Confirmed: rock station 92.9/Dave FM going sports talk in the early fall
The rumors began circulating heavily about a month ago: 92.9/Dave FM was going sports talk.
This morning, the rumors became truth. General manager Rick Caffey gathered the entire staff to inform them that in late September or early October, the rock station will become an FM sports talk station.
Management did not let anybody go this morning. At least for the next few weeks, the on-air staff and music mix shall remain the same.
Caffey, in an exclusive interview this morning, said he’d like to have a local presence in all key time slots but that may not be the case in the very beginning.
“Our accent will be local personalities,” he said, noting that personalities are what has helped carry sister hip-hop station V-103 all these years. “The fundamentals will be finding interesting, compelling personalities that not only do great radio but are out and about in the community. We’re looking at a combination of ex jocks, ex coaches and broadcasters.” He’d like them to have local ties but that’ s not a necessity.
Mitch Evans has worked at several local radio stations and is now at Dave. He's likely to stick around for the new sports stations.
There has been no official on-air hires yet, though Dave FM recently gave sports newscaster Mitch Evans a full-time job, an early clue to the impending changes. “I imagine we’ll find a spot for him,” Caffey said.
The 2 Live Stews, who have been with 790/The Zone the past decade, have seen their profiles dim the past 18 months on the station. They are now part of a “team” show called the Red Zone mid-days. Their contract is up at the end of the year with the Zone and could potentially jump to 92.9. Other personalities on rival stations such as Mike Bell at the Zone and Christopher Rude and John Kincade on 680/The Fan are tied up in contracts for quite a bit longer, according to their agent Norm Schrutt.
The new sports station has hired a new program director: Terry Foxx, most recently program director at The Fan in Pittsburgh. “Working with him will be inspiring and I’m confident you’ll also be motivated by his work ethic and energetic personality,” Caffey said in a memo to staff this morning.
An official name hasn’t been dubbed yet for the sports station, In other markets, CBS has names such as the Hub and the Ticket.
A change of format is not a surprise. Eight-year-old Dave FM’s ratings have cratered the past year and recent signs of improvement were too modest to make a difference.
One of Caffey’s biggest disappointments with Dave was the inability to find a successful morning team, which is a key anchor for most successful music stations. The station went through at least six shows over eight years: Steve Barnes and Holly Firfer, Firfer with Tim Orff, Zakk Tyler, Orff alone, Jimmy Baron and Yvonne Monet and in recent months, Steve Craig.
Caffey noted the difficulty in this day and age to find good talent in smaller markets. “The farm system isn’t what it used to be,” he said. Many smaller stations now run syndicated product or go jockless in evenings, nights and weekends. Those were the time slots where management used to nurture raw talent but not anymore.
He had a hard time pinpointing why Dave lost so much mojo since early last year, when it was a top 10 station. It shed more than half its audience by this past spring, with the lowest ratings of any major FM signal in town. “It’s a very crowded landscape,” Caffey noted, in the rock arena in Atlanta, which currently has five stations playing the format. Besides Dave, there’s 97.1/The River, Rock 100.5, Project 9-6-1 and 99X.
Many music fans have reduced or stopped listening to old-school FM radio. They are now using Slacker, Pandora, Spotify and a host of other on-line only sites to access music they want without the jock talk and with far fewer ads. But personality talk radio can’t be replicated like a jukebox.
Although Dave has never been able to be a consistent top performer in ratings, it was able to count on what Caffey calls “qualitatives.” This is the same argument NBC uses to keep shows like “30 Rock” and “Parks and Recreation” around. The listeners are high income and very involved in the music they listen to.
Dave has been shifting its music mix around the past two years, trying to find the right blend, but it has stuck to a core of artists from day one such as Dave Matthews, U2, the Police and Tom Petty. As an “adult alternative” blend, the station broke artists in Atlanta such as Adele, Florence + the Machine, Mumford & Sons and the Avett Brothers.
Rock has been on 92.9 for more than 20 years. Before Dave, it was Z93, a classic rock format until 2004. The only holdover personality from those days, Mara Davis (left), has anchored mid-days since the early days of Dave.
Of the on-air staff, she will probably have the easiest time finding a new job. Schrutt, her agent, has already begun fielding calls from rival stations. The two most obvious homes for Mara: Rock 100. 5or 97.1/The River.
In recent years, CBS, the owner of Dave FM, has brought sports talk to FM in several markets, including Boston, Detroit, Dallas and soon to come, Tampa.
This will create a major battle royale in Atlanta, which already has two well-established sports talk stations: 680/The Fan (simulcast on 93.7) and 790/The Zone. Many major markets have two successful sports talk stations. Very few have three. Dallas has three sports stations, for instance, though I’m not sure if all three are thriving.
“CBS is really good at sports talk,” said Schrutt, who represents several personalities in town, including Cindy Simmons of Star 94, Melissa Carter at All News 106.7 and several of the aforementioned sports talk personalities. “It’s hard to believe a third sports station will be successful, but they clearly see something here that I don’t see.”
With AM stations losing audience, many are seeking FM homes. 680/The Fan added a 93.7 FM simulcast in late 2010. 790/The Zone is at a distinct disadvantage with a weaker night signal and no home on the FM dial.
“The percentage of people who don’t even listen to AM on a regular basis is going up,” said Tom Taylor, who has followed radio news for years and runs the www.radio-info.com site. “In some markets, it’s more than 50 percent. You can reach younger people easier on the FM dial.”
92.9 is a far stronger signal than the Fan’s 93.7 and will cover the entire market more completely than either AM signal, especially at night.
Sources tell me there were talks for 92.9 to possibly lease 790/The Zone’s programming but that never came to be. CBS, which is putting together a national network as well, will be doing this on their own. Interestingly, CBS is working with Atlanta-based Cumulus to help distribute that national network.
The new sports station will not have exclusive broadcasting rights to any major team though Caffey said it will consider bidding for rights in the future when they become available.
Dave FM actually had the Atlanta Falcons broadcasts for seven years until last year but Caffey said there was never any serious consideration to change format to sports talk at the time. The Atlanta Braves right now are tied up with Rock 100.5 and the Fan. The Hawks are aired on the Fan as well. The Zone has the Falcons and Georgia Tech. 95.5FM and AM750 News/Talk WSB has been the home to the University of Georgia Bulldogs football for many years.
Sports talk is appealing, Taylor said, because “it’s very salable. It has an emotional component. People want to be associated with the format talking about local teams, local loyalties. And the talk is far less controversial than politics.”
Fred Toucher (left) and Rich Shertenlieb, former 99Xers, have done well in Boston at a sports talk station.
Nationally, some sports stations do well, some don’t, like any other format. CBS’s sports stations in Detroit and Boston (which features former Atlanta/99X jocks Rich Shertenlieb and Fred Toucher) are pulling in big audiences. Its Dallas sports station is struggling.
The overall ratings for the Fan and the Zone over the years have never looked all that impressive. But both cater to a very specific, sought-after male audience that advertisers are willing to pay a premium for.
In fact, the heads of both stations put on brave faces in the face of the new rival, using the same analogy: a rising tide lifts all boats.
“This is a healthy format for a number of reasons,” said Andrew Saltzman, president of the Zone. “We deliver live and local exclusive content you can’t find on Pandora or satellite. On Monday morning, you can celebrate or commiserate about the Atlanta Falcons and have only live and local sports radio to go. The Zone is the leader of the pack. We take competition very seriously. We’ll do everything to protect and build our brand. We have a 15-year heritage history. We’re one of the top 10 billing sports talk stations in the country. We feel very comfortable with what we’re putting out there on the air.”
David Dickey, who runs the Fan, said it takes time to build a sports talk brand.
“To do it right, you must invest in people. You must invest in marketing. You must invest in promotions and partnerships. Just invest in time,” he said. “After the confetti falls, you have to do the work.”
The Fan was the first sports talk station in Atlanta in 1993 but was flipped to news in 1997, leaving an opening for the Zone to come to be. When the Fan came back in 2000, it took several years for them to catch up – then surpass — the Zone in ratings, though it’s fair to say both stations are very competitive now during the 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. time frame during weekdays.
Dave staff was told at this morning’s meeting not to talk to me specifically. If they were found out, they’d be dismissed early. They were also told not to mention the forthcoming format flip on Facebook, Twitter or other social media. They also were not to talk about the changes on air. Sales staff has been cleared to discuss the changes with clients.
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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392 comments Add your comment
Tara
July 31st, 2012
10:35 am
That’s a bummer, I enjoy Mara Davis and Rich Sullivan. The morning show was tough to listen to. I was starting to get into Jimmy and Yvonne but I can’t handle Steve. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Steph
July 31st, 2012
10:37 am
One more reason to get off my ass and order Satellite radio!
Yellafella
July 31st, 2012
10:42 am
so long CHA CHA!
Wink
July 31st, 2012
10:43 am
Great. People who either never played sports or stopped in high school offering their opinion on how the professionals should do things. Strictly a money making venture. Someone please flip to an AC station and give B98 (which sounds awful) a run for their money.
Why?
July 31st, 2012
10:44 am
Should be interesting to see with 680 the fan and 790 the zone.
Rick James
July 31st, 2012
10:46 am
I stoped listening after they were no longer Z-93.
disappointed
July 31st, 2012
10:47 am
That sucks! Steve Craig’s return has been the only reason that I’ve listened to Dave in the morning. Mara was great at lunch and Margot (sp?) was one of the most knowledgeable people in radio! I hope that they all stay local!!!!!
buckhead benny
July 31st, 2012
10:49 am
790 the Zone can say bye bye! Let’s see I would bet their first target sister station of v-103 is the Stew’s brothers at 790 the Zone- then, since CBS owns the station there goes the partnership with 790 the Zone’s Atlanta TV station and transferred to 92.9- I imagine they basically pluck the Zone’s people left and right-
680 the Fan has deep pockets and feels like their lineup is well suited for their setup and from what I have heard the people there enjoy working for Dickey and company. Could be wrong but there won’t be three sports stations in Atlanta there isn’t that much advertising and people that will listen to three stations that’s for sure.
Personally, I would love to see Steak whining and crying about this- He is by far the most annoying on air personality on the planet- like listening to fingernails on a chalk board- he should thank his luck stars he has made it this far literally.
Bell and Domino carry that station- I would just double their salaries and bring over the Stu’s and basically purge the Atlanta market of one less needed sports station-
jaystar404
July 31st, 2012
10:49 am
What about Dave roots there other HD station?
Police Superfan
July 31st, 2012
10:50 am
Oh no! Where will I go to hear Police every other song. SMH.
Coach Paul Johnson
July 31st, 2012
10:52 am
I hope they don’t hire people who figure out that I can’t coach. FIRST!
canofpeas
July 31st, 2012
10:52 am
i’m with disappointed, i don’t get this one. i liked the morning show – mostly music, how can you go wrong. lunch hour was good too. boo.
Val
July 31st, 2012
10:53 am
Oh well, it is better to have no alt-rock station than a very very bad one. The midday DJs were awful and the number of times they played the same Police, Smiths, and Tom Petty songs each day was exhausting. It took them several months to find that one Gotye song and then called it “new” for six more months. It was as though they were not interested in exploring other music and turned my place of business off a LONG time ago.
Guy Bailey
July 31st, 2012
10:53 am
If they’re smart they’ll hire Chuck and Chernoff ASAP
really?
July 31st, 2012
10:53 am
I think this is sad. The Atlanta radio market used to have such a variety of music stations, and they now seem to be losing distinction more and more. I think this is terrible. Radio sucks in the city because they all play the same damn music. Guess I’ll be going satellite, too. I hate talk radio. Don’t you have anything better to do? A bunch of people with no life who sit and listen to some jerk either make fun of them or tease them for their opinion or create some nonexistent drama, which there is already enough of in this stupid society. Sports? Really? I am depressed. What a waste.
deaf in one ear
July 31st, 2012
10:53 am
radio…music for people that don’t have ipods……..
JROLL1
July 31st, 2012
10:54 am
BUCKHEAD BENNY…U HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD! STEAK IS THE WORST TIMES 10!!!
Turtle Man
July 31st, 2012
10:54 am
I began to wonder “one of these things is not like the other” – when they added Mitch Evans and his poor-excuse-for-a-sports report every morning.
A person SMART enough to know......
July 31st, 2012
10:56 am
I love MARA but I don’t listen to any other jock on Dave.
Gary B.
July 31st, 2012
10:57 am
Who listens to regular terrestrial radio anymore ????????
enough about overpaid athletes and the games they play
July 31st, 2012
10:57 am
Do we really need to here more opinions about sports and their overpaid prima donna”s? Boring, just like the news outlets in Atlanta.
fan
July 31st, 2012
10:58 am
I am a sport radio fam but that todo more with te void of radio stations here in Atlanta. This is the most uncompetative market I have ever seen. I guess when people gorw up here they have to listen to country, easy listening, or soul. where I lived in Denver they have at leat 3 maybe 4 adult stations and there are seveal rock, alternative, rap, and country stations. That is in a city of about 2.5 million. We have about 5 million and we get 2 rock, 1 alternative, a bunch of country, and a bunch of rap. What does this say about our city?
al brantlinger
July 31st, 2012
10:59 am
Wow what a bummer. the only station I listen to. who the hell needs a third sports talk channel?
