IT’S A CONSPIRACY! Or maybe just a sad unfolding of disagreements.
The fact of the matter is that, after just 6 weeks, Art Bell’s new ‘Dark Matter’ radio show on SiriusXM has met an untimely departure. According to Bell, the program was rife with problems from the get go:
“Many thousands of my listeners came on board when it began but they have fallen off because of that reason,” Bell said. “It’s a systemic problem. For a caller-driven show like this one, speaking only to people on cell phones in moving vehicles is somewhat difficult.
“The show also is being pirated, oh you have no idea. We are all over the Net right now, from YouTube to a server in England, for example, that’s streaming the show live. And because of all this, I have asked SiriusXM to alter their normal method of doing business and allow free streaming for everybody from artbell.com.
It doesn’t take a psychic to guess Sirius said No…
Bell’s departure could be attributed to problems with the platform. Or it could also have been the logical result of him losing touch with how quickly things have changed not only on the paranormal radio arena, but also with the consumption of content on the Internet. Having as recurring guests the usual suspects of his glory days –Linda Moulton Howe, Richard Hoagland, etc– might have also been counter-productive into attracting a new audience willing to subscribe to Sirius.
But who knows? The Master of Paranormal Radio might still have a final surprise in store for us. It’s not as if characters & topics stay out of circulation for too long in this field –that’s why we keep talking about Roswell, ya know.
Are you saddened by Art Bell’s retreat? Did you have a chance to listen to his show? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
