When Art Bell, long time host of the “Coast to Coast” radio show which attracts up to ten million listeners a night, announced his retirement on his July 1, 2007 show, he knew that his listeners had heard this before. So he emphasized, “This time it’s for real though. It’s for real.”
But now, six months later, Bell’s retirement is not sounding so permanent.
On the night of Jan 4, 2008, Bell was sitting in for George Noory who was on holidays. Nothing odd about that, as Bell had said when announcing his retirement that he would occasionally fill in or do a special. What was odd was Bell’s response when a caller popped the question: ‘When are you coming back?’ Bell explained that he had done the show for years and was spending time with his family. “I’m in a break here,” he said.
A break? That doesn’t sound like permanent retirement.
The caller told Bell that he didn’t think the hosts who had replaced him were taking the show in the direction he had intended. “If they’re taking it in a direction that listeners don’t want,” Bell responded, “they won’t be here because the ratings will fall.” He added calmly, “Time will tell.”
This story was originally written for Downtown Eastside Enquirer blogspot. A related story at the downtowneastsideenquirer.blogspot is: Art Bell Retires from Coast to Coast Radio Show
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45 users commented in " Is Art Bell Hinting at a Come-back? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackArt needs to stay away from c2c. He is quite dated and very annoying.
George is making a well rounded program.
It is quite refreshing to not hear about UFOs all night.
It is also a relief to have a host that has an open mind.
I think Art Bell is “getting with the times”. He doesn’t just talk about UFO’s all the time!! I like them both. I do think that George Noory should talk more about his personal (love) life. All I know is that he likes St. Louis.. umm who is he dating etc.. It adds to the host’s character when they talk about their personal life. He should spend LESS time researching for the show and MORE time taking vacations.. come on only 1 week vacation a year. he’s gonna burn out!
“Art Bell is annoying.”
“George is making a well rounded program.”
“George should talk more about his love life.”
Wow.
These two dolts perfectly sum up the “new crop” of listeners currently listening to C2C.
Let’s be frank, George is OK but he is no Art Bell! Also Ian is pitiful,
George Knapp is pretty good… I for one would welcome Art coming back. I
have noticed at my building where about 360 people are working when coast
to coast is on are more and more being turned to other shows. And to the
people who don’t like the UFO stuff F-U…
We get plenty of the other stuff during the day.
I surely do hope Art Bell comes back!!! His connections with people of interest and his ability to pull them into Coast to Coast are a great plus. Also, he is much more personable and open than George Norry. Also George Norry gets too religious for my taste, and he often interrupts the guests as if he knows more than they do, which is rude. I believe a talk show host should try to bring out as honestly and as completely as possible, the views of the guest who is “on stage” for the evening. I also do not like the direction the show is going and feel it is going dry and boring without Art. PLEASE come back, Art!!
George is boring. The show has become cookie-cutter since his arrival. You might as well read your newspaper or watch Fox News.
I truly wish Art would come back. George is taking the show in a direction that I could care less about. It’s a joke. George is a nice guy and very well intentioned, but he is no Art Bell. I can understand if Art is just tired of doing his show, but I am only interested in the paranormal. The other topics he has on are boring. I could care less about politics and oil and energy prices. I want my alternative radio. The only one who comes close to Art, in my opinion is Rollye James , and they must not like her because she is not on that I have heard lately. Are you listening Art? Please come back or just kill the show.
I have listened to Art for many years. Many a night his show would end and the hair on my back would be standing up! I miss that type of radio. I know Art misses the listeners too. His new baby is so cute, so I he has been busy. Come on back, Art.
I for one miss Art Bell, I use to call him my Big Brother because he was born 3 days before me. If he sees this he will remember me. I use to live in Washington state when I called him that. I now live in Idaho & I for one miss his programs. He didn’t only talk about UFO’S but a vrity of topices and he had my ear to the radio. expecaly since I’m a day person it was extremly hard to stay up that late, but Art had the gift to keep me wide eyed and bushy tailed to his programs.