Three Jack
July 31st, 2012
10:59 am
Gonna miss Acoustic Sunrise on Sunday morning….but not the Sting overplays and 80s weekends.
enough about overpaid athletes and the games they play
July 31st, 2012
10:59 am
and yes that is my opinion about sports. Maybe I can get a job over at “The Ticket”. Yeah that’s it, The Ticket.
G
July 31st, 2012
11:00 am
With Rick Caffey having a great understanding of the “Atlanta regional” listening audience, I could see opportunities for the 2LIve Stews. This will be a perfect time for 790The Zone to go full-scale-bubba.
K-Ster
July 31st, 2012
11:02 am
Why not try something new? Like a comedy station? With all the songs out there to play, every station seems to repeat (even satellite!). Since music isn’t manageable anymore, it seems, try a new niche. I’m game for a comedy station. MAKE ME LAUGH!!!!!!!!
Dick Lark
July 31st, 2012
11:02 am
I’m more of a music person than sports guy, but when I do listen to broadcast radio, it’s sports talk. There is not a single broadcast music radio station in Atlanta that I can stomach. The morning patter between the “personalities” is even more unbearable than their tired old playlists, and don’t even get me started on the banal commercials. Get satellite radio, folks, or a radio that plays USB and listen to your iTunes in the car.
savior
July 31st, 2012
11:03 am
If this means somehow that 790 finally kicks that blowhard shapiro off the air for good….I’m all for it!
That clown can’t even put a single cohesive thought together and spit it out, yet he’s killing everyone who tries to listen to their radio show with his meandering ramblings every day. Kick that goofwad out!!!
Dick Lark
July 31st, 2012
11:05 am
G…!! What’s up, dawg? I might have known you’d be a Stews fan, sir. All right, all right, all right. Woof woof!
Bill
July 31st, 2012
11:06 am
This sucks. I left DaveFM on all day whenever possible. Yeah, they had their problems (DaveFM caused me to HATE Sting and The Police – required to play one song by them every hour), but I enjoyed the format overall. When they shifted about 4-6 months ago to more of a classic rock (except deep cut songs nobody listened to), I looked into buying an Internet radio. Guess I’m back to shopping for one. Now all I have left for local music is Organic-X.
WTH?
July 31st, 2012
11:06 am
When will these radio execs stop litening to their “expert consultants” and listen to the public? IT’S THE MUSIC, STUPID! EVERY radio station here has such a narrow playlist that they drive listeners away. Open up the playlists, regardless of what your consultants tell you, and listeners will come back. When you tune in and hear the same song 2 or 3 times in a 4 hour air shift, no wonder we are dying from boredom. Until then, I will stick with satellite and AllNews 106.7.
Swann
July 31st, 2012
11:06 am
Okay, what happens to Mara? I pretty much stopped listening when they stopped being Z-93, but always tune in for Mara.
dtanner
July 31st, 2012
11:09 am
who gives a damn about pro sports,i mean come on a bunch of millionaire ballplayers playing a dumb game for a bunch of billionaire owners,just a money making business for these people,what does it have to do with me?
crash
July 31st, 2012
11:10 am
Dave-fm has been on life support for the last couple of years. I am actually surprised that they made it this long. This is what happens when you play the same music over and over again. A listener could actually not listen to them for a few months and then tune in and hear the same songs. Rock listeners in Atlanta will no longer have another station. If only management at Dave-FM had tried to be a little more different and mix it up. As for the numerous morning shows, they did the same thing over and over again as well…This really is not a surprise…
Mike
July 31st, 2012
11:10 am
If they had any clue what’s best for them, they should go back and review Rodney’s post on sports talk radio over the past few years and read the comments as to who the people would want on their dream lineups.
Lots of recurring themes.
That being said, I did like the Dave channel to an extent. They were very obsessed with playing U2 and the same other 40 bands over and over and over and over….and they really seemed to enjoy highlighting “new” artists to no end then just stop playing their music for whatever reason.
winston wolf
July 31st, 2012
11:11 am
Get rid of Steak Shapiro and hire Dimino, Cellini, and Mike Bell…those guys are hilarious. Would be nice to be able to tune them in. 790’s signal is horrible in north ga.
onlycritter1968
July 31st, 2012
11:13 am
Yawn……commercial radio is so 1990s. Local TV is all news, Local radio is all sports.
Otis
July 31st, 2012
11:13 am
If 92.9 can find some decent on air talent, they will have a clear advantage given their signal strength. 790 is dead whenever the sun is down. I really don’t know how they got the Falcons deal or stay in business. 680 has a stronger signal but I find their FM signal to be unclear in Dunwoody. Many times I’ll switch back to the AM signal which works better. Bottom line is 92.9 could own the ATL sports market very easily by grabbing some good local talent. This does not include the Stews, Barnhart and Durham(yawn), or Buck Belue(yawn again).
Deke
July 31st, 2012
11:13 am
Another sports talk station for a city that already has two sports talk stations to offer to its citizens that are indifferent to their professional sports teams. BRILLIANT!!!!
crackbaby
July 31st, 2012
11:16 am
Too bad. Enjoyed the return of Steve Craig to the Atlanta market and Mara is an institution.
Somebody kill 790 already – brain dead management asleep at the switch.
go dawgs
July 31st, 2012
11:16 am
they should keep sully. he knows the local sports fan.
Bryan Stone
July 31st, 2012
11:16 am
No way Atlanta can support 3 sports stations.
Love The Stews
July 31st, 2012
11:17 am
I hope the Stews land here with their original format….barking, dog and poodles, Public Enemy Intro, etc, etc. The “Dead Zone” is supressing their personalities. And like 790 the Zone I’m gone, Alright, Alright.
Johnson
July 31st, 2012
11:17 am
The station will be named 92.9 The Bruhz. Just in time for the announced return of the Thrashers.
Abner
July 31st, 2012
11:20 am
Gosh, how boring will that be?! One more station deleted from my presets. Apparently management was so worried about a morning team. Who cares? Just play good music and we’ll listen. It just ain’t that difficult.
Coach Paul Johnson
July 31st, 2012
11:20 am
I think Steak is fantastic. Then again, I think my offense is great so what do I know? FIRST!!!!
Pete
July 31st, 2012
11:20 am
Too bad. DAVE was the only decent rock station in town. I confess I didn’t listen constantly, but I definitely don’t give a R.A. about sports talk.
Matt
July 31st, 2012
11:20 am
What, exactly, are they going to bring to Atlanta Sports Radio that 790 and 680 don’t already do? What a waste.
Eric
July 31st, 2012
11:22 am
I loved Tim Orff and Yvonne Monet. Sully and Mara complete the total of 4 Atlanta DJs I like listening to. Maybe it’s the metrics that are off. Dave FM will be sorely missed. I’ve never in 39 years had a friend who listened to sports radio.
jbv
July 31st, 2012
11:22 am
Honestly , if you are still listening to FM radio for the music you are either living in another world or just so poor that all you can afford is “Free” radio. Once I read the story I had to read the comments.
Who care’s if they leave the rock format and go all sports talk? maybe 100 people in all of Atlanta. its just another talking point for Rodaney…. They changed formats because FM radio music sucks so bad nobody listens to it and they cant sell any more stupid back hair removal treatments commercials. at least ANYBODY with half a brain can discuss sports….just look around and see who’s doing it now for proof.
Get an ipone or any smartphone. Not only will your world of entertainment options open up, you can get FREE streaming music from Spotify WITH NO COMMERCIALS…..and its free…there are thousands of great podcast on itunes that you could listen to about everything from world business to environmental discussion to basic info for life…….or you could just listen to a couple of nit wits talking about nothing so you can escape the world your currently in. Good luck to everyone,
Michaela
July 31st, 2012
11:23 am
When Dave FM started they played unknown songs, B-sides, deep cuts. They were willing to take chances.
I moved away for 4.5 years and came back Jan ‘11. Now Dave FM was just like every other station – the same old songs, repeated over and over.
Contrary to popular believe, people like to be surprised. Businesses keep going by statistics as to which songs are popular and they play them to death. For many of us that kills the interest. If I like a song enough I can find a way to listen to it via the internet etc and don’t need the radio.
The internet has changed how people listen to music and radio stations need to adapt, if they want to survive. Don’t go with the same ol’, because that’s what worked in the past. Introduce us to new things, new songs, new musicians, new bands – playing it safe is boring
Loyal LIstener
July 31st, 2012
11:25 am
THAT SUCKS!!!!! Been listening for over 15 years!!
Pete E. Tong
July 31st, 2012
11:25 am
Who cares? You should be listening to The Regular Guys in the morning anyways.
Ken Dollar
July 31st, 2012
11:27 am
Gosh, the sports radio selection in ATL is CAT! Roo to the Ques!!
Joanna
July 31st, 2012
11:28 am
Z93 was Top 40 back in the 70s. I think that was their heyday. Music and terrestrial radio hasn’t been the same since the 80s. I’ll stick with my iPod.
frmtheblchers
July 31st, 2012
11:29 am
Stopped listening to FM radio years ago,with all the good and new music out there I had to listen to the same songs ALL THE TIME.Now with all the ipods and other listening means I make MY own music, hook to my receiver and hit shuffle.
bfd
July 31st, 2012
11:30 am
chuck and chernoff?? lol the worst most annoying tandem on the radio
D Mat
July 31st, 2012
11:31 am
When my son was in scouting(eons ago) he was DJ for a day..Mara showed him around the station and that led him to be a DJ on his college radio station..A very positive role model..Good luck Mara!
hellyeah
July 31st, 2012
11:31 am
Cant wait. I am an avid sportstalk radio listener but have a hard time always picking up the signal because i live in the east metro. Hopefully they can mix the best from 790 and 680 ie domino, chelinni, mike bell and chuck and chernoff and maybe even ole archer. Dont care for the stews shtick always but love what brandon leake and dj shockley bring. love it but my wife is gonna b pissed
Wade in Marietta
July 31st, 2012
11:32 am
I have a radio playing at work since I work in a reception area of a business, and Dave FM plays a mix of songs that is palatable (sp) to many people’s tastes. It has (had) a good blend of radio personalities and was interactive with the audience, which I like. I love sports and can follow sports ever day, but there are few sports persoanlities that are as good at sports as the music experts at Dave FM. I think this will be a big mistake like the failed Jimmy Baron reserection project. Dave FM, Please do not bring on the “Coach and Coleman” show, or any of the morning sports radio personalities in Atlanta.
BronxMike
July 31st, 2012
11:32 am
atlanta sports radio—very lame. Too much chatter about non-sports stuff to promote restaurants, etc. for comps, very little true sports talk. Come to NY for real sports radio. I miss the Bronx.
Frank
July 31st, 2012
11:32 am
I don’t get why anyone would want to start another sports radio station in Atlanta. If it were all college football talk, then it will do fine but most people here don’t seem to care about the other sports, so what are they going to talk about from January to August?
Mateo
July 31st, 2012
11:33 am
With 107.9 gone to talk and now Dave there are officially no good music stations (other than college and WABE) left in Atlanta. I listened to Z93 when I was a kid and when it went from pop to oldies I learned a lot about GOOD music and Fox 97 was great in that regard as well.
It’s too bad that we are only left with the River and it’s ad nauseum playing of the same 10 songs over and over and over again. Can I please hear Dream On 3 times a day for the rest of my life?
morning radio fan
July 31st, 2012
11:34 am
yea, the music on dave can be decent at times but their dj’s are pretty terrible, no substance and about 30 seconds of mindless rambling between songs doesn’t really fly, more sports radio doesn’t sound like a great call either though, at least it won’t have more of the bert show (hands down the most worthless “show” on the radio)
Kate
July 31st, 2012
11:36 am
Bummer! Accoustic Sunrise was my favorite program for the entire week.
Kate
July 31st, 2012
11:37 am
Enter your comments here
Allison Wonderland
July 31st, 2012
11:37 am
Sirius is so worth the $12 a month!! Atlanta radio is dead!! Case closed.
Tag
July 31st, 2012
11:37 am
If you play the same music over and over you’re history.
Rick
July 31st, 2012
11:39 am
The one friggin station station thats plays hip music changes to sports talk. The South continues to live up to its rep.
Richard Bagge
July 31st, 2012
11:41 am
I had what I thought was an insightful and witty rejoinder about this station playing the Police so darn much that we were calling it “StingFM” within a week of its launch, but I see that joke has already been made by everybody else in the city already.
Jim P
July 31st, 2012
11:41 am
Well…considering the other sports stations (well 680 is awful courtesy of Carl Oliver) aren’t much good….at least one more station to try out will maybe be worth it. However, Dave FM is a good one and I hate to see them go.
