I've never heard anyone left of center identify Art Bell listeners as conservatives. NEVER.
People who listen to Coast to Coast in the very beginning, in the very early 90s found Art Bell quite interesting because he was the only Libertarian on the air - his show then was entirely political and current events oriented and very interesting.
He switched over to the UFO/paranormal format and got weirdos like Ian Punnet and Whitley Streibler for guest hosts, and it was all downhill. I thought that his audience was considered to be far lefty liberal New Age.
I cannot stand Ian Punnett, whose VERY high opinion of himself I fail to share.
And I frankly have extreme difficulty listening to Mr.Bell when he substitute hosts for George Noory, because I am very aware that Art Bell quit quasi-permanently just within weeks of a very long, very sad article about the two children he abandoned from his very first marriage very long ago.
Turns out Art has been married FOUR times, he simply never mentioned his first marriage, and never mentions his eldest son Vincent Pontius nor his eldest daughter Lisa.
It's hard to take anything he says about anything with any degree of genuine interest after reading that article.
If you're interested, it was posted on Free Republic back in 2007 and is POST NO.88 LOCATED HERE:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1859484/posts?page=88
I think Art Bell has described himself as a libertarian.
Art Bell told some caller many years ago on open lines he doesn’t discuss politics because you can get that elsewhere. If it is making big headlines in the news, he will discuss it, but he doesn’t make it a large part of his show.
Great info. Thanks!
Punnet totally turns me off, so I turn him off...
It might as well be called “The Ian Punnet show - interviewing Ian Punnet” when he’s on, because he talks incessantly, asks the guests a question and then walks all over them when they try to answer.
Then he gets into arguments with guests, because he seems to have very strong and narrow religious views, so he frowns on people he disagrees with.
Noory is much better. So is Knapp. But Punnet is a waste of time.
Art is still the best.