Radio switches itself back on and retunes to Ghost to Ghost
A caller who identifies himself as [quote withheld] tells Art Bell that he was listening to Ghost to Ghost for the first time in his family’s old house. The radio he tried to switch off with a remote kept coming back on. He says he pulled that radio out of the wall, after which a radio in another room switched on and tuned to the program. The next morning, he says, the set that had been on FM had been changed to AM.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 2007.mp3”, starting at 2:24:19). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller, who gives his name as [quote withheld] says his family used to live in an old house of about 50 years, in Las Vegas. He says his father told him that night that Art Bell was doing a show called Coast to Coast and that it was Ghost to Ghost night, and that this was the first time he had listened to the program. He reports that at about one o’clock in the morning he got up to switch the radio off, using a remote. The set went off and then came straight back on again, and this repeated for a couple of minutes. He says he then went to the radio and pulled it out of the wall, whereupon a radio in the other room turned on and tuned to Ghost to Ghost. Art Bell answers, [quote withheld] The caller says he had been waiting to tell him that, and when Art asks whether it is a true story, he answers “True story.” He adds that the next morning the radio he had left set to FM had been changed to AM, the band the program is carried on, and offers this as evidence that it happened. Art Bell thanks him and repeats “the power” before moving to the next caller.
Reported events, in order
- 0:05
The caller says his family used to live in an old house about 50 years old in Las Vegas.
- 0:18
He says his father told him Art Bell was doing Ghost to Ghost that night, and that it was the first time he had listened to the show.
- 0:26
At about one o’clock in the morning he gets up to switch off the radio with a remote.
- 0:31
He reports the radio going off and coming straight back on again, repeatedly, for a couple of minutes.
- 0:41
He says he went to the radio and pulled it out of the wall, and a radio in the other room turned on and tuned to Ghost to Ghost.
- 0:48
Art Bell replies that this is [quote withheld] and the caller says he had been waiting to tell him that.
- 0:56
The caller says that the next morning the radio he had set to FM had been changed to AM, the band the program is on.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- hearsay· 0:21
He says his father told him about Art Bell’s Coast to Coast and that it was Ghost to Ghost night.
- observation· 0:31
The radio switched off with the remote and then came straight back on again, repeatedly.
- observation· 0:44
After he unplugged that radio, a radio in the other room turned on and tuned to Ghost to Ghost.
- observation· 0:56
The next morning the radio that had been set to FM had been changed to AM, the band the program is on.
- interpretation· 0:56
He treats the band change as evidence that the event truly occurred.
- host statement· 0:48
The host says the event is the power of the program.
- host statement· 1:05
The host repeats that the radio was off and that this is “the power.”
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
This is a brief but coherent firsthand story tied to a specific setting and time of night. But it offers no date, no witness, and no documentation, and the reported behavior of the radios has close ordinary explanations that the caller does not address.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand account: [quote withheld]
- A concrete setting and hour are given: [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- A detail that could be checked is offered: [quote withheld]
- The whole story is a single incident lasting a couple of minutes, with no follow-up and no second person to back it up.
- No date or year is given for the events, and the caller speaks of the house in the past tense ([quote withheld]).
- A faulty remote or power problem, and a second set left on or on a preset, are easy fits for what is described.
- It is not stated whether the events happened on the same night as the call or on an earlier Halloween.
- The automatic transcript splits the caller’s speech between two labels, so the exact wording of the opening is uncertain.
- 0:05
- 0:31
- 0:56
What the model inferred (not said on air): Component judgment: source closeness treated as firsthand but brief (17); specificity moderate for setting, hour, and band detail (12); internal consistency good, with the sequence following the story (14); alternative explanations fit easily and are not addressed (5); calibration modest, since the caller asserts the event really happened rather than discussing alternatives (7). Total 55, adjusted down to 50 because the story is so short and not backed up by anyone else.
Only the caller’s own word is present. A city and a band-switch detail are given and could in principle be checked, but nothing was checked, no document or recording is claimed, and no second witness speaks.
Evidence for and against
- A place that could be checked is named: [quote withheld]
- A device state that could be checked is claimed: [quote withheld]
- No photograph, recording, or document is mentioned or examined on air.
- No independent witness is claimed or heard. The father is mentioned only as the source of the tip about the program.
- Art Bell’s remarks ([quote withheld]) assert nothing that can be checked.
- The radio sets themselves are not identified beyond “the radio,” so no specific equipment could be checked.
- No date is given, so the claim cannot be placed in time.
- 0:48
- 0:56
What the model inferred (not said on air): Placed in the 11 to 25 range for checkable specifics given but not checked. It leans to the bottom of that range because the specifics are a city and an unnamed radio set, with no records, names of other people, or documentation.
A radio that will not stay off, and then switches on by itself in another room tuned to the very program being broadcast, is mildly eerie and touches an ordinary home setting. But the telling is short, the incident is over quickly, and the host treats it lightly.
Evidence for and against
- The set repeatedly refuses to stay off: [quote withheld]
- The second set switches on and finds the program: [quote withheld]
- A nighttime setting at home, about one o’clock in the morning.
- No threat, presence, figure, or physical contact is reported.
- The host’s response is jovial ([quote withheld]), and the call ends with thanks.
- The story is very short and ends with the next day’s observation rather than escalation.
- It is not stated whether the caller was alone in the house or others were awake and present.
- 0:45
- 0:46
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is judged as a low-key, almost playful uncanny anecdote from home rather than a frightening one. It is scored just above the “mildly eerie” anchor because of the self-operating appliance and the way it targets the broadcast.
The self-switching radio is a familiar motif. But the combination of a remote that will not keep the set off, a second radio switching itself on in another room, and a band switch found moved from FM to AM overnight gives the familiar setup a distinctive detail.
Evidence for and against
- The specific detail that the second set [quote withheld]
- The overnight FM to AM change offered as the confirming detail.
- Self-operating radios and appliances are a standard poltergeist-style motif in this archive.
- No unusual being, local lore, or historical element is present.
- How rare the story is compared with the rest of the archive is provisional with a small pilot archive and is not available here.
- 0:47
- 0:56
What the model inferred (not said on air): Model estimate: the stock [quote withheld] motif with one distinctive twist (tuning to the live program and the band switch), placed just above the midpoint for a familiar setup.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.70 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story; Claimed next-morning observation of the radio band setting, not documented. The originality score blends the model's score (55) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- A remote or set malfunction (a sticky power button, a faulty remote, a set that powers back up after a power interruption). · The caller describes clicking the remote and the same radio going off and immediately on again several times.
- A second radio in another room was not fully off, was running on batteries or a preset, and was already within range of the broadcast. · He describes a separate radio in “the other room” turning on and being found on the right band the next morning.
- The caller misremembers, or accidentally changed the band switch when handling the set. · The FM to AM change is offered as the caller’s only verification, and no other person or record confirms the original setting.
What stands out
The distinctive element is that the second radio is said not merely to switch itself on but to tune itself to the very program being broadcast at that moment. The set’s band switch is also reported to have moved from FM to AM overnight.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.