Art Bell Quits Dark Matter

[ItsOver]

...I supported Art Bell with my $$$ and all I got was this stupid thread. 

"...But there will always be Jorch Noory!" 

[DarKPenguiN]

"...But there will always be Jorch Noory!" 

Oh God...I was hoping for a silver lining to this dark cloud. And I got...Noory =/

[ItsOver]

"It's a dog-eat-dog world and we're wearing milk bone underwear," to paraphrase a well-known bar fly philosopher. 

[Jocko Johnson]

Liberty Media is a cable company. They tend to want to fill up their channels with cheap programming and lots of commercials. And we all know about how dedicated they aren't to customer service.

That explains a lot about the current status of satellite radio. Not to mention the fact that the courts gave them a monopoly when they merged Sirius and XM.

liberty didn't  own the Co when they merged. When did they file ch 11?
XM was a far superior product. Sirius was in trouble, why xm choose to "merger of equals" which turned out to be a take over by the weaker company we'll never know. I think the guy Art maybe referring to is Tim Sabean who took over the channel content and was a longtime long ago flunky of howard.

[Uncle Duke]

Well he has said the complete opposite many, many times. So who should we believe? You or him?

There is no question in my mind Art believes what he has been saying and truly sees no contradictions in all he has said/done since this sad affair began.  It is human nature to put oneself in the best light in life events.  This is why I have not, nor would I, say or even infer Art has lied.  It is also human nature to identify a "bad guy"  to our "good guy" personna during conflict or strife.

Do I believe Art?  I believe Art had told us what he believes.  It's no secret I am skeptical about the story as Art tells it, and I believe I am very objective.  I've outlined why I think the program was not successful; some of it Art's fault, some of it SXM's fault, alot of it a function of the world today vice that of the 1990s.  The bulk of those issues are going to be as prononced, if not more so, in two days/months/years if Art tries to set up his own webcast.

[WR104]

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[dortmunder]

Why doesn't Keith Rowland take that damned message down now? It's over. Nothing will be resolved with Sirius and nothing is being done to bring Art back. Why keep it up there?

[retired41]

cause it's good P.R

[Jocko Johnson]

I wonder why Art doesn't talk to Howard. Howard probably has a lot more pull with Sirius than Art does and Howard might be able to talk them into releasing Art.
Howard was in radio and knows what its like.

I think howard couldnt give a shit one way or the other  about art bell. He has always seemed to be a very self centered guy.


For whatever reason, why ever, whoever,  however... I think we need to realize that is over...and Art either is ok with it or hasn't got the energy or enough desire to fight it out legally even with people here willing to attempt to raise the funds...so we can't force him to do a show. Maybe in two years he will have a desire again. But who knows.  If he thinks his base and callers weren't there or up to par now...wait two yrs and do it just on the internet without ads, press and the big rollout , especially after this debacle, who will even want to write it up and get involved? This is Art's choice we have to get used to it and accept the facts...Art is out. Snorge still sux and isn't likely to get better. So there it is.

[DarKPenguiN]

There is no question in my mind Art believes what he has been saying and truly sees no contradictions in all he has said/done since this sad affair began.  It is human nature to put oneself in the best light in life events.  This is why I have not, nor would I, say or even infer Art has lied.  It is also human nature to identify a "bad guy"  to our "good guy" personna during conflict or strife.

Do I believe Art?  I believe Art had told us what he believes.  It's no secret I am skeptical about the story as Art tells it, and I believe I am very objective.  I've outlined why I think the program was not successful; some of it Art's fault, some of it SXM's fault, alot of it a function of the world today vice that of the 1990s.  The bulk of those issues are going to be as prononced, if not more so, in two days/months/years if Art tries to set up his own webcast.

For sure man.

I hope I didnt come across as tarring everyone with  a broad brush or trying to label everyone as 'blind' and non-objective.

Sorry if I came acrioss that way. I think many here are sensible and objective. Hell, its clear the creativity level here is far above the norm and that there IS intelligent  life here. 

I think there is a bit of fan worship clouding the views of many though- And by a bit I mean ALOT.

