. Hoagland -Psuedoscientific hack, propagator of the 'Face on Mars.' Makes all manner of claims about his professional and education background, with throngs of individuals denying his involvement. George Noory relies on Hoagland as the show's science reporter and analyst. Linda Moulton Howe - Reports on cryptozoology; a staple of Art Bell's, but rarely appearing on Noory's C2C. Whitley Strieber - Author of the well-known Communion, a purportedly non-fiction recollection of Strieber's experiences being abducted by aliens. Maj. Ed Dames - aka 'Major Head Games" - participent in the Army's remote viewing program. Appeared regularly with Art Bell to give ridiculous predictions, usually with doomsday associations. He also hocks online courses to learn how to remote view the lottery, sports betting, etc. Almost never accurate in his 'remote viewing,' and notorious for hyping up a 'killshot' that's been imminent for over a decade. Peter Davenport - National UFO Reporting Center major domo and frequent guest on Coast to Coast, where he talks about the current state of unknown aircraft in the skies. Iconic Shows: A variety of calls and events have added to the Coast to Coast mythos, and have gone down in C2C infamy. Ghost to Ghost AM (Full Archives) -- Halloween show, during which callers recount ghostly encounters. Any of the archives are worth a listen. New Year's Eve -- The show is devoted to compiling callers' predictions about the coming year. Additionally, the prior years' predictions are evaluated for accuracy. Pilot Allegedly Flies into Area 51 while on the air with Art Bell -- generally regarded as the most (in)famous call in C2C history Mel's Hole -- "Mel Waters," a guest, recounts a bottomless pit he found in Washington state and its surrounding weirdness. Area 51 Employees Line -- contains the frantic call from a supposed A51 employee, who becomes increasingly agitated over the course of a few minutes. (A year or so later, the same guy called back and claimed it was a hoax) Interview with "Victor," claimed Area 51/S-4 Employee/Alien Wrangler -- Bell interviews a fellow who claims to be responsible for the release of a short video of an alien Where to Listen: Coast to Coast AM's Official Affiliate List -- Note: if a station is within a couple hundred miles, and is 25k or higher, you can likely pick it up with a radio at night. A number of local and national stations offer free streaming of their broadcasts, useful for listening live. I rely on KLBJ out of Austin, TX. The iPhone/Android application TuneIn also provides a great resource for free online/portable stations. Fine Art Stream is a 24/7 online stream (alson available via TuneIn) of Art Bell era Coast to Coast. (Note: their Facebook page is fairly active and the mods are awesome about honoring requests) U7Radio is another 24/7 online stream of Art Bell's Coast to Coast. The current schedule is: George Noory - Weekdays George Knapp - 3rd and 4th Sunday of each month Ian Punnett - 2nd Sunday of each month John B. Wells - Saturdays CCrane AM/FM Shortwave Radio -- often plugged by Bell and Noory, these radios are absolutely superb. (I have one, and it's really the best thing ever.) If you have any additional shows to add, subjects, or commentary, post or PM me and I'll add it in! leahlionheart fucked around with this message at 21:54 on May 22, 2013 |
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May 19, 2013 03:28
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(Placeholder for any additional information/shows/whatever).
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May 19, 2013 03:29
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Goddamn Hippy posted:Who is the guy with the deep voice now? That's John B. Wells! I've edited the OP to reflect the current show schedule: George Knapp - 3rd and 4th Sunday of each month Ian Punnett - 2nd Sunday of each month John B. Wells - Saturdays Also, apparently George Noory hosts an online television show entitled Beyond Belief. I can't believe I forgot the Pizza Punch. Bell really shilled all manner of weird products (he was also the first show I heard that touted buying gold, at the shockingly low price of $300/ounce, in advance of the coming global economic meltdown). Another shameless plug, but Fine Art Stream is great for old shows. leahlionheart fucked around with this message at 04:24 on May 21, 2013 |
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May 21, 2013 04:20
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