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Art Bell stated that the decision to come out of retirement was entirely his, a response to the direction that George Noory has taken the show—closer to political talk radio rather than the open-minded exploration of the supernatural that defined Bell's tenure as host. Noory, Bell says, has "ruined" the franchise of Coast to Coast AM.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dickey |first=Jack |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2151794,00.html#ixzz2ehU9iB4g |title=Insomniac Radio King Art Bell Reclaims His Crown |publisher=Time |date=2013-09-23 |accessdate=2013-12-11}}</ref>
Art Bell stated that the decision to come out of retirement was entirely his, a response to the direction that George Noory has taken the show—closer to political talk radio rather than the open-minded exploration of the supernatural that defined Bell's tenure as host. Noory, Bell says, has "ruined" the franchise of Coast to Coast AM.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dickey |first=Jack |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2151794,00.html#ixzz2ehU9iB4g |title=Insomniac Radio King Art Bell Reclaims His Crown |publisher=Time |date=2013-09-23 |accessdate=2013-12-11}}</ref>
Bell has publicly stated on his Facebook that he no longer wishes to be associated with Coast to Coast AM.
Bell has publicly stated on his Facebook that he no longer wishes to be associated with Coast to Coast AM.
There are also internet forums which have sprung up that are overwhelmingly critical of Noory hosting Coast to Coast. AM.<ref>[http://bellgab.com/ THE Art Bell Fan Forum - Index]</ref>
There are also internet forums which have sprung up that are overwhelmingly critical of Noory hosting Coast to Coast AM.<ref>[http://bellgab.com/ THE Art Bell Fan Forum - Index]</ref>


The Commonsense show has described Noory-led Coast to Coast by the following:
The Commonsense show has described Noory-led Coast to Coast by the following:

Revision as of 17:27, 13 August 2014

34°9′12″N 118°27′56″W / 34.15333°N 118.46556°W / 34.15333; -118.46556

Coast to Coast AM
GenreTalk radio
Running time175 minutes, 20 seconds
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Philippines (2006–2010)
SyndicatesPremiere Networks
Hosted byGeorge Noory (weeknights and 1st Sunday)
George Knapp (Sundays)
AnnouncerDick Ervasti
Created byArt Bell
Recording studioSherman Oaks, California
Remote studiosLos Angeles, California (Noory)
St. Louis, Missouri (Noory)
Las Vegas, Nevada (Knapp
Original release1984 –
present
Opening theme"Chase (Theme from Midnight Express)" by Giorgio Moroder
Ending theme"Inca Dance" or "Ghost Dance" by Cusco (Shows hosted by Noory and Knapp)
"Listening to Coast to Coast" by UFO Phil (Fridays)
"Midnight in the Desert" by Crystal Gayle
Websitewww.coasttocoastam.com
PodcastStreamlink

Coast to Coast AM is a North American (U.S. and Canada) late-night radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. The program is distributed by Premiere Networks, both as part of its talk network and separately as a syndicated program. The program currently airs seven nights a week 1:05 a.m. – 5:00 a.m. EST.[1]

Originally created and hosted by Art Bell, as of 2014 the program is hosted on most nights by George Noory. According to estimates by Talkers Magazine, Coast to Coast AM draws approximately 3 million listeners, making it the most listened-to program in its time slot.[2] Today, the program is heard on nearly 570 stations in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Guam.

Format and subject matter

The Coast to Coast AM format consists of a combination of live callers and long format interviews. The subject matter covers unusual topics and is full of personal stories related to callers, junk science, pseudo experts and non-peer reviewed scientists. While program content is often focused on paranormal and fringe subjects, sometimes, world-class scientists such as Michio Kaku and Brian Greene are featured in long format interviews. Topics discussed include the Near-death experience, climate change, cosmology, quantum physics, remote viewing, hauntings, contact with extraterrestrials, psychic reading, metaphysics, science and religion, conspiracy theories, Area 51, crop circles, cryptozoology, Bigfoot, the Hollow Earth hypothesis, and science fiction literature, among others. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the events of that day (as well as alternate theories surrounding them) and current U.S. counter-terrorism strategy have also become frequent themes. George Noory, the main host since Art Bell retired, also took interest in the 2012 phenomenon and believed that something could happen; but stated many times on air that he believed we would still be here on December 22, 2012.