[Jocko Johnson]

I'm sure they did. It's the only thing about radio I've ever loved. However, Sirius isn't free. Back in the 90s a shitload of people were listening to him for free. I've been reading that heaps of people are losing their jobs, and cutting nonessentials like cable and satellite tv. I'm just guessing it would be impossible for mr. Bell to pull in the numbers like before. And to be honest, I think at least 50% of his love of his job came from raking in big cash. There's nothing wrong with that. Everyone's career goal should include maximizing their earnings for life energy expended. That's common sense.
When I heard that he had consulted with Charlie Crane before quitting this gig, it seemed so obvious that money was what was at issue, primarily. Like I said, making as much money as possible is a good thing, but I get the feeling it was the main thing. How many of us here would have bitched about the problems he mentioned? Very few I think, cuz we were just happy to have him back, as well as his guests. He though, tried to seem like one of the little people, and fighting for shit for us. I feel it was paternizing and insulting. How many people signed up for Sirius, and bought those radios? How many bought the radios from C. Crane? Obviously not enough.
For those of you who are racking your brains trying to find a way for mr. Bell to work for free on the Internet, to get around his NC, I think you're spinning your wheels. He dumped this gig, and a lot of you people with worthless shit, which many of you could ill afford to purchase, cuz the big bucks weren't forthcoming. This is just my ill informed opinion, but I bet I'm right, sadly. Anyway, I'm not waiting around for 2 years.

I think you may be wrong on a few things...first of all I am not sure Art did this for the money...he was making $75k either for the total 3 years or per year...not sure but for a top guy in entertainment that is by no means a lot. And I am pretty sure CCrane doesn't sell satellite radios...??

[Scorch]

Hate to see this happen.  Taking nothing away from Art, I've discovered thanks to the Spec Sheet Jim Harold http://jimharold.com/  His podcasts are VERY good.  Give him a listen.  He's not Art, but the topics are fun and it does have some of the flavor of the type of show Art used to do.

[Jocko Johnson]

Hello kennedymaure,

Thank you for your kind words about my posting. My words came from my heart.  I only have kind regards for Art Bell. 

You are correct  "We are all talking about him and sending him messages and seeing this stuff and it's an energy pulling on his soul. When I think about it - who the hell are we to expect him to fight a war with a corporation for the sake of our entertainment?"

I believed that Art Bell served his time in a war in Vietnam.  I can only imagine what a medic saw and had to do during the Vietnam War.

I am not only a parent but also a grand parent and I wonder about their future.  "To Our Childrens Childrens Children" what are we passing onto them?  Cruelty, greed, violence, suppression--a life full of pain and fear?

During the late 1960"s, when the Revolution started  there was a wide spread feeling of bring peace to the world.  The Hippie Movement included peace, sharing good times,  harmony with nature, communal living, artistic experimentation particularly in music, the use of recreational drugs, the end of greed and Equal Rights for all people. Being vicious to other people was not cool.

Remembering the words of the Moody Blues from the song, "The Balance".

Upon this he saw that when he was of anger or knew hurt or felt fear,
It was because he was not understanding,
And he learned, compassion.

And with his eye of compassion.
He saw his enemies like unto himself,
And he learned love.
Then, he was answered.

Just open your eyes,
And realize, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart
And that's a start.

In Friendship,

hanhepi wi

Cool mmmaaaaaannnnnnn...our very own forum hippie! Peace brother maaaannn.

[nooryisawesome]

There is no question in my mind Art believes what he has been saying and truly sees no contradictions in all he has said/done since this sad affair began.  It is human nature to put oneself in the best light in life events.  This is why I have not, nor would I, say or even infer Art has lied.  It is also human nature to identify a "bad guy"  to our "good guy" personna during conflict or strife.

Do I believe Art?  I believe Art had told us what he believes.  It's no secret I am skeptical about the story as Art tells it, and I believe I am very objective.  I've outlined why I think the program was not successful; some of it Art's fault, some of it SXM's fault, alot of it a function of the world today vice that of the 1990s.  The bulk of those issues are going to be as prononced, if not more so, in two days/months/years if Art tries to set up his own webcast.

I am with you. I dont think "millions" of listners are going to to show up to arts podcast IF it even is launched in 2 years.

[DarKPenguiN]

I think you may be wrong on a few things...first of all I am not sure Art did this for the money...he was making $75k either for the total 3 years or per year...not sure but for a top guy in entertainment that is by no means a lot. And I am pretty sure CCrane doesn't sell satellite radios...??

No. 75K/year is a pittance bordering on insulting.

But do we know if this was all inclusive? Were there Bonus's, stock options, commissions, etc.?  I know in my field (not Radio BTW...) my 'Base' Salary is nowhere close to my actual Salary.

