In his own words - Art Bell
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In his own words - Art Bell
From R&R Profiles - Erica Farber
Originally published on March 9, 2007
Art Bell
Ham radio hooked him as a kid. Political talk led to the paranormal and a “Coast to Coast” radio empire
Art Bell loves being on the radio. As founder and original host of “Coast to Coast,” Bell has become one of radio’s most successful and recognizable personalities. Now a weekend host for the paranormal-themed, Premiere-syndicated overnight show, Bell has learned firsthand the toll that dealing with personal tragedy can take when you are a public figure. Displaying a calm demeanor, Bell is a hands-on broadcaster and one of the few talk show hosts who does not screen listener calls.
Getting into the business: “I became interested in ham radio when I was 12 and went to the closest commercial broadcast station, and eventually ended up working for about 30 stations. I’m a Marine brat. I moved from the technical to the microphone side because I felt like it. Later I was in rock’n’roll radio and worked for a lot of big ones.”
Moving into talk radio: “After doing talk radio in Anchorage, Alaska, and Monterey, Calif., I moved to Las Vegas, left radio and built all the microwave and satellite gear for what is now Cox Cable in Las Vegas. It was a very secure position with all the benefits one could ever hope to have. Then KDWN/Las Vegas, a mom-and-pop 50-kilowatt, learned I had done talk radio and hired me in afternoons. I was hooked again. I started angling for overnights, when they cover 13 states like a blanket, and got it.”
Becoming interested in the paranormal: “I got sick of doing political talk and started venturing forth a little. The owners went bezerk. They fired and then re-hired me because it was the most popular thing anybody had ever done. I had seven lines lit up all the time. The Arbitrons would come in and I would be No. 1, so the protests from management became fewer. We started syndication regionally on a very small scale: Phoenix, San Diego, Portland [Ore.]. But before you knew it, we were sneaking up on 300 affiliates. Premiere purchased me at about the 400-affiliate mark.”
Connecting with your audience: “I’ve got radio in my blood. I chose to do what I wanted, what was fun for me, which turned out to be fun for the audience, too. The people that succeed in radio find some sort of different niche and then, inevitably, copycats come along but they are never the same. I got lucky. I found one of those niches. And it didn’t come from the hunt for money, that is for sure.”
continues at link:
http://www.radioandrecords.com/Profiles/index.asp
Liner Notes
Profile:
Art Bell
Title:
Founder and weekend host, Premiere Radio Network’s “Coast to Coast”
Favorite radio format: Oldies
Favorite TV show: “House”
Favorite movie:
“Contact””
Favorite book:
“Gravity” by Tess Gerritsen
Favorite restaurant:
“I love Japanese food but I can’t give you a name of one right now.”
Beverage of choice:
Coffee
Hobbies:
“Ham radio. That’s a big hobby of mine.”
email address:
[email protected]
"You can’t imagine the screaming, the yelling and the chest-pounding when I went from political talk to discussing the unknown. Anything new is not always going to meet with approval." —Art Bell
Originally published on March 9, 2007
Art Bell
Ham radio hooked him as a kid. Political talk led to the paranormal and a “Coast to Coast” radio empire
Art Bell loves being on the radio. As founder and original host of “Coast to Coast,” Bell has become one of radio’s most successful and recognizable personalities. Now a weekend host for the paranormal-themed, Premiere-syndicated overnight show, Bell has learned firsthand the toll that dealing with personal tragedy can take when you are a public figure. Displaying a calm demeanor, Bell is a hands-on broadcaster and one of the few talk show hosts who does not screen listener calls.
Getting into the business: “I became interested in ham radio when I was 12 and went to the closest commercial broadcast station, and eventually ended up working for about 30 stations. I’m a Marine brat. I moved from the technical to the microphone side because I felt like it. Later I was in rock’n’roll radio and worked for a lot of big ones.”
Moving into talk radio: “After doing talk radio in Anchorage, Alaska, and Monterey, Calif., I moved to Las Vegas, left radio and built all the microwave and satellite gear for what is now Cox Cable in Las Vegas. It was a very secure position with all the benefits one could ever hope to have. Then KDWN/Las Vegas, a mom-and-pop 50-kilowatt, learned I had done talk radio and hired me in afternoons. I was hooked again. I started angling for overnights, when they cover 13 states like a blanket, and got it.”
