Art Bell scares up ghost stories this Halloween
Josh Bashara
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Talk radio veteran Art Bell has hosted "Coast to Coast AM" since 1993 and currently has 10 to 15 million listeners tuning in each night. Every Halloween, Bell changes the name and theme of his show, dubbing it "Ghost to Ghost AM."
All through Thursday night and early Friday morning, Bell will abandon the regular format of the show, opening up phone lines and inviting listeners to call in and share their own personal ghost stories, most of which callers claim are true.
For those who may not be familiar with "Coast to Coast AM," it's a nationally syndicated talk radio show that has amassed an almost cult-like following over the past decade. The show's central theme lies in the unknown, with subjects typically ranging from the paranormal to the quasi-normal.
A few standard past and recurring topics include UFOs, theoretical physics, astrophysics, Bigfoot, conspiracy theories and geo-physical phenomena. The show aims to answer the question "Why?"
Over the years, Bell has hosted a gallery of past expert and celebrity guests to make even the most famous personalities in talk radio jealous. Besides a devout panel of professionals that contribute as guests on "Coast to Coast," Bell has entertained such celebrities as actor Leonard Nimoy, comedian George Carlin, singer Willie Nelson and world-infamous computer hacker Kevin Mitnick.
Although discussed occasionally throughout the year, the topic of ghosts is given special attention by Bell each Halloween. Fans claim the nature of the stories (as told by real callers throughout the night) add more of a hair-raising effect. Hearing the tremble in the caller's voices sometimes, they say, sends chills down the spine.
Regular listeners should be advised this Halloween will be the final performance of "Ghost to Ghost" with Art Bell behind the wheel, as he will be retiring at the end of this year, his publicist says.
Bell has been suffering from chronic back pain recently, which has kept him from hosting his show regularly over the last year.
In January, Bell will be passing the torch to George Noory, a regular substitute on "Coast to Coast AM" and a radio broadcasting professional/talk radio host since 1969.
"Coast to Coast AM" is parented by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of the Clear Channel Networks. The show is syndicated live through Omaha's KFAB 1110 AM every night from midnight to 4 a.m. The 11 p.m. to midnight and 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. hours usually feature segments of past shows.