There are alot of unknowns here- But my take is pretty much as you state.I dont think Art did it for the money nor does he need the money- Where we may differ is in the reasons we believe he DID take the deal and make his return.

If not for Money, why? It clearly wasnt for his fans or he wouldnt have been mad about the Pirate streams, reposts, etc...And he would have stuck around for more than six weeks. he would have not cared about the "numbers" since many of his fans still heard the show even if financially they could not contribute.

[Jocko Johnson]

That's not true. He knew of him and said that a paranormal show on Sirius/XM would open up a fresh audience and that diversity is good. It makes me wonder, if Howard Stern doesn't complain about pirate streams of his channels or uploads of his entire show minutes after it goes off the air (in addition to a site that has his entire back catalogue of shows), why would it cause Art to leave Dark Matter? Again, like OnA mentioned before, Art should have stuck around to build an audience on satellite rather than hit the panic button over call rate.   

He gets paid either way. . .and it's a ton of cash , so I don't think he gives a shit.

[Guspacker]

I really fail to see why Noory and C2C get any blame here. I enjoyed Arts work but really am not convinced he really wanted back in the game. If he did he certainly would have sought a legal team beyond a message board.

[gbneely]

I am with you. I dont think "millions" of listners are going to to show up to arts podcast IF it even is launched in 2 years.

I agree. The numbers are probably what's behind this and I wonder if the sentiment shared here is shared widely.

[Jocko Johnson]

Well, it seems it's over until at least September, 2015. It's been quite a ride and it's funny how, even in not being on the air, Art provides more entertainment than the alternative. I have moved through the 5 stages of grief and have accepted things for what they are. Here's how it played out for me:

1. Denial - When I heard Art quit my immediate thought was, "This shit didn't just happen." I figured it was all a misunderstanding and Art would be back on before the end of the week.

2. Anger - After thinking about it for a bit, I got pissed. Most here did. Some focused the anger on Sirius, some on Art, some on other posters, and some on all of the above. I, personally, blamed Art. So mammoth was the perceived hose job he had just given me, I felt the show should now be referred to as "Dick Matter." The anger lasted a few days.

3. Bargaining - Then came a ray of hope... "Art can return if" and the whole #FreeArtBell thing. Any gimmick or argument to get Art back to broadcasting seemed reasonable. I, shamefully, even participated in the whole #FreeArtBell thing with posts to the SiriuXM FB page.

4. Depression - This phase really didn't last. We've all been down this road with Art. Yes it sucks, but we'll get along fine without him. 

5. Acceptance - Where I am now. I was here before Art's latest statement. In fact, I was here right after Art asked everyone to stop bombarding Sirius with the freeartbell stuff. And having accepted the situation, I'm free again to fondly remember the years of entertainment Art gave me. A connection his show created, allowing my father and me to communicate and allowing me to have something in common with the man who seemed so distant as I grew up. That doesn't mean I think Art handled any of this well. It just means it is what it is and I'm past it. I wish Art well as he enters his twilight years. I hope whatever he chooses to do in 2015 makes him happy. I hope he can forgive Premiere, George, and whoever else he feels slighted him. I truly believe with forgiveness comes freedom and happiness. Should Art ever read this, I'd like to leave him with a quote from one of my favorite Irish blessings:

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

Semper fi Chesty.

[gbneely]

Semper fi Chesty.

Ooh Rah!

[Jocko Johnson]

My opinion of Art has not changed.  I kinda wish this deal siriusxm had been researched a little more but hindsight is blah blah blah.  I respect Art's spirit of not taking shit even though at times it has hurt all of us fans.  I "GET" the whole idea of not wanting to go on unless he's at 110%... but I would be happy to have any percent rather than none for 1 3/4s more years.  It's been said here before "he is human and he has his flaws just like the rest of us."  It's true.  I have had similar issues myself in life where being stubborn has hurt me I really can't blame him.   I don't really blame seriusxm as much as I would blame any other scumsucking corporate entity.  It's just like that old story involving snakes:

I must add that I'm coming out of this with an ever growing and feverish hatred of C2Cam, Premiere, Jorch, and whatever other perceived incarnations of evil that can be tied to them.

and snakes too i hate snakes now. 

Yep...snoory , snakes and hairy spiders. Come to think of it...jorch is a snake and he looks like a hairy spider!!!!!!