Becoming interested in the paranormal: “I got sick of doing political talk and started venturing forth a little. The owners went bezerk. They fired and then re-hired me because it was the most popular thing anybody had ever done. I had seven lines lit up all the time. The Arbitrons would come in and I would be No. 1, so the protests from management became fewer. We started syndication regionally on a very small scale: Phoenix, San Diego, Portland [Ore.]. But before you knew it, we were sneaking up on 300 affiliates. Premiere purchased me at about the 400-affiliate mark.”
Connecting with your audience: “I’ve got radio in my blood. I chose to do what I wanted, what was fun for me, which turned out to be fun for the audience, too. The people that succeed in radio find some sort of different niche and then, inevitably, copycats come along but they are never the same. I got lucky. I found one of those niches. And it didn’t come from the hunt for money, that is for sure.”
continues at link:
http://www.radioandrecords.com/Profiles/index.asp
Liner Notes
Profile:
Art Bell
Title:
Founder and weekend host, Premiere Radio Network’s “Coast to Coast”
Favorite radio format: Oldies
Favorite TV show: “House”
Favorite movie:
“Contact””
Favorite book:
“Gravity” by Tess Gerritsen
Favorite restaurant:
“I love Japanese food but I can’t give you a name of one right now.”
Beverage of choice:
Coffee
Hobbies:
“Ham radio. That’s a big hobby of mine.”
email address:
[email protected]
"You can’t imagine the screaming, the yelling and the chest-pounding when I went from political talk to discussing the unknown. Anything new is not always going to meet with approval." —Art Bell
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I Live Among The Creatures of the Night
Art Bell is no ordinary talk show host, not just because "Coast to Coast AM" is the dominant live all-night show in America today, but because Art's a true radio fanatic, the ultimate "new media" personality. How many hosts get off the air after a four hour show, turn on another microphone, and talk to fellow Ham operators around the country? How many talk hosts have the engineering know-how to produce their own show, run their own technical board, and generally control the ebb and flow of the show from the first on- air minute to the last? Art Bell's grasp of the electronic revolution-...and how to make it personal...is unique; he's a talk show host primed to influence 21st century America in more ways than one.
Although there's something distinctly "new century" about the Art Bell mystique, Art's upbringing was unusually traditional. The son of a Marine Colonel father and a Drill Sergeant mother, Art developed a taste for news and analysis at an early age; he knew that current events could have a significant--and immediate--impact on his life; the family could be re- stationed for the slightest geopolitical reason. Art made a point of staying tuned into world events--in other words, he became a news junkie.
By the age of 13, Art was an FCC licensed radio technician. A few years later, as a young airman, Bell and an equally foolhardy buddy built their own pirate radio station right on Amarillo Air Force base, secretly broadcasting rock 'n' roll to appreciative locals. These kinds of antics were not limited to bootleg military radio. As a civilian DJ, Art Bell landed in the Guinness Book of Records for a 116 hour (and 15 minutes) solo broadcast marathon "playing the hits" on KSBK on Okinawa, Japan. Then he raised money in Alaska that allowed Art to charter a DC 8, fly to Vietnam and rescue 130 Vietnamese Orphans stranded in Saigon at the war's end. They were eventually all brought to America and adopted by American families. Art's no-nonsense demeanor doesn't fool his listeners who sense he's more complex underneath.
Art Bell's political views are complex as well. He spent years on the island of Okinawa, living a Japanese lifestyle and working for KSBK, the only English speaking station in Asia; it gave him a Pacific Rim perspective and a grasp of international affairs that few talk show hosts really have. That plus his military background and his love of the news, made Art Bell a natural talk show host, a man who understood how politics, human nature, and cultural dynamics can affect national and international stability for better or for worse.
Art became immersed in the high tech world of cable television, eventually leaving radio to be part of building what became known as "Prime Cable." As Chief Engineer for Times Mirror in Las Vegas, Art was on the fast track. His radio life had faded but not his radio love; before long Art was back at a microphone. When the 50 thousand watt giant in Las Vegas, KDWN offered him the chance to broadcast all night to 13 Western states, he grabbed the opportunity and never looked back.
Later, a chance to go network opened up and Chancellor Broadcasting Company was created. But that presented a new challenge when it came to the radio world. Nobody thought all-night live radio had a future after Larry King abandoned his throne. Advertisers thought no one would listen anymore. "Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell" proved them wrong, and now proudly a part of Premiere Radio Networks, Art Bell is back doing Saturday and Sunday nights.
