''Coast to Coast AM'' is an American late-night radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics. Most frequently the topics relate to either the

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

or conspiracy theories. It was hosted by creator

Art Bell Arthur William Bell III (June 17, 1945 – April 13, 2018) was an American broadcaster and author. He was the founder and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program ''Coast to Coast AM'', which is syndicated on hundreds of ...

from its inception in 1988 until 2003, and is currently hosted by George Noory. The program is distributed by

Premiere Networks Premiere Networks (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a wholly owned subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. ...

, a subsidiary of

iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

, both as part of its talk network and separately as a syndicated program. The program now airs seven nights a week from 1:00–5:00 a.m.

Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a smal ...

. It appears on over 600 affiliates, and has repeatedly been called the most popular overnight show in the country.

History

In 1978,

created and hosted ''West Coast AM'', a late-night political talk/call-in show on Las Vegas radio station KDWN. In 1988, Bell and Alan Corberth renamed the show ''Coast to Coast AM'' and moved its studios from the

Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, ...

in Las Vegas to Bell's home in Pahrump. After Bell's retirement, the show was hosted by various personalities, including Mike Siegel, George Noory, and others. At its peak, ''Coast to Coast AM'' under Bell was syndicated by Premiere Radio Network, and aired on more than 500 radio stations and boasted a weekly listening audience in excess of 10 million listeners. Since 2013 the weekly listener numbers have declined to 2.5 million. According to estimates by '' Talkers Magazine'', ''Coast to Coast AM'' has a cumulative weekly audience of around 2.75 million unique listeners listening for at least five minutes, making it the most listened-to program in its time slot. By 2010 the program was known as by far the most popular overnight show in the country, echoed by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' in 2017, citing

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

. The show is estimated to be carried by over 600 US affiliates, along with a limited number of FM stations, as well as many Canadian affiliates, several of which

stream A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams ...

the show on their station's website. The affiliate group is fronted by 12

clear-channel station A clear-channel station is an AM radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. The system exists to ensure the viability of cross-co ...

s, among them WBT in

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, WHO in

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines ...

, WWL in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, WOR in New York City, KFBK in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, and KFI in Los Angeles. The show is also carried by Sirius XM Radio, on its Road Dog Trucking channel 146.

Criticism

Scholars have criticized ''Coast to Coast AM'' for promoting

pseudohistoric Pseudohistory is a form of pseudoscholarship that attempts to distort or misrepresent the historical record, often by employing methods resembling those used in scholarly historical research. The related term cryptohistory is applied to pseudohist ...

and

pseudoscientific Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claim ...

ideas. Historian Ronald H. Fritze characterized the show as an "especially influential example" of the trend in modern media to disseminate false history and fake science. According to

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by ...

(SUNY) professor Paul Arras, early shows hosted by Art Bell featured guests that were frequently pseudoscientists, but "regardless of their reputation, all guests are presented as experts." According to Arras "Bell seems to believe much of what even his wildest guests say".

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified ...

professor Michael C. Keith noted a "characteristic of distrust and fear that is a part of the text of Coast to Coast —fear of the unknown, fear of invasion, fear of being taken over by some kind of evil force". Religious Studies lecturer David G. Robertson observed that "sweeping conspiratorial revisionist histories and ancient alien narratives" are a frequent feature of the show. Nolan Higdon of

California State University, East Bay California State University, East Bay (Cal State East Bay, CSU East Bay, or CSUEB) is a public university in Hayward, California. The university is part of the 23-campus California State University system and offers 136 undergraduate and 60 pos ...

speculated that programs like ''Coast to Coast AM'' that "propagate unsubstantiated claims" were "potentially dangerous". According to ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' senior editor Timothy Lavin, host George Noory "lets clearly delusional or pseudoscientific assertions slide by without challenge". Lavin wrote that "Coast to Coast AM has perfected a charged and conspiratorial worldview that now pervades American media". In 1998, the

Committee for Skeptical Inquiry The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the US non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "pro ...

awarded show host Art Bell their

mocking Mockery or mocking is the act of insulting or making light of a person or other thing, sometimes merely by taunting, but often by making a caricature, purporting to engage in imitation in a way that highlights unflattering characteristics. Mocke ...