After the theme song is played (Giorgio Moroder's "Chase" from Midnight Express), the broadcast is typically kicked off with a reading of current events or news stories by the host, usually with at least one bizarre or peculiar story. This is usually followed by a guest interview for the rest of the first hour (with open phone lines if there is enough time), then a lengthier three-hour interview with a second guest. For the last hour of the show, people may call in to ask questions of the second guest. Every so often, host George Noory will flip the show's format and have the longer interview guest on first to fill the first three hours of the show. In this format, the primary interview begins after the reading of the news and then the first break. In the last hour in this "flipped" format, the last hour will sometimes feature a guest with a shorter subject or, more often than not, be simply an hour of open lines. Occasionally, round table discussions are held on one of the show's common topics. Conventional topics are sometimes discussed, with interviews with notable authors and political talk sometimes featured.

On rare occasions, hosts have cut interviews short when it became clear that guests were being dishonest, unethical, unintelligible, abusive, or patronizing. When this happens, the rest of the show will be filled with open lines. Guests that have interviews cut short due to bad phone connections for example, or at the last minute becoming unavailable are generally rescheduled for a later date.

However, the overall tone of the show is generally friendly toward paranormal and fringe views, and apart from panel discussions and advertised debates, guests are generally free to air their views unopposed.

In 2008, Noory volunteered an elaboration of the show's policy respecting the controversial opinions of regular guests. He explained that, provided there was no element of hostility toward third parties, it was program policy to allow expression of opinion unchallenged. He gave as an example Richard C. Hoagland's contention that features on Mars are artificial, constructed by a civilization that once inhabited the planet. Noory frequently does not challenge these statements and agrees with whomever is making the statements. During hours of "open lines", calls are taken and put on air. Art Bell created multiple call-in numbers for:

  1. "East of the Rockies"
  2. "West of the Rockies"
  3. "First-time callers"
  4. "International callers"
  5. A "wild card" line
  6. Skype (when Noory is hosting)

These lines were all announced at the beginning of each broadcast by Ross Mitchell for nearly all of the show's history until the spring of 2012, when Mitchell's home station, KKOH in Reno, Nevada, chose not to be a Coast to Coast affiliate any longer; two new announcers, Charles Tomas and Dick Ervasti, are the current voiceover announcers of the program.[3] Since 2007, Coast to Coast AM rolls out more numbers on special occasions, including lines that are reserved for special "themed" callers, for example those who claim to be from other dimensions, time periods, and those possessed by spirits.

The Halloween edition of Coast to Coast AM becomes Ghost to Ghost AM, as listeners call in with their ghost stories. The New Year's Eve show usually entails listeners calling in their predictions for the coming year, and the host rating the predictions made a year earlier. In recent years, the host of the New Year's Eve prediction show has been cautioning the open line callers that they may not predict the assassination of any person or the death of the US president.

The 2006 first-person shooter Prey featured Art Bell as a guest star and featured him as himself in mock episodes of the show with guests calling in to discuss the various extraterrestrial or mythical phenomena making up the game's story line, sometimes to advance the plot and other times simply for humour. Additionally, an internet video featuring Bell was shown in the 2007 Lindsay Lohan film I Know Who Killed Me, whose plot centered around the phenomenon of stigmatic twins.