JJ
July 31st, 2012
11:43 am
Yup, that’s what we need, more talk radio. Less music.
Atlanta radio is horrible at best. I gave it up years ago, and switched to my iPhone, where I have my big huge fabulous collection of CD’s on there. I can listen to what I want, when I want, and best of all NO FREAKING COMMERCIALS OR ANNOYING DJ’s…….
10Dawgs
July 31st, 2012
11:43 am
@fan Make that a bunch of Kiddie-Pop and NO REAL COUNTRY!
Kane337
July 31st, 2012
11:44 am
What ever happens please keep Mike Bell and Dave Archer together. They make a great tandem. I absolutely love their show. Best in town.
ozemc
July 31st, 2012
11:45 am
the music Dave FM played was for a very limited audience. I had removed them from my radio button a long time ago.
Rich Black
July 31st, 2012
11:46 am
No one cares about this.
Sage of Bluesland
July 31st, 2012
11:46 am
It will be interesting to see; I will give the new station a listen.
I think 790 has gotten much better over the past year while I’ve stopped listening to 680 entirely. Chuck Oliver is the best on that station and it’s not even close….but I don’t listen to him for two reasons: the annoying Chernoff and it conflicts with a better show in Bell/Archer.
Used to listen to 680 at lunch due to Oliver–but they made that easier for me when they put Belue/Kincade in that slot. Buck is nothing but an embarrassment and Kincade’s very credibility is shot based on all of his misstatements related to the Thrashers….
790’s morning show rules, without a doubt. I left it when all they seemed to talk about was where they ate last night and the baby-Sophie….Steak doesn’t grate on my nerves like he used to (there’s an endorsement of sorts!). Dimino can’t spit a question out without giving his predetermined version of an answer–and that drives me nuts–but he usually brings it. Cellini is entertaining.
If any station sinks, I hope it’s 680. It has become an unlistenable embarrassment. It’s a shame, too, as at one time my radio was switched to them exclusively. Oh well, such is to neglecting your customers…
CBS
July 31st, 2012
11:46 am
Bring Toucher and Rich to Atlanta
Brent
July 31st, 2012
11:47 am
One less reason to listen to FM in Atlanta………………..
Tim
July 31st, 2012
11:47 am
hey rodney…790 also has georgia tech sports…but that’s par for the course..the ajc forgetting that georgia tech exists.
Frank
July 31st, 2012
11:47 am
@jbv Terrestrial Radio only sucks in some places, one of them being Atlanta. Radio in NY, Detroit, and San Francisco is fantastic. Yes, you can listen to Spotify and internet radio but places like Atlanta and Dallas you kind of have to because the radio is so bad. Other places have great stations that broaden people’s horizons.
epic quibble
July 31st, 2012
11:48 am
Wille B. was my first gorilla.
Sports Maven
July 31st, 2012
11:49 am
Great news for Mitch Evans. Hopefully Caffey and Foxx give him a real shot, something that neither 680 or 790 did. The Mitch is a great guy, knows his stuff, and posseses the personality they’re seeking.
Noooooooo!
July 31st, 2012
11:49 am
Well, that just sux.
Sam-A
July 31st, 2012
11:50 am
For God’s sake, aren’t there enough crappy talk radio stations in this market? I agree with someone on pg 1 though, I haven’t listened to it since Z93 passed away (was a great station). I desperately miss the oldies station that died recently. And 97 “The River” has changed their concept drastically – pretty much crappola – at first they played good music. TG for CD players! And the occasions when Star 94 and B98.5 slip up and play something actually good.
Mac
July 31st, 2012
11:52 am
BYE BYE 680! Thank goodness Lincoln Financial bought 790 and can now outlast 680.
tim
July 31st, 2012
11:53 am
Note to 92.9
Don’t make the format like your sister station…..aka… the stupidpeoplesstation.
Don’t broadcast the idiots Stews.. How many times in a sentence can a guy say “man”?
jc
July 31st, 2012
11:54 am
get steve gorman sports on the station
Kevin
July 31st, 2012
11:55 am
Steve was the only reason I listened to that station at all anymore. Oh well, yet another bunch of know-it-all sports jocks take over more of the airwaves.
Sports Fan
July 31st, 2012
11:56 am
790 the Zone is toast. Weak signal! Bring on another FM station.
No STU's
July 31st, 2012
11:58 am
If you want me to listen to this new station the “two live stews” must not be a part of it. There is a reason why their rating dropped to practically nothing and they are being phased out at 790.
They started talking less about sports and more about hip-hip culture and relating it to sports.
Do NOT put that garbage on this station if you want it to survive.
Margaret M
July 31st, 2012
11:59 am
Very sad news……..I really liked 92.9. I will never listen to sports radio so I just hope the talented DJ’s will still be here in Atlanta…….they made Dave FM unique. I do understand that the market must be very difficult……just like what happened to network news with the advent of the internet. There are too many choices for people. I would have loved Dave FM to keep with playing more obscure tracks and not be so repetitive but fans like myself are also a niche market now.
TwoLive
July 31st, 2012
12:04 pm
bring back the stews to the new FM station–prime time in the morning!! their show is the thing with the dogs and poodles thing and the barking stuff. They promote the black stuff which is big in the ATL, an african-american city!
PMC
July 31st, 2012
12:05 pm
LOL@ the inability to find talent in smaller markets.
Imagine that, the Telecom act of 1996 comes home to roost. The concentration of media ownership allows large corporations to basically pay nothing for so long, no one is willing to do it for penuts anymore. It’s thier own fault, they put on hot garbage national shows overnights instead of hiring people to put on local shows.
Stephanie
July 31st, 2012
12:05 pm
I’m with Pete!
JCH
July 31st, 2012
12:06 pm
Note to B98.5 and 97.1…. start playing BETTER music! With two more stations (DaveFM and 106.7) dropping out you have the opportunity to capture a significant portion of the Atlanta market. Don’t blow it! Step it up. Play it and they will come…. Win over the crowd desperately searching for listening alternatives in Atlanta.
Sirius her I come...
July 31st, 2012
12:06 pm
Too bad. Mara and Margot were actually knowledgeable about the music that they played. But DaveFM narrowed their playlist too much. I can only listen to so much Tom Petty every day. Atlanta needs three sports radio stations like I need a hole in the head.
PMC
July 31st, 2012
12:06 pm
Good luck to Doug and Ryan.
Bring back the Stews!
July 31st, 2012
12:06 pm
Love to see there original format back on the radio! And with that being said, I’m gone !
Lindsey
July 31st, 2012
12:07 pm
What a bummer, I love Mara!!
Dennis
July 31st, 2012
12:07 pm
Third sports station? Bring it on, let the competition decodes who stays and who goes. Simple. I imagine the folks at both current stations have their agents working overtime right now. If I read the article correctly it appears the new station will be under CBS’s umbrella, and that’s got to carry some weight.
Since everyone is already playing the musical chairs game here’s my wish list for new station talkers: Barnhardt & Durham, Chuck Oliver, Brandon, Sandra Gold, and Dave Archer.
I would have included Domino, but he can’t shut up. A sign of a good interviewer is never hearing the words “I” or “me” come of their mouth. Listen to any of Chris’ interviews, count the number of times you hear the words “I” and “me” from him, and then ask yourself, “What was the question?” Basically he gives his thoughts and then it’s usually followed by “Right, Chris…” from the guest.
So many people have said it, terrestrial radio is quickly fading away. Same for local evening news on TV. Doing the same thing the same way doesn’t cut it anymore.
fred_mertz
July 31st, 2012
12:08 pm
do you think DAVE FM could take Jamie DuPree from WSB with them when they leave?
…still can’t figure out where in the heck is “Washing-TEN”…
Definitelynotpositively4thstreet
July 31st, 2012
12:10 pm
Sad that a city once blessed with top-of-the-line rock/pop radio stations and creative, knowledgeable, and humorous DJs the likes of WQXI-AM (”Quxie in Dixie” with Paul Drew, Scott Shannon, and so many others); WAKE-AM (with Bob McKee and his delightfully funny cohorts); WPLO-FM (deep album cuts from the classic Brit and American bands); WKLS-FM during its heyday of good hard rock and definitely not the same songs/artists every hour on the hour; and WRAS-FM in its first couple of years (Elton when Elton was something special, Bloodrock when “DOA” was the rage, and how about Goose Creek Symphony, Hydra, and the Hampton Grease Band among so many many non-commercial groups and artists of real musicians and intelligent songwriters? Where are you now, Carl Hayward?) — really sad that music radio has come to this in the Atlanta area. Dave 92.9 definitely isn’t/wasn’t perfect, but considering the alternatives….And, yes, some of us still enjoy commercial radio with a rock/pop flair – even the commercials can add so much color and history to a time and place that Internet and Satellite radio don’t. Once again, $$$$ rules at the expense of creativity, imagination, and all those other intangibles that made Top 40/underground FM radio so special. I suspect a lot of us just weren’t made for these times, either, Brian.
Lyle
July 31st, 2012
12:11 pm
Satellite radio exists for people who can’t work their iPod. Absolutely silly to pay for such poor quality when there are so many other alternatives available.
ryan stewart
July 31st, 2012
12:12 pm
heys don’ts cut me loose here, if it wasnt’s fors 790 i’s be workin downs at the car wash
Disappointed
July 31st, 2012
12:12 pm
Yes, another reason for satellite. Loved Dave FM and am EXTREMELY disappointed
Ed
July 31st, 2012
12:12 pm
Never cared for Mara Davis. Please S Up and play the music! That’s why I quit listening to Dave FM years ago. At least that led me to satellite radio. Sorry for the negative comment but she was really annoying.
sliderule
July 31st, 2012
12:13 pm
How can any “big” city not have a jazz station. Wonder if any other “big” city doesn’t?
Glenn
July 31st, 2012
12:13 pm
Christopher Rude is a total and complete joke!!!
david c
July 31st, 2012
12:13 pm
We finally get Steve Craig back on the air, and…I won’t miss Dave otherwise. Mara Davis has become annoying. And who cares about anybody else.
Timon
July 31st, 2012
12:17 pm
104.9 The Rebel in northwest georgia. The only radio station I have ever heard that does it right.
KeeKee
July 31st, 2012
12:17 pm
I hate to hear this. Loved Mara and it always made my day to hear Yvonne. Best of luck to them both. I hope they get picked up by another station soon!!!
Lurkinator
July 31st, 2012
12:18 pm
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! How many freakin’ all-news and all-sports stations does one town need?!
Steve McCoy
July 31st, 2012
12:28 pm
It will always be Z93 to me. Beau Bock and Shadow Stevens were the best.
I can close my eyes and hear Beau’s voice and I’m suddenly floating in the deep end of the Riverbend pool. And I still have my legs.
ATLBRAVE
July 31st, 2012
12:29 pm
Hiring the 2 LIVE STEWS on this FM signal will be their best move. Put them on Midday during football season and steal a good portion of listeners from the other two AM sports stations. The Stews have A LOT of haters but they are ENTERTAINING never the less and they create BUZZ. They were good enough to get syndicated and on ESPN with just the two of them running THEIR format.
The upper management running the stations here in Atlanta are what makes Atlanta radio so BLAND. Everybody is so scared and playing it safe. The #1 song in america does not need to be played 5 times every hour. Sound effects are actually FUNNY if used correctly. If your signal sucks after 7pm..NOBODY CAN HEAR YOU! And last but not least, great personalities and exciting FORMAT are what drives business and ratings, ask Howard Stern, Rush, Hannity..ect. Great radio personalities that all have the same pattern of providing newsworthy shows..EVERY SHOW! Playing it safe gets people fired! WAKE UP radio station managers and executives!
Banned Poster
July 31st, 2012
12:29 pm
Ah yes the constant “790s days are numbered” mantra is alive and well. How long have you bozos been saying that everytime Rodney HOOOOO has a new blog up about sports talk radio? Since 2004 as early as I recall. Yet they are still here and most of the ensemble cast is still there.
Here’s a prediction on the new station: Syndication. Yes, CBS has a sports network and has guys like Tim Brando and Jim Rome with radio shows that they also air on the CBS Sports TV Network. This what you will get along with Mitch Evans likely getting a local show with some other castoffs, but nothing earth shattering. It will be just like All News 106.7 and won’t move the meters until contracts of other personalities expire and when the major sports teams are up for the radio rights renewals. Unless 680 can get a better FM signal, they can kiss their Braves and Hawks contracts good bye. 92.9 is a much stronger signal and 790 at least has 94.1 to keep the Falcons on.
Christopher Rude
July 31st, 2012
12:29 pm
Glen is what some people would call a joke. We in the business refer to him as a loser.
The Reverend Baby Doctor Bedpan
July 31st, 2012
12:31 pm
This blog is a waste of band width.
godoggo
July 31st, 2012
12:32 pm
Im gonna Miss MaaaaaaaaaaaRa ! I know of few other people ( Kady Kyle?, Margot, and definitelyKristen Charles) who work harder and know More about the Business……..And Steak……im with ya, fingernails on a chaulkboard : /
How Great will the World be when we can “bleep” or “tone” out those in the like of Steak, etc…..that Annoy us to No end when they have comments…….and i consider myslef one of the most receptive humans in Town…..just sayin.
