“Take Care My Radio Friend” – Why the Semi-Retirement of Ian Punnett Saddens so Many Late Night Radio Fans

A few weeks ago, Ian Punnett, the regular Saturday night host of popular late night radio show, Coast to Coast AM, and a fixture of the show for more than a decade, announced he would leave his Saturday night spot in the hosting rotation to undergo treatments for tinnitus, hearing loss, and headaches. Coast newcomer John B. Wells will take over Punnett’s role as regular Saturday night host of C2C and Punnett will be heard on C2C only on the second Sunday of each month.

This prompted a great outcry of grief from Punnett’s legions of fans. “I have looked forward every week to Ian Punnett’s show. The subjects are always interesting and he is an intelligent and accomplished interviewer. I prefer the realistic, informative subjects Ian presents. I will miss him very much,” said Marilyn from Connecticut.

Other distraught commenters on this site felt such a personal connection to Punnett that they addressed their comments directly to Punnett hoping that perhaps he’d read them. “Many prayers go out to you Ian. I’ve really enjoyed your Saturday night shows. Fun, witty, and entertaining. You will be missed. Get well soon. I like all of the Coast to Coast announcers. They are all great. One of the few mindful shows on radio and much more entertaining than boring political talk or sports,” wrote Darin from Denver.

“I will miss you weekly Ian. Please take care of yourself, that is the most important thing. I am sure your family and faith will carry you through these tough times. Take care my radio friend,” said Alan from Connecticut.

So why is the grief over Punnett’s partial exit felt so deeply and personally by his fans? Well, it’s complicated…

Part of it has to do with the nature of radio listeners. Sure, radio is becoming less important in the media marketplace as other media are stepping up in importance, but the people who still listen to radio tend to be very loyal. Anyone who tries to poke fun at NPR or make light of Rush Limbaugh is quick to feel the wrath of the respective audiences of those two gigantic radio forces.

And radio listeners are not only loyal, they tend to feel closer to, have more affinity with, radio celebrities than television celebrities. The visual elements of television and TV stars may excite the listener, but the hyping of that very excitement creates a little distance. TV stars, primped and glamorous and ready to show off, come across like used car salesmen; we generally like them, we do business with them, we long for the slice of the good life they’re offering us, but at the same time we’re a little wary of everything they say.

Radio voices, on the other hand, come across as friends discussing important topics of the day while listeners drive or work. As a result, radio patter is taken to heart, and radio talkers trusted implicitly.

In this case, Punnett, the radio host and occasional minister, was a natural at winning the confidence and broadcast friendship of his listeners. Punnett has not only the gift of gab, but also the gift of modesty, telling stories from his life in ways which made him relatable to just about every segment of his vast audience. He also excells in the diplomatic arts of call taking, listening to each caller, usually responding with some alacrity, humility and encouragement, and almost always finding a way for even angry or confused callers to exit with dignity.

Much of the loyalty for Punnett comes from the nature of C2C. Broadcasting in darkest night, 10pm to 2am Portland time, with the first three hours repeated from 2-5am locally, C2C is a song in the night, a balm to the insomniac, and the best thing going on at that time of night. Listeners love Coast because it is there when they need it most, with new content every day. Begun 27 years ago by radio legend, Art Bell, C2C is the most-listened to late night radio program.

Punnett also engenders loyalty because he is especially gifted at interviewing, easily winning the trust of his guests, even those who normally shy away from media appearances such as suspense author Dean R. Koontz, who initially agreed only to a brief interview, then became so enamored of Punnett and his friendly questioning style that he was soon back as a guest for an entire show.

Punnett has been particularly effective in choosing whom to bring on to the show as guests, introducing audiences to such excellent non-fiction authors as Fred Burton (Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent), Russ Baker (Family of Secrets: The Bush Dynasty, the Powerful Forces That Put It in the White House, and What Their Influence Means for America) and Robert Kurson (Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II), among many others. And Punnett seems to thrive with guests such as these, exuberantly describing his enjoyment of their work and fashioning in depth questions which could only come from a journalist who has read and enjoyed the work enough to be extremely well prepared for the interview.

And finally, Punnett fans voice concern over his manner of exit because they’ve seen it before. C2C’s immensely popular founder, Art Bell, faded from the program, to the disappointment of millions of his listeners, in a similar way to Punnett. Bell left his Monday through Friday gig and was heard on weekends less and less often before finally fading out of the picture completely to attend to family responsibilities. Thus, while Punnett fans are happy he will still be heard on the second Sunday of each month, they simultaneously suspect that this is just a slow exit and that he will be gone from the C2C scene entirely after a little while.

How long will Punnett remain in his once-monthly role? There’s no answer to that. We’ll just have to wait and see and hope for the best from John B. Wells.