Art Hangs It Up For the Last Time.

[The One]

This is very sad news for all art fans


Announcement from Art below

I am sorry to have to announce this but I will not be on Tonight or any other night, yes I am going to hang it up. Whoever this crazy person is, they are not stopping and it has come to the point that we as a Family do not feel it is worth the risk. While I think the person or persons are after me, my Wife and now my Daughter are really scared, the other night after the latest incident my Daughter was off in the corner of her bed scared to death as the Police cars came screaming up. I will not put my Family through this. As you all know I dearly love what I do but not at the expense of never ending Terrorism. I want to thank those of you who have shown so much support and it has been my joy, short as it has been to have cracked that Mic open for a last time. This was a Family decision. The girls stuck with me and still would but if one of them were harmed because of what I love doing my life would be over

All members of this forum can view all Art bell archive shows here

If anything changes i will let you know.

[bsbray]

Well looks like he did throw in the towel after all.

As weird as this story is I'm sure we'll be hearing more about it later.

[Dreamtimer]

What a shame. The stupidity of one person screws it up for us all.

I noticed that the subject he was spending the most time on was Dr. Jacobs and the hubrids. Perhaps the topic was getting too much attention.

Someone needs to build Art a radio bunker. Jeez Louise!

[jimmer]

what a huge disappointment.
I get it. family safety comes first.
but why not setup some safe location for them,
while setting out to catch his 'terrorist'?

after all the reboots, it finally ends like this?

I wish him well, but this is the last straw for we art bell enthusiasts.

wonder how his ever loyal tech/producer, keith rowland, is taking this?
this decision to abruptly end it all has big implications.

think about all his commitments to advertisers, national radio stations and his loyal subscribers.

what a catastrophe.

[Frances]

We hope the terrorist gets caught so Art and his family can have peace of mind. There is a very real threat to all of them when a person or persons start stalking and shooting at you in the pitch black of night.
The police will have made their recommendations to Art based on what has been going on in the past.
Frances.

[Collidescope]

There is talk via his website in the comments section that the stalking thing was made up and his leaving is due to poor ratings.
That did not take that long to show up.
But regardless, I always thought Art was a great interviewer but in this saturated field of internet radio
it probably was hard to get the audience he wanted.
I am sad to see him go, I love to hear his voice and he will be greatly missed by me.

[bstuart]

It's very sad. Nobody does it better than Art.

Yet, I think it's a bit presumptuous on Art's part to think that stopping the radio show will stop the crazy person from terrorizing him and and his family. This seems like a knee-jerk reaction, that should could have been handled better; for both his listeners and his loved ones. But, maybe it does have something to do with ratings. Who knows... Sad either way.

[jimmer]

more from art on FB: (in chronologic posting order)

There will be a live show Tonight and while I know people hate change, Heather my Producer has decided to give tonight's show a try!
I would ask that you give her a fair listen before you decide thumbs up or down.
She is really really good at what she does.
Art

Midnight in the Desert
So, I made my decision after my Wife told me about my Daughter today.
She was really scared.
Everybody who wants refunds will get them.
Heather will do a show Tonight with I think a Time Traveler.
Perhaps I will come and do a random show when Heather needs a break if you give her a chance.
I just can not keep a routine that puts my Family in danger.
Art

I think Heather did a amazing job given the short notice, connection problems and a Guest who was tough.
She will return Monday with a great Guest and I think those of you who are considering cancelling should give her a couple of more days before deciding.
In my view she has one of the more pleasant voices on Radio!
On another note it may be that after some time if you stick with it I may be able to show up now and then.
While I understand I could have some Guard out there it is not a road I care to go down again,
I did that Years ago and hated it for the same reason anybody who has ever been under Guard would easily understand, it's really intrusive.
I was prepared to go on, threat or not but after a sit down with my Wife about what life has been like since all this started for her and most of all Asia,
it just seemed selfish of me to keep doing it so I could have fun under current circumstances.
I also want to say the Sheriff's office has been doing a wonderful job, they have a big valley to protect.

[grannyfranny]

For those who still watch TV, reality sure is different. On TV, some hero gets the bad guy. Or else this is a made up story for reasons unknown.

