75 Facts About Art Bell

Arthur William Bell III was an American broadcaster and author.

Art Bell was the founder and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program Coast to Coast AM, which is syndicated on hundreds of radio stations in the United States and Canada.

Art Bell announced his retirement from weekend hosting in 2007, but occasionally served as a guest host through to 2010.

Art Bell started a new nightly show, Art Bell's Dark Matter, on Sirius XM Radio, that aired for six weeks in 2013.

Art Bell retired on December 11,2015, citing security concerns at his home.

Art Bell was the founder and original owner of Pahrump-based radio station KNYE 95.1 FM.

Art Bell was always interested in radio; at the age of 13, he became a licensed amateur radio operator.

Art Bell held an Amateur Extra Class license, which is in the top US Federal Communications Commission license class.

Art Bell later wrote that this extreme sleep deprivation was a strange experience and something he would never do again.

Art Bell said that as he went about his normal routine, such as walking to the refrigerator during a break, it was as if he was "floating around in a different world", and things seemed "unreal".

Art Bell soon returned for the States, where he had a career in rock music radio for the next 20 years.

Art Bell spoke about it on-air and listeners in Alaska started to send in donations.

Art Bell dropped out and returned to radio as a board operator and chief engineer, and had the opportunity to be on the air a few times.

In 1986, after Art Bell had spent some time working in cable television, 50,000-watt KDWN Radio in Las Vegas, Nevada offered him a five-hour time slot in the middle of the night.

Art Bell was a rock music disc jockey before he moved into talk radio.

Art Bell's original 1978 late-night Las Vegas program on KDWN was a political call-in show under the name West Coast AM.

Art Bell abandoned conventional political talk in favor of topics such as gun control and conspiracy theories, leading to a significant increase in his overnight ratings.

Subsequently, Art Bell discussed off-beat topics such as the paranormal, the occult, UFOs, protoscience and pseudoscience.

An article in the February 23,1997, edition of The Washington Post said that Bell was currently America's highest-rated late-night radio talk show host, broadcast on 328 stations.

Art Bell's studios were located in his home in the town of Pahrump, located in Nye County, Nevada; hence, the voice-over catchphrase, "from the Kingdom of Nye".

Art Bell was one of only a few talk show hosts who did not screen incoming calls, but this changed in 2006.

Art Bell has earned praise from those who declare that the paranormal deserves a mature outlet of discussion in the media as well as the approval of those simply amused by the nightly parade of bizarre, typically fringe topics.

Art Bell retired and returned to Coast to Coast AM several times.

On October 13,1998, Art Bell announced his first retirement, which was highly unexpected by his listeners.

On May 29,1999, Art Bell explained that this retirement was due to an allegation made by hosts of WWCR shortwave radio that Art Bell had paid to cover up a criminal indictment.

Art Bell responded by taking legal action against Gunderson, as well as the hosts and stations.

Art Bell returned to Coast to Coast AM in February 2001.

Art Bell retained some authority over the program as its creator and felt his return was necessary.

On October 23,2002, Art Bell announced that he would retire due to recurring back pain, which was the result of a fall from a telephone pole during his youth.

Art Bell was replaced by George Noory as weekday host of Coast to Coast AM on January 1,2003.

Those close to the matter said that Barbara Simpson would host weekends and that Art Bell planned to be an occasional guest host for Noory.

Art Bell returned in September 2003 as a weekend host, replacing Barbara Simpson and Ian Punnett as host of the Saturday and Sunday evening broadcasts.

Art Bell went back to hosting every weekend show as his schedule permitted after his wife Ramona's death a few months later.

On July 1,2007, Art Bell announced his retirement, stating that he wished to spend more time with his new wife and daughter.

Art Bell made it explicitly clear that, unlike the circumstances surrounding previous retirements, this decision was an entirely positive and joyful one and that he would not disappear completely, announcing an intention to occasionally substitute for other hosts and host "special" shows.

On December 11,2015, Art Bell posted what would be his final retirement message via his Facebook page.

For weeks thereafter, callers to the station would speak to George Noory and express their sadness and sympathy for Art Bell; Noory had taken Art Bell's place on weekdays beginning in 2002.