George Noory is no Art Bell…but who is!?! George is not as witty or quick as Art, but he does a fairly good job. He is pleasant to listen to seems like a decent person. Perhaps, if we are so sad that Art has finally gotten a life outside of radio, we should find our own lives, instead of pining away for what once was. I enjoy the mix of paranormal, science, and politics. We can’t just learn about the world from CNN,FOX, and the Discovery Channel. Why not have some fun with the serious stuff? There’s more to life than UFO’s and ghosts.
Art Bell is the best. But why has he not been interviewed? It would be fascinating for the world to ponder his thoughts?
When Art interviewed Ed Dames last week, he mentioned something about getting his website back up again. Hmmm? Very interesting
Art wouldnt have to have a full night of the show. He could open the first two hours, Then george could take it from there.
I hope Art does come back! He’s simply great at, George is just too boring!!!
As a long time C2C listener I have to say that while George does yeoman’s work, his show is not nearly as interesting as when Art hosted it. The guests aren’t as good, the subject matter is tepid, and George is not as good an interviewer as Art is. While George is here to stay on C2C, I welcome Art’s return to at least the weekends, if he is to return at all.
I like Ian Punnett but he’s really, in my opinion, not very good. I mean, he’s not untalented, but he lacks that “something,” that intangible quality found in top broadcasters.
George Knapp is, to me, a jerk. He talks with callers in a condescending manner sometimes, and while not overtly rude, skirts the line on that one.
Art’s comment a couple of weeks ago while hosting live that he may “have reason” to bring back his website was interesting. I suppose that the main reason for bringing it back would be him returning to host.
If anyone at Premier checks out this blog, truly George’s version of C2C is anemic when compared to Art’s. In comparing “Art Bell, Somewhere in Time” to the current live C2C one can easily see why and how the old C2C was more dynamic and interesting than it is now. The poster who mentioned, above, that at his place of work people were tuning to other programs on the overnight is not surprising to me. You guys at Premier ought to fix C2C. Thanks.
I prefer George Knapp over Noory and Ian. But I think George Knapp has other journalism jobs that keep him too busy to do more than a couple shows a month. I can always hope, though.
Art did make a comment on the Friday, May 23rd show about possibly having a reason to bring back his website. He also mentioned that contractually, he only had 3 or 4 more shows to do with C2C.
Very interesting…
Here’s my theory: Art owned the rights to the show which he sold to Premier Radio. When he sold, he agreed to stay on as host, but remember how he was sporadically absent with back problems & such? At those times, George Noory would fill in. It was like tapering off of Art and ramping up George. Meanwhile, he signed a non-compete agreement with Premier stating he would not produce a competing broadcast of the same genre’ for a period of what will be 5 years on October 23, 2008. At that point, his non-compete will have expired, freeing him to re-launch his website and any radio program format he chooses.
Just a theory, and there are plenty of them out there. it’ll be interesting to see what actually happens.
I still love C2C and their topics. Art has gotten on my nerves plenty of times when he cuts off his guests in the middle of their thoughts - but there is only one Art Bell and the show truly has not been the same since he left. I hope he does come back.
I really miss Art. I try to listen to c2c most nights but:
the subject and/or guests are boring,
way too much focus on doom and gloom for our country, economy, etc.
Well frankly, I really miss Art Bell. There is no one like him. Since he left C2C I stopped listening. Every now and then I try to tune in but the show format and interviewer styles are lacking. I long for the days of Art Bell; I miss the good ol’ days when Art did all the advertising and the shows were long and captivating!
George is ok but sometimes he comes off as
a little to liberal. if people wanted to hear
everything on the planet (including 9-11) blamed on bush then
air-america would not be bankrupt.
don’t get me wrong i am not some ditto head
but art called the government as a whole
into question and rarly got into real politics
i’m only 16 so i was young when art was
full time but his voice and the show in general
had a comforting, x-files-twilight zone kind of
fell to it that i just don’t get from george
Come back, Art Bell. We need you, we miss you. Without you, the information is not getting out. (However, it is time to permanently s-can Ed Dames.)
