BellGab.com Archive

Seems like for the past 590 pages there are two camps of people posting ...those who think Art is a genius who can do no wrong...and those who think Art is a genius who can be a pain in the ass and holds a lot of responsibility for this mess. Maybe we can all come together and finally agree that most likely the truth is somewhere in the middle...maybe?...probably not.

Quote from: nika01 on November 21, 2013, 07:30:34 PM

Its not about money dimwit, its about tangible support. duh.

You seem to think a legal fight is somehow akin to mud-wrestling. It takes money and lawyers. You think they are going to drag Art under the heat lamps and beat a confession out of him?

Dimwit? That's nice. Then we agree it's not about money...not the issue or the problem. Art has it and it clear he has the support. What am I missing?
He has told everyone to lay off Sirius and on more than one occasion he has stated money is not a problem for him.

To those of you practically begging to donate money to a millionaire (who regardless of how you spin it helped create this mess)...please stop. If the NC was longer than 2 years it might be worth challenging....but here's the thing...2 years is a pretty clever number (Sirius lawyers aren't stupid) 2 years is long enough to sting but not quite long enough to make it worth challenging because yes, it's expensive but more importantly it takes a long time to navigate through the legal process. It takes longer than you think.  It's not worth the effort and it's not guaranteed that Art would be successful. Art mishandled his whole relationship with Sirius well before he even got on the air. For the love of god Art, stop consulting with the C Crane guy and get a lawyer to read over your contract next time. That part of all of this is definitely on Art.

Quote from: nika01 on November 13, 2013, 08:15:08 PM
and your law degree is from?? Seriously are you a lawyer?

Of course I'm not and that's my point...anything is possible and just as likely to be impossible in this whole mess ..BUT even if I was a lawyer it would be irresponsible to make statements and present them as FACT without knowing the details/specifics of what happened and what's worded in the contract that Art signed...not to mention any number of other mitigating factors that possibly exist. It's just frustrating to see people type nonsense about how they googled something or talked to a friend of a friend and rushed here to post things as if they are "educating" us on the ins and outs of NC clauses. Since Art or Sirius aren't  providing detailed specifics can't we all agree that no one knows what they are talking about?? It's complicated and messy...that's the one thing I can say for certain about all of this.

Getting out of a NC is not nearly as simple/cheap/quick as everyone as has been making it out to be. There's so many armchair lawyers posting all sorts of nonsense as if it's fact and it's getting the hopes up of so many. If it really was only a nuisance/technicality...wouldn't he have challenged it already? NC clauses are designed to punish people who quit...they are legal and enforceable...people keep acting like he was FIRED and that Sirius is somehow holding him hostage. Yes, NC's can be challenged..overturned or settled. Sometimes you can buy your way out of them OR be paid to remain in one. It all depends on the details. Art may have a case...I hope so. Reading some of these posts it seems people are getting their hopes WAY up believing they are armed with legal knowledge because they read a post on a message board where someone spoke like they were an expert on this subject. We don't know what happened or what the specifics are. I have come to the conclusion that if nothing else Art believes(correctly or incorrectly) he's in the right. Time will tell....probably in two years.

Quote from: Falkie2013 on November 12, 2013, 10:52:05 PM
ok here goes for better or worse and please be kind.

last weekend I got an unsolicited and unrequested email from :

george noory

asking if I ever got my new glasses and that HE would be willing to pay for them because to him " health is the # 1 issue ".

(no subject)
Inbox
   x
george@coasttocoastam.com
   
Nov 9 (3 days ago)
      
to me

Hey GUY from Pittsburgh…hope all is well.



IN all seriousness did you get your glasses fixed? I know you said something about $.....we can help out….if you need it.

When it comes to health issues…that’s #1 on my list.

GN



I thought about it at first and said it would compromise me and leave me open to criticism but I re-thought it and said I would accept only if I could repay him and the proceeds would go to someone else who needs help.