[The One]

Not sure whats going on or if its with the dark matter network itself i have just read this which i will post below

The Future of Midnight in the Desert and Dark Matter Radio Network

OK folks, here’s the deal as of now…. from Keith Rowland

Midnight in the Desert

I will run Midnight in the Desert w/Heather Wade on the Dark Matter Digital Network for the next 30 days minimum. She will start in Art’s same time slot for Monday and Tuesday…

However, seeing as I’m obligated to continue feeding the terrestrial affiliate stations for the next 30 days, I’ll need to feed either Heather’s live show or replays of Art Bell’s archives, (which ever they determine the best for them yet to be decided). If I need to feed the Art Bell replays to them at 9-12, Art’s time slot, I will have Heather do MITD from 6-9 pm PT LIVE to insure she gets to do shows for you also. If the radio stations are fine with Heather filling in for Art, we’ll keep her at 9-12 PT.

Her shows will be added to the same Time Travelers archive as Art’s shows, so your current subscription will have Art’s old shows and these new ones. It’s up to you to continue to support the show with Heather by keeping your existing subscription or signing up again for the Time Travelers subscription, now at $4.99. After 30 days, we all will evaluate the financial situation of whether we can continue. I hope the subscriber base will maintain the show. We will do our part in reducing the costs.

Other Side of Midnight

As for Richard C Hoagland’s OSOM program, again, it’s all about finances. RCH and I need to re-evaluate our financial model and hope to come to some resolution to continue running his show on DMDN. Stay tuned for updates on this matter. He could be back on Monday night! You can still show your support by Joining Club 19.5.

Dark Matter Digital Network

It was always my intention to bring good paranormal programs to the network and as Art Bell would draw people to the station, these shows would gain audience and attract advertisers. While Art Bell was bringing the audience, some shows received some increase in numbers and I continued to run those shows hoping for better performance.

As hard as I tried, with over two years in building the network, none of the other programs I carried were able to earn any advertising dollars to support the cost of playing the shows, let alone justify my time in producing the shows live. I had to be present in the studio during all live shows in order to connect and bring them on, monitor the sound, play the breaks, record the show and edit the replay audio files. This time took away from my day and had no financial benefit. But I did it because Art’s show was subsidizing the cost. With the leaving of Art Bell, it doesn’t seem financially viable to continue spending hours a day doing this. So I regret to not being able to produce LIVE versions of these programs after this week.

I will however for the time being, continue to play on the station stream any and all pre-recorded shows that I currently have and any of the current LIVE shows who wish to produce their own pre-recorded audio files to me for playback, on DMDN each week. But I need to have those 4 hours a day back.

The station will also revert back to a cheaper streaming solution and may be dark for some periods of time to save costs.

Finally

It is sad that incidents have taken our Art Bell away from us again…. The challenge of bringing Art back was intense and satisfying. But the Dark Matter Digital Network was created and maintained for his return. Now that he is gone… the situation will be fluid and could quickly change. But I’m willing to get this a shot, if you are. I will update this post as I have more information.

— Keith Rowland

[jimmer]

this is exactly what I was thinking:

art, as great a mind and host as he is, had a big responsibility to carry.

although the circumstances appear to be out of his control,
he should have considered the damage he is now inflicting on those around him.

why the heck not take a hiatus and figure this thing out?
instead, he pulls the plug again and leaves all his colleagues in free fall.
that, is not what a good guy does to those who trusted him.
too harsh? maybe, but I believe totally warranted. (this from a loyal fan who has been abandoned, again)

[Dreamtimer]

I didn't know the bigger picture. Targeting Art is targeting the whole network. Bad news.

[The One]

Makes you wonder what going to happen to Richards show's.We have been basically told nothing but rumors are going round claiming Art Bell is the only show that can carry the network... that is a huge FU to all other hosts.

[Windancer]

I believe "they", whomever they are, were wanting to get rid of these types of shows late at night. Too much info flowing out and this is just another step where they have become successful....something to THINK about. This saddens me AGAIN losing Art. Another show to listen to is John B Wells who is a branch off from Art's old show, Coast to Coast am. George and he agreed to disagree and he left Coast to Coast. I think that John B is as close to Art we are gonna get. This is also a subscription, which I can not afford at this time...BooHoo, and one can catch it at times on you tube when someone posts a particular show as time allows.

[The One]

I think that John B is as close to Art we are gonna get. This is also a subscription, which I can not afford at this time...BooHoo, and one can catch it at times on you tube when someone posts a particular show as time allows.

I will see what happens with midnight in the desert and i may cancel that subscription and go to caravan to midnight.I am not sure yet

cheers