I thought I was alone in my sadness. Several friends have stopped listening to C2C altogether. I have actually w-mailed to complain about boring programs, lackluster guests. Some topics/guests are TOTALLY out of place. Ian has to go. Some of the other fill-in hosts were much much better than George. Nice guy but doesn’t have the depth or credibility. Maybe it is the Producers who are at fault. I have never received a response from them to any of my e-mail.
I’ve even e-mailed Art begging him to COME BACK!!!
Of course the ratings have dropped … I haven’t listened in years. And George’s commercial with that Hollywood dropout selling timeshares makes me want to shoot myself.
Art Bell is a classic. No one can really replace him, and no one has. I miss Art, and I would certainly welcome his “come back”. The whole concept of the show was not to talk about politics, the weather, and the usual stuff you can get on CNN. It was intended as a forum for UFO’s, the supernatural, Yetti, and the like. this is what is was, and what it should continue to be, and Art in the only person thus far who can do it, and do it right.
Most of you people never heard Art in his old days, before Coast to Coast. I heard him his very first night on the air, way back when he was with KDWN in Las Vegas, and did a show called West Coast AM, which I was a devoted listener to. C2C was born from that show. He was not syndicated back then, but the show had a strong signal at night, with a large listener base. There will never be another show like that. NEVER.
I recognized Art’s special gift from the start, but I have to admit that even though the listener base and popularity grew after he became syndicated, for me the show went slowly downhill. It was good at first, but it gradually became much too commercial and repetitive and eventually lost it’s appeal for me. I stopped listening, because Art got so extreme and ridiculous at times that he lost credibility with me. I missed the old Art. The only listeners who seemed to love the later show were the ones who never knew him back in the day.
For those of you who don’t know, in Art’s early days, his show was an open forum that tended to focus on news, current events, and politics, which sometimes drifted into paranormal or metaphysical topics, but it wasn’t stuck there. It was more spontaneous and exciting, and didn’t drown listeners with just type thing like it later did. Paranormal is fine, but it can get very old and predictable. Still, I will always miss Art. If he ever comes back, I can only hope the show will be more open and spontaneous like the early days, where any topic goes. Art does not always need guests. He is good on his own, and has a great gift and ability to discuss anything that comes up. The constant barrage of guests killed the show for me. I don’t want predictable. Art should never allow himself to drift into being predictable. It’s not his best style.
@OldArtLover - thanks for the reflections on his early show. I never heard that show - in fact I only came across C2C about a month before Ramona died, so I missed the best days of C2C too (I’m thankful they at least play the Art Bell Somewhere in Time replays once a week). But, despite the chaos after Ramona’s death, I at least got a glimpse here and there of how good C2C could be with Art at the helm, and I miss it.
I really hope Art does come back in some fashion after his non-compete expires. I can’t stand Noory - as someone on another site said, the man is an asshat. He’s a poor interviewer, arrogant and pretentious, just not that smart, and some of the clowns he surrounds himself with drive me right up the wall. Despite having a Streamlink membership, I don’t listen to Noory’s shows at all any more. I keep Streamlink to hear Art Bell Somewhere in Time, Art when he’s on (damn little any more), Ian (he’s ok in my book), and George Knapp, who I like quite a bit.
But, if Art’s earlier show was more political in nature, I hope he doesn’t go that direction in any comeback. There’s enough damn politics on the air, we don’t need any more of that. Art did mainstream science as well as paranormal (love the interviews with Michio Kaku, for example) - and has a lot more respect for real science than Noory does, btw - and anything along the lines of the best of his C2C shows would be fine with me.
Whatever he does, I wish him the best. Hearing that voice out of the High Desert in the middle of the night was a unique experience, and I hope to hear him doing something similar again.
I love Art he should move to Phoen ix AZ we are the hot bed of UFO’s and other strangeness nowdays.
I’d work for him for free.
wish I had his email.