Well that was Saturday. I never got a reply from GN and when he pulled his stuff to take over the DM channel, I discussed it with a few confidants on here and thought it over and said that my sense of honor would be forever stained if I took his money and retracted my acceptance of his offer. I had never asked GN for help nor did I ever expect him to do so, and frankly was astounded that he sent me such an email in the first place.

So... today I told him that after he plunged the knife into Art's back and had said that HE, George Noory, RESPECTED Art, that I could never take his money as he did a despicable thing and that the right thing to do would have been to say NO, I can't do this to Art because it would look bad AND make me look like an opportunist.

Here's what he sent me by way of reply. Note that his " offer " has never been addressed in any subsequent email and that he never replied to my multiple emails. I feel it was a ploy to silence a very visable critic that didn't quite work.

George Noory
   
8:01 PM (33 minutes ago)
      
to me

What is wrong with you!!!!!

We are merely returning to satellite radio…..in OUR time slot. I wish to God Art was back on there but he quit. What PART of that DON'T  you get ?

And this from a guy who claims to help truckers and wants people to give their money to children in foreign lands and offers to help out a guy who doesn't have much money and then when he takes the offer with a codicil to it, ignores the guy.

Here's MY reply to that.

dmitri senda <falkie2013@gmail.com>
   
8:34 PM (0 minutes ago)
      
to George

Your time slot ?

It makes it look like you were in the wings like a vampire just waiting to take over Art's channel practically the minute he left.
And I am not the only one who thinks that.

If you were filled with the respect for Art that you CLAIM to have, you would have said NO, I don't want to undermine Art.

That's what I would have done because I have a sense of honor and don't bite the hand that wound up feeding me by turning over a show to you that you dragged into the ground for 10 years.

Furthermore, you complain that people make fun of you on Bellgab.

Hell, even Art commented on how YOU said that a typhoon that hit Vietnam would bring rain to Hawaii, which is dumb.

I went and checked and asked if it had any effect on Australia and was told no as well.

Go away George.

No one trusts you or believes you anymore.

Including me.

george

While I don't have much money and am hoping to monetize myself, I would have just saved up for my new glasses without GN's help. Most of the things I have I have gotten because I've saved up for them over the years.

So nice of him to fuck with someone who has a low income, isn't it ?

Ok...I didn't exactly understand all that....So George reached out unsolicited to help you and because of Art Bell you told him to go get screwed. I'm confused.

Quote from: Uncle Duke on November 12, 2013, 10:46:18 PM
No, my point was your learned colleague said he'd tell Art it wasn't worth fighting for, IHO.  You apparently disagree with that. 

Any downside legally with Art either asking for and/or accepting donations to fund this deal as Ms Sherry suggested?

Art has made it clear he has money and doesn't need money. Why are you folks so eager to send him your hard earned money? Even for the most loyal fan that's a bridge too far

Quote from: sherry440 on November 12, 2013, 10:35:12 PM
#free Art Bell donations accepted!  So how about instead of pissing off SXM anymore by mentioning Art, how about we pony up cash for an entertainment attorney?

Please tell me you're not serious...I love and respect Art as much as anyone here but he had a part in all of this. I'm sure he can bail himself out of this mess....send that money to the Philippines.

Seems to me if this whole NC clause was such a simple thing to overcome then Art would have challenged it yesterday rather than still be mulling it over. My guess is that it's not and Art isn't a complete doofus when it comes to contracts etc. I suppose he could buy his way out but that would entail coming up with a number that would satisfy Sirius in terms of what revenue they may have lost by Art's departure (over the course of his 3 yr contact) plus putting a price tag on intangibles such as the promotion they did for him and other services rendered in an attempt to get DM off the ground.

Quote from: samdean on November 12, 2013, 10:10:52 PM
Maybe I completely misread Art's financial situation, but do you really think 10's of thousands of dollars is going to stand in his way.

