Arthur William Bell III (June 17, 1945 – April 13, 2018) was an American broadcaster and author. He was the founder and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program Coast to Coast AM, which is syndicated on hundreds of radio stations in the United States and Canada. He also created and hosted its companion show Dreamland. Bell returned to the airwaves on September 16, 2013. His new show Art Bell’s Dark Matter was broadcast on SiriusXM satellite radio’s Indie Talk channel (channel #104), Monday through Thursday from 7 PM to 11 PM PT with repeats during the remainder of the night and “best of” shows airing on Fridays. On November 4, 2013, Bell left Dark Matter after only six weeks because of issues with his listeners having trouble accessing his show on Sirius.
On July 20, 2015, Bell returned with his new show Midnight in the Desert. The show aired on the internet Dark Matter Digital network and on 45 stations (20 of which signed on before the show started) from 9 p.m. to midnight PT. He also started transmitting on shortwave radio over WTWW on 5.085 MHz as well.
On December 11, 2015, Bell permanently stepped down as host of Midnight in the Desert due to concerns about his family’s safety. He had reported multiple instances of someone shooting firearms at and near his property in the fall of 2015. Bell was also dealing with the worsening of his health with complications from COPD.
In July 2016, Bell posted via a blog that he was hospitalized for pneumonia and revealed that he suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
On April 13, 2018, at age 72, Art Bell died at his home in Pahrump, Nevada.
On August 1, 2018, four months later, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported the Clark County coroner’s office findings. The coroner’s office stated that Bell had died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. The Coroner also reported that Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hypertension also contributed to his death.
Bell became a licensed amateur radio operator at the age of 13. His first call sign was KN3JOX, first listed in the Winter 1959 edition of the Radio Amateur Callbook. He soon upgraded to K3JOX, and he later held W2CKS, first listed in the Spring 1967 Callbook. Bell held an Amateur Extra Class license, which is the highest U.S. Federal Communications Commission amateur license class. His call sign was W6OBB.
Bell passed the Philippines amateur radio exams and became a Philippine Class A amateur radio operator with the call sign of 4F1AB. While in the Philippines, Bell was active on 40–10 meters, as well as 144.6 MHz simplex in Manila.
Honors
In August 2006 Art was inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. He did not attend the presentation.
On March 10, 2007, Bell was honored with the News/Talk Radio Lifetime Achievement Award from the trade publication Radio & Records in Los Angeles. Bell was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2008.