THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
November 13, 2016
www.theparacast.com
Bob Zanotti and Goggs Mackay Featured on an “Open Mic” Episode of The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to After The Paracast, plus a higher-quality version of The Paracast free of network ads, and chat rooms when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features, Classic Episodes and there’s more to come! We’ve just begun to add podcasts and videos from Paul Kimball’s “Other Side of Truth.” Check out our new “Lifetime” membership and special free eBook offers! For more information about our premium package, please visit: http://plus.theparacast.com/.
This Week's Episode: A special “open mic” episode featuring Gene, forum moderator Goggs Mackay, and old school paranormal broadcaster and Paracast announcer Bob Zanotti. So was Debbie Harry, of Blondie, reincarnated from a diva of the 1920s? What about UFO disclosure, and does the fact that Hillary Clinton, who claimed an interest in UFOs, was defeated make a difference? Why do Presidents fail to make good on their promises to find answers to the UFO mystery? Does the military really know what’s going on with UFOs? The discussion moves to the possibility of conventional explanations for such early cases as the Kenneth Arnold sighting and Roswell. Gene and Bob talk about the old days in paranormal talk radio, and some of the characters they interviewed, such as Yonah Fortner and John J. Robinson.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on November 13: Gene and guest co-host Goggs Mackay briefly discuss the death of “Man From U.N.C.L.E” star Robert Vaughn. The discussion turns to the aging of UFO convention attendees, and whether there are ways to attract younger people who attend a Comic-Con in record numbers. Gene introduces a semi-serious political conspiracy about the election, without taking a partisan position. As the result of Hillary Clinton’s promise to look into UFOs if she was elected, did the powers-that-be somehow throw the election towards Donald Trump, someone who never discussed the subject? Is it even possible to manipulate an election on that level?
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
The Paracast Honors Talk Show Traditions
â¨By Gene Steinberg
You have to have a really thick skin to survive the Internet these days. What with flamewars and constant complaints about this, that, and the other thing, just having a pleasant conversation with someone may be a lost skill.
The same attitude inflicts both radio and TV shows nowadays. Although cable news talking heads are just as inclined to let a guest speak regardless of the silliness of what they are saying without asking tough questions, on far too many occasions, it’s about people yelling at each other. You probably know the shows I’m talking about, and it’s all designed to boost ratings. What’s going to happen next? You just have to tune in regularly to see if the screaming turns into fisticuffs.
All right, that doesn’t happen very often, but it did from time to time on the Jerry Springer TV show. Imagine a wrestling match that featured not trained athletes, but regular people screaming at one another and sometimes attempting to take the argument to another level.
Now in the early days of talk radio, the conversations seemed far more gentle. Yes, you had debates, but the participants were usually fairly reserved. Professional talkers spoke slowly, deliberately with what someone once called “pregnant pauses,” to give you time to absorb what they said.
Nowadays, most talk show hosts have adopted styles somewhat reminiscent of disk jockeys, speaking fast, and moving from topic to topic at a dizzying pace. You can’t have dead air, because that isn’t professional. It has to be talk, talk and more talk without letup, no breather. But wait, they’ll be back in a few minutes after you hear some motormouths reading commercials. And when it comes to certain offers that range from financial products to cars and medications, there will be terms and conditions read at breakneck speed that few normal people can understand.
Now whatever knowledge I’ve gained about talk radio over the years was assimilated from listening to the famous talk show hosts of a bygone era, such as Long John Nebel, the original late night talk jockey who featured discussions about politics, ghosts, and even flying saucers. I also spent many enjoyable hours listening to such monologists as Jean Shepherd (no relation to the country singer).
To such people, radio was indeed the “theater of the mind,” in which you savored their words and allowed your mind to roam freely in response to what they were saying.
So my mental image of a show such as The Paracast and my other radio show, The Tech Night Owl LIVE, is about having civil discussions. Sometimes we just ask questions of our guests, and sometimes we share information, back and forth, to provide a touch of illumination about the world of the strange and unknown.
Now on some notable occasions, we need to confront guests with facts and figures that might raise serious questions about the validity of their claims or points of view. It’s more of a “60 Minutes” approach, which is a far more gentle technique than just yelling at someone. This is very unlike the attitude on the Internet, where an exchange consists of yelling past one another and using inappropriate language.
It’s not about presenting opinions, pro and con, but about entertainment. You might believe that, at any moment, the participants would make it physical. Well, if they were in the same location perhaps, but quite often they are in different studios, in different locales, and thus a physical confrontation isn’t possible.
Now on The Paracast, there have been a couple of occasions where someone hung up on us. I remember one controversial guest, during a 2008 episode, who claimed to have been quoted about his work in such prestigious newspapers as the Wall Street Journal.
Well, my co-host and I did something that guest didn’t quite expect, which was to actually do a search of the publications in question to find these articles — at least one or two of them. Only they were nowhere to be found. In fact, we couldn’t confirm any of the claims this guest was making. He soon got the message, complaining that we were just taking advantage of him, and he hung up.
