Art Bell vs George Noory...

I've been reading some posts about how some people think that Coast to Coast AM is now ruined thanks to George Noory. Now I don't know much about this so can someone please inform those of us who are new to this forum and/or debate as to why people think that C2C is now considered "airwave pollution?"



[edit on 25-6-2008 by n0b0DY]

I never listen to the show before but i do know people loved when Art bell was on it.When someone leaves and the radio programming changes if that happened?Maybe they tried to expand the show for rating in the wrong direction.

I think it's the other way around tbh. Art Bell was a bit of a sensationalist and he pulled lame stunts like the whole cessena pilot over area 51 farce. Noory is a good communicator and he does his job perfectly, which is help people talk about the subjects they were invited to talk about, be them bullpie or not.

The real bane of coast to coast is Ian Punnett, because he is obviously biased towards some sort of religious institution agenda and can get bitchy when he's interviewing someone who he dosen't agree with. Punnett interviewed Neal Adams, and instead of 20% batman and 80% expanding earth theory he did it the other way around. The man just dosen't get what C2C is about, or if he gets it he's trying to destroy it. Sorry Ian, I just don't like your shows If George Knapp could pick up his segments C2C would be near perfect imo.

The big difference to me seems to be , Art would do a bit of research and have some good questions planed out . Art would also follow the conversation and seem truly interested in his guest where as George seems to get most of his questions via fast blast , George just simply doesn't seem to pay attention , often asking the guest a question that they had just finished answering .

But I must point out , I still listen to C2C when they are talking about a topic that holds interest to me .

I am a faithful listener. In all fairness i have to say that George is a nice guy- I guess what bothers me is that he is in a huge hurry to get those callers in, and doesnt expand enough on the issues being discussed.
He wants to be liked, be polite, and he shows no personal preferences as to conspiracies.
One day he talks to someone and expresses interest and amazement, the next day he's got someone with an entirely different point of view and expresses interest and amazement- doesnt really side with anything.

I like to know which side of an issue he leans towards the most. After all,you cant please all of the people all of the time!

Now Art Bell, used to probe deeply into matters that really concerned him, and he did take sides, UNTIL one day, not long after he said that if he were not able to speak his mind on his show, he would call it quits. And he did.
Now, he doesnt interview anyone "controversial" at all (if people notice),
nor does he talk about government issues, or anything of that nature.

Now IAN, well, i just wont listen too closely and those are the nights i tend to fall asleep. He rubs me the wrong way, and he's bound and determined not to follow the format of the show, which is what i find irritating.
He's gonna do his own thing, period.

At least, these are my opinions of the show and i've listened since 1996.

reply to post by Zepherian
I agree. I'd like to see G Knapp and Noorey team up and have them drop Ian like a hot potatoe. He insults his guests, is rude and has a silly Rock & Roll-Religous agenda he cannot deviate from.

Art was a very skilled interviewer. He had an amazing ability with guiding an interview along and getting the most from his guests. He is also extremely intelligent, has a very wide range of knowledge and thus he was able to ask very insightful questions. In short, his interviewing style was superb.

Noory on the other hand, has a rather tenuous grasp of interviewing skills. He FREQUENTLY derails a guest right as he is getting to a point he was making. He tends to ask the most innane questions (not always but often). His tendency to cut guests off in mid sentence to finish the statement himself is copmpletey inappropriate and franky, I find it intensely annoying. I've heard dozens and dozens of times where a guest was building up to an important point and then Noory goes and asks some completely unrelated question and we never get back to the point that the guest was trying to make. After so many examples of this, I've made a choice that the frustration is not worth the reward, I only end up pissed off at George one more time. It's just not worth the frustration he causes me. As far as hosts for C2C go, I'm sure they could have done worse but they certainly could have done better...

On a scale of Art Bell, I'd give Noory about a 15%. I only listen about once a month to Noory (if that), though I used to listen to every single show when Art was on board...

My favorite saying about George? What a putz.

reply to post by SystemiK


Yes you are so right , George does cut off his guest's far to often just as they are getting to a point . I blame it on George watching the fast blast questions and not actually listening to his guest . So right you are , it's very very annoying .

Agree with dg about George Knapp! Knapp is the bomb.

I think Art Bell, back in the day, absolutely schooled Noory. Art is much more reserved in recent times, but in his hay-day was awesome IMO.

I still like to listen to his archived material.