You know this isn't a complicated matter, requiring months of discovery and thousands of hours.  It is a very simple matter.  Is the clause valid.  Did they give him extra compensation for it.  Is he likely to utilize trade secrets, etc.  It is a few weeks of filing and 1 day hearing and a few weeks waiting for the decision.  Then it is over.

I could see a top entertainment firm taking this for 25K.

So a few weeks here and a few weeks there... bingo bango it's over? And all for 25 grand? Umm yeah no

Quote from: Scully on November 12, 2013, 09:43:54 PM
I've bolded the most encouraging parts of this encouraging post!  Thanks, Redwolf

I wouldn't take legal advice from a guy who knows a guy and posts on a message board. 

I love Art but I'm not completely "ALL IN" with his side of the story. When he says there's "a lot he can't say can't say", I'm quite sure that's true but I suspect some of it wouldn't paint him in the best light. Let's not forget he is playing the PR game with his appearance tonight just as George was last week. There's still quite a bit about this whole 6 week endeavor that just doesn't smell right.  We all agree that Art is the Master...a genius...but he may well be a flake or just a pain in the ass. I've made peace with that reality and don't appreciate him any less.
Also, and I don't think anyone has touched on this ...It's almost silly to worry about whether or not he challenges the NC clause because truth be told it would probably take upwards of two years to litigate this through the courts. It's a helluva lot easier and cheaper to just let two years expire should he wish to return. Bottom line no Art Bell for two years regardless of what happens. It's clear Art has pissed someone off at Sirius, rightly or wrongly, and they have made it clear that Art can go pound sand...and he better not broadcast while he's doing it.

Is it possible...just maybe... that we helped create this Art Bell Frankenstein Monster? We've all been kissing his ass pretty good around here...maybe the guy just got too full of himself. Yeah I know he's flakey but I've always just attributed that to his bat-shit crazy personal life etc. There's something different about this...arrogance perhaps?  Who knows but it is pretty clear that he misjudged what our reaction to all of this would be. I, for one, am glad that a great many of us are fed up with this nonsense and have abstained from giving him a free pass.
I would love for Art to return but if he doesn't I'll be fine. Now I have to run...gotta get my audition tape ready. I hear there's an opening at Sirius.

Received from Art Bell last night in response to an email I sent him...........

, you are the second Bell Gabber to ask so here is the same reply,

I saw a post recently on Bell Gab that said the Spooky Matter show was the weakest ever. I agree, and it would be downhill from there under
the current situation. I thought it was entirely reasonable to ask for a Year to try and reach the users who had tried the 30 day trial and
threw up their hands and left. All I wanted was streaming that worked. The success of my original show and the new show depended
on callers, many of my best shows were as a result of open lines. Yes I could fill the lines with truckers, bless their hearts, but I could not
have made the kind of show that you and all the other callers had a right to expect. Cell phones just do not work well going down the street
at 70 MPH.

I had hundreds of email's from people who had left because of a stream that kept cutting out, that was my base and all I wanted was to
keep that group, so I asked for free streaming for a Year or until they could fix the problem, they said no, so rather than have a show go
downhill I chose to end it. Doing a quality program is very important to me. I understand some people will hate my guts for it but sometimes
that is what we buy with our decisions. I made this choice for the show, not me. I love doing the show but not in a half ass way.

Is it a 100% done deal? As it sits, yes. It is my position that if they let me stream until the problems are fixed I would be back at the mike in a second
but I think they will not do so. That is the situation in a nutshell. BTW my Producer agrees as does my friend Bob Crane who saw his sales start
well, get better, then sharply decline as people got frustrated and dropped.

                                                                                                                                                  Art

OK...so I'd love to have Art back on the radio but it seems to me that if there was any real scuttlebutt in Industry circles about Art launching a new radio show then Premier would have stopped broadcasting Somewhere in Time a long time ago. When they stop broadcasting the old shows then we can get excited....