And Make Sure you include Woman in the Talent lineup……
Can i get an Amen….Holler if ya hear me ?
J
July 31st, 2012
12:33 pm
If they are smart they will hire Barnhart and Durham. That was the best show on radio until 790 killed it.
If they hire The Stews I’ll never listen. They were awful.
raised on radio and disheartened
July 31st, 2012
12:33 pm
Definitelynotpositively4thst: WOW the Hampton Grease Band! And remember 96 playing Col. Bruce Hampton’s Aquarium Rescue Unit? That was in ‘91. Twenty years later, and you’d never, EVER hear something like that on the remaining stations. Now it’s beamed in via satellite, same ol’ crapola. 96 now only plays overproduced payola-driven angst-ridden rubbish for teens and immature man-children. The other two “rock” stations we have: one plays cheeseball ’80s as if it’s “classic,” another that plays the same three eagles tunes.
As other posters have mentioned: no jazz (unless you catch the weak signals of 88.5 or 91.9). A city of 5 mil can’t support a decent jazz station??
Our country stations are overrun with soulless new stuff from the nashville machine.
What a sad state of affairs in this overgrown plastic metropolis.
I’ll stick with 1190 am from 10 to noon (the ONLY interesting talk show on the dial, period.), WLJA for roots, bluegrass, and gospel, and 1400 for inspiration.
Sports talk is the most insipid format of all. Just pathetic.
Dale Murphy
July 31st, 2012
12:35 pm
Good! It would be nice to be able to actually get a signal for sports talk. Not only that, but PLEASE get somenew talent. Do NOT recycle the same idiots that have been responsible for awful sports talk in Atlanta for the last 20 years. NEW blood is needed.
Jim Rome
July 31st, 2012
12:36 pm
Seriously………(long pause)…………..Mitch Evans as “sports expert” ???? Why doesn’t Atlanta just hire the Concordia cruise captain for trips down the Chattahoochie. Not sure if Mitch “Evans” Cohen and I can co-exist on the same station, much less a lazy sportscaster like “The Mitch…..Hoooston” can handle my Jungle Karma at CBS Radio. Time and practice will tell….”what’d we talking about….practice ?!?”). Long live the SRT4 Crew !!!
Bummer
July 31st, 2012
12:37 pm
Was so glad when Steve Craig came back to Atlanta. Really thought he was the best DJ around. Best of Luck.
bandmom09
July 31st, 2012
12:38 pm
Satellite radio, here I come.I have tried to hang on to Dave FM for years, thinking they would get better. Over the stations in the ATL area. see ya
DruidhillsJim
July 31st, 2012
12:40 pm
Mara is awesome — Margot is great & Yvonne is very fun. Sadly I never really cared for most anyone else on the show. I’m sure the 3 ladies I mentioned will be snagged up by another station – hopefully a local station. I’ll miss you ladies.
dave
July 31st, 2012
12:41 pm
Dave FM never really stood for any type of music. They were all over the place with their rock format. Couldn’t they have at least been a ‘JACK FM’ station? Atlanta is one of the few markets without a JACK FM station. The format where they play anything from the 80’s and 90’s mostly.
Local airwaves are already saturated with sports talk. Can’t imagine another sports talk station working, especially without local hosts. How much sports is there to really talk about? We don’t have a hockey team anymore, no one cares about the Hawks. That leaves 2 teams for 3 stations.
Chico Escuela
July 31st, 2012
12:42 pm
Rodney,
Last month, CBS Sports Radio and Cumulus announced an agreement to partner together for a Sports Talk Radio Network that was going to include 680 the Fan, if I remember correctly.
Does this mean that deal, at least the Atlanta part is dead?
Jill
July 31st, 2012
12:42 pm
I hope this mean we actually have a radio station in Atlanta that will cover NASCAR races!
Ellen
July 31st, 2012
12:44 pm
What a bummer. I agree with Tara, really enjoy Mara and Rich “Sully”. I had noticed Sully asking opinions a lot the last week or so and I was thinking is he becoming an afternoon talk show now?? You guys did a great job at Dave and the best of luck to you in the job hunt. Stay in the Atl please!!
deepcut
July 31st, 2012
12:46 pm
I wish there was a decent station in Atlanta to listen to interesting music, but to sell ads the “program directors” seem to think you have to appeal to the lowest common denominator. For the last few years, that’s been playing the same 50 lame rock songs over and over and over (and over). I guess to go even lower, you switch to sports talk.
Michael
July 31st, 2012
12:46 pm
People still listen to broadcast music? To me, the on-air personalities are not enough to make up for the repetition of the music choices. Most stations play the same music over and over and over. People dont buy cd’s like they used to, they download music. So playing the hits hoping it will sell cd’s, which in turn should expose people to the rest of the music on said cd, isn’t happening anymore. The majority of people only listen to what is played on the radio, even on their own Iphones. I have always said radio stations should dig deeper and play music that isn’t normally played. If you want to hear the same Led Zep, Stones, Aerosmith, Petty, etc, keep listening to radio. True music fans turn to internet music, to be exposed to music you don’t hear everyday.
its about time.
July 31st, 2012
12:46 pm
What, exactly, are they going to bring to Atlanta Sports Radio that 790 and 680 don’t already do?
Bingo. THREE 24×7 sports talk stations? Really?
Dave
July 31st, 2012
12:49 pm
I don’t know what content wise they can bring that 680 and 790 don’t already have but I know one thing they have that 680 doesn’t. A decent FM transmitter. I’m so tired of the poor quality signal broadcast in the northern suburbs. I drive from Woodstock to Alpharetta everyday and I get tired of the 93.7 FM broadcast flipping between 680 the fan and Z93.7 in Warner Robins GA. Somedays I feel like I”m trying to listen to the 680 show on a station coming from Chattanooga TN. It’s not my car radio either. I have four cars and have the same problem on all four.
Vino Gurl
July 31st, 2012
12:50 pm
Are they flip’n crazy!!! Dave fm was one of the only decent music stations left in Atlanta and now its being replaced with a lame sports format! Shame on you CBS for making such a moronic decision. Margo was an awesome music program director & we were introduced to some really awesome playlists & new music talent. If I were an advertiser I’d be irate! Here’s hoping NO ONE will support Atlanta advertising on the radio. Sully, Yvonne, & Mara …….you are the greatest! Hope we get you back somewhere on the Atl airwaves soon.
Chevallier
July 31st, 2012
12:52 pm
When I was in college all of the gay guys who still weren’t out yet loved the Dave Matthews Band.
With more recent tolerance of the gays, that niche may be shrinking.
I guess that format outlived its purpose.
PMC
July 31st, 2012
12:53 pm
Hope there’s still a spot for Brother Babe Ruth.
Marketing Guru
July 31st, 2012
12:55 pm
NASCAR is for fat white guys who never went to college.
In the US that makes up about 70% of the middle class.
Nikole
July 31st, 2012
12:56 pm
This makes me so sad. I listen to Dave all day at work. I love the on-air personalities.
clark kent
July 31st, 2012
12:58 pm
680 has nothing to worry about if Dave is counting on Mitch “clueless” Evans to be thier cornerstone. And 2-Live-Stews? Bwahahahahahahaha. Is it their intent to form a charity organization to help washed out connecticut school of broadcasting alums?
dtanner
July 31st, 2012
12:59 pm
@sliderule, i agree with you, need sooth jazz station,miss wjzz and that classy lady rene miller
PTC DAWG
July 31st, 2012
1:06 pm
790 comes in strong on the 2nd HD signal of 94.1
Just an FYI.
I will also ask, what about Dave Roots? HD2 on 92.9?
Ricky B
July 31st, 2012
1:06 pm
Just please don’t turn it into another bland, boring sports format like 680. I love 790’s mix of sports and other entertainment stuff. And those of you that don’t like Steak Shapiro and the crew at 790 either take yourselves too seriously or have no sense of humor.
rob
July 31st, 2012
1:06 pm
What a bunch of crap. Caffey, you’re an idiot.
SAWB
July 31st, 2012
1:07 pm
Who is Dave?
Gary
July 31st, 2012
1:09 pm
When 99x jumped the shark I went to XM and never looked back.
Get Real
July 31st, 2012
1:09 pm
Nobody in ATL goes to the games let alone talks about them on radio. Go listen to any show in ATL and notice just how few calls they actually get – its just a wasteland of babble as hosts try hard to fill what otherwise would be dead air. I have called both stations in town many times and I get on the air in a matter of seconds – its almost instantaneous.
Sports talk thrives where there is a firery interchange between the hosts and the callers. And when there are no callers there needs to be debate between the hosts. The shows in ATL are like listening to two fat toads just sit next to each other croaking. No real talent would ever leave a passionate sports market to come to ATL, let alone to a 3rd sports station in ATL!
RobC
July 31st, 2012
1:11 pm
Too bad Chattanooga and north as well as Macon and south have better choices for rock radio than Atlanta. As soon as the moronic station owners and managers get a clue that they will never be able to beat v103 in ratings they might just get a winner for their demographic. Not everyone here likes rap/r&b, country or talk radio. Atlanta radio is the worst in the USA.
STFU Get Real
July 31st, 2012
1:12 pm
You must love the internet troll.
buckhead benny
July 31st, 2012
1:15 pm
I am sure Dickey will figure out a way to enhance their signal fyi soon now that there is a different player in the market- When you only have 790 the Zone I don’t think there was any urgency- I am sure since they do own radio stations across the country that they know the technology needed or know the companies or radio signals to buy in the burbs to enhance the signals for the FM bandwidth.
Just my gut, but I would bet Cumulous media has the resources and the technology know how to make that happen.
Smart Move
July 31st, 2012
1:16 pm
Two things are clear here:
1. If NYC and Boston, the two best sports markets for talk only have two stations then a bottom feeder market like ATL will NEVER have 3.
2. CBS knows this fact and finds itself in a very good position strategically. Consider:
a. One of the two sports stations has no FM signal and cant be heard in half the city. CBS has an FM signal that can be heard everywhere.
b. CBS is launching a sports network to compete with ESPN radio. Suddenly they find themselves in a large market with a new sports station that needs syndicated programming – coincidence? Get real.
Word of advice: do not make the mistake of recycling the same lame talent that seems to bounce from one sports station here to the other. They have no loyal following, are not compelling, and you should expect no different. There is room for new voices to rise up and produce good talk. Just poaching the same ratings losers wont get you anywhere.
Dan
July 31st, 2012
1:16 pm
Meh, the station was terribly repetitive and Mara was uncomfortably unfunny. No big loss.
A Different Jeff
July 31st, 2012
1:17 pm
This is a smart business move. As Rodney’s post on Pandora indicated, terrestrial music radio is dying, so those stations have to find something to replace it with. Things like news, talk, sports, etc. fit the bill.
I imagine that in a year, 92.9 will be about 50% syndication and 50% local shows, with hosts picked off from 790. The Zone will be dead or dying, and the Fan will be working to boost its signal so it can be heard better OTP.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
July 31st, 2012
1:17 pm
Just what Atlanta needs, more sports talk radio..
Acting!!!
Brilliant!!!
Hirsutedawg
July 31st, 2012
1:17 pm
Bring back the Bottom Line…… best damn sports show ever on ATL radio.
Big Chill
July 31st, 2012
1:17 pm
I’m bummed. I was unhappy when they got rid of Carter (traffic) and then Jimmy & Yvonne in the a.m. You can’t compare this to those other staions. 92.9 has a great mix, no hard rock. Important question – what about Rocco, The Green Guru?
Marketing Guru
July 31st, 2012
1:18 pm
Steak and the gang are ok if you have the sense of humor of a seventh grader.
That one guy is a genuine moron, though. You know, the bald one with the goatee.
Want more sports talk in Atlanta? | AJC Sports Talk
July 31st, 2012
1:19 pm
[...] AJC’s Rodney Ho reports that local rock station 92.9/Dave FM plans to become an FM sports talk station in late September or early October. At least for the next two months or so, the on-air staff and [...]
bearcrazyman
July 31st, 2012
1:19 pm
What a mistake to take down a 20+ year old rock station. Who the frig wants to listen to sports talk?
Invigga Please!
World's Second Oldest teenager
July 31st, 2012
1:19 pm
Both 680 the fan and 790 the zone do fine jobs of giving us good sports/talk. I wish we had a really great music station coming to DAVE instead of another sports/talk station. Other than Scott Shannon’s True Oldies channel, we have not had a decent radio station to listen to in many years. I would have loved to see that format come back or if we stick to newer music, then I would like to see the much discussed alternative pop radio format finally get going here. Mainstream acts like Adele, Gaga, etc along with alternative acts like Depeche Mode, Talking Heads, and others of that style, except please …no Sting or Police…they are much overated.