Art connects to his audience not just by the full force of modern technology from satellite to Internet to fax, but also by his unique view of the world, and a daring to pose all questions, no matter what the answer. When Art flips that switch and says "from the high desert and the great American Southwest," he's talking to millions of Americans who want to be part of a unique experience.
If you've ever sat in a darkened cockpit, in front of a twinkling control panel, and prepared for a night flight, you know the feel of what all-night radio can be like--the excitement of knowing that you'll be flying high and covering great distances while others are asleep. On "Coast to Coast AM" Art Bell is at the controls, guiding his millions of national listeners through the night's news, and bringing them in for a safe landing by dawn. That's Art Bell, and that's the Art Bell show. His fans know the feeling very well.
Art Bell is no ordinary talk show host, not just because "Coast to Coast AM" is the dominant live all-night show in America today, but because Art's a true radio fanatic, the ultimate "new media" personality. How many hosts get off the air after a four hour show, turn on another microphone, and talk to fellow Ham operators around the country? How many talk hosts have the engineering know-how to produce their own show, run their own technical board, and generally control the ebb and flow of the show from the first on- air minute to the last? Art Bell's grasp of the electronic revolution-...and how to make it personal...is unique; he's a talk show host primed to influence 21st century America in more ways than one.
Although there's something distinctly "new century" about the Art Bell mystique, Art's upbringing was unusually traditional. The son of a Marine Colonel father and a Drill Sergeant mother, Art developed a taste for news and analysis at an early age; he knew that current events could have a significant--and immediate--impact on his life; the family could be re- stationed for the slightest geopolitical reason. Art made a point of staying tuned into world events--in other words, he became a news junkie.
By the age of 13, Art was an FCC licensed radio technician. A few years later, as a young airman, Bell and an equally foolhardy buddy built their own pirate radio station right on Amarillo Air Force base, secretly broadcasting rock 'n' roll to appreciative locals. These kinds of antics were not limited to bootleg military radio. As a civilian DJ, Art Bell landed in the Guinness Book of Records for a 116 hour (and 15 minutes) solo broadcast marathon "playing the hits" on KSBK on Okinawa, Japan. Then he raised money in Alaska that allowed Art to charter a DC 8, fly to Vietnam and rescue 130 Vietnamese Orphans stranded in Saigon at the war's end. They were eventually all brought to America and adopted by American families. Art's no-nonsense demeanor doesn't fool his listeners who sense he's more complex underneath.
Art Bell's political views are complex as well. He spent years on the island of Okinawa, living a Japanese lifestyle and working for KSBK, the only English speaking station in Asia; it gave him a Pacific Rim perspective and a grasp of international affairs that few talk show hosts really have. That plus his military background and his love of the news, made Art Bell a natural talk show host, a man who understood how politics, human nature, and cultural dynamics can affect national and international stability for better or for worse.
Art became immersed in the high tech world of cable television, eventually leaving radio to be part of building what became known as "Prime Cable." As Chief Engineer for Times Mirror in Las Vegas, Art was on the fast track. His radio life had faded but not his radio love; before long Art was back at a microphone. When the 50 thousand watt giant in Las Vegas, KDWN offered him the chance to broadcast all night to 13 Western states, he grabbed the opportunity and never looked back.
Later, a chance to go network opened up and Chancellor Broadcasting Company was created. But that presented a new challenge when it came to the radio world. Nobody thought all-night live radio had a future after Larry King abandoned his throne. Advertisers thought no one would listen anymore. "Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell" proved them wrong, and now proudly a part of Premiere Radio Networks, Art Bell is back doing Saturday and Sunday nights.
Art connects to his audience not just by the full force of modern technology from satellite to Internet to fax, but also by his unique view of the world, and a daring to pose all questions, no matter what the answer. When Art flips that switch and says "from the high desert and the great American Southwest," he's talking to millions of Americans who want to be part of a unique experience.
If you've ever sat in a darkened cockpit, in front of a twinkling control panel, and prepared for a night flight, you know the feel of what all-night radio can be like--the excitement of knowing that you'll be flying high and covering great distances while others are asleep. On "Coast to Coast AM" Art Bell is at the controls, guiding his millions of national listeners through the night's news, and bringing them in for a safe landing by dawn. That's Art Bell, and that's the Art Bell show. His fans know the feeling very well.