-
- April 1st, 2000 - In the second hour of his talk radio
program tonight, Art Bell announces his retirement from radio broadcasting.
-
- "In order that you all understand the gravity of
the announcement I'm about to make, it's going to be necessary for me to
repeat some very painful events that have occured to my family over the
past several years.
-
- On May 16th of the year 1997, my son, Art Bell IV, was
kidnapped, transported across state lines and raped by a substitute teacher
from his own high school. The assailant was HIV positive. My son was a
minor. He was only 16 years old at the time.
-
- The teacher involved was tried, convicted and is now
serving a life sentence. My son though, as you might imagine, was sent
into a psychological tailspin which continues to this very day. We are
trying very very hard to help him recover and lead a more normal life.
Some positive events have occurred toward that end and your prayers are
welcome. Please keep them coming.
-
- While the police work and the trial of my son's assailant
were underway, difficult as it was for me to continue my daily radio programs,
I did so. Because my son was a minor at the time of the crime, the records
were sealed, his name was not made public, something our society does to
protect its own, its future, its young people.
-
- As our family was working through this trauma in private,
an event beyond all bounds of decency and humanity occurred. On December
9th of 1997, just a few months after my son's ordeal, my own began. Ted
Gunderson, a retired FBI agent, along with David Hinkson and the assistance
of others, aired a broadcast which - incredibly, absolutely incredibly
- accused me of committing the very same crime my son had suffered, child
molestation. The program further stated that I had paid to cover up an
indictment in Nye County, Nevada, my home. It further urged listeners to
call me "on air" and ask if I had been indicted. Of course, these
accusations were entirely false. But, never the less the calls poured into
my open line unscreened program, asking if this was true. I had no choice
but to block out all these calls and keep my silence for fear of my son's
situation becoming public. This broadcast was made on WWCR, world wide
shortwave radio, in Nashville, Tennessee. This station has been described
by newpapers and civic minded organizations as one of the country's leading
broadcasters of hate radio. The individuals, WWCR and its sister-station
WNQM, have allowed to broadcast over the airwaves, include a man who wrote
a book entitled "The Hitler We Loved And Why" and another man
who stated over the airwaves that Jews are the children of Satan and that
African-Americans are "mud people".
-
- In addition to broadcasting these proponents of hate
and violence, this radio station has consciously decided not to spend money
on a delay switch, not to conduct a careful background check of the people
it places on the air and to allow individuals to say almost anything they
want in foreign languages without having staff on duty who can even understand
what they are saying.
-
- In my opinion, WWCR is one of the most irresponsible
stations permitted to broadcast over the airwaves of this country.
-
- Now the fallout from that broadcast has been unbelievable.
Besides the unrelenting accusatory calls, others repeated this false rumor
as though it was fact, resulting in several related lawsuits. Many of you
may have heard my defense played out on the airwaves and the Internet.
-
- No matter how hard I have tried to set the record straight,
my torment and that of my family continues. Recently, a radio host in Toronto,
Canada opened his morning show with the words "I am Art Bell and I
molest little children". All of this sent me into a psychological
tailspin. I felt I had been dealt a blow I might not recover from. Still
I continued my nightly broadcasts as best I could.
-
- In October of 1998, my son came to a crisis point, a
situation so critical that nothing but my full-time attention would help.
So, on that fateful day, October 13th of 1998, I resigned on air with no
intention of returning. But thanks to the efforts of my network, my best
friend Alan Corbeth, Kraig Kitchin (CEO of Premiere Networks) and Randy
Micheals [CEO of Clear Channel], I was able to return, but the pressure
of having to defend myself against baseless, vile claims that I was a child
molester eventually forced me to reduce my on air hours. Why the individuals
behind the December 9, 1997 broadcast by WWCR decided to make such a patently
false and harmful broadcast remains for the courts to decide. A major moment
in this litigation is going to occur April 28th in Nashville, Tennessee.
If justice prevails, a trial, perhaps a protracted one, may follow. It
would be untrue for me to say this has not affected my air work, it has.
It would be unfair to all of you, not to give you my full-time best. I
can no longer do that. The reality that after suffering the fate of my
son's own molestation, I now stand destined to be tainted for life as a
child molester, has proven simply too much to bear. God knows, I have tried.
-
- For my Son, I pray that somehow his wounds will heal,
his mind's troubles fade into something of a normal life. For myself an
ordeal looms ahead to clear my good name of accusations I committed a crime,
committed against my own son. Nobody ever said life would be fair, only
to be lived as the hand is dealt to you. For all the years of joy my work
has provided, I want to thank all of you and whatever creative force allowed
it.
-
- I have decided to retire from the broadcast business
at the end of this month, my last show to be April 26, 2000.
-
- I will not do any media interviews on this subject. I
have already said more than any private person would have said, a private
world I now look forward to returning to. Any further questions should
be addressed to my attorney Gerard Fox at the law firm of Fox, Siegler
& Spillane in Los Angeles at (310) 229-9300."
-
- -- Art Bell
-
-
-
-
- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Amir Forester
818-461-5404
-
- ART BELL SIGNS OFF
-
- LOS ANGELES, March 31, 2000
- Art Bell, the radio host famous for his spontaneous and compelling conversations
of all things unexplained, officially resigns. His last broadcast will
be on Wednesday evening, April 26, running into Thursday morning, April
27.
-
- Art will deliver a statement on his show tonight (2a.m.
EST, 11p.m. PST) addressing his retirement from not only radio broadcasting,
but also all other forums of media including book publishing, television,
etc. He is looking forward to living an anonymous lifestyle.
-
- "We have and will continue to support Art,"
said Kraig T. Kitchin, president/COO of Premiere Radio Networks. "I
hoped he would return full time, but understand his inability to do so
and agree this is the best course of action. A new host of Coast to Coast
AM will be introduced to affiliates and listeners imminently through Art's
own introduction. Coast to Coast AM will continue to pursue the subject
matter in the same entertaining and intriguing ways. In addition, affiliates
and advertisers are being informed of the changes as they happen. The network
is committed to delivering ratings results consistent to Art's."
-
- Premiere Radio Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of Clear
Channel, currently syndicates more than 60 radio programs and serves more
than 7,800 radio station affiliates. Premiere is one of the top three radio
networks in the country, and the leading provider of morning show material
nationwide. The number one syndicator of programming, Premiere features
the following personalities: Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Jim
Rome, Dr. Dean Edell, Michael Reagan, Phil Hendrie, Naomi Judd, Blair Garner,
Lionel and Rick Dees. Premiere is based in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and has
eight offices nationwide.
-
- SIGHTINGS HOMEPAGE
- This
Site Served by TheHostPros
|