STFU
July 31st, 2012
1:19 pm
Hear a lot of compelling caller / host exchange on ATL sports radio, do ya? Call any show on either station and tell me how long it takes for you to get on the air.
Bummed
July 31st, 2012
1:21 pm
I like DaveFM better than most of the current Atlanta FM stations. I especially like Mara. I hope she lands somewhere else in Atlanta. I hate talk radio. I hope their new venture fails miserably. But it will probably do OK. Instead of playing the Police every 5 minutes they can just say Go Dawgs every 5 minutes and plenty of Atlantans will tune in and listen to the rest of the banality.
2 live Moes
July 31st, 2012
1:21 pm
If 92.9 puts “The 2 live Moe’s” on there station, it’s a guarantee I will not be listening. Those guys are awful
Boogie Fever
July 31st, 2012
1:28 pm
I hate to hear it, but I’m not surprised. Dave got really repetitive, and the only times I listened were if I happened to be in the car while Mara or Margot was on, and that was more because of their personalities and knowledge of music – the tracks that were actually played weren’t that great. And changing to a sports radio format isn’t going to help. There’s already too much talk radio in Atlanta!
If you want a station with real personality and variety, listen to Album 88. That and WABE are the only stations I listen to now.
Reid in EAV
July 31st, 2012
1:31 pm
Hate it for my friend and neighbor Margot, especially. Hope there’s a happy ending for her. In the meantime I am declaring the local commercial band OVER. Nothing but non-comms for me from here on out.
Les
July 31st, 2012
1:33 pm
I will become an instant listener if they pick-up the 2-Live Stews.
Willydoit?
July 31st, 2012
1:33 pm
Nick Cillini and Chris Dimino were two of the best and funniest sports guys in Atlanta…then they messed up their show by adding Steak Shipiro!
Sorry for the spelling of the names….not a big enough sports fan to learn how to spell them correctly.
680'sFAN
July 31st, 2012
1:36 pm
How can you all stomach the 2 Live Stews? I’ve tried a couple of times and couldn’t take the barking and all the over-the-top circus stuff. I’m a hip-hop guy– but that forced, crazy $#!* is NOT what I want to hear when I’m wanting to hear about sports.
Thanks for nothing.
July 31st, 2012
1:36 pm
Atlanta finally had a rock station that played a variety of rock music instead of the same songs over and over lke Z-93 and the River. All those stations did was make me hate my favorite music. Dave even introduced me newer acts that I have learned to enjoy.
Listening to a bunch of jock wannabes jabber about overpaid thugs and ne’er-do-wells is about as exciting as listen to women jabber about shoes.
92.9 – DELETE
Glad I have a 32GB music player in the car.
billy bob
July 31st, 2012
1:36 pm
V103 will always dominate in atlanta,i mean if all of you had’nt noticed atlanta is kinda “dark”
680'sFAN
July 31st, 2012
1:39 pm
I also wonder if 680 will make a move to a better FM signal. The 93.7 doesn’t pick up well outside of the city.
John Hall
July 31st, 2012
1:42 pm
It was only a matter of time….growing up in Atlanta I have seen it all. Though I don’t live there anymore I remember when college radio brought out the really good stuff. For profit stations picked up on it and things were good for a long time….remember 96 rock!….remember the first song they played? The WHO!…those were the days……….music was great in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and until recently was worth listening to….now there is nothing left worth listening to…..all I do now is go to utube and crank up the WHo, Stones and Yes to name a few…….so it is no the fault of the personalites……..the times…they have changed!
zem
July 31st, 2012
1:42 pm
Not happy. Listened to Z93 for many years and have listened to Dave ever since it changed. Will go wherever Mara goes.
what_what
July 31st, 2012
1:45 pm
sadly no big deal….this station had no respect for the music; constantly talked over it and didn’t have the best rotation. and mara davis? annoying….still remember when she had her mom in the studio a few years ago. yeesh. as usual, another fm radio station that doesn’t understand that people want to listen to music and not incessant babbling.
damnthatradiolistener
July 31st, 2012
1:48 pm
88.5 had a lot to do with this, as well as sucking recently
nakia
July 31st, 2012
1:48 pm
come on over 2 love stews to a whole new world
Marie
July 31st, 2012
1:50 pm
I love Sully-keep him. He knows sports.
Tiffany
July 31st, 2012
1:51 pm
Well, that sucks. I like Dave FM way better than any of the other radio stations in town. They play such a good mix of music, and I like Mara a ton. I hate sports – why do we need a third sports station in town?!?
darryl oates
July 31st, 2012
1:53 pm
hey john hall,you need to quit living in the past,your out of touch and i’m out of time
Marsh
July 31st, 2012
1:57 pm
First, all you “who listens to radio?” idiots – just leave the room, already. I’m sick of your asinine comments about terrestrial radio. Hate it? Stop reading and commenting on it – what a novel idea.
Wasn’t Steve Craig just recently slapped on the back for being the greatest and now he’s getting the can? Way to go, Atlanta. Finally get a morning personality (back) that’s worth hearing, plays some music, spends an afternoon broadcasting with Mike Mills, and fire him. We’ll miss you, Steve.
I admit being sick of the Police, but it was the only music station left that was at all tolerable. Sports talk? The lowest form of entertainment. Boo.
Tresca
July 31st, 2012
2:00 pm
THIS TOTALLY SUCKS!
Rob
July 31st, 2012
2:00 pm
its Obama’s fault!!!… or Romneys, or Bush’s, or probably goes all the way back to Nixon!….
Rob
July 31st, 2012
2:02 pm
Marsh…. your brain is ……..oh forget it, not stooping to that level!
David Puddy
July 31st, 2012
2:04 pm
Let’s move Chuck & Turnoff over to the new gig and hide them forever.
Marsh
July 31st, 2012
2:05 pm
rob, didn’t I tell you how stupid you are elsewhere? Let’s stick to that.
Dennis
July 31st, 2012
2:08 pm
“Sister station KDKA (THE FAN)/PITTSBURGH PD TERRY FOXX will join the station to handle programming.”
This is from Allaccess.com. Think I’ll listen to KDKA for a few to get an idea of what the new PD is bringing..
CBS To Launch FM Sports In Atlanta
July 31st, 2012
2:09 pm
[...] first reported by Rodney Ho of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, station GM Rick Caffrey told the station’s [...]
Sport
July 31st, 2012
2:11 pm
Who cares? Seriously, Atlanta is the worst radio market on the planet. A redneck sports station won’t help.
StingerSplash
July 31st, 2012
2:14 pm
Just what Atlanta needs – another underwhelming sports talk station. More mindless boobs on the airwaves than Playboy Radio.
Captain Herb
July 31st, 2012
2:15 pm
Can somebody possibly remove the anti-Semitic comments from the site?
Dennis
July 31st, 2012
2:17 pm
Finding interesting things while searching this topic on the web… from Inside Radio:
Atlanta’s “Dave FM” to go sports.
Two decades of rock will come to an end this fall when CBS Radio flips adult alternative “92.9 Dave FM” WZGC, Atlanta to sports. It’s the latest embrace of the format by CBS Radio ahead of its launch of a new national sports radio network in January. The company has also announced plans to launch a sports FM in Tampa on what is today hot AC “Play 98.7” WSJT. CBS says “93.7 The Fan” KDKA-FM, Pittsburgh program director Terry Foxx is heading to Atlanta to build “Sports Radio 92.9.”
SO that’s the new name: Sports Radio 92.9. Looks like we probably will get some Rome and Brando. Will be interested to see how they fit local personalities in. Like I said before, I’ll be listening to some KDKA now to get an idea of what to expect.
Lauren
July 31st, 2012
2:18 pm
So bummed to hear this news! Dave FM has exposed me to some incredible music that I haven’t heard anywhere else in town – most recently The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, and Allen Stone. Where else on Atl radio am I going to get an opportunity to hear about these talented newcomers? Plus I love Mara, Yvonne, and so many other Dave personalities. Sad day, really disappointed in this decision…
Peanut gallery
July 31st, 2012
2:18 pm
Everyone already has a MP3 player. Who needs another FM station replaying the same music?
Where 92.9 has an advantage over 680 and 790 is their FM range. I can barely get either station on the AM past Marietta and their FM equivalents are hardly any better. I get 92.9 just fine.
CJ
July 31st, 2012
2:21 pm
Sports may work, absolutely hated DAVE picking up Jimmy Barron, what a radio hack he is. Would quickly change stations if heard his nilly voice squeak out inane sounds. ATL could use good sports commentary, usually tune into 680TheFan but have grown tired of the petty bickering between the two afternoon hosts Chuck and Chernoff – usually talk about everything but sports for minutes on end. Chernoff used to be a bit amusing, but now has Jimmy Barron-like annoyances. The King Chuck is probably the top knowledgeable sports broadcaster, but suffers a bit when he has to carry the entire show on his own. Chuck is a better Color-Commentator even though he has a extra large “I know more than you” personality.
dt
July 31st, 2012
2:23 pm
REALLY? Wow – so people would rather listen to a bunch of amatures sit around and talk about sports than listen to tunes (maybe old tunes in some cases but tunes at least) – this explains a few things to me – I’M SURROUNDED BY MORONS!!! And I LOVE SPORTS – but – REALLY – what about the music folks????
Kate2
July 31st, 2012
2:23 pm
This blows…I’ve been a fan for a long time and will really miss Yvonne and Mara. I hope another local station hire’s them pronto!
Paul
July 31st, 2012
2:31 pm
I’ve met Mitch Evans a couple times over the years…good dude. Hope this works out for him.
The Bobster
July 31st, 2012
2:33 pm
Enter your comments here
The Bobster
July 31st, 2012
2:34 pm
OH NO! Remember Eddie’s Attic on Sunday Night?
Ron Swanson
July 31st, 2012
2:37 pm
Which local guys would be available for this new station? That will be the key in determining whether 92.9 can gain traction. It’s my belief that most listeners prefer local content–who cares to listen to an hour of non-stop Yankees/Red Sox talk in ATL, for example–so they’ll need to put together a solid lineup. You can hear national content anywhere/anytime. That’s not going to attract listeners.
BJ
July 31st, 2012
2:38 pm
Damn!! Only music station I regularly listen to anymore! LOVE Mara Davis!!!
Bandan
July 31st, 2012
2:39 pm
NOOOOOOO!!! Don’t take away DAVE FM!!! Great concerts, great mix!
lil tut "imadodadamthing" wallace
July 31st, 2012
2:42 pm
too much BLAH BLAH BLAH on the radio already….
Sneakers O'Toole
July 31st, 2012
2:42 pm
Not that the new sports would be built this way, but if I had to build my ATL sports talk line up…
6-10 Mayhem
10-12 Barnhart & Durham
12-3 Archer & Bell (Maybe add in Sandra)
3-7 Chuck & Chernoff
Slot in Kincade with one of those shows.
Hit the road Rude, Leo, Buck and Stews.
david
July 31st, 2012
2:43 pm
This should be the end of 1 of the 2 other sports radio stations. I don’t expect the new radio station to recycle 680/790 talent. The Steward brothers lost most of their US station a few months before have their hour cut on 790.
I expect new talent like Bill King, and other talent from Yahoo radio. Yes, I think Yahoo will dump 790. Which hopefully means Steve Zaben morning show will be here. Should be a good fall for sports radio.
TPM
July 31st, 2012
2:44 pm
Will this be the end of 790 the zone? This town can not support 3 stations with the same format.
Christopher Rude
July 31st, 2012
2:45 pm
more ac/dc!
Christopher Rude
July 31st, 2012
2:49 pm
to all the satellite snobs…name one decent rock station on satellite? my channel hopping on satellite radio rivals my channel hopping on TV!
Ron Swanson
July 31st, 2012
2:52 pm
david
Why would Yahoo dump 790? Where else would they go in this market?
FenrirIII
July 31st, 2012
2:56 pm
When will the good rock stations in this city stop selling out? Every time a rock station starts to grow on me it sells out or gets sold to become some crappy clone of another station. Big business is ruining radio.
david
July 31st, 2012
2:57 pm
Ron
They would go to 92.9
aaa
July 31st, 2012
3:00 pm
Won’t listen to the Stews. And who told Bell that he was funny? They were lying.
Julie
July 31st, 2012
3:00 pm
Does any other station in Atlanta play Mumford & Sons, Alabama Shakes, Shawn Mullins, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Avett Brothers, Ray LaMontagne, Guster, The Decembrists, The Head and the Heart, The Shins, The Luminers, Imagine Dragons, etc.? I will miss DaveFM.
Ron Swanson
July 31st, 2012
3:01 pm
david
Oh, OK. My mistake. I misunderstood the report and thought CBS was going to produce its own national content for their sports stations.
drew
July 31st, 2012
3:05 pm
“Many music fans have reduced or stopped listening to old-school FM radio.”
