This may be one of the reasons for Clear Channel’s financial woes. Apparently, listener numbers are in sharp decline for numerous reasons as stated below. Listeners = Bell 6-12 Million / Noory = 275-300 hundred thousand. If below is stated fact, I stand corrected as the once mighty Coast to Coast AM is not the behemoth that it once was.
Coast to Coast AM - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Criticism of declining quality, and declining ratings under George Noory
Art Bell stated that the decision to come out of retirement was entirely his, a response to the direction that Noory has taken the show—closer to political talk radio rather than the open-minded exploration of the supernatural that defined Bell's tenure. Noory, Bell says, has "ruined" the franchise of Coast to Coast AM.
[4] Bell has publicly stated on his Facebook that he no longer wishes to be associated with Coast to Coast AM. There are also internet forums which have sprung up which are overwhelmingly critical of Noory hosting Coast to Coast. AM.
[5]
The Commonsense show has described Noory led Coast to Coast by the following: When Art Bell relinquished control of his program to corporate interests, Premier and ultimately Clear Channel, Coast to Coast was never the same as the show took a turn and became reflective of “the corporate message”. Noory’s listening numbers are nothing to write home about. Bell has an estimated 6-12 million listeners on any given night. In contrast, Noory’s numbers are a paltry 275,000 to 300,000 listeners per night. George Noory is the perfect front man and his numbers take on a secondary level of importance because he is very good at protecting the corporate turf and is very careful to only take risks on subjects which the corporate sponsors do not care about (e.g. crystal skulls, near death experiences, psychic mediums, etc.). Gone are the former days of Art Bell’s hard hitting journalism.
[6] The ratings of Coast to Coast AM under Noory have fallen to only 3.25 million listeners per week. Coast to Coast AM previously boasted a weekly listening audience in excess of 10 million listeners.
[7]”
Sorry Chris, I don't mean to hijack your thread. I've listened to this interview, and I thought it was exceptional.