Beyond Investigation Magazine (BIM) is an American magazine that features Beyond Investigation, a group that investigates paranormal and conspiracy theory claims. Beyond Investigation was founded by Patrick Wheelock in 2004 [1] to investigate claims of paranormal activity and to publish those investigations and associated research in a printed periodical. Due to the expenses associated with publishing a limit circulation periodical, BIM has changed distribution formats to web and DVD, and only the first issue was distributed in print. In 2005, BIM began webcasting audio programming, most notably a weekly talk show called The Pat & Brian Show.
Beyond Investigation claims to differ from most other paranormal investigative groups in that, although they have worked on occasion with psychics, they make no attempt to purge or explain paranormal activity, they simply attempt to objectively document and analyze data. [2]
In 2006, Beyond Investigation was featured on an episode of Scariest Places on Earth , documenting their paranormal investigation of the USS Hornet (CV-12), a World War II U.S. Navy aircraft carrier turned historical museum.
In 2009, Beyond Investigation was the "employer" chosen for Tiffany Pollard to try her hand as a "ghost hunter" on her VH1 reality television series New York Goes to Work.
In 1977, Wheelock began investigating the paranormal and in 1994 he started conducting investigations with his friends, Steve Sonntag and Chris Brown. In 2000, Wheelock formed Beyond Investigation and it was not until 2004 that the "Magazine" got added to the name, when Wheelock felt that there wasn't enough published, consumer oriented, but still scientific research on the paranormal.
The first edition of the magazine recapped some of the investigations done by Pat, Steve, and Chris and introduced more recent members of the BIM team and the investigations done as the larger group. The magazine seemed to also establish a sense of self-deprecating humor with a cover that prominently called Brown "Chris, the scared mortician".
In 2005, BIM began using a web-based system that allows individuals to observe and ostensibly participate in live investigations. The system is a simple chat client that also displays still captures from various video cameras connected on location. BIM also webcasts live audio from the site and displays real-time temperature data for online participants to monitor. BIM calls an online participant, a "Virtual Paranormal Investigator", or "VPI". [1]
In 2006, BIM conducted its first investigation of the RMS Queen Mary as a sort of "impartial third party" to document and refute some of the claims made on the Sci Fi Channel series Ghost Hunters . [3]
After BIM's first investigation of the Queen Mary, the ship granted unprecedented access to parts of the ship not normally available for such groups and allowed BIM to conduct paranormal investigations on a regular basis.
Since then, the ship and BIM have produced the paranormal exhibition called Ghost Fest Expo.
In 2008, BIM hosted weekly paranormal investigations of the ship, led by Pat Wheelock, where guests can pay to take part in the investigations. [4]
The Pat & Brian Show is the weekly webcast talk show featuring Patrick Wheelock and Brian Patton. Their show blends irreverent insult comedy, paranormal news from around the world, listener phone calls, and interviews with guests that have some, usually at least tangential, paranormal connection. The insults are often between and toward Pat and Brian themselves and focus on their body weight and drinking habits. A recurring theme of the show is Brian's lack of political correctness which elicits a response from Pat saying, "Once again, that's Brian at Beyond Investigation dot com".
In 2009, The Pat & Brian Show was "syndicated" on the Haunted Voices Radio Network and has been rebroadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio.
In 2006, Beyond Investigation partnered with executive producers Jack Rourke and Erika Frost in conjunction with the RMS Queen Mary to create the first Ghost Fest Expo. The Ghost Fest Expo featured numerous seminars and guest speakers on a range of subjects. Guest speakers have included George Noory, Dr. Andrew Nichols, Jeff Belanger, Loyd Auerbach, and a variety psychics, mediums, authors, and debunkers. [5] The expo also features special tours and investigations of the ship, and a showroom for the sales of paranormal products and services.
On opening day for the first Ghost Fest Expo, George Noory broadcast [6] his show Coast to Coast AM from the Queen Mary. [7]
Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Notable paranormal beliefs include those that pertain to extrasensory perception, spiritualism and the pseudosciences of ghost hunting, cryptozoology, and ufology.
Arthur William Bell III 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. Coast to Coast still airs nightly.
Coast to Coast AM is an American late-night radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics. Most frequently the topics relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was hosted by creator Art Bell from its inception in 1988 until 2000, and is currently hosted by George Noory. The program is distributed by Premiere Networks, both as part of its talk network and separately as a syndicated program. The program now airs seven nights a week from 1:00 a.m. – 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time Zone. It appears on over 600 affiliates, and has repeatedly been called the most popular overnight show in the country.