Good riddance…it’ll be a great day when commercial music radio dies. I quit listening to music on commercial radio years ago. Commercial radio SUCKSASS in Atlanta! Personally, I can do without the OLD worn out songs that the loudmouths occasionally sprinkle in between the never-ending commercials and the constant chatter of wannabe comedians.
If you want good music on local radio, you have to go non-commercial: WRFG (89.3FM), WRAS (88.5FM), WREK (91.1). And as bad as a lot of talk radio is, it’s still better than the music commercial stations are pushing.
FalconsDiva
July 31st, 2012
3:06 pm
If the Stews make their way to 92.9, I’ll be right behind them. Please bring back my favorite midday sports show – in its original format, not that watered down poo 790 has on air.
“Welcome to the Terror Dome!!”
Dian
July 31st, 2012
3:06 pm
This. Totally. Sucks.
Marie
July 31st, 2012
3:07 pm
Julie – AMEN!
david
July 31st, 2012
3:08 pm
Your right Ron, and NBC Sports is also going to start a radio network too. 790 is only using Yahoo on late night and weekends. There is too much good radio talent on Yahoo not to be live in the Atlanta market. Tim Brando is on Yahoo sports radio and his is on CBS cable sport channel. So they could have Yahoo and CBS sports radio on the same station.
Longtime Listener
July 31st, 2012
3:10 pm
I thought DaveFM was the best of the worst but they went wrong when they really skewed to the female listeners with grating personalities like Mara Davis, the Jersey Girl wannabe. Guys like soft alt-rock too but we can’t stomach the best-pal girl talk from the DJs. When not trying to do mornings, Yvonne Monet is the best, BTW.
Ron Swanson
July 31st, 2012
3:10 pm
david
Yeah, that makes sense. I would think Brando’s show would play pretty well here, especially compared to the other syndicated alternatives.
sweejie
July 31st, 2012
3:15 pm
Who else will supply my Amos Lee fix???
Stews Rock
July 31st, 2012
3:16 pm
ever notice how Steak frequently sounds as tho he’s doing #2 while he’s talking? especially when he sez that “things I learned today” riff….just sayin…..
Dennis
July 31st, 2012
3:19 pm
aaa: “And who told Bell that he was funny?”
I really tried to listen Archer & Bell, hoping I could get past Mike’s Vince Vaughn wannabe schtick. I gave up yesterday when he turned a nice conversation into his Tony Montana “hey here’s my Hispanic voice ain’t it funny” routine.
Would love to hear of Archer, Barnhardt, and Durham at new station. They have information and don’t rely on any gimmicks.
Get with the program
July 31st, 2012
3:25 pm
I think they(92.9) should get Cellini and Dimino from 790. They shouldnt let SteAK anywhere near this station. He is horrible. I dont know why 790 put that ignorant guy (Hans I think)with the Stews. He is horrible. Bell and Archer are good. 790’s problem is that they are too rude to their callers in the morning……too many hangups. Maybe the new station will be more interactive.
Donna
July 31st, 2012
3:30 pm
So now our choices are stations with immature men acting like boys or pop music. For Atlanta to be so diverse, their radio stations aren’t. There was and still is a market for them. I hope the sports station sinks. Can’t wait to move back to Florida. At least I have choices there.
Word of Advice
July 31st, 2012
3:33 pm
The 680 morning show is a train wreck, with Leo the “Braves can do no wrong” neanderthal and Sandra the “I sold so many ads they put me on the radio” bimbo.
teri
July 31st, 2012
3:41 pm
This totally sucks!! First they take my oldies off(106.7) and turn it into ALL news and now taking 92.9(Dave) off is the icing on the cake!! Time to call the XM people back.
A Man for Decent Atlanta Radio
July 31st, 2012
3:46 pm
Seriously?! I used to listen to 99X until Cumulus pulled it, so switched to a very good alternative in DaveFM. Now it’s disappearing and 99X’s signal is horrible. I can’t even pick it up in my office by Perimeter Mall, ironically less than 5 miles from the station. So now Atlanta will have no radio station worth listening to for those who enjoy alternative music. Thanks CBS and Cumulus, you’ve killed radio. As for Steve Craig, man, I’m gonna miss you.
Why?
July 31st, 2012
3:48 pm
@Word of Advice …..I don’t mind Leo but CAN”T stand Sandra. I would love to see the ratings comparing when she is and isn’t on the show.
lil tut "imadodadamthing" wallace
July 31st, 2012
4:02 pm
ok folks, fase it. altanta is a sports town. we got the braves, the falcons, the hawks, the thrashers, the silverbacks, the dream…. u name it. these sports is what keep the city going, and without 92.9 the HUB, ther woulnd be any other place to keep up!
OTP
July 31st, 2012
4:05 pm
What a joke! I might as well remove the radio from my vehicle.
Carz
July 31st, 2012
4:07 pm
If they bring in the Stews it will sink. It may start with a flurry, with them being on FM, but they are so bad it will fade fast. Ryan knows suprisingly little about football for a guy who was on an NFL roster.
☺☻Have A Smile!
July 31st, 2012
4:07 pm
While everybody else is suffering listening to free “radio” I’ll be enjoying Opie & Anthony with Jim Norton uncensored on XM.
I love it!
A.B. Normal
July 31st, 2012
4:12 pm
One word – Pandora.
SAD
July 31st, 2012
4:21 pm
Sunday mornings will never be the same…some awesome acoustic songs
Jacksmum
July 31st, 2012
4:26 pm
Worst idea ever…will delete this station from my rotation.
Michael
July 31st, 2012
4:38 pm
Bummer! I moved to Atlanta in 1990 after college and was turned on to Z93. I’ve been here the whole time and rarely has my dial changed. Guess I’ll be following the River. Mara, I hope you find a local home.
ralph
July 31st, 2012
4:42 pm
I listen to 97.9, all 80s and 90s! when I am not on Sirius XM. Mara Davis is the rock radio goddess!
Miss Q
July 31st, 2012
4:47 pm
Noooooo!!!!! Davefm is the ONLY Atlanta station left worth listening to at all. Yvonne was great at mornings and I keep an ear out for her every time I’m in the car listening. This is sad. Guess I’ll have to start paying for satellite.
IMAMELF
July 31st, 2012
4:47 pm
Mara Rocks! Why not have a comedian station? Have a Jeff Dunham hour, a Carlin hour, Hackett hour and then some hours for the Sistas and Brothas that want the filth hour of Pryor and Chris Rock etc. Then return to Cosby and Rita Rudner and Ron White and Foxworthy. Now THAT would be a new channel- hosted by, The GREASEMAN!
Why would anyone listen to another station talk about the FAILCANTS?
July 31st, 2012
4:54 pm
Seriously, you have NO SB RING, ZERO PLAYOFF WINS UNDER FAT BOY MIKE AND LITTLE TOMMY AND YOUR QB CAN’T THROW MORE THAN 10 YARDS….joke of a franchise…kiss the SAINTS SB RING, FAILCANTS..
C
July 31st, 2012
4:55 pm
No way Atlanta can support three sports talk stations. Someone will have to go…
that being said, I hope they make a push to bring Toucher and Rich back home. Their show in Boston is great radio.
LMAO
July 31st, 2012
4:55 pm
Wow…Time for the Stews to blow off their current digs. Which has become the worst talk show in this town.Doug and Ryan are good at what they do. Their Schizt is great. I’ll add Mike Bell and Chris Domino.
TVFan
July 31st, 2012
4:59 pm
I just hope they pick up Georgia Tech Football and Basketball broadcasts. I never thought 790 the Zone was a good fit for Tech sports.
TYB Beach Bum
July 31st, 2012
5:00 pm
Don’t we have enough sports talk radio already? This EFFING sucks and is a terrible move. I listen to 92.9 all day every day at work, it’s the ONLY station in ATL worth listening to.
Brad
July 31st, 2012
5:03 pm
I’ll REALLY miss acoustic sunrise on Sunday mornings
David Puddy
July 31st, 2012
5:06 pm
“chuck and chernoff?? lol the worst most annoying tandem on the radio”
Couldn’t say it any better.They are horrible.
Atlanta becomes a three-horse town | Breslanta.com
July 31st, 2012
5:10 pm
[...] while the debate raged on, a different type of news broke when Rodney Ho of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported local radio station DAVE-FM has plans in place to switch from a rock station to sports-talk radio. [...]
Steve
July 31st, 2012
5:11 pm
I stopped listening to 790 The Zone when the 2 Live Stews show went away. They were the only reason why I listened to that station. If Dave FM goes with the Stews in a sportstalk format, then I’m definitely listening. The Stews have a very unique and fresh presentation, unlike anything else in sports talk. Plus they are local, and know the local college and pro teams.
Lynn
July 31st, 2012
5:14 pm
Why would you add another sport station in Atlanta when we dont even have any good teams here. This is not New York.
Noneya
July 31st, 2012
5:17 pm
Tragic – 92.9 is a great variety rock station. Sports talk? I will never listen to that station again.
Otis
July 31st, 2012
5:28 pm
Can’t hear you Saltzman.
Hawks Fan
July 31st, 2012
5:30 pm
Hopefully they get the Hawks contract and hire some local talent that actually understands the game of basketball and is willing to talk about something other than “How many wins you think the Dawgs will get next year?” or “Is Matt Ryan a top 10 QB or not?”
I like the Stews and they seem ripe for the picking, but they try to be too national. It’s annoying hearing Doug and Ryan talk about the Lakers and Knicks as “fans.”
790’s Mayhem in the AM is absolutely un-listenable. Same for 680’s Chuck and Chernoff & Buck and Kincaid. Mike Bell’s pretty funny (but you can only take so much) and 680’s morning show is decent most of the time, but they could lose Perry and no one would notice.
Basically, up and down the dial there’s room for improvement. Hopefully CBS gets their act together and gives us some quality local talk… I especially hope they go all out for Friday night high school football. With the suburbs within the signal strength and local talent to do high school play by play on the cheap, they’d be stupid not to.
Kimberly
July 31st, 2012
5:41 pm
Yuck. What a waste of time, money and airwaves. Talk about something that matters if you’re gonna talk. How about more airwaves in Atlanta for things like This American Life and other intelligent radio.
John
July 31st, 2012
5:55 pm
Good Luck. You’re gonna need it!
ArkonTT
July 31st, 2012
5:58 pm
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The only alternative music station in town….
Now it’s classic rock oldies, or heavy metal noise.
Time to make ipod playlists…
Gonna miss Mara and Sully
Jill
July 31st, 2012
6:03 pm
I adore Mara and hope she won’t leave Atlanta! But 97.1 needs to up its power; I’m down in Fayette and transmission is spotty. Sorry to see DaveFM go; I still listen, and enjoy DJs who aren’t either crass or sappy.
Betty
July 31st, 2012
6:17 pm
Haven’t listened since the Z-93 days when they had Mara, Kaedy Kiely, and Dave Marino. Great lineup back then. Plus they didn’t play only the most recognizable hit by each group.
ruby
July 31st, 2012
6:18 pm
I love Mara Davis and listen to her show any time I can. What a shame because who wants to listen to sports radio? I guess I will suck it up and get Sirius radio again so I can listen to music. I will listen to whatever station Mara goes with and hope she will have the radio free lunch. Shame on you DAVE FM!
JDawg
July 31st, 2012
6:18 pm
I totally agree with Marsh…Dave was the last commercial rock station in ATL with anything close to an interesting playlist. No station is perfect, and their rotation definitely had repetition issues during off-peak times (obviously that’s more noticeable for those listening for extended periods, which I don’t), but they played plenty of good stuff that you won’t hear on the other local channels. Acoustic Sunrise, Inside Eddie’s Attic, etc. will be missed, as will Steve Craig, Mara, et al. I’ll be listening to WRFG 89.3 and GA State 88.5 more often this fall. Commericial radio in ATL was pitiful before, and is basically nonexistent now.
RE sports talk – while I occasionally enjoy listening to a Braves game on the drive home (Don Sutton & Jim Powell are great), you couldn’t pay me to listen to the blathering loudmouths on any sports talk program.
Brent
July 31st, 2012
6:27 pm
The DAVE format has become LAME. It sounds tired, sort of like a bad low watt college radio station, Mara Davis is a pig old woman,who like to rehear herself talk and trying to be hip. I am appalled that we have yet another huge signal going to word. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever in this market. I love Atlanta, born and raised, we need an oldies station back, and done right, and CBS can do it. This is baffling.
Va.
July 31st, 2012
6:32 pm
Boo hoo. I love Mara and Margot. And the rest, actually. Oh, and the music too!
Lisa
July 31st, 2012
6:36 pm
I was bummed when Yvonne was sent packing but they brought her back. Now Mara will be gone. There is not really a good replacement on the airwaves. Will look for an alternative as The River is just not my cup of tea.
Mark
July 31st, 2012
6:46 pm
Sports talk on the FM band..on a station with a good strong signal at night…Sorry 790 am….Which Atlanta teams will move to the FM stick? This will get interesting.
