Paranormal radio shows are programs focusing on paranormal subjects such as unidentified flying objects, alien abduction, possession (by either demonic or spiritual forces), conspiracy theories, ghosts and cryptozoology. They are broadcast via shortwave, AM and FM radio stations or via internet streaming, often as late night shows. [1]
Depending on the type of programming format, many of these shows feature paranormal discussion between the hosts, include listener participation and also special guest appearances from psychics and other prominent figures in the paranormal community. Such shows frequently feature reports from people on location at supposedly haunted locations, helping listeners feel like they are there. [2]
In 1929 Joseph Dunninger hosted the "Ghost Hour" on NBC radio. During the show Dunninger projected mental images to listeners, asking them to write in with their results. The show was an attempt to harness the perceived paranormal properties of radio waves (see also the contemporary experimental television series The Television Ghost , which followed a similar conceit). [3] The pioneer of paranormal radio was Long John Nebel who, from the 1950s until his death in 1978, hosted late night shows dealing with the supernatural. [1]
In 1988 Art Bell launched the late night talk show Coast to Coast AM (formerly West Coast AM, broadcast on KDWN from 1978) which regularly deals with paranormal topics. The popularity of Bell's show caused a rise in similar programs across the US during the 1990s. [1]
Early paranormal radio shows focused on recounting local ghost stories, but with the rise of such concepts as reality television and internet radio, modern paranormal radio tends to focus on paranormal investigators and their research. [2]
Currently, it is easy for paranormal enthusiasts to host their own web-based radio shows, and as a result such shows have proliferated. [2] The quality and content of web based shows varies dramatically, but most are focused on the local paranormal scene wherever they happen to be based. [2]
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with several different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live conversations between the host and listeners who "call in" to the show. Listener contributions are usually screened by a show's producers to maximize audience interest and, in the case of commercial talk radio, to attract advertisers. Generally, the shows are organized into segments, each separated by a pause for advertisements; however, in public or non-commercial radio, music is sometimes played in place of commercials to separate the program segments. Variations of talk radio include conservative talk, hot talk, liberal talk, and sports talk.
A talk show is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation. A talk show is distinguished from other television programs by certain common attributes. In a talk show, one person discusses various topics put forth by a talk show host. This discussion can be in the form of an interview or a simple conversation about important social, political or religious issues and events. The personality of the host shapes the tone of the show, which also defines the "trademark" of the show. A common feature or unwritten rule of talk shows is to be based on "fresh talk", which is talk that is spontaneous or has the appearance of spontaneity.
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.
A shadow person is the perception of a patch of shadow as a living, humanoid figure, and interpreted as the presence of a spirit or other entity by believers in the paranormal or supernatural.
Yvette Paula Fielding is an English television presenter, producer and actress. She became the youngest presenter on Blue Peter aged 18, and one of her episodes was subsequently voted the "Favourite Blue Peter moment" ever. With her husband Karl Beattie, she presented the Most Haunted series on the Living channel, via their own production company, followed by Ghosthunting With..., establishing Fielding as 'first lady of the paranormal'. She has appeared in a wide range of other programmes, from The Wright Stuff to Through the Keyhole and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.
Within ghost hunting and parapsychology, electronic voice phenomena (EVP) are sounds found on electronic recordings that are interpreted as spirit voices that have been either unintentionally recorded or intentionally requested and recorded. Parapsychologist Konstantīns Raudive, who popularized the idea in the 1970s, described EVP as typically brief, usually the length of a word or short phrase.
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 rebooted in early 2019 and aired its new first and second seasons from August 21, 2019, to May 27, 2020, on A&E, after which it was cancelled and then reimagined and rebooted for a new first season months later on Discovery+, which started airing on October 31, 2021, and is set to air 10 episodes.
KDWN is a commercial AM and FM radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada, owned and operated by Beasley Broadcast Group. The station pronounces its call letters as "K-Dawn." The station's studios are located in the unincorporated Clark County area of Spring Valley. Its transmitter is on Galleria Drive in Henderson. Programming is simulcast on 250-watt FM translator station K268CS at 101.5 MHz.
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.
Pluckley and Pluckley Thorne are two close clustered neighbourhoods in the Pluckley civil parish, in the Ashford district of Kent, England.
Paranormal television is a genre of reality television. It has changed the program content of some cable networks like the History Channel and the Travel Channel. Its scope comprises purportedly factual investigations of the paranormal, rather than fictional representations found in such shows and films. It has spread the popularity of the paranormal by espousing a variety of beliefs on topics ranging from Bigfoot to aliens.
Long John Nebel was an influential New York City talk radio show host.
A radio personality or radio presenter is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host, and in India and Pakistan as a radio jockey. Radio personalities who introduce and play individual selections of recorded music are known as disc jockeys or "DJs" for short. Broadcast radio personalities may include talk radio hosts, AM/FM radio show hosts, and satellite radio program hosts.
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."
Ghost Adventures is an American paranormal and reality television series that premiered on October 17, 2008, on the Travel Channel before moving to Discovery+ in 2021. An independent film of the same name originally aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on July 25, 2007. The program follows ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley as they investigate locations that are reported to be haunted.
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 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.
Art Bell's Dark Matter was an American radio talk show hosted by broadcaster and author Art Bell. Dark Matter primarily focused on paranormal and scientific topics. The program was exclusive to Sirius XM Radio, a subscription-based satellite radio service. Dark Matter debuted on September 16, 2013, and aired live Monday through Thursday from 10 p.m. ET to 2 a.m. ET on Sirius XM Radio's Indie Talk Channel 104. Dark Matter was the first program hosted by Art Bell full-time since his departure from regularly hosting Coast to Coast AM in 2003. On November 4, 2013, Bell announced that he was abruptly ceasing the production and airing of Dark Matter following a dispute with Sirius XM Radio regarding Sirius XM customers experiencing technical difficulties streaming his show live via the Internet.