The guest, Bill Knell, has gotten into trouble over the years for allegedly copying (or pirating) videos and books from other researchers and selling them without permission.
Another guest rightly concluded that we wouldn’t agree with her on points where we found she was being deceptive, so she finally concluded the interview and hung up. But I won’t mention the name, because I did talk to her a couple of times at UFO conventions after that interview, and she seemed friendly enough.
Or maybe I was just being too forgiving.
You see, I am not the sort of person who wants to hold a grudge. As much as The Paracast will expose the fakers, and dissemble illogical theories and arguments, there is a level of discourse beyond which we will not go. The show is not meant to honor the spirit of such provocative talk show hosts as Joe Pyne and Jerry Springer. They were entertainers, not journalists. Entertainment has its place, and good journalism should be entertaining. But we’re about information and the struggle to make sense of things that so far defy explanation.
This is the reason why guests aren’t just allowed to speak without interruption, nor are we trying to pander to our audience by cheering on people who make outlandish — and unproven — claims.
The reason I bring this up is the result of the recent poll I set up on The Paracast forums, in which I asked listeners what they thought about restricting the show to paid subscribers. There has been plenty of constructive discussion about ways to promote the show, and what listeners might like to see us include as part of a The Paracast+ subscription.
But some people evidently don’t like what we do, because they are busy telling us that we must change — sometimes drastically — before they’d honor us with a subscription. In other words, they want us to do a different show.
Now I am happy to consider constructive suggestions. But if someone doesn’t like what we do, why would they pay to hear The Paracast? They’d be better advised to pay for the shows they like, and let us do our thing.
The poll continues as I write this newsletter. At the end of the day, however, it’s clear that many of you aren’t in a position to pay for one more thing, even at prices starting at $4.99 per month.
While I welcome subscriptions to The Paracast+, I respect the fact that people have other priorities. They are loyal listeners and I am grateful that we’ve become a part of their lives. As much as I could use the money, I don’t think it would be fair to force people to pay for the show in order to listen to it.
The poll has raised some fascinating possibilities, however, and I am working with Chris and others, including documentary film producer Paul Kimball and old school paranormal broadcaster and Paracast announcer Bob Zanotti, to add more exclusive content to The Paracast+. Changes are afoot, and new content has already been posted, so just stay tuned.
Copyright 1999-2016 The Paracast LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
November 13, 2016
www.theparacast.com
Bob Zanotti and Goggs Mackay Featured on an “Open Mic” Episode of The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to After The Paracast, plus a higher-quality version of The Paracast free of network ads, and chat rooms when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features, Classic Episodes and there’s more to come! We’ve just begun to add podcasts and videos from Paul Kimball’s “Other Side of Truth.” Check out our new “Lifetime” membership and special free eBook offers! For more information about our premium package, please visit: http://plus.theparacast.com/.
This Week's Episode: A special “open mic” episode featuring Gene, forum moderator Goggs Mackay, and old school paranormal broadcaster and Paracast announcer Bob Zanotti. So was Debbie Harry, of Blondie, reincarnated from a diva of the 1920s? What about UFO disclosure, and does the fact that Hillary Clinton, who claimed an interest in UFOs, was defeated make a difference? Why do Presidents fail to make good on their promises to find answers to the UFO mystery? Does the military really know what’s going on with UFOs? The discussion moves to the possibility of conventional explanations for such early cases as the Kenneth Arnold sighting and Roswell. Gene and Bob talk about the old days in paranormal talk radio, and some of the characters they interviewed, such as Yonah Fortner and John J. Robinson.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on November 13: Gene and guest co-host Goggs Mackay briefly discuss the death of “Man From U.N.C.L.E” star Robert Vaughn. The discussion turns to the aging of UFO convention attendees, and whether there are ways to attract younger people who attend a Comic-Con in record numbers. Gene introduces a semi-serious political conspiracy about the election, without taking a partisan position. As the result of Hillary Clinton’s promise to look into UFOs if she was elected, did the powers-that-be somehow throw the election towards Donald Trump, someone who never discussed the subject? Is it even possible to manipulate an election on that level?
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
The Paracast Honors Talk Show Traditions
â¨By Gene Steinberg
You have to have a really thick skin to survive the Internet these days. What with flamewars and constant complaints about this, that, and the other thing, just having a pleasant conversation with someone may be a lost skill.
The same attitude inflicts both radio and TV shows nowadays. Although cable news talking heads are just as inclined to let a guest speak regardless of the silliness of what they are saying without asking tough questions, on far too many occasions, it’s about people yelling at each other. You probably know the shows I’m talking about, and it’s all designed to boost ratings. What’s going to happen next? You just have to tune in regularly to see if the screaming turns into fisticuffs.
