UFO-savvy Radio Host Calls It Quits

Art Bell cites family concerns but declines to give details.

In a photo from September, Art Bell broadcasts from his double-wide trailer in the middle of the desert near Pahrump, Nev. Bell announced early Tuesday that he was ending the show.

By Alan Boyle MSNBC

Oct. 13 — In an example of life imitating conspiracy theory, radio talk-show host Art Bell abruptly announced Tuesday that he was going off the air. Bell, whose late-night show delved into the strange world of UFOs, vampires and government plots, cited a “threatening, terrible event” involving his family, plus other occurrences that followed. But he wouldn’t discuss his reasons further.

AT THE CLOSE of Tuesday’s show, Bell told his listeners, “You may recall, about a year ago, I told you that there was an event — a threatening, terrible event occurred to my family, which I could not tell you about. Because of that event, and a succession of other events, what you’re listening to right now is my final broadcast on the air.

“This is it, folks,” he said. “I’m going off the air and will not return.”

He promised that he would explain his reasons “when the time comes.”

“It’s not that I want to hold anything back from my audience. However, for the protection of my family, until it is otherwise revealed, I can’t discuss it, I won’t discuss it,” he said. “And if you were in my position, you would do exactly the same thing.”

He signed off saying, “That is the end of this man’s broadcast career. So thank you and goodbye.”

The announcement caught Bell’s syndicators as well as his listeners unawares. Premiere Radio Networks, which distributes the show to more than 400 radio stations nationwide, said it would rebroadcast highlights from past programs for at least the rest of the week. The California-based company also voiced hope that Bell could be persuaded to return to the air.

“We have been in contact with Art to let him know of our support for him and his family,” said Kraig Kitchin, Premiere’s president and chief operating officer. “We will work with Art in every way to see to it that he can return to what he does so well.”

Bell was not answering telephone inquiries Tuesday. The Associated Press reported that sheriff’s officers were sent to check up on Bell and found him at home, with no evidence of foul play.

“Any threats were not criminal in nature,” Sheriff’s Lt. Bill Becht told AP.

MILLIONS LISTENED

Bell’s weekday show, “Coast to Coast,” was broadcast from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. ET from a double-wide trailer in Pahrump, Nev. He also hosted a weekend show called “Dreamland.” Although the show issued from low-key surroundings, it attracted 8 million to 10 million listeners via 400 radio stations nationwide, making it the highest-rated overnight radio talk show. Bell’s Web site, meanwhile, boasted more than 21 million hits since the first of the year.

Bell’s topics often came from the speculative fringe: Were there ancient monuments on Mars? Did horrific beings like the Mexican “goat-sucker” really exist? What was the nature of crop circles, vampirism and ghostly sightings? Bell generally let his guests expound on the theory of the night, without rendering judgment himself.

One of Bell’s most controversial issues arose in 1996: On his show, several guests discussed the possibility that there was a mysterious celestial companion approaching Earth in the wake of the Comet Hale-Bopp. The Heaven’s Gate religious group hailed Hale-Bopp as the herald of a spaceship that would take them to the “Level Above Human,” and 39 members committed suicide around the time of the comet’s closest approach to Earth in March 1997.

Some blamed Bell for hyping Hale-Bopp, but Bell said he couldn’t be held responsible for the Heaven’s Gate deaths.

SPECULATION ABOUNDS

Bell’s departure comes on the heels of a multibillion-dollar merger deal involving Premiere’s parent corporation, Jacor Communications, and Clear Channel Communications. There had also been rumors on the Internet that Bell’s show might be rebroadcast during the daytime.

Internet bulletin boards were chattering Tuesday about the reasons for Bell’s mysterious adieu.

Some messages noted that Bell had recently aired a series of programs on end-of-the-world themes. Others speculated that a freshly concluded trip to South Africa might have added to the strain. Still others wondered if it was a hoax aimed at stirring up publicity.

“What on earth is Art Bell up to?” one correspondent asked on the alt.fan.art-bell newsgroup.

“My guess is that they got to him, but we’ll just have to see,” another wrote on the alt.conspiracy newsgroup. “What a loss, one of the few voices we had, if you know what I mean.”

Richard Hoagland, who often discussed his theories about Martian monuments on Bell’s show, told MSNBC that Tuesday’s announcement came as “a total shock ... a bombshell.” He said he has received numerous offers of protection to pass along to Bell.

“Some facet of what Art is doing on that show is making someone very uncomfortable,” Hoagland said. “We’re not talking about a lone stalker.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.