Nothing would please me more than to see Art come back to talk radio. The C2C show is only successful now because of it’s guests. You can read the blogs and forums for all the critique on what the show has evolved into but don’t bother with the Nighthawkzone forum as they censor any thing negative about the show or it’s current hosts George Noory and Ian Punnett. The only host on the show who does a good job is George Knapp and he’s only on one night a week. Art Bell had a talent of taking a boring guest or caller and making it interesting or amusing. I know nothing would please us more than to see Art get on the air again with another show dealing with the old topics again that gave him much success, he is truly a talented Talk Show Host.
I have been listening to Art since 1995 and tuned in every night. Now days, I just check the online listings and hope to see Art again….I will have to agree with everyone’s assessments that I find less of my friends and colleagues listening to George. We hope to see Art back someday soon. The only good thing that has come out is that I get a good sleep every night. Thanks George.
I had a dream last night that Art Bell was back on tuesdays, so I did this search and found this blog here. I think my dream was in response to noticing on the c2c site that Bell was to be inducted into the radio hall of fame. Let’s be clear: Art Bell’s voice and style make him one of a kind. with his pregnant pauses and irony and deep-voiced
dry or deadpan delivery he is the tops! Also, his independent attitude towards both politics and religion made him more open-minded than other hosts–not to mention some of his technical background and intelligence helped provide a degree of reliable skepticism to temper his clear enthusiasm for the paranormal.
Above all, damn, he’s a great storyteller! He even made commercials sound interesting–sometimes I even gave thought to some of those survivalist items he’d sell ha!
I keep thinking Premier will get it…that the ratings tank. I’m going up and down the am dial to find other radio programs because I like to go to sleep with radio. But Noory is a loser. And I won’t listen to him because he’s so lacking in intelligence and talent that I just get angry and frustrated and can’t sleep. I’ve given up…he gloats, he name drops, he uses his open lines to fill time because he can’t intelligently engage in converstation with his guests, or what’s left of willing “guests” who are booked from the bottom of the pot.
Is Art going to be on anytime soon on C2C? I check the site weekly, just to see if he’s doing a guest stand-in. I listen regularly to his “Somewhere in Time,” on Saturday evenings.
I don’t listen at all when George Noory is on. He is truly repellent.
What can we do to get Art to come back?
I know he’s happy with his family, but we’re his family, too, sort of. Surely he must miss us as much as we do him. Don’t you think?
Everyone who is saying bad things about art bell just dont get what this show is about. Now, i dont dislike George…But this show is Arts creation. Period. I have listened since 1996. And Art Bell is the only man for the job. Sorry. But the show should have died with Art leaving. And they could have made a new different show with George.
The call screenings, the topics and George himself just doesnt make your imagination run like art did.
I personally hope Art comes back. Im always waiting for some kinda news about him coming back. Its his calling in life. Hes the master.
I am disappointed in the direction George Norry has taken the program. It has become shallow and biased. Now, it’s just another generic pulpit for wannabe religious zealots of anything but moral christianity; political liberal activists, and other certifiable loonatics with questionable agendas. In my view, Mr Norry isn’t very entertaining. Neither are the guests he brings to the show. Even his bumper music is obnoxious.
To his grest credit, Art never allowed religion or politics to dominate his show, scarcely if ever allowing either to be discussed. Art provided light-hearted entertainment, much tongue-in-cheek humor, and occasionally some cutting edge science. Art’s show was fun. His guests were entertaining too. If a guest was entertaining he was brought back repeatedly. If he turned out to be a flake, he wasn’t heard again. Bravo! That is the type of professional entertainment that I appreciate.
As for Art, he is the consummate radio host. He is personally interesting, intelligent and inquisitive. He is warm and welcoming to his guests. Norry has none of those qualities.
I hope Art does come back to the show. As far as I am concerned, Mr. Norry has already dropped the watermellon. I only listen briefly now and again, hoping to hear Art Bell’s voice.
Thanks,
Dr.Mike
Art Bell ive with Michio Kaku! Am I imagining things here….oh joy! So happy I checked tonight.
Art Bell has a unique ability to ask just the right question. Often, I will listen to a gueat and think, “Gee, I wish I knew if…” and if Art is hosting, more often than not that question will be asked. With George, I am likely to hear everything he allegedly knows on the topic rather than questioning th guest.