All right, that doesn’t happen very often, but it did from time to time on the Jerry Springer TV show. Imagine a wrestling match that featured not trained athletes, but regular people screaming at one another and sometimes attempting to take the argument to another level.
Now in the early days of talk radio, the conversations seemed far more gentle. Yes, you had debates, but the participants were usually fairly reserved. Professional talkers spoke slowly, deliberately with what someone once called “pregnant pauses,” to give you time to absorb what they said.
Nowadays, most talk show hosts have adopted styles somewhat reminiscent of disk jockeys, speaking fast, and moving from topic to topic at a dizzying pace. You can’t have dead air, because that isn’t professional. It has to be talk, talk and more talk without letup, no breather. But wait, they’ll be back in a few minutes after you hear some motormouths reading commercials. And when it comes to certain offers that range from financial products to cars and medications, there will be terms and conditions read at breakneck speed that few normal people can understand.
Now whatever knowledge I’ve gained about talk radio over the years was assimilated from listening to the famous talk show hosts of a bygone era, such as Long John Nebel, the original late night talk jockey who featured discussions about politics, ghosts, and even flying saucers. I also spent many enjoyable hours listening to such monologists as Jean Shepherd (no relation to the country singer).
To such people, radio was indeed the “theater of the mind,” in which you savored their words and allowed your mind to roam freely in response to what they were saying.
So my mental image of a show such as The Paracast and my other radio show, The Tech Night Owl LIVE, is about having civil discussions. Sometimes we just ask questions of our guests, and sometimes we share information, back and forth, to provide a touch of illumination about the world of the strange and unknown.
Now on some notable occasions, we need to confront guests with facts and figures that might raise serious questions about the validity of their claims or points of view. It’s more of a “60 Minutes” approach, which is a far more gentle technique than just yelling at someone. This is very unlike the attitude on the Internet, where an exchange consists of yelling past one another and using inappropriate language.
It’s not about presenting opinions, pro and con, but about entertainment. You might believe that, at any moment, the participants would make it physical. Well, if they were in the same location perhaps, but quite often they are in different studios, in different locales, and thus a physical confrontation isn’t possible.
Now on The Paracast, there have been a couple of occasions where someone hung up on us. I remember one controversial guest, during a 2008 episode, who claimed to have been quoted about his work in such prestigious newspapers as the Wall Street Journal.
Well, my co-host and I did something that guest didn’t quite expect, which was to actually do a search of the publications in question to find these articles — at least one or two of them. Only they were nowhere to be found. In fact, we couldn’t confirm any of the claims this guest was making. He soon got the message, complaining that we were just taking advantage of him, and he hung up.
The guest, Bill Knell, has gotten into trouble over the years for allegedly copying (or pirating) videos and books from other researchers and selling them without permission.
Another guest rightly concluded that we wouldn’t agree with her on points where we found she was being deceptive, so she finally concluded the interview and hung up. But I won’t mention the name, because I did talk to her a couple of times at UFO conventions after that interview, and she seemed friendly enough.
Or maybe I was just being too forgiving.
You see, I am not the sort of person who wants to hold a grudge. As much as The Paracast will expose the fakers, and dissemble illogical theories and arguments, there is a level of discourse beyond which we will not go. The show is not meant to honor the spirit of such provocative talk show hosts as Joe Pyne and Jerry Springer. They were entertainers, not journalists. Entertainment has its place, and good journalism should be entertaining. But we’re about information and the struggle to make sense of things that so far defy explanation.
This is the reason why guests aren’t just allowed to speak without interruption, nor are we trying to pander to our audience by cheering on people who make outlandish — and unproven — claims.
The reason I bring this up is the result of the recent poll I set up on The Paracast forums, in which I asked listeners what they thought about restricting the show to paid subscribers. There has been plenty of constructive discussion about ways to promote the show, and what listeners might like to see us include as part of a The Paracast+ subscription.
But some people evidently don’t like what we do, because they are busy telling us that we must change — sometimes drastically — before they’d honor us with a subscription. In other words, they want us to do a different show.
Now I am happy to consider constructive suggestions. But if someone doesn’t like what we do, why would they pay to hear The Paracast? They’d be better advised to pay for the shows they like, and let us do our thing.
The poll continues as I write this newsletter. At the end of the day, however, it’s clear that many of you aren’t in a position to pay for one more thing, even at prices starting at $4.99 per month.
While I welcome subscriptions to The Paracast+, I respect the fact that people have other priorities. They are loyal listeners and I am grateful that we’ve become a part of their lives. As much as I could use the money, I don’t think it would be fair to force people to pay for the show in order to listen to it.
The poll has raised some fascinating possibilities, however, and I am working with Chris and others, including documentary film producer Paul Kimball and old school paranormal broadcaster and Paracast announcer Bob Zanotti, to add more exclusive content to The Paracast+. Changes are afoot, and new content has already been posted, so just stay tuned.
Copyright 1999-2016 The Paracast LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!