Criticism of declining quality, and declining ratings under George Noory

Art Bell stated that the decision to come out of retirement was entirely his, a response to the direction that George Noory has taken the show—closer to political talk radio rather than the open-minded exploration of the supernatural that defined Bell's tenure as host. Noory, Bell says, has "ruined" the franchise of Coast to Coast AM.[4] Bell has publicly stated on his Facebook that he no longer wishes to be associated with Coast to Coast AM. There are also internet forums which have sprung up that are overwhelmingly critical of Noory hosting Coast to Coast AM.[5]

The Commonsense show has described Noory-led Coast to Coast by the following:

When Art Bell relinquished control of his program to corporate interests, Premiere and ultimately Clear Channel, Coast to Coast AM was never the same, as the show took a turn and became reflective of “the corporate message”. Noory’s listening numbers are nothing to write home about. Bell has an estimated 6-12 million listeners on any given night. In contrast, Noory’s numbers are a paltry 275,000 to 300,000 listeners per night. George Noory is the perfect front man, with little hands-on control of the show, and his numbers take on a secondary level of importance as he is very good at protecting the corporate turf while being very careful to only take risks on subjects that the corporate sponsors do not care about (e.g. crystal skulls, near death experiences, psychic mediums, etc.). Gone are the former days of Art Bell’s hard-hitting journalism.

— [6]

The ratings of Coast to Coast AM under Noory have fallen to only 3.25 million listeners per week. Coast to Coast AM previously boasted a weekly listening audience in excess of 10 million listeners.[7][8]

Hosts

George Noory hosts the show on weeknights and the first Sunday of every month. Las Vegas-based investigative journalist George Knapp hosts the 3rd and 4th Sunday of each month, and when there is a 5th Sunday, Rob Simone, Whitley Strieber or a fill-in will host the show. On some 3rd and 4th Sundays, Simone fills in for George Knapp.

Former hosts

Mike Siegel hosted the show from April 2000 until February 2001. He became a frequent substitute for the show's original host, Art Bell in late 1999, and when Bell announced his retirement in early 2000, he recommended Siegel to succeed him.[9] Siegel maintained the format of the show that Bell had created, but his personal style was very different, and the show became less popular. Siegel hosted the show from Seattle, Washington, where he lived. Early in 2001, Bell decided to return, and Siegel left the show.

Other past hosts include weekend host Ian Punnett (who was forced by tinnitus to give up the show), Hilly Rose, Barbara Simpson, and Rollye James.

In January 2012, John B. Wells replaced Ian Punnett as the Saturday evening and the second Sunday evening host of Coast to Coast AM. He was fired in January 2014 because the show's producers wanted to go in a "different direction on Saturday nights," and is now the host of his own subscriber based program.[10] On the February 4, 2014 episode of his "Caravan to Midnight" show, Wells stated that he thought he had been fired because he hated President Obama to the point where he can't bear the sight or sound of him such that he avoids "even speaking his [President Obama's] name," and that he thought President Obama is a communist.

After John B Wells was fired, Saturday nights are hosted by rotating hosts although Rob Simone currently seems to be filling the spot.

Broadcast area

Coast to Coast AM claims to be broadcast on over 500 United States affiliates (along with a limited number of FM stations), as well as numerous Canadian affiliates, several of which stream the show on their station's website. The affiliate group is fronted by 12 clear-channel stations, among them WBT in Charlotte, WHO in Des Moines, WOR in New York City, KFBK in Sacramento, and KFI in Los Angeles. Among them, they bring the show to almost all of North America.

The show's Streamlink service offers live Internet feeds of the show by subscription. The program is also broadcast on Sirius XM Radio in the United States, on Indie Talk Radio, channel 104 since November 12, 2013.

The show's complete schedule can be found on its website. Because the show is so frequently repeated, audible cue signals are inserted at the beginning and end of commercial breaks, to facilitate substitution of commercials by local stations.

WOR AM Broadcast schedule replaced C to C with Met game rebroadcasts on most nights. C to C schedule has not been updated.

Guests

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

A complete list of guests is available on the Coast to Coast website, where they can be searched by show date, year, alphabet, etc.[1]

Banned guests

Sylvia Browne (deceased) was banned by George Noory after the Sago mine incident in January 2006.

Nancy Lieder is no longer booked, since several of her prophecies of doom have spectacularly failed.

The Amazing Kreskin was banned after misrepresenting a so-called mass "happening" as a UFO sighting.

The Ghost Buster Gals are no longer booked, since they appeared on Art Bell's Dark Matter. Foster and Laure Lee have stated that Coast to Coast AM producer Tommy Danheiser informed them that since they were on Dark Matter their services were no longer needed.

