On Wednesday, June 16, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, Hubert Orlick wrote:   
   > TRANSCRIPT   
   >   
   > May 31, 1999   
   >   
   > Interview with Gerard P. Fox on ABC's "Good Morning America"   
   >   
   >     Interview Key:   
   >   
   >     EV = Elizabeth Vargas (ABC Anchor)   
   >     AB = Art Bell   
   >     GF = Gerard P. Fox, Bell's Attorney   
   >     (FOX, SIEGLER & SPILLANE LLP)   
   >   
   >   
   > EV: It was a mystery that kept radio fans on the end of their seats   
   >     for months. Why did their favorite talk show host disappear?  This   
   >     morning we may have an answer.  Talk show host Art Bell is famous   
   >     for his shows on UFOs and the paranormal.  It's estimated that   
   >     between six and 15 million listeners hang on his every word.  But   
   >     last October Bell stunned his audience with the announcement he   
   >     was disappearing.   
   >   
   >          [Broadcast snippet, October 13, 1998] AB: A year ago I told   
   >          you there was an event, um, a threatening terrible event that   
   >          occurred to my family... What you're listening to right now   
   >          is my final broadcast on the air.  This is it folks, I'm   
   >          going off the air. And, uh, and, and, will not return.   
   >   
   > EV: Bell did return, but the mystery remained.   
   >   
   >          [Broadcast snippet, October 28, 1998] AB: It certainly was   
   >          not a publicity stunt or contract ploy as rumored by my   
   >          competitors and detractors. It is real and serious.   
   >   
   > EV: What prompted Bell's sudden departure and equally sudden   
   >     reappearance?  Fans have been speculating for months, and with us   
   >     now is Bell's attorney, Gerard Fox.  Gerard, good to have you   
   >     here.   
   >   
   > GF: Good morning.   
   >   
   > EV: What was -- he says it's not a publicity stunt, then what was it?   
   >   
   > GF: Far from a publicity stunt.  Actually about a year before, uh, Art   
   >     signing off, on his broadcast in October where he said it was his   
   >     final broadcast, uh, sadly and unfortunately his son, Art Jr., had   
   >     been sexually assaulted by a teacher at his high school, at a time   
   >     when Art Jr. was 16 years old and that teacher was carrying the   
   >     HIV virus.  Art Jr. then proceeded to be a witness against the   
   >     teacher in a criminal proceeding that resulted in the teacher   
   >     being put behind bars for life.   
   >   
   > EV: So it was that reason alone for Art's departure from the show for   
   > those two weeks?   
   >   
   > GF: Uh, well that reason alone would be staggering for most people.   
   >   
   > EV: I agree.   
   >   
   > GF: Being a father myself and having teenage children in high school,   
   >     I can tell you it would be hard for me to get up and go to my job   
   >     aft er that.  But unfortunately there were further events.  In   
   >     December of '97 only several months after this happened to Art's   
   >     son, an ex-FBI agent, by the name of Ted Gunderson, on a radio   
   >     show, along with a guest by the name of David Hinkson, suggested   
   >     that Art himself had sexually molested young boys.  This was   
   >     utterly false and both Art and the network that broadcast his   
   >     show, uh, both, uh were able to prove that that was utterly false.   
   >     But Art had a real catch-22 at that point, which was if he wanted   
   >     to step forward and defend his good name, he would potentially   
   >     throw the spotlight on his son, who because of the laws in this   
   >     country his name and his situation was being kept confidential.   
   >     So, Art really was very handicapped in coming forward and   
   >     defending his good name.  And between dealing with his son, who   
   >     was greatly distressed, and then dealing with people who were   
   >     emailing him and writing in asking whether he himself was, uh, a   
   >     molester, Art was very overwrought.   
   >   
   > EV: But very quickly, and as disturbing and upsetting as that would be   
   >     for any parent, why couldn't you deny charges as serious as that,   
   >     without involving your son?   
   >   
   > GF: Well, we -- There was a lawsuit filed in Nashville, Tennessee, but   
   >     again Art chose to be rather quiet about that, putting the   
   >     interest of his son first.  And his son has gone through a process   
   >     that is -- has been very difficult for the family.  And because of   
   >     Art Bell being who he is, if he came forward and said, "I I...   
   >     that's not true and maybe you got your facts backwards, I'm not a   
   >     sexual molester, but my son has been sexually assaulted by someone   
   >     with Aids..."   
   >   
   > EV: Now you have filed two lawsuits accusing a different group of   
   >     slander, one of them filed just days ago, a $60 million lawsuit.   
   >     And in those lawsuits you name, you name ten John Does. It seems   
   >     to imply that you believe there, there is some sort of conspiracy   
   >     here.   
   >   
   > GF: Well there is evidence that's been provided by a number of   
   >     witnesses that there are some people, yet to be identified, who   
   >     are behind the smear campaign against Art Bell.   
   >   
   > EV: You think there's a smear campaign being conducted against your   
   >     client?   
   >   
   > GF: That's what the evidence suggests.  That there are people out   
   >     there who are knowledgeable about what happened to his son, and   
   >     who realize that possibly the worst thing that you could say about   
   >     Art Bell was that he was a child molester.   
   >   
   > EV: But isn't it possible -- Art Bell is a very public personality --   
   >     is it at all possible that this is just a very unhappy   
   >     coincidence, that he was being accused of this by certain folks   
   >     out there?   
   >   
   > GF: Originally, Art and our team thought maybe that was the case, but   
   >     there have been third party witnesses who have now given sworn   
   >     statements that suggest otherwise.   
   >   
   > EV: You have also said that, or suggested, there might be some unnamed   
   >     financier who is behind all of this.  Who are you talking about,   
   >     and why would they do this?   
   >   
   > GF: We're not in a position to comment on that quite yet, uh, but I   
   >     think later in the week we'll be able to.   
   >   
   > EV: Can you understand how some, especially fans of Art Bell, might   
   >     think, "Art Bell is a radio personality who talks about conspiracy   
   >     theories."  It might seem to some that he might be indulging in   
   >     perhaps a little conspiracy theorizing of his own.   
   >   
   > GF: Not in this instance, because if you take a look at what he would   
   >     have had to construct to get here, that's not very believable.  I   
   >     mean, starting with his son, and then the accusations that he's a   
   >     child molester, it's unlikely that Art Bell would construct that   
      
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