George Ralph Noory is an American radio talk show host. Since January 2003, Noory has been the weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM. The program is syndicated to hundreds of radio stations in the U.S. and Canada by Premiere Networks. Noory has also appeared in the History Channel series Ancient Aliens and in Beyond Belief, a subscription-based online video series presented by gaia.com.
Sylvia Celeste Browne was an American author who claimed to be a medium with psychic abilities. She appeared regularly on television and radio, including on The Montel Williams Show and Larry King Live, and hosted an hour-long online radio show on Hay House Radio.
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John Zaffis is a paranormal researcher born and based in Connecticut, United States. He starred in the SyFy paranormal reality TV show, Haunted Collector, and runs the Paranormal and Demonology Research Society of New England, which he founded in 1998.
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal and reality television series. The original series aired from October 6, 2004 until October 26, 2016 on Syfy. The original program spanned eleven seasons with 230 episodes, not including 10 specials. The series was revived in early 2019 and aired its twelfth and thirteenth seasons from August 21, 2019, to May 27, 2020, on A&E, after which it was cancelled and then revived for its fourteenth season only months later on Discovery+, which started airing on October 31, 2021.
The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) is an organization that investigates reported paranormal activity. Based in Warwick, Rhode Island, TAPS was founded in 1990 by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. In 2004, the organization itself became the subject of Ghost Hunters, a popular weekly American paranormal reality television series on the Syfy channel. The show ran for eleven seasons on Syfy in the US. The show aired in the UK nine months after the US premier on Living It.
Proof Positive was a reality television paranormal investigation show broadcast by the SciFi Channel beginning in October 6, 2004 through December 8, 2004. It was shown as part of the "SciFi Wednesday" evening schedule line up in the United States along with other reality television programs as Scare Tactics and Ghost Hunters. Proof Positive ran for ten episodes.
Joe Nickell is an American skeptic and investigator of the paranormal.
Hans Holzer was an Austrian-American author and parapsychologist. He wrote more than 120 books on supernatural and occult subjects for the popular market as well as several plays, musicals, films, and documentaries, and hosted a television show, Ghost Hunter.
Ghost hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts. Typically, a ghost-hunting team will attempt to collect evidence supporting the existence of paranormal activity. Ghost hunters use a variety of electronic devices, including EMF meters, digital thermometers, both handheld and static digital video cameras, including thermographic and night vision cameras, night vision goggles, as well as digital audio recorders. Other more traditional techniques are also used, such as conducting interviews and researching the history of allegedly haunted sites. Ghost hunters may also refer to themselves as "paranormal investigators."
Massimo Polidoro is an Italian psychologist, writer, journalist, television personality, co-founder and executive director of the Italian Committee for the Investigation of Claims of the Pseudoscience (CICAP).
Richard Saunders is an Australian skeptic, podcaster, and professional origamist. He received recognition by the Australian Skeptics with a Life Membership in 2001, and has twice served as their president. He founded Sydney Skeptics in the Pub. He has presented on skepticism, represented the Australian Skeptics on television and radio shows, and is the co-host of The Skeptic Zone podcast.
Ghost Lab is a weekly American paranormal television series that premiered on October 6, 2009, on the Discovery Channel. Produced by Paper Route Productions and Go Go Luckey Entertainment, the program is narrated by Mike Rowe. It follows ghost-hunting brothers Brad and Barry Klinge, who founded Everyday Paranormal (EP) in October 2007.
Scared!, formerly titled as Scared on Staten Island!, is an American paranormal public-access television cable TV series that was first shown on September 12, 2002, on Staten Island Community Television. Produced by Core Films and Thousand Hats Productions, the program follows and stars a Staten Island-based team of urban explorers who venture into abandoned and condemned buildings in search of paranormal activity. In each episode, three main members, who are collectively known as "The SCARED! Crew" and who vary throughout the series, represent three points of view or beliefs: the psychic, scientist and skeptic.
Christopher Fleming is an American medium, paranormal researcher, television personality, and public speaker. He has written numerous articles and produced various print and online publications on the topics of paranormal activity and psychic phenomena.
James Van Praagh is an American author, producer and television personality who describes himself as a clairvoyant and spiritual medium. He has written numerous books, including The New York Times bestseller Talking to Heaven. Van Praagh was a producer and screenwriter on the 2002 CBS primetime semi-autobiographical miniseries Living with the Dead starring Ted Danson. He also hosted a short-lived paranormal talk show called Beyond with James Van Praagh.
Bryan & Baxter was a paranormal claims investigation team composed of Bryan Bonner and Matthew M. Baxter. Their investigations included claims of ghosts, poltergeists, psychics, UFOs, conspiracy theories, and urban legends. They specialized in exposing frauds, and became associated with scientific skepticism. They were based in Denver, Colorado.