[Jocko Johnson]

I remember reading that a while ago.
Was that the same guy who posted that PremRat was paying SiriusXM for satellite time?

what are they stripping and selling..they have nothing to sell to who to get what...makes no sense ? Gonna sell talents contracts or channels to regular AM/FM radio? Wtf are these guys talking about....Alien girl can u help me I don't see it.

[WhiteCrow]

So the last couple of pages of this thread have turned into rehashing all of Art's motives.

Art apparently never heard of, or practiced a few of my favorite life-lesson quotes:

“Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it"

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves"

I feel for Art, he's a great artist but like all of us has his flaws.

"A man's got to know his limitations"

[Jocko Johnson]

He never planned to fight this guys, and this entire 'episode' pretty clearly shows this.

Also, nice childish response to Sirius about George and C2C. Real professional Art (especially publishing it here...)- I am sure Siryius responded with (well, at least George 'SHOWS UP FOR WORK!!!!!' and doesn't generally 'call off' 3 times during a 6 week period and then quit like a spoiled baby.

-All respect I had for you (it wasnt much at this point-) is gone after reading that email you posted. Just HAD to make this about C2C and not the fact that YOU (yes, YOU ART BELL-) walked off the show for very suspicious reasons and left your loyal fans (the ones who stayed subbed) with a contract for radio they NLY bought because of YOU.

Art, you are a bitter old man. You legacy is ruined except to the few hardcore , cult followers who buy everything you say and have made this about "us vs them" rather than good radio. Quit while you are ahead and just fucking retire already. You are done...

And any of you who cannot see how you were strung along need to open your eyes.... Art never planned on fighting the NC and was trying to 'save face' after the backlash he was receiving for QUITTING after 6 weeks for BULLSHIT reasons. OH YEAH, the 'sound quality' on your podcast is going to be great Art, streaming to millions who happen to have landline phones all ready to go.

-I just cannot believe you had to try and AGAIN make this about C2C, take a cheap shot at Noory and publish the email when YOU are the asshole who QUIT after asking your fans to follow you using their MONEY....

-Goodby Art, Thanks for the memories but you are a JOKE. You will always be a JOKE. And you did this ALL to yourself.

Jorch....tammy...sliza lyings...don't you jerk offs have a show to get ready for? Fuck off!

[SixWeekTenure(tm)]

I am with you. I dont think "millions" of listners are going to to show up to arts podcast IF it even is launched in 2 years.

Exactly why I've been saying that Art is in for disappointment if he comes back and streams free from his website. If he wises up during his absence and doesn't expect his entire audience to be there day one and has the patience to build one (you've been gone for ten years, OF COURSE you need to build again), he should be content with his small corner of the internet. Dark Matter was a failure not because of the stream drop-outs or the call rate but because Art only came back with vengeance toward C2C on his mind and not about entertaining the audience. Even at 68, he has some growing up to do. I hope that he will take responsibility for his actions that caused the quick exit from Sirius/XM and lets go of the anger of past offenses while he's away and can come back with only the audience in mind. If not, the next project will fail too.     

[DarKPenguiN]

Jorch....tammy...sliza lyings...don't you jerk offs have a show to get ready for? Fuck off!

Yes...Yes we do. Because we have JOBS. Because we 'show up for work' ( a very new and daring concept)

But trolling here is SO MUCH FUN, And as long as we keep showing up we get PAID to do this. And its easy too. Since there would be nothing to Troll if Art had shown up for work and then C2C never would have been able to hatch our "Master Plan" of having Sirius hire Art so he would quit and we could "steal" his time slot and force him into an NC so he could not challenge our "autorata" (*spoken with Cartmans voice) and we can RULE THE WORLD!!!!!

-And we would have gotten away with it if not for you meddling kids...Er...Wait. We DID get away with it =)

Another conspiracy successfully pulled off by C2C, Noory and Sirius. All against poor Mr. "I never do anything wrong and everyone is out to get me" Bell.

It was daring, but someone had to do it. Now I have to go heat up some Pizza Rolls for Mr Noory. Be right back (they only take 45 seconds unless you want to get burned)

[Falkie2013]

Programs like Ghost Hunters, Finding Bigfoot or Ancient Aliens only do the paranormal genre a disservice. Did you find something that handled the subject matter in a mature way backed with scientific evidence? Just looking for some recommendations.

