Yet Another Reason KFI Sucks

Back in January 2004, I wrote this article about KFI-AM 640 bumping my favorite night-time radio show, Coast to Coast AM, from its regular 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. slot and replacing it with right-wing wacko John Ziegler. Coast to Coast AM was the only KFI show that wasn't hosted by a right wing wacko and even though I wasn't as big a fan of silky-tongued George Noory as the show's original host, Art Bell, I complained that, instead of hearing about alien abductions while nodding off, I'd have to listen to Ziegler ranting about illegal aliens from Mexico. Snore!
Apparently, I spoke too soon. The good news is that KFI quickly came to its senses and put Coast to Coast back in its regular slot. The bad news: the show no longer deserves the favor. Gone are the nights when I could fall asleep to the sound of hell (recorded by Russian scientists who dropped a microphone thousands of feet into the Siberian soil) or enjoy an exclusive interview with the ambassador from Planet Reticuli in Star System Vega. A few months ago, shortly after his wife tragically died from an asthma attack, Bell abandoned his solar-powered compound and broadcasting bunker in Pahrump, Nevada, married a young Filipina woman and moved to Manilla. (After a brief hiatus, Bell's back on the air on weekends.)

Meanwhile, under Noory's direction, Coast to Coast AM has become increasingly indistinguishable from the rest of KFI's lineup. Hardly a week goes by nowadays without Noory interviewing some right-wing nutjob about how illegals are taking over our country or how NAFTA is just a cover-up for the eventual destruction of the almighty American dollar and its replacement with single currency for the entire Western hemisphere. Listening to the enraged rednecks who call the show during open lines predicting a bloodbath if Bush allows Mexican truckers to take over U.S. highways is chillingly reminiscent of the beginning of Hotel Rwanda, when Hutus are told that it is time to "cut the tall trees," i.e. kill all the Tutsis.

Usually, Noory interviews his anti-immigrant, paranoia-spreading guests during the first hour of the show, which typically deals with current events. Fair enough, and I'm not usually listening by then, anyway. But last night, he had Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist (first profiled by Gustavo Arellano here) on for the whole friggin' show. I'd tell you what he said, but I immediately switched over to BBC. Somehow, hearing the latest news of the civilian slaughter in Lebanon is less depressing than three hours of Noory ass-kissing the likes of Gilchrist.

Where are those redneck-abducting spaceships when you need 'em?

Comments (23)

Gustavo Arellano says:

I miss the episodes where George would broadcast ghosts talking.

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 1:07PM
MIKE says:

it is what it is, isn't it? i'll not tell them to do their jobs any more then they'll tell me what's really going on in the world.

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 1:07PM
Nick Schou says:

Tell that to BBC World Service.

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 1:07PM
MIKE says:

The spaceships you long for are busy helping butchers blowing up Israeli children.

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 1:07PM
Jake says:

Silly liberals. Always whining when a show's on they don't agree with.

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 2:07PM
Gustavo Arellano says:

I miss the episodes where George talked with a man possessed by Satan himself.

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 2:07PM
Gustavo Arellano says:

I miss the episodes where George described his time-travel experience.

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 2:07PM
Will Swaim says:

John's comment--that liberals are "always whining" about shows they don't agree with--is weird. Hey, John: what do you call when conservatives do the same? A "critique"?

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 3:07PM
Tom says:

Gustavo, I think that WAS last night's episode.

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 3:07PM
Gustavo Arellano says:

I miss the episodes where George interviewed Howard Stern favorite Riley Martin.

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 3:07PM
Gustavo Arellano says:

I miss the episodes where George took calls from people who knew the entrances to Earth's inner chambers.

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 3:07PM
Arturo Garcia says:

shut up, spic.

Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 25 2006 @ 9:07PM
Gustavo Arellano says:

I miss the episodes where George talked to a visitor from the future, who graced Earth with his presence to see himself as a child.

Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 26 2006 @ 5:07AM
MIKE says:

I still think the best one was when he had the crazy midwestern weather man on who was shit-fire-sure that the russians and asian triad gangs were using weather weapons to create hurricans in the US.

Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 26 2006 @ 7:07AM
Gustavo Arellano says:

I miss the episodes where George tried to communicate with the dead.

Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 26 2006 @ 8:07AM
the serrach says:

am radio...? never heard of it.

Posted On: Thursday, Jul. 27 2006 @ 12:07PM
Aaron says:

I think George Noory took the show in his own direction. He knew the fans wanted aliens, bigfoot, and Nostradamus predictions, but George also wanted to make the show more credible at the same time. That is why he focuses on news events and tries to do a bit of "real" journalism, before going to open lines where callers tell stories about ghosts and prediction-type-dreams. The listeners (and the callers) are what makes the show "alive." George is sort of the focus, but the callers and their response to his guests are what make the show.

Posted On: Wednesday, Aug. 2 2006 @ 11:08PM
The Blotter » Smart Kids, Not So Smart Adults, and DNA for Dinner says:

[...] That result will come as no surprise to anyone who has followed these polls over the years– or listened to the callers on talk radio. And of course, it's not just in the dwarf/justice nexus that adults fail to shine. Turns out, they don't know much about non-comic book science, either. Asked what planet Superman was from, 60% named the fictional planet Krypton, while only 37% knew that Mercury is the planet closest to the sun. [...]

Posted On: Tuesday, Aug. 15 2006 @ 10:08AM
Ha Ha McDiggity says:

Noory talks as though he is addressing a class of preschoolers. He is so patronizing, it makes me want to puke. Someone should ram a CC-SeaCrane radio up Noory's ass and push him down "Mel's" hole! And you all though Mr. Rogers was dead?

oops gotta run......

Posted On: Sunday, Mar. 4 2007 @ 9:03PM
Gina says:

I do believe most would pay to bitch-slap John Ziegler.
You know, stick your hand through the radio, grab him
by the collar and pummel the guy. Ha Ha!

Posted On: Saturday, Mar. 17 2007 @ 5:03AM
Greg Todd says:

I love George Noory, and mp3s of his show have helped me walk off a lot of weight, but I never download the first hour, and I never, ever download Friday's open line shows. Way too many nutjobs out there in radioland.

Posted On: Sunday, Mar. 25 2007 @ 10:03PM
tihopilik says:

Hi

I can't be bothered with anything these days, but shrug. I just don't have anything to say recently.


G'night







Posted On: Sunday, Jul. 8 2007 @ 8:36AM
Theophrastus says:

Coast to Coast AM is nothing more than a parade of whackjobs. Noory sits there and glibly encourages these dipsticks "Oh, that's reallly scary!" without ever asking a timely question that would bring down their house of bullshit. I used to find it all amusing, but after Y2k, when the world didn't end and all the lemmings who bought all the crap Bell was peddling ( like "Calamity Packs" and generators) were revealed to be idiots I lost interest. I hope they feel as stupid as they are.

Posted On: Tuesday, Apr. 21 2009 @ 12:51AM

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