I love listening to the sky wave when it gets dark and picking up out of town stations it is a hobby known as AM DX-ing or distance listening now a lost hobby with the internet and I heart and Tune In apps. Which allow you to listen to just about every AM /Fm station in the USA plus around the world.
I picked up a paranormal type show out of the mid west called Dream Land and its hosted by a gentleman known as Art Bell.
its a long ride almost 3 hr ride from Erie to Penn Hills so I caught the tail end of the show at Midnight and then I heard Art say to stay tuned for Coast To Coast AM I was hooked what a great show talking about UFO's the unexplained etc However I would have to wait till summer of 95 when the local WIXZ 1360 became WPTT and went from Country Music to all talk to start getting Art Bell locally after looking up Arts show on my Dial Up Earthlink account and finding out he was broadcasting from the Kingdom (county) of Knye in Pharump Nevada from a double wide trailer
Sometime in 96 he turned Dream land over to Whitley Streiber but kept Coast to Coast going but then all of a sudden he announces he was quitting radio after an incident involving his son being molested and he being accused of doing it instead of the man who was prosecuted.
I found him and he was gone for about 6 months when here I find him on again after things cooled down. he would have some fantastic guests like professor Michua Kaucua , John Lear Father Maliki and others even crazy guests like Mel Waters and his Mel's Hole which ended up being a hoax but Art and his guest just had a fascinating way of keeping you hooked.
But then Art announced he was retiring and moving to Philippines one of several such events where he would go away for year or 2 and come back in the mean time he turned the show over to Mike Seigel who tried his best but he was just not Art Bell and of course here comes another Art drama a letter shows up in a Philippines newspaper with very racist comments about Philippines and supposedly sent by Art who flees back to US and of course he comes back on the air.
He is on for another year or so and decides to semi retire and lets others fill in on days he is off and of course he comes back on full time. then he announces he is retiring for good when he turned the show over to George Noory and is retiring to Philippines and selling off his Ham radio gear.
He calls George Noory from Philippines one night and they cook up a show for art to be on Saturday night live and of course there is all kind of problems and drama getting a proper internet line set up and show is on some times and sometimes the show is not due to internet problems. Which by the way IT guys who travel tell me the Philippines has very good internet even better than is US in many places . Of course more drama the Philippines letter shows up and Art once more must flee back to the states .But thur agreement he is off for 10 years due to a no compete.
But then he is back on Siruis Satellite Radio and he goes a month and they cut him off for what ever reason he is off the air for 2 more years due to non compete then he decides to start his own show on Dark Matters Radio Network which may be goingoff the air in 30 days if they do not get more subscribers. But more drama first he can not figure out getting music with out the big royalty fee despite how many of his listeners including me who are broadcast engineers told him how to get around it then he was ready to go but he and his one time producer Keith Rowalnds got into a big dispute and no show then they decide to yes we will have a show. he comes on and is on air less than 6 months and now a mysterious stalker is after him and he retires again because the stalker wants him off the air. But he might be back . His guests this last time where less than intriguing some old timers where always welcome the others pathetic. Unfortunately many of Arts best guests have passed away or have not ben heard from in many years .Art is 70 now
Do us all a favor Art Bell stay off the air retire and enjoy your life either do a show or not set a schedule once a week a month for 1-4 hours and stick with it stop all the damn drama enough is enough too many storys like the boy who cried wolf. . Like the song by the Who goes. " We wont be fooled again"
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