Omar is phoning from the future. "I'm in the year 2063," he declares during an open-lines segment on Coast to Coast AM, a nationally syndicated late-night radio show.
Show host George Noory listens with the same respectful tone he uses whether callers have Ph.D.s in microbiology or advanced degrees in wacko. "So what's going on?" he asks, getting an impenetrable answer about the decline of money.
And then it's on to the usual calls about alien-human hybrids, spiritual visitations and global conspiracies. But that's not all. Noory combines the unexplained with something unexpected -- in-depth chats with some of today's most respected scientists.
An estimated 4.5 million listeners tune in to Coast to Coast each night, reportedly making the show No. 1 in its time slot in cities from Los Angeles to Albuquerque (where it gets a whopping 22 percent of the audience) to San Diego (where it attracts more listeners than the next two most popular stations combined).
Three years after the departure of Coast to Coast host Art Bell, this bizarre brew of the strange and the serious appears to be on a roll, boasting nearly 500 affiliates, podcasts and a satellite radio feed.
"I've brought in new topics, seeking more answers and the truth," said Noory, 55. "Will we have a cashless society? Will they try to put chips in us one day? That's made us even more successful."
Its popularity dipped severely several years ago after one of several departures by Bell, an unusual character who hosted the show from Pahrump, Nevada, not too far from Area 51. (Bell still hosts the show on weekends.) But ratings reportedly went up after the affable Noory began hosting.
Noory, like Bell, talks about more than alien bases on the moon. Within the past few weeks, shows have examined bird flu, string theory and computer security.
One might assume mainstream scientists would steer clear of the show's guest list of astrologers and psychics. In fact, many gainfully employed scientists and doctors make regular appearances.
"We need to go on that show," said Tess Gerritsen, a physician and best-selling novelist who has discussed death and forensic science on Coast to Coast.
"It's the way I feel (about) evolutionists and biologists, that they need to go and argue about creationism," she said. "You need to go out and say there's another point of view, this is what science believes."
Frequent guest Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, agrees. He appears on the show even though he devotes his life to battling the very things Coast to Coast stands for -- the acceptance of time travel and premonitions, for example.
"We want to chase out bad ideas with good ideas," Shermer said, "and just explain what science is. Why don't most scientists accept psychic powers as real or UFOs are real? Why do we have high standards of evidence before you accept something?"
And besides, many of the stories told on Coast to Coast are "so outrageous that you have to really be a nincompoop to take the far-out stuff seriously," said Peter D. Ward, an author and paleontologist at the University of Washington. He appears on the show, which he views as "entertainment with some good science in it."
It helps that Noory treats everyone with respect, even if they're skeptics. "It's a non-confrontational show. At that hour of the night and into the morning, people don't want some show host screaming and yelling," Noory said. "They want to be informed and entertained."
The show is certainly entertaining. More than a few callers have outlandish stories to tell, and many of the guests aren't far behind. Tales of spiritual visitations are especially popular -- the show transforms into Ghost to Ghost on Halloween -- and more than a few callers claim to have seen the now-infamous Old Hag lurking in their bedrooms.
Show host Noory is a believer in unexplained phenomena himself: He had an out-of-body experience as a young boy and remains fascinated by the paranormal. While he's skeptical of things like Ouija boards -- saying "I don't know anyone who's had a good spirit come through that thing," and worrying about their connection to evil spirits -- he's probably the last person to challenge callers with scientific theories about why they think they were abducted by aliens.
"If they think their dead grandmother is visiting them at night, more power to them. They don't need me telling them (it's) true or not true," he said. "There are those few people who may challenge the facts and say some of the stuff may not be true. I say to them, 'Chill out, relax and have an open mind.'"
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