Dennis
July 31st, 2012
7:02 pm
Mark, “Which Atlanta teams will move to the FM stick? This will get interesting.”
I just remembered DAVEFM had the Falcons for a few years… I expect them to come back next contract. Agree w/you on 790. They’ve been content to sit on their weak signal for too long, they HAD to have heard the complaints and should know about the signal loss. I would not be surprised to hear something soon from them.
tom
July 31st, 2012
7:07 pm
Sorry … it’s all my fault. I’ve had Sirius for 5 years and haven’t listened to local radio since (’cause sat radio rocks). Sorry … all my fault.
bill
July 31st, 2012
7:08 pm
Yo, Ho … might want to look into the satellite radio business for a job …. terestial is toast … just watching out for you.
jane
July 31st, 2012
7:10 pm
When did Z93 go away??
bob
July 31st, 2012
7:11 pm
Well at least we still have the “New” River 97.1 ….. until they fall by the radio wayside.
hal
July 31st, 2012
7:13 pm
oh, great … another sports station in atlanta … that sounds successful. who are these dopes that make these decisions???
anj
July 31st, 2012
7:15 pm
maybe the stews can get their show back they really got the screw at the zone
Aaron
July 31st, 2012
7:25 pm
Sad to see this happen. Now 99x needs to up their signal so I can hear them up in Gwinnett
790fan
July 31st, 2012
7:25 pm
Sorry 790, but I would like to see the Bottom Line with Nick and Chris make a comeback on FM. How awesome would that be. That’s still hands downs the best sports talk show ever produced in this town.
Disgusted
July 31st, 2012
7:45 pm
I hope they stay away from the schtick and stick to real sports, hopefully major league oriented.
The Stews are not my cup of tea, and I cannot stand Bell.
Would be good if they are more caller oriented like in some other cities.
Would like to see newer personalities, and there is more to ATL sports than College Football.
bentkat
July 31st, 2012
7:45 pm
DAVE is the only really good station in town, lots of variety and no pop! I’ll miss you guys, please start another station same format.
Disgusted
July 31st, 2012
7:47 pm
High School football sucks. We can do better than that.
Maybe give us Gwinnett Gladiators and Braves coverage.
Disgusted
July 31st, 2012
7:48 pm
Mike Bell is the worst radio personality to listen to, totally annoying. He is not funny.
Disgusted
July 31st, 2012
7:50 pm
I get most of my sports talk fix from the out of town stations in major league oriented stations.
680 talks sports but does not really have that interaction with the callers. And with Kincaide, he thinks he is God, you cannot disagree with him.
Cammi317
July 31st, 2012
8:00 pm
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I already lost Atlanta’s Greatest Hits. If they take away Journey I will be left with nothing….
Jack Wood
July 31st, 2012
8:02 pm
They’re not going to sports talk because it’s a huge popular market because it isn’t one. Truth is that Z-93 was failing since it was everything objectional in an FM music station: limited playlist of the same songs over and over, no deep cuts, and incessant yapping by the DJs. For a major market, Atlanta has the worst FM radio in the US.
Skip
July 31st, 2012
8:10 pm
Was on Katie’s “almost Famous” show right before they switched to Dave FM, so i take credit for killing Z-93. haven’t had a station i like since.
RK
July 31st, 2012
8:12 pm
Bring in Don Geronimo!
RK
July 31st, 2012
8:21 pm
Apparently CBS is restructuring a lot of its sports stations right now…
Debbie
July 31st, 2012
8:33 pm
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS JUST WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS. THIS IS THE ONLY DECENT STATION OUT THERE.
Dennis
July 31st, 2012
8:35 pm
RK: Yes. Check out the article. CBS launching their own radio network in January, I think. They’re doing the same thing to a station in Tampa.
Scooter
July 31st, 2012
8:42 pm
Eh..will be interesting to see what they do for talent…I used to listen to 680 constantly years ago but got sick of Belue and Kincaid.
Personally I could never stand the Stewart bros..more shtick than sports IMO. Not sure about the love for them but then I also can’t understand how anyone could find those Tyler Perry shows on TBS funny..so I guess I’m just not in their demo.
I can’t decide whether it would be worse to have to listen to Buck Belue kiss Mark Richt’s butt and act like he’s an insider or listen to the Stews lame shtick…
Gator Actual
July 31st, 2012
8:45 pm
Might as well. Stopped listening to them when they changed from Z93 to DorkFM!
Frank
July 31st, 2012
8:51 pm
When DaveFM started, it was “All Rock, No Rules”… one of the many stations coast-to-coast that tried to emulate the kind of variety most people have on their iPods. But pretty quickly, it devolved into just another boring alt-rock station playing the same damned songs I’ve been hearing for the last 20-30 years. No one who loves music needs to hear Sting, INXS or Dave Matthews that much.
Who cares, I won’t miss any of them one bit.
Sugar Hill Dawg
July 31st, 2012
8:51 pm
In my vision of a perfect local sports talk station: (All programs kept as they are currently constituted-on 92.9 FM, not AM) Mayhem in the AM 6:00 -10:00, Barnhart and Durham 10:00 – 1:00, Chuck and Chernoff 1:00 – 4:00, Archer and Bell 4:00 – 7:00, Football Night in Atlanta 7:00 – 9:00, Dennis Scott 9:00 – 12:00
Chuck Oliver
July 31st, 2012
8:56 pm
Ummm suck it Stews!
Alternative dawg
July 31st, 2012
8:57 pm
How about a Uga channel that appeals to the massive homosexual bulldog nation?
Angry black man
July 31st, 2012
9:00 pm
I want a sports talk show for racist blacks….oh wait forgot about Doug Stewart. I meant I want a sports talk show for racist blacks that doesn’t suck!
David Puddy
July 31st, 2012
9:03 pm
Sugar Hill Dawg , sorry no credibility if you waste air time to Chuck&Turnoff…..
Alternative dawg
July 31st, 2012
9:08 pm
If they want massive ratings I think we need a show that appeals the bulldog nations open community. Millions of listeners!
Motocross Survivor
July 31st, 2012
9:14 pm
At least I will hopefully never have to hear that dork with the overbite Steve anymore. And the only time I tuned in was during the morning drive because Atlanta radio is so pathetic there isn’t much else. btw, what kind of onion dip-brain would listen to sports radio?
Ellis von Pea
July 31st, 2012
9:17 pm
Atlanta radio sucks SO LOUDLY that it could be mistaken for a Black Hole!
Steve Craig and the 80’s Rewind Weekends were the best things about that station.
One more reason to never turn the radio on again.
WTG CBS..another boneheaded move by morons who probably never even listen to the dang radio!
benn
July 31st, 2012
9:23 pm
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
LemonThrower
July 31st, 2012
9:23 pm
Glad I have Sirius radio!
Wishful Thinking
July 31st, 2012
9:24 pm
Bring in Toucher and Rich for mornings….Finebaum in the afternoon….fill in the gaps with the CBS national guys and you’ve got winner.
KAJER66
July 31st, 2012
9:38 pm
what the???… I LOVE sports talk, but ANOTHER one?? Geez, you know what this supposed International City really needs is a damn Jazz station. It’s really kind of embarassing that we don’t have one, haven’t had one since KISSFM which we lost in
07 or 08. I miss Jazz Flavors!
Dre
July 31st, 2012
9:44 pm
An impressive first hire, Mitch Shapi…err, Evans! Wow, can’t wait to see what other amazing plans they have. Hey, maybe Max and Morgan are available! Hehehehe
KAJER66
July 31st, 2012
9:46 pm
Oh, and another thing… If somehow the best of 680 and 790 could be combined (as in Chuck & Chernoff, Archer & Bell, D’mino & Cellini (or at least D’mino) and the Stews. And please, get away from Colin Cowpatty. I’m sooooooo sick of his elitist, “too cool for you” take on everything! Then, dial in some Fox Sports personalities – they’re younger, and fresher than the arrogant espn’ers. There… now I shall step down off my soap box and try to avoid hurting myself. Good day people!
Brian
July 31st, 2012
9:53 pm
I personally like the 680 Morning Show, and really like Sandra & Rude, as they keep it real. They offer different perspectives of sports, and are appeal to a good cross section of their audience. Love LEO and Buck, as they are legend’s in Atlanta. Not a fan of Perry, maybe he can go back to cooking!
790 in the AM is also very good, and Chris and Nick are pro’s PRO’S. – Steak is OVER DONE and could be a waiter for Perry.
Dave Archer is also very good, but the other ass clowns in afternoon drive can be bus boys for Perry and Steak. The KING and Chernoff are terrible!
Don’t have opinion on mid day, as I actually work for a living.
Calling It Like It Is
July 31st, 2012
9:54 pm
I will have to say, this was a surprise to me. I would have thought they would have gone Top 40. This just proves what a cluster Atlanta radio really is. For a top 10 market, the worst stations. The media conglomerates that have a stronghold on the market have no idea what is going on. When you think of Atlanta and radio, no real station comes to mind. In other markets, like L.A., you think of KROQ, but Atlanta, I can’t think of any outstanding station. The fact that a format that was always AM based (talk radio), is now making a big foot print in the FM world, which was always music, shows that these idiots are driving away listeners. Granted, there are stations who have a morning show (Q100) that has always been talk based and virtually no music, but I’ve noticed in the past few weeks, they have started playing a little more music during their show. Talk radio is going to end up being all you hear on terrestrial radio anymore. Sure, satellite offers alternatives, but not everyone has as long of a commute or wants to pay to listen to music. And you can only listen to so much of your MP3’s before you want to listen to something new.
It’s not the jocks’ fault. They are given a playlist done by management, Program Director, or Music Director. So, bashing them is not going to get you anywhere. They don’t have a lot of input.
Yes, it might work, because of having an FM signal, but, in the long run, it’s a bad decision.
Rodney Ho
July 31st, 2012
9:58 pm
I love when folks complain that Atlanta has the worst radio for a major market. But who listens to radio in ALL major markets? Who has that type of perspective?
Jeff
July 31st, 2012
10:00 pm
I love their music mix. It is not at all the same type of rock as the other stations in the market Caffey named. There is 680 The Fan, 790 The Zone, The Fan 2, and The Fan 3. This is absurd.
BND
July 31st, 2012
10:02 pm
96 Rock was the best Atlanta ever has. When you consider the other 2 Dickie Stations (1230 and 1340), do we really need another one? Granted, you can’t hear, 1230, 790, and 1340 outside the perimeter.
The Big Cat
July 31st, 2012
10:05 pm
Say good bye to 790 The Zone. It’s about time. Same stale line up for 8-10 years. As long as these new guys don’t make the mistake of hiring dull, boring guys like Chris Dimino. Memo to Chris Dimino: Nobody gives a rats ass about baseball anymore. Dimino has never had an original thought come out of his mouth. He sits up all night searching the internet for “scoops” then uses them as his own without giving proper credit.
Steak is a blow hard idiot with a simple mind who promotes the racial sterotypes that he believes.
Mike Bell is talented and deserves better.
Cellini’s tough guy act grew stale 8 years ago.
Two Live Stews were a shooting star whose energy burned out. They are old news.
Brent
July 31st, 2012
10:05 pm
@Calling it like it is, excellent post, @Rodney are effing kidding me.???
Boo!
July 31st, 2012
10:06 pm
I am very disappointed with this move. I loved listening to Steve in the morning (he was way better than Jimmy and Yvonne) and it was nice to have a station that didn’t just talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk all the time (I’m looking at you Bert Show). I think they started losing their edge when they found the “new” artists but kept playing their songs into the ground even after the singles had been picked up by Star and Q100. I don’t know what station I’m going to listen to now. I hate talk radio!
BND
July 31st, 2012
10:08 pm
Eddie,
I have lived in Raleigh and Atlanta on & off for 15 years, they have some very good stations. And the sports radio stations are not consumed with UNC, Duke, or NC State, like all of the ones here are over UGA? Did you hear that 689 is opening a Police reporting position station in Athens, should be a busy year up there when students get back!
BND
July 31st, 2012
10:09 pm
Sorry, meant Rodney
Chris Cotter
July 31st, 2012
10:19 pm
If CBS is investing money in this market the LAST thing they would do is put on “The Two Live Racists”. If they’re good businessmen they’ll go out and get someone like Scott Ferrall or John Renshaw to put some personality in the market. I know Ferrall is unattainable because he has the best gig in the world right now but there are good people they can bring in. How would they think they could compete by recycling the same people nobody listened to anyway. If Mitch Evans is their signature hire to date it’s going to be a rough road.
Calling It Like It Is
July 31st, 2012
10:20 pm
@Brent – Thanks. @Rodney – seriously?? I lived in Ohio growing up and have done alot of traveling and always make a point to listen to radio in whatever market I’m in. And comparatively, there are many smaller non top 10 markets that have far better stations that the crap we have here.
Rodney Ho
July 31st, 2012
10:26 pm
I just think it depends on what type of radio you like, too. I’m certain folks who like R&B and hip hop are much happier with radio here than many other markets.