Associated shows

Several shows associated with Coast to Coast AM have aired in the slot immediately preceding the late Saturday night edition of the program, from 6–10 p.m. Pacific time.

Dreamland

Dreamland was another Art Bell creation, nearly identical to Coast to Coast AM but less caller driven. Bell recorded Dreamland on Friday afternoons where the show streamed live over the Internet and listeners could call in towards the end of the show. The show then aired at various times on different stations during the weekend, but doing eight shows a week got to be too much and he handed over control of the show to Whitley Strieber. Many affiliates aired the show before Coast to Coast AM on Sunday nights, but Premiere Radio pre-empted that time spot after it began to syndicate Matt Drudge, and then dropped the program entirely. It is now heard over the Internet, exclusively at UnknownCountry.com.

Dreamland continues to focus on many of the same topics as its sister program, although often with a more spiritual point of view, as well as an increased emphasis on extra-terrestrials.

Coast to Coast Live

Upon Art Bell's January 2006 return, Ian Punnett hosted Coast To Coast Live on Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern Time. A spin-off of the original Coast to Coast AM, the show covered similar topics as its flagship program. With Bell's July 2007 retirement, Coast to Coast Live was discontinued, with Punnett returning to host the regular Saturday edition.

Art Bell, Somewhere in Time

Replacing Coast to Coast Live in the late Saturday time slot is a series of reruns of classic Art Bell episodes of Coast to Coast AM, airing under the title Somewhere in Time.

Newsletters

The radio show published a monthly newsletter for subscribers called After Dark. Discussing matters covered on the show, it contained fourteen inner pages, approximately 46% of which were illustrations and photos, rather than text. The front cover contained artwork, and the back cover showed a list of recent shows. The newsletter ceased publication in January 2011, but the show now offers a free daily e-newsletter called CoastZone.

See also

References

  1. ^ Randy Dotinga (February 15, 2006). "Coast to Coast AM Is No Wack Job". Wired.
  2. ^ "The Top Talk Radio Audiences (Updated 3/11)". Talkers Magazine. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  3. ^ "Coast has two new announcers taking the place of Ross Mitchell..."
  4. ^ Dickey, Jack (September 23, 2013). "Insomniac Radio King Art Bell Reclaims His Crown". Time. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  5. ^ THE Art Bell Fan Forum - Index
  6. ^ Hodges, Dave. "John B. Wells Fired for Being Too Popular and Truthful: An Exclusive Interview". The Common Sense Show. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  7. ^ Fisher, Marc (March 29, 1998). "The outer limits: A lone voice in the desert lures 10 million listeners". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  8. ^ "The Top Talk Radio Audiences". Talkers.Com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  9. ^ Judith Michaelson (April 11, 2000). "Veteran Talk-Show Host Mike Siegel to Succeed Bell". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2009.
  10. ^ ((url=http://caravantomidnight.com))Caravan to Midnight
  11. ^ Coast to Coast AM website – Katherine Albrecht guest page
  12. ^ Coast to Coast AM website – Howard Bloom guest page
  13. ^ Gordon Duff (October 20, 2012). "UFO Disclosure: Gordon Duff on Coast to Coast with George Noory". Veterans Today.
  14. ^ Template:Wayback "Gordon Duff is an anti-Semitic conspiracist whose innocuous-sounding Web site, Veterans Today, features anti-Israel and Holocaust denial materials"
  15. ^ Coast to Coast AM website – Steve Elwart guest page
  16. ^ "9-11 Theories & Evidence – Shows". Coast to Coast AM. February 23, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  17. ^ Coast to Coast AM website – Austin Fitts guest page
  18. ^ Coast to Coast AM website – Tobias McGriff guest page
  19. ^ Coast to Coast AM website – Zecharia Sitchin guest page
  20. ^ Coast to Coast AM website – Dr. Louis Turi guest page
  21. ^ Coast to Coast AM website – Robert Zimmerman guest page
  22. ^ Coast to Coast AM website – Matthew L. Fraser guest page
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