"Snuffed Candle Award", citing his work "for encouraging credulity, presenting pseudoscience as genuine, and contributing to the public's lack of understanding of the methods of scientific inquiry". CSI fellow Joe Nickell has appeared on the show occasionally as "a voice of skepticism", saying his goal was to explain and demystify the "bizarre topics 'Coast to Coast' deals with" such as

Bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

and

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...

Hosts

Art Bell

Bell was the original host of the show, starting in 1988. He announced his retirement in 2000, but would return as show host, retire, and return again a number of times. Bell died in April 2018.

Mike Siegel

Mike Siegel hosted the show from April 2000 until February 2001. He became a frequent substitute for Bell in late 1999, and when Bell announced his retirement in early 2000, he recommended Siegel to succeed him. Siegel maintained the format of the show that Bell had created, but his personal style was very different, and the show became less popular. Siegel hosted the show from

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

, where he lived. Early in 2001, Bell decided to return, and Siegel left the show.

Ian Punnett

Ian Punnett hosted the show sporadically, as either guest host or main host, between 1998 and 2012. He is currently a guest host in 2022.

John B. Wells

In January 2012, John B. Wells replaced Punnett as host of the Saturday evening and the second Sunday evening programs.

George Noory

George Noory first took over show hosting duties in 2003 as a replacement for Bell, but was temporarily discontinued after Bell returned citing disagreements with Noory. After Bell's death in April 2018, Noory said that the two were "not that close" personally and that there were major differences in their approaches. Despite this, Noory said that Bell was "instrumental in me being where I am right now." Noory currently hosts the show on weeknights and on the first Sunday of every month.

George Knapp

George Knapp joined the show in 2007 and is currently hosting every third and fourth Sundays of every month.

Others

Guest hosts have included Hilly Rose, Barbara Simpson, Rollye James, Dave Schrader, Connie Willis, Lisa Garr, Richard Syrett, and Jimmy Church.

Guests

The show featured a number of guests, some recurring. * Katherine Albrecht, consumer rights advocate. *

Howard Bloom Howard Bloom (born June 25, 1943) is an American author. He was a music publicist in the 1970s and 1980s for singers and bands such as Prince, Billy Joel, and Styx.The Lucifer Principle'', ''Global Brain'', ''Reinventing Capitalism'' and former publicist for

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

. * Sylvia Browne, psychic. * Gerald Celente, economic and political forecaster. * Loren Coleman, cryptozoologist and author on issues relating to new animal discoveries and the sightings of

, the Yeti, the

Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster ( gd, Uilebheist Loch Nis), affectionately known as Nessie, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or ...

, and other

cryptid Cryptids are animals that cryptozoologists believe may exist somewhere in the wild, but are not believed to exist by mainstream science. Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience, which primarily looks at anecdotal stories, and other claims rejected b ...

s. * Jerome Corsi, Harvard PhD, author of sensationalist books on Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Barack Obama. Joined InfoWars, as correspondent. * Lionel Fanthorpe, author, director of Media Studies at Cardiff Academy, president of the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena, and president of the

British UFO Research Association The British UFO Research Association or BUFORA is a UK organisation formerly registered as "BUFORA Ltd"; dedicated to investigating UFO phenomena in the British Isles. In 1997 the organisation was reported to have around 1,000 members. History ...

. * James H. Fetzer, conspiracy theorist on

Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people. Twenty of the victims were children between six and seven years old, and t ...

. According to Fetzer, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, according to Fetzer, a "government hit job" and claims "the Zapruder film is a fake". * Catherine Austin Fitts, Politically Conservative economist; was Assistant Secretary of Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner at HUD in the first Bush Administration * The late Stanton Friedman, former

nuclear physicist Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

; author and ufologist who focuses on the

Roswell UFO incident The Roswell incident was an event that occurred in 1947, pertaining to the recovery of mundane metallic and rubber debris from a military balloon that crashed near Corona, New Mexico by United States Army Air Forces officers from Roswell Army ...

. *

Rosemary Ellen Guiley Rosemary Ellen Guiley (July 8, 1950 - July 18, 2019) was an American writer on topics related to spirituality, the occult, and the paranormal. She was also a radio show host, a certified hypnotist, a board director of the "National Museum of Mys ...

, author who discusses

, visionary, and spiritual topics. * Richard C. Hoagland, former museum curator who was a major figure in the show's history, discussing issues relating to

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

's activities, space anomalies and alleged extraterrestrial architecture (the Face on Mars and vast glass domes on the Moon). Hoagland was replaced as "science adviser" by Robert Zimmerman in June 2015 and developed digital radio chat-shows of his own. *

Linda Moulton Howe Linda Moulton Howe (born January 20, 1942) is an American investigative journalist and Regional Emmy award-winning documentary film maker best known for her work as a ufologist and advocate of a variety of conspiracy theories, including her inv ...

, reporter and ufologist. Famous as pioneer in the study of cattle mutilations and crop circles. *

David Icke David Vaughan Icke (; born 29 April 1952) is an English conspiracy theorist and a former footballer and sports broadcaster. He has written over 20 books, self-published since the mid-1990s, and spoken in more than 25 countries. In 1990, Ick ...

, New World Order conspiracy theorist. * Alex Jones, radio talk show host, New World Order conspiracy theorist, filmmaker and political activist. * Michio Kaku, mainstream theoretical

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

who typically discusses topics involving

string theory In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and intera ...

quantum physics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, qua ...

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

, and other

hard sciences Hard science and soft science are colloquial terms used to compare scientific fields on the basis of perceived methodological rigor, exactitude, and objectivity. Roughly speaking, the formal sciences & natural sciences are considered "hard", whe ...

. * Steve Kates is a weekly correspondent on Coast to Coast AM, sharing relevant

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

and

space science Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually conside ...

insights. *

The Amazing Kreskin The Amazing Kreskin (born George Joseph Kresge; January 12, 1935), also known as Kreskin, is an American mentalist who became popular on television in the 1970s. He was inspired to become a mentalist by Lee Falk's comic strip ''Mandrake the M ...

, magician. *

Peter Lance Peter Lance (born February 18, 1948) is an American journalist and author. He is a five-time winner of the News & Documentary Emmy Award, the recipient of a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and other accolades detailed below. In April 2010, L ...

, investigative journalist, specializing mainly in

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

and the Mafia. *

Bob Lazar Robert Scott Lazar (; born January 26, 1959) is an American conspiracy theorist and self-proclaimed physicist who claims he was hired in the late 1980s to reverse-engineer extraterrestrial technology. This work supposedly occurred at a secret ...

, physicist and president of United Nuclear, a scientific supply company; renowned for disclosing his supposed employment at a secret government facility called S-4, and his alleged work reverse engineering extraterrestrial crafts. * Nancy Lieder, Niburu cataclysm advocate. * Mr. Lobo, horror host of nationally syndicated

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...

television series ''

Cinema Insomnia ''Cinema Insomnia'' is a nationally syndicated American television series presented by horror host Mr. Lobo. Format Typically, Mr. Lobo opens each episode by promising to screen a well-known horror or science fiction classic (such as ''Creat ...

''. * George Lutz, known for the Amityville Horror. * The late Eugene Mallove, cold fusion advocate. * The late

Jim Marrs James Farrell Marrs Jr. (December 5, 1943 – August 2, 2017) was an American newspaper journalist and ''New York Times'' best-selling author of books and articles on a wide range of alleged cover-ups and conspiracies. Marrs was a prominent ...

, author mostly known for "Crossfire", a discussion of the Warren Commission conclusions and commentator also on "hidden history " and the paranormal. * The late

Malachi Martin Malachi Brendan Martin (23 July 1921 – 27 July 1999), also known under the pseudonym of Michael Serafian, was an Irish-born American Traditionalist Catholic priest, biblical archaeologist, exorcist, palaeographer, professor, and prolific ...

, Catholic priest, theologian and professor, known for sometimes controversial views concerning the Catholic Church. * Dick Morris, former advisor to President Clinton. Switched parties to Republican and hosts his own podcast. He is a big supporter and defender of President Trump. * Stan Romanek, UFO abductee. George Noory arranged to have Stan take a lie detector test over some of his claims of alien visitations, which Romanek failed. *

Whitley Strieber Louis Whitley Strieber (; born June 13, 1945) is an American writer best known for his horror novels ''The Wolfen'' and '' The Hunger'' and for '' Communion'', a non-fiction account of his alleged experiences with non-human entities. He has mai ...

, Author of ''Communion'' and many other books. A frequent guest on the show since the 1990s. * The Late Zecharia Sitchin, author of books promoting an explanation for human origins involving

ancient astronauts Ancient astronauts (or ancient aliens) refers to a pseudoscientific hypothesis which holds that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity and prehistoric times. Proponents suggest that thi ...

. * Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, one of the hosts on

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

's ''

Ancient Aliens ''Ancient Aliens'' is an American television series that explores the pseudohistorical and pseudoarchaeological ancient astronauts hypothesis, past human- extraterrestrial contact, UFOs, government conspiracies and related pseudoscientific topi ...

'', and the publisher of ''Legendary Times'' magazine, a periodical that is centered on the ancient astronaut theory. * UFO Phil (aka Phil Hill), a comedic singer, songwriter, and claimed alien abductee. He created the program's Friday end theme, "Listening to Coast to Coast". He has appeared in various media venues, including ''UFO Phil: The Movie'' (2008) and ''

The Gong Show ''The Gong Show'' is an American amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976, through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976 to ...

''.Spotlight on UFO Phil
''Coast to Coast AM''. October 12, 2010. * Peter Ward, paleontologist who specializes in mass extinctions who is famous for his Rare Earth hypothesis. *

Kevin Warwick Kevin Warwick (born 9 February 1954) is an English engineer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University. He is known for his studies on direct interfaces between computer systems and the human nervous system, and has also don ...

, professor of cybernetics who discusses his research with implants, artificial intelligence and robotics – especially cyborgs. * Gail Lynn, inventor of th
Harmonic Egg
and author o
''Unlocking the Ancient Secrets to Healing''

Associated shows

Several shows associated with ''Coast to Coast AM'' have aired in the slot immediately preceding the late Saturday night edition of the program, from 6–10 p.m. Pacific Time.

''Dreamland''

''Dreamland'' was another Art Bell creation, nearly identical to ''Coast to Coast AM'' but less caller driven. Bell recorded ''Dreamland'' on Friday afternoons where the show streamed live over the Internet and listeners could call in towards the end of the show. The show then aired at various times on different stations during the weekend, but doing eight shows a week got to be too much and he handed over control of the show to

. Many affiliates aired the show before ''Coast to Coast AM'' on Sunday nights, but Premiere Radio pre-empted that time spot after it began to syndicate

Matt Drudge Matthew Nathan Drudge (born October 27, 1966) is an American journalist and the creator/editor of the Drudge Report, an American news aggregator. Drudge is also an author and a former radio and television show host. Early life and education Drud ...

, and then dropped the program entirely.

''Coast to Coast Live''

Upon Art Bell's January 2006 return, Ian Punnett hosted ''Coast to Coast Live'' on Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern Time. A spin-off of the original ''Coast to Coast AM'', the show covered similar topics as its flagship program. With Bell's July 2007 retirement, ''Coast to Coast Live'' was discontinued, with Punnett returning to host the regular Saturday edition.

''Art Bell, Somewhere in Time''

Replacing ''Coast to Coast Live'' in the late Saturday time slot is a series of reruns of classic Art Bell episodes of ''Coast to Coast AM'', airing under the title ''Somewhere in Time''.

''Midnight in the Desert''

Midnight in the Desert was a live radio and podcast which Art Bell founded. The program was later hosted by Heather Wade and then by Dave Schrader.

References

* * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coast To Coast Am 1984 establishments in the United States 1984 radio programme debuts Alternative radio programs American talk radio programs Conspiracist media IHeartRadio digital channels Paranormal Sirius XM Radio programs