Art Bell just a little bit more than George Noorey. I would say their interviewing skills are pretty fair. Both have that Golden radio voice. But Ian Punnett is irritating. It's like he doesn't listen to what the guests say and continues on wasting air time on what he thought they said. The interviews go around in circles and off onto some tangent la la land idea that surfaced at that moment.

I listened to Art for years...he really rocked.

I can't help but like George, let's face it...No one could replace Art. It's just not possible.

As for Ian, he's just annoying, so now I go out and party instead of staying home and listening to Ian, who is just way more than I can take....

C2C listener since 92

Art rulez, Noory droolz.
Seriously, I still listen to C2C but I think it's Noory's voice which annoys me. Plus, I think once Art left, they should have changed the format a little to make the show geared more towards Noory. Since the show is exactly the same as when Art left, I keep hoping Art will return.

However, my main beef is all the darn commercials. Geesh, enough already. With all the commercials and LONG bumper music intros, you are lucky to get a solid half hour of actual talk for every hour the show is on air. Very annoying!!

[edit on 25-6-2008 by WhatTheory]

reply to post by WhatTheory


Commercials you say ? I am a stream link member so when I DL the show the next day on my itunes I get only the show , no commercials , no bumper music and I can tell you that on average there are 20 to 25 min of commercials each hour .

I have to say that I like George Noory way better than Art Bell. He has a great radio personality and he does a pretty good job of discussing the topics with his guests.

Art, on the other hand, seems to always be in a grouchy mood when he does the show. It seems like he is always impatient with his guests and the callers and that just ruins the show for me.

I find C2C to be much more enjoyable when George Noory is the host.

Art Bell also is about the only host who does not screen his calls!!!

That says a lot about the man! He could handle anything!

The show used to be about something and had a purpose... the only true purpose now to book as many guests as possible to plug their books, events, memberships, conventions , etc. Coast to Coast AM was all about Art Bell and will always be about Art Bell and he left once his show went mainstream with industry taking over in order to accommodate. The show lacks any genuine leadership and maintains a certain neutrality in order to keep the dollars flowing.

I'm all about George!!! I listen every night if i'm not asleep already but George rules!!! I even had the chance to get on the show and chat with him for about 5 minutes about Biblical myth versus scientific fact... the debate was basically creationist vs evolutionism.... I'll never forget it!

Art is a little more serious, and a lot less tollerant and light hearted. Go George!

Art.

That said, Ian sniffles ALL THE Freaking Time! It drives me bananas!
Sounds like he is a snorter and we all know that cant be true as his only real agenda is to be Georges lap dog. And the preacher nonsense.

Knapp is the only logical real replacement for Art as his ego is intact unlike George's which needs inflating at every break and from every guest he has on. It is sickning how some very powerful people come on and put on for George, oh george your the bomb...Yuck!

I think he started out innocent enough, open enough, he just got derailed looking in the mirror as time went by.

Thing is, he forgets that it is us wee little people in the night that have made him, and it is us wee little people in the dark that can send him back to the local stations he came from.

He seems also to buy the arse kissings of him looking good or something, even the charCtures are gentle and kind, truth is he has a face made for Radio, and his arrogance will not be tolerated by Hollywood, and the networks. Although I think 'he' thinks he will leave the show with a cush job at sci-fi or something, I dont think so.

Bottom line, he's been got to by the secret people at , well where they tell him what he can and cannot do for "Entertainment purposes".
I know...

Art in a landslide.

If someone said something blatantly ridiculous, Art would/will call them on it. Didn't happen a ton of times but I think he's more skeptical. When it happens now, I hear George say things like, "Wow, that indeed is...truly...remarkable. Let's go to the wild card line."

Plus, Art really draws you in whatever nuts-o world he's talking about. His voice compliments the night. At 2:30 in the afternoon, the thought of tens of thousands of giants living below the earth's surface might be the biggest crock of BS you've heard in your life. At 2:37 in the morning you're thinking - holy @#$%!, does my old shotgun still work?

We are comparing apples and oranges. Art Bell is a worldwide institution -- at least in the English-speaking world. His is an enormous, spellbinding radio persona. I could listen to him discuss a telephone directory.

George Noory is extremely talented and he gets his ego out of the way so that the light shines on his guests.

Ian Punnett is a disaster. I no longer listen when he has a show.


I long for the return of Rollye James. She was outstanding, and interestingly was the one most like Art Bell in style and substance.