Brent
July 31st, 2012
10:29 pm
Yes Rodney, but not everyone is black and likes hip hop, hell, even 104.1 use to be good now they suck too. I am white and love old skool r&b, Motown, which we don’t hear anymore here..
Calling It Like It Is
July 31st, 2012
10:42 pm
Yes, it does depends on what type you like. Not all Atlanta listeners tune in to Frank and Wanda or The Bert Show. I lived in Detroit and the rock stations were better there than what we have here.Everyone says classic rock is where it’s at, but how many times do you hear The Eagles on the River or Led Zeppelin on Rock 100.5? Their playlist is the equivalent of a 70’s Top 40 of rock. And if you look at Atlanta’s demographics, how many people that live here are actually from here? Radio here is honing in on Country, R&B, Top 40, and now, talk. True Rock is being put out to pasture.
Hillbilly D
July 31st, 2012
10:53 pm
I never did figure out who Dave was.
Laurel
July 31st, 2012
10:58 pm
Oh no!!!! I am so bummed!! Dave FM rocks!! This is a sore loss for Atlanta music fans. I love Mara, Yvonne, and the crew. This is so so sad!!!!!!!!!
Beau Bock
July 31st, 2012
11:20 pm
I’m available on my good days. On my bad days I’m not sure where I am. I used to play football. Or was it wrassiling? I like Jerry Glanville. I could get exclusive interviews with Glanville to talk about the Falcons gameplan.
Listener
July 31st, 2012
11:27 pm
This is really disappointing. 92.9 is the only commercial station I listen to in Atlanta. I don’t want commentary, don’t want crass jokes, just want good music. And, I don’t want the same 10 songs played over and over again all day long. Will really miss Mara.
Flying Tigers
July 31st, 2012
11:37 pm
Atlanas has no real sports talk. A few fat or buffed yanks, or nothing but drunks and ex bulldogs to talk uga football all effing day like they have done something. What, tell me what have you done with all that recruiting talent you get every year…you know all the classy ones like caleb Kink and wasuan and yes I. Crowell…keep recruiting class Richt, you hypocrite.
CarolinaHiker
August 1st, 2012
12:16 am
Just put Mara and Acoustic Sunrise someplace else and I’ll be fine. Won’t be tuned to the station anymore though….sports talk???? Yawn….zzzzzzzzz. Time to reprogram the presets in the car.
But what will happen to their HD station “Roots?” It’s incredible…..and the only thing keeping me from committing to satellite. Guess I’ll find out in September.
CarolinaHiker
August 1st, 2012
12:28 am
BND….I really miss 96Rock, too. Their “replacement” just isn’t the same. A bit of the spirit of Atlanta died when the Rock tuned out.
And I agree with you Calling It….I travel a lot, usually by car. One of my favorite ways to pass the time is to tune in to local stations as I pass through towns. There’s not as much local flavor as there used to be, but I still find that most cities (and towns) have stations with more variety and flavor than what we have here. One would hope that the opposite would be true, given our diversity, but oh well. Maybe the programmers can take a hint from what’s on the satellite stations.
Positive Cynic
August 1st, 2012
12:51 am
I hope they carry some Southern Conference football, baseball, and basketball games along with Atlantic Sun Conference games (Mercer and Kennesaw State).
Green Lantern
August 1st, 2012
1:06 am
Hey, General Manager Rick Caffey: Maybe some of the decline had something to do with Dave’s apparent determination to be as monotonous and repetitive as it could be. I’ve tried to listen occasionally, and been turned off by its relentless repetition of songs by REM and the Police. It’s as if somebody at Dave is obsessed with them! Nothing wrong with those artists, but — news flash to Dave FM! — there’s a whole lot of other great music out there. Has nobody at Dave FM ever heard of, say, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Who or Led Zeppelin, just to name a few? I can’t imagine anybody who’s not brain-dead — or a family member of somebody in REM or the Police — listening to Dave FM for any length of time.
SAWB
August 1st, 2012
1:10 am
Anybody ever wish someone would come up with an adult version of an eclectic college radio station? Did anybody here Mike Mills playing his musical selections several months back? Why can’t someone try something different?
So long 790
August 1st, 2012
3:01 am
Dimino is one of the most knowledgeable in the city. He’d be a great fit at 680. Steak is the consummate trust fund baby, not much else. Cellini is better than he used to be, still not much there.
Mike Bell is an overage frat boy still reveling in his drunken escapades trolling the Atlanta bars in search of lonely women who like short, dumpy guys. His humor got stale years ago.
honky tonk man
August 1st, 2012
4:09 am
Please please fire the Stews and send tjem to Jeff Hullingers former gig in Florida’,They are the worst i ,i ,mean worst duo in the sports business Since MNF thought it was a good idea to PUT Dennis Miller on the booth!The two Dry fools dont know anything about sports besides a little G tech and interrupts Hans Heiser so much trying to crack jokes ,and never brings a clear analysis to the table. they should be called the two lame flip floppers,and this is coming from a BlacK MaN. I d love to see Doug Chapman and Coy Wire ,who studies notes before the show and has a clear cut perspective about Sports.
honky tonk man
August 1st, 2012
4:24 am
Stews please get a gig elsewhere to much rhetoric,not enough true analysis. Stews Stink.
Stews1
August 1st, 2012
4:46 am
The Stews need their own show in the AM prime time! I’m tired of these boring people on 680 and 790—bring the Stews with their hip hop talk to liven things up. The racists at these stations don’t want two stars like the Stews to make big money—it’s another way to keep the black people down in this city. I’m tired of it.
Comp It Up!
August 1st, 2012
4:54 am
atlanta “sports” radio—mention a bunch of restaurants and car dealerships on air to get comp deals! Talk little sports, just mention bar and restaurant exploits! Why talk sports when you get free comps!!
Reggie
August 1st, 2012
5:10 am
Wow!
Did the Stews stup the guys wife that keep posing under different name. Dude your folks in Bama want you to bring the car back home. The best thing that could happen is Stews go over to CBS and bring back their original unique show. As I stated on here before the new programing manager at 790 does not know marketing or programming. Trying to make the Stews sound like the Jawga station was crazy. Stew are bout to be out dis beauoch!!! Roo!!
ATLBORN
August 1st, 2012
6:05 am
Run Stews Run!! Its clear that 790 paired you with a white guy to keep it “BUBBA” for the idiots that complain about the barking that Black people understand is simply a call to the Stews fraternity brothers. People that pan the show for lack of analysis miss the point. Its ENTERTAINMENT.
Leave the drunk man (Mike Bell) show where it is.
Dream Lineup
6-10 The Bottom Line (Nick and Chris just get it)
10-1 Jon Michaels (up and coming star)
1-4 2 live stews (roo-roo)
Drivetime Chuck & Chernoff (always informed)
dream
Tex G
August 1st, 2012
6:07 am
Atlanta is an urban afro centric hole. This is just the latest event in media to confirm that this town is a loser beyond words. Perhaps Blank can build a new rock station with the money he is saving by having the taxpayers build his new stadium. The Falcoons and the town stink.
Howard
August 1st, 2012
7:09 am
Get satellite radio people. It is not expensive and no commercials. Plus, you can hear music you NEVER hear on the radio. Commercial radio is for suckers!
A dad
August 1st, 2012
7:33 am
Maybe if Dave FM’s playlist was more than something like 325 songs it would have made it. Can’t count the number of times I heard a song en route work in the morning only to hear it again in the evening on way home. There are a lot of great classic rock songs that weren’t #1 that cold have been played for more variety. I also liked listening to Eddie Money in the morning, but he got replaced by that wanker English Nick (who really cares about the Queen’s estate and that body, this is American dude). If Dave ever thinks about ressurecting itself, WMMS from Cleveland back in the 70’s and 80’s should be a model. They played everything, even entire albums at times.
workinDawg
August 1st, 2012
7:38 am
Bummer, can’t find Avett Bros, Head & Heart, Mumford & Son’s on any other dial….and if not for Dave FM I likely wouldn’t have discovered any of them. Can’t see this format change working out, but we’ll see.
Mary Lou Alto
August 1st, 2012
7:38 am
WTF Caffey….you’re making a huge mistake. the first one was letting orff go. mara’s rfl is was what drew me into this station 5 years ago and i grew up in the land of howard stern, the ny market with a gazillion options. and sully’s retro in the metro which was shortened then sliced. it’s someone else’s dumb programmng decisions that lost the air power. project is too metal. no one listens to talk radio, that’s so 20 years ago. geesh do i have to work there for a month and real everyone back in…..then i will!
Calling It Like It Is
August 1st, 2012
8:03 am
Ok….if everyone loves the sports idea, why is Atlanta rated as one of the worst sports cities in the US? Hell, we can’t even keep a hockey team. The Braves fans only show up when they are in the post season. The Falcons are on a roll for the past few years, so the fans come out, hockey left how many times? So, instead of playing Adele, The Police, and Gotye over and over, we will have the same 5 stories about the local teams over and over? This is a BAD, BAD idea….
AtlGigi
August 1st, 2012
8:03 am
This completely SUCKS! My day has officially been ruined. Dave FM is the only station I listen to. I think that CBS is making a huge mistake.
oknow
August 1st, 2012
8:14 am
Please say it’s not true…I remember back in the day (we are talking 1970’s) when “Z-93″ was THE station that nearly everyone (in the Atlanta area) in high school and college listened to (was well as the up and coming 96′ Rock.
What great music they played – today’s music is nothing but over-dubbed simulated music
Greg
August 1st, 2012
8:46 am
99x please increase your power output…
blazerdawg
August 1st, 2012
8:50 am
Gonna miss Steve and Mara. Hope they turn-up at 99X, or anyplace else in Atlanta.
carlton
August 1st, 2012
8:55 am
I have never understood why people complain about radio personalities being so annoying as to make them sick, when it so easy to change the station. That’s why all publicity is good publicity.
idiots
August 1st, 2012
8:56 am
Calling it – The Braves and Falcons both have very high TV and radio ratings, particularly for a Sun Belt city, and their attendance is consistently above average.
Tex – the loss of ratings at Dave has nothing to do with race, but the emergence of numerous custom and digital options. This is happening in every market. Please go home.
David Puddy
August 1st, 2012
8:58 am
ATLBorn….”Drivetime Chuck & Chernoff (always informed)”
Oh really. So they spout informaton memorized from the same sources we have available everyday that takes about 10 minutes of reading…….their show is horrible, scripted with stupid exit teases that Turnoff actually believes is clever. Turnoff blows any interview when he tries to be ‘cutting edge.’ Earlier this baseball season he asked Chipper if he’d accept a trade at the deadline if a team needed him for the playoff stretch. Really? Almost 20 years with the club and the Braves are going to push the most ignorant public relations disaster in ATL sports history, What an idiot.
Chicagoboy
August 1st, 2012
9:05 am
Atlanta radio is awful. I’m sorry. It just is. Dave FM was about the only station I could stomach, but even Dave succumbed to pressures to play the same stuff over and over and over again. Want good, quality hard rock? Chicago has the best. WXRT. They play b-sides and indie bands and are wildly successful. I wish the on-air staff at Dave well. They were talented, but the programming stunk to high heaven.
VS
August 1st, 2012
9:06 am
If Dave had just played GOOD diverse music instead of the same 10 boring songs, ad nauseam. And I don’t listen to sports radio.
Slaphead
August 1st, 2012
9:10 am
680 needs to strengthen that 93.7 signal. I like Chuck and Chernoff a lot but can’t listen to TRA in the morning because the signal sucks so bad. If there’s an alternative, 680 could lose out big time here.
Chicago's WXRT is great
August 1st, 2012
9:15 am
if you like Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, Beatles, Weezer, Smashing Pumpking, Beatles, Weezer…
Sorry to see Dave go. Loved Steve’s College of Musical Knowledge and Sunday evening programming. Sign of the times, I guess.
Rodney Ho
August 1st, 2012
9:17 am
@Slaphead Stations at signals such as 93.7, Journey 97.9 and 99X at 98.9 are FM low-power translators. I’m sure all these stations would love to up their signals but they are limited in terms of how much power they can send out legally. Ihttp://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/fm-translators-and-boosters-general-information
Brent
August 1st, 2012
9:19 am
@Rodney do you think anyone is going to change to a “greatest hits” format????
Feduponpolitics
August 1st, 2012
9:20 am
Atlanta radio is terrible. All talk, all sports, all nothing…geezzzzzz…..Hey Mara, there is an old radio station on Hwy 9 just south of Cumming. Buy it and start your own station….
Marsh
August 1st, 2012
9:21 am
Remember when they named DaveFM, after they stupidly switched the format in the first place? It was a stupid stunt around Dave Matthews, and they kept it, which was the first mistake way back in 2004. 96Rock, Z93 and 99X provided variety (such as it is in commercial radio) and DEFINED ATLANTA RADIO. Whoever said that about the laws changing and ownership going to fewer and fewer corporations has it right. They know nothing about the town, slap crap on stations that