On January 21,2006,16 days after the unexpected death of his wife Ramona, Art Bell announced he would host Coast to Coast AM every Saturday and Sunday evening, and that former weekend host Ian Punnett would work a new live prefeed program for the four hours preceding Art Bell's slot on Saturday nights.

Art Bell opened his December 28,2006, program by disclosing that he had just relocated back to Pahrump, Nevada, with Ruiz, who had obtained the necessary paperwork for immigrating to the United States.

On May 29,2008, Art Bell sold KNYE to Station Manager Karen Jackson.

On November 30,2008, Art Bell hosted Coast to Coast AM.

Art Bell was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2008.

Art Bell was scheduled to return to Coast to Coast AM on April 24,2009, to host an evening of open lines, but because of engineering problems in Manila, Art Bell was rescheduled to a later date.

On May 17,2009, Art Bell returned to host Coast to Coast AM live from Manila.

Art Bell replied that he would address it on "Friday" and hinted that his move might be permanent.

Friday June 26,2009, Art Bell hosted Coast to Coast AM from Manila with guest Dean Radin.

Art Bell commented on the death of Michael Jackson and how he had lived in Pahrump, Nevada, not far from Bell's residence.

Friday November 20,2009, Art Bell hosted Coast to Coast AM from Manila with guest Starfire Tor, psi researcher and experiencer who discussed time shifts and time slips, and other strange occurrences of time.

Art Bell suggested that perhaps Coast to Coast AM should institute some sort of prize or acknowledgment for listeners whose predictions are particularly accurate or astute.

Art Bell responded with evidence including their marriage license, their daughter's birth certificate, Art Bell's last will and testament, bank records, family photos, and Social Security forms.

Shortly thereafter, the USCIS denied the application on the grounds that the documentary evidence was never received, and further stipulated that Airyn Art Bell is not permitted to re-enter the United States, which is why Art Bell remained in the Philippines.

Art Bell hosted ten episodes in 2010, five short of his publicly announced, contractually specified quota of 15 shows per year.

Art Bell's last hosting gig was his annual Ghost to Ghost show on Halloween night.

On July 20,2011, Art Bell announced via his Facebook page that he had relocated with his family to Pahrump, Nevada.

Art Bell's new show Art Bell's Dark Matter was broadcast on SiriusXM satellite radio's Indie Talk channel, Monday through Thursday from 7 PM to 11 PM PT with repeats during the remainder of the night and "best of" shows airing on Fridays.

On November 4,2013, Art Bell left Dark Matter after only six weeks.

On July 20,2015, Art Bell returned with his new show Midnight in the Desert.

On December 11,2015, Art Bell permanently stepped down as host of Midnight in the Desert due to concerns about his family's safety.

Art Bell had reported multiple instances of someone shooting firearms at and near his property in the fall of 2015.

Art Bell posted on his website in July 2016 that he was hospitalized for pneumonia and revealed that he suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Art Bell died April 13,2018, at age 72 at his home in Pahrump, Nevada.

The coroner's office stated that Art Bell died of an accidental overdose from a cocktail of prescription drugs.

Art Bell became a licensed amateur radio operator at the age of 13.

Art Bell's first call sign was KN3JOX, first listed in the Winter 1959 edition of the Radio Amateur Callbook.

Art Bell soon upgraded to K3JOX, and he later held W2CKS, first listed in the Spring 1967 Callbook.

Art Bell held an Amateur Extra Class license, which is the highest US Federal Communications Commission amateur license class.

Art Bell passed the Philippines amateur radio exams and became a Philippine Class A amateur radio operator with the call sign of 4F1AB.

Art Bell was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 1996, Bell appeared in an episode of the NBC science fiction series Dark Skies as William S Paley, head of CBS.

In 1999, Art Bell appeared as himself on the series Millennium.

In 2006, Art Bell was featured in the video game Prey and played himself.

Art Bell receives a number of calls about people who have seen smaller craft as they abduct people.

In 2007, Art Bell appeared as himself in the movie I Know Who Killed Me.

Art Bell appeared alongside Mark Arnold in the 2016 film titled Abduct, directed by Ilyas Kaduji and produced by Mafalda Sa.

Art Bell plays himself as he and a group of friends try to help protect a young woman from an alien threat.