As for Art coming back, if it is true that his noncompete agreement has expired, I would expect that he will make a return either to TV or radio. Since he always has maintained that radio is his first lve, I would assume it will be radio. He said nothing during his New Year’s prediction show that would indicate a comeback, however. In fact he quickly cutoff discussion whenever the topic came up. Time will tell…
C2C was made by Art Bell. The show that is currently on is not C2C, its some hybrid that would be great if Art Bell had not ever done the show, the fact is he did and the bar is so high that George will never get close. The show now is goofy, too much personal stuff about George and his past life…
I started listing to Art in 1990 and was hooked, never missed a show even bought radio to tape it. Now, if I miss a show its no big deal. Pretty sad. I hope Art comes back, if not I thank him for his great shows, voice and imagination.
The truth is out there…
George who?…..I used to listen to Art Bell on C2C every night while working.Now I listen to the thoughts in my head about how the show isn’t really worth listening to since he left.No body can replace what Art Bell has done for night time talk radio.I also hope for his return…..
I for one loved listening when art was doing the show. Absolutely fascinating. I too check the C2C website to see when he might do a show and listen to his reruns. I sure wish he would come out of retirement and take back his show.
Art Bell is really good at the art of conversation (no pun intended). This really hit home when George Noory became the host. George is a nice guy, but I find his style annoying. He tends to be very new agey and its obvious that he has trouble moving conversations in intriguing ways. Its obvious he uses Wikipedia during broadcasts as he tries to sound well-read, but his delivery gives him away. Everything seems ultimately tied to angels in Noory’s view. I stopped listening to Coast to Coast as a result.
I dont want art bell back, im sorry, all he seem’s to talk about is politics,and the econimy, i can tune into any other station and listen to that, but i listen to coast to coast for a change, so i can have some releife of the tensions and strains of day to day life, i would much prefere to have George Knapp, who talks about stuff that coast to coast is renouwned for … NO MORE ART BELL he sucks
I tell you all a secret - I Dream of doing a coast show myself - directly from sweden. With special guests, and the way we handle things here. Infact I beleave that Coast to coast shall be a international show. You can imagine the sound of that, you just plug in your computer somewhere in time. All the wired Scientists you could catch up with. All the closeups - that can happend. I have been with the show since year 2000… The economy will dive down - and in here you need the experice-
The places and sounds it can give. And I just like to have a hand from the guy.
//SM0UGT..
As much as I would LOVE for Art Bell to come back and his web site as it was back in the days, he isn’t. I don’t see why people interpret things he says as “hints”. He did retire for good, retired as fulltime host, doesn’t mean he can’t be an occasional fill-in host - in fact he is scheduled to do a dozen or more shows per year. He has never closed doors, but he hasn’t hinted at coming back - he wants to spend time with his new family. Also, George Noory has a contract, and his contract extends for a couple more years, so until then Art Bell is not coming back !
As to his website, people again misinterpret - but he did say a few months ago that the DNS on his website will be inactive - in other words he no longer has the domain locked anymore, so no, no website coming back, no new radio show…. People are misinterpreting things.
He is retired and retired for good people, live with it. Noory is contracted to do more C2C for many years to come, and even if ratings do go down, the show still generates revenues - and night time is a big market so they won’t shut down the show unless the ratings are catastrophic !
It’s time ot let go and stop making illusions that Art is coming back - he is NOT…….at least not as full time host and not to C2C…..
I have to agree with one of the earlier posts that when Art Bell was on, “many a night his show would end and the hair on my back would be standing up!” I used to find excuses to stay up in the middle of the night and listen to C2C, but I rarely find any of the shows interesting enough anymore. No other way to say it but George does his job, Art could put on a SHOW. Art always added a level of intrigue to his program that does not exist today and added that spark effortlessly. One benefit is that I do get more sleep now…
Art Bell is a non-sense,no brain host…and one most important no marale!!!!!!!! ahahahah
get off!
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