NEW JERSEY — Every Thursday night, the national audience of an online radio show tunes in to see what eclectic mix of paranormal lore is in store for them.

Vermilion County natives Mark Gray and Ash Hamilton, originally from Bismarck and Sidell, respectively, broadcast the online show called “The Parafactor” out of Hamilton’s home in New Jersey.

The two began the effort several years ago through their mutual interest in paranormal activity, stories of alien abductions and their surrounding “fringe” sciences.

The pair landed on the east coast about a decade ago. Hamilton moved to New Jersey after he married his wife who was from the area. Gray went to school out east and ended up working near his friend from back home.

Although the now 30-somethings went to different high schools, the two formed an instant friendship when they met through a mutual friend in the late ’90s.

They quickly found they had a shared interest in the paranormal and the “fringe” sciences that include alien abductions, theories of Bigfoot and other such topics.

Gray recalls exploring Vermilion County legends like the Milford Ghost and other reputedly haunted areas.

“I grew up listening to a lot of AM radio,” Hamilton said in a recent phone interview.

He and his dad listened to late-night “event” shows that captivated audiences for their unique content and humor, like the show “Dr. Demento” that was known for its parody songs.

“We’d stay up all night listening to it,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton recalled one show that featured content based on the paranormal and strange topics. He dreamed of doing a show like it, but combining the comedic elements of other shows he enjoyed.

Together with Gray, the two got started a few years ago.

“There was a huge learning curve,” Hamilton said. “Podcasting and Internet radio is getting really, really big right now. We thought, ‘Why don’t’ we try to do go that route?’”

He brought some expertise to the endeavor as a professional graphics artist; he created a Web site and began networking with publishers and publicists who could book guests. He slowly began turning his former art room into a studio, complete with controls and an isolation booth. He got some help with the technical aspects of the show from friends in the radio industry who’ve shown him how to broadcast on a budget.

Soon, the show began taking off, with publicists seeking them out.

“At this point, we’ve built up a pretty good following,” Hamilton said.

Gray estimates 500 to 600 people regularly listen to the show live, and thousands more download the shows off the Web site.

“We broadcast a live video feed at the same time we’ do the live broadcast. It looks like we’re in an underground bunker, Hamilton said.

“It doesn’t appear as though we’re in the basement of a house in suburbia, it looks like we’re broadcasting from a real studio.”

Parafactor

Ghosthunting, alternative healing and handwriting analysis have all been topics on the Parafactor. Its hosts and alternating co-hosts have interviewed guests who have appeared on “Larry King Live” and the Discovery Channel’s “A Haunting.”

“We try to step back from a typical Q &A;,” Hamilton said.

The two are known to joke around with their guests and spend 60 to 70 minutes talking with them, which they believe allows listeners to feel closer to the topics and the guests themselves.

Guests have included psychic Bill Burns; Stan Romanek, a former Larry King guest who claims he’s been abducted by aliens multiple times; Steven LaChance, a featured paranormal researcher on “A Haunting;” and Adam Davies of the show MonsterQuest.

While talking to some of these guests, the hosts haven’t been without a few chills. One woman who called the show described phantom voices that sounded like crying or groaning. In the middle of the interview, the hosts and their listeners heard a “disembodied groan” in the studio.

Online listeners participating in a simultaneous live chat reported hearing the sound.

For some reason, however, the audio of the groan wasn’t recorded with the rest of the show.

Gray and Hamilton admit that as much as they enjoy entertaining the ideas of the paranormal, they also approach the ideas with a healthy skepticism. Gray says he believes in aspects of the paranormal, but not necessarily every tale.

“I believe they exist, but I don’t believe that all the stories about them are all true,” Gray said.

“I do have skepticism,” Hamilton said. “You can’t be so open that you dismiss logic. You can’t be so logical to dismiss (the unexplained).”

Even if they don’t believe all of their guests’ stories, they treat every guest with respect.

“I have to hand it to these people. I have a healthy respect for people who believe in what they’ve been through and are able to take criticism and hold one of their beliefs,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton experienced some unexplained things himself as he was growing up. His family lived in an older home in Sidell they possibly shared with some previous occupants.

“There were some things happening that I couldn’t explain,” he said.

Hamilton admits there could be logical explanations for the child-like voices he and his family heard.

“I’ll always say it’s possible,” he said. “But our experiences were just convincing enough to make us believe there was some kind of presence.”

He remembers his mom and sister waking him up in the middle of the night to tell him they heard crying somewhere in the house. His sister’s friends, who weren’t told about the incident, also reported a similar experience. Other visitors also corroborated experiences in the dining room of the house.

“If it was after 6 p.m., in this area of the dining room you had the sensation was right behind you. We had people who’d never been in the room who would look over their shoulder.”

There was no rush of air, window or furnace grates to explain the sensation he said.

Looking ahead

Eventually, Gray and Hamilton would like to quit their day jobs permanently and devote full-time hours to the show.

Hamilton says he puts in full-time hours this time of year, but doesn’t earn full-time wages just yet.

“We’re so busy we get double and triple-booked shows,” he said.

He thinks their product is a good one to invest in because of its unique take on the subject of the paranormal.

“We want to provide the right amount of cynicism while also sending chills down their spines. It’s pretty unique and we’re hoping that more people decide it’s unique ... and that everyone involved can do it full time with us.”

LISTEN TO THIS

To tune in and find out more about Vermilion County natives Mark Gray and Ash Hamilton’s Internet radio show, “The Parafactor,” visit http://www.theparafactor.com. Live broadcasts take place every Thursday night at 9 p.m. CST on the Web site.