Tonight has the possibility of being an important night in the show's history. Alex Jones is the guest and we all know that Jones has acheived a much higher profile given his comments after Sandy Hook about guns and his much publicized Govt Conspirarcy Theories. I suspect that if Jones makes inflamatory comments about the bombings in Boston it will likely be picked up by other media outlets tomorrow. Noory had better be careful because if he offers a safe harbor for Jones's nuttiness without much pushback Noory runs the risk of making C2C a national joke and embarrassment...( yeah i kmow maybe too late) My personal opinion is that C2C has already crossed the line in seemingly endorsing the Black Helicopters mentality. I absolutely have no problem with the show offering a forum to this line of thinking provided the guests are engaged by the host and an actual discussion takes place. I've always loved the fact that Coast offers people with alternative views a public forum/hearing....without ridicule and condemnation but over the last few years guests are no longer being intellectually challenged to defend their positions. Don't get me wrong...there's no real reason per se in calling the guy who saw Bigfoot a liar or a crackpot but when guests are exposing dangerous, irresponsible views on REAL WORLD subjects like say Medical treatments and Government intentions/False Flag operations...I do expect a respectful inquiry as to where these views are coming from and a review of the supporting "facts". I'll be curious what all of you have to say about the show     

I'm disappointed with Art's recent post... This is just my opinion but I don't think it's 100% truthful. Sure, it's a noble enough sentiment that plays well with the fans but c'mon is it too cynical to say it's doubtful that a 68 year old Radio Legend who has had nothing but time on his hands recently "struggled" with the right and wrong reasons to do a radio show? Maybe, but it's my thinking Art chose to tell fans that instead of the bluntly honest and sympathic truth that "Hey, they offered me a crappy deal and I said NO" I think Art told us that lest we think he is a"money grubber" like so many others and ding his reputation. There's no shame in being honest and saying "Hey I wanna come back but i also want to be PAID and I want control of the show. Art either wants to do it and hasn't got a good deal or he completely flaked out AGAIN...it's one or the other...I love Art but it's pretty obnoxious that he has to make us think he has to go to the mountaintop again and contemplate his return and whether or not to use his powers for good or evil. C'mon enough already. Clearly, Art appreciates his fans and cares what they think....but I actually hope he was being dishonest because if he was telling the truth and he waffled at the last minute then this is just another example of the "Flaky, Troubled Art Bell" What company in their right minds would want to do business with this guy? What company would invest significant amounts of money into a guy who may not show up for work or retire (again) in a month. That's being hard on him I know but I think all of us hoped  that "stuff" was behind him. Again, Art is 68...at 68 you know who are, what you think, and how you feel..sure he's a complicated guy but not anymore complicated than the rest of us. I say this somewhat tongue in cheek but maybe the best thing for us to do for Art Bell is to stop kissing his A$$ all the time and excerise some tough love. Art doesn't have to travel very far on the internet to see thousands of people telling him how great he was/is...day in and day out...and for some people that is enough. That sustains their vanity.  It's a helluva lot easier simply being told you're great and the best than going and proving you're STILL the best.


To be clear I'm a fan..a real admirer of his his talents and body of work. I think his post backfired...at best it reinforced the criticism that he is a leaky vessel and a flake or at worst actually substantiated that he's a flake.  Either way it wasn't helpful. I believe he knows whether or not he wants to come back but just doesn't want us to believe he's human like the rest of us and is holding out for a better deal .Someone said earlier that if C2C had a decent full-time host maybe we wouldn't be so vocal about Art and instead appreciate him like we do a retired sports hero.

I've been a Coast listener for about three years now...a consumer of Coastgab for one year and today I finally decided to take the plunge and officially join the ranks of Coast Fans here this site.  I've placed my first post on the Knapp thread as he is without a doubt the best host of the program. Hopefully, the Execs at Coast read this and realize that Knapps fans are growing and he is the future of the show.