The show I watched was called something like Monsters Across America. They went out to Portland ( and talked about spirit wolves seen under the streets ), Montana & their version of Nessie and other places. No making fun of the witnesses but not much science either. It was mostly people and their experiences.
I also watched some show which was doing a UFO unreleased files sort of show with multiple episodes. They went out and did some investigation of things too.
I'm sorry I didn't get the names of the programs. I had trouble sleeping and when one show was over I either stayed on the channel or went to the other one.
But ... there's an explosion of paranormal shows all over the place today and while one can't prove it was because of Art Bell, I am sure he influenced the genre because many of his guests were on these shows. And thankfully not once did they choose to have the hair guy on, thank goodness.

[SixWeekTenure(tm)]

The show I watched was called something like Monsters Across America. They went out to Portland ( and talked about spirit wolves seen under the streets ), Montana & their version of Nessie and other places. No making fun of the witnesses but not much science either. It was mostly people and their experiences.
I also watched some show which was doing a UFO unreleased files sort of show with multiple episodes. They went out and did some investigation of things too.
I'm sorry I didn't get the names of the programs. I had trouble sleeping and when one show was over I either stayed on the channel or went to the other one.
But ... there's an explosion of paranormal shows all over the place today and while one can't prove it was because of Art Bell, I am sure he influenced the genre because many of his guests were on these shows. And thankfully not once did they choose to have the hair guy on, thank goodness.

That's cool, Falkie, thanks for posting about them.

[TheMan WhoFell ToEarth]

I feel the need to point out, Art is probably realistic about building an audience and regaining a base.  The problem with DM on Sirius was not that his base wasn't there currently, it's that in his eyes, with the streaming issues and cost involved, there was no viable means for the audience to grow going forward.  He wasn't so worried about the base currently, but the potential base going forward.  At least streaming from his site, it's both easier to access and less disappointing if there are issues with streaming, because it's entirely free.

In Art's eyes, there was no potential to grow that base in the future the way things were going with Sirius.  Which to some people has been interpreted as him 'jumping the gun', and being too impatient to let the base grow.  From his perspective though, it just wasn't going to happen, not unless Sirius allowed some leeway and worked on the streaming issues.  They said no to that.  Art didn't say no.  Sirius did.

Just a few things to keep in mind about what may or may not happen when Art hypothetically returns.

[DarKPenguiN]

I feel the need to point out, Art is probably realistic about building an audience and regaining a base.  The problem with DM on Sirius was not that his base wasn't there currently, it's that in his eyes, with the streaming issues and cost involved, there was no viable means for the audience to grow going forward.  He wasn't so worried about the base currently, but the potential base going forward.  At least streaming from his site, it's both easier to access and less disappointing if there are issues with streaming, because it's entirely free.

In Art's eyes, there was no potential to grow that base in the future the way things were going with Sirius.  Which to some people has been interpreted as him 'jumping the gun', and being too impatient to let the base grow.  From his perspective though, it just wasn't going to happen, not unless Sirius allowed some leeway and worked on the streaming issues.  They said no to that.  Art didn't say no.  Sirius did.

Just a few things to keep in mind about what may or may not happen when Art hypothetically returns.

A few points...

Yes, Sirius said "No." and Art didnt. (I know this) but that is because that is esentially giving Art the right to not uphold HIS end of the contract (he agreed to) UNLESS Sirius goes above and beyond what they agreed to. You CANNOT do this. You cannot make these demands and then quit if they are not met. YOU have a contract to "SHOW UP " and you cannot now hold that over someones head as a negotiating tool for getting a better deal.

-Art gave it 6 WEEKS. That isnt even the probationary period at most jobs (its generally 90 days) . There is no way he could know anything about what is possible regarding "growing his base" after 6 weeks.

What happened is obvious .

Art thought the seas would part and he would be giving C2C a huge black eye.

Art knew the numbers.

Art saw he was no threat for C2C and he quit. because THAT was his goal.

Art took MANY people for a ride who "Invested" in him via subscription and Radios. This was an Ego War which Art saw he would lose- So he picked up all his Toys adnd stormed out.

Art is NOT coming back. A Podcast will never satiate his ego nor give him the desired "revenge" he feels he needs. IF he does make a Podcast he will quit withing 3 months for [Insert reason that is beyond Arts control]

EDIT: ALSO Many (probably most) of Arts Fans (many posting here in support of Art) NEVER put their money where their mouth is. THEY are fine with Art quitting because they had nothing to lose. They never supported him financially, took the free trial and never subbed- But they "Support the Hell out him NOW".

Sub radio was a dumb idea. And many couldnt afford it (not knocking you guys-) but MANY could have. And opted NOT TO. And now you "support Art"