Nobody in talk
radio quite compares to
Art Bell when it comes to entertaining the notions of UFOlogists, psychics and
conspiracy theorists. From his one-man broadcasting
center in
Pahrump,
Nevada,
Bell hosted a nationally syndicated all-night radio
show --
Coast to Coast AM -- specializing in alleged
tales of the supernatural, the paranormal and weird. After five years on the
air Bell's audience was still growing, but on October 13, 1998, he suddenly and mysteriously announced
the end of his broadcasting career. Two weeks later he
just as mysteriously returned to the air and resumed his broadcasts, only to retire from broadcasting in
April 2000. When Bell returned to the air in 2001, he explained that he had taken
time to
deal with
personal family matters. At the end of 2002 Bell retired again, but said he would continue to fill in on occasion for new host
George Noory. In September of 2003
Bell un-retired again, returning to become the regular weekend host on
Coast to Coast AM.
Bell's wife
Ramona died on 5 January 2006 after suffering an asthma attack while on vacation in
Laughlin,
Nevada. Bell surprised his fans by announcing on 15
April 2006 that he had remarried, to Airyn
Ruiz, a 21-year-old Filipino woman whom he had met on
the Internet after his wife's
death. Bell broadcasted from
Manila during 2006, then returned to Nevada to host the Sunday edition of his
show. On 1 July 2007 Bell announced he was retiring
again, this
time for real, to spend
time with his wife and new daughter. The Saturday host of
Coast to Coast, Ian Punnett, was named as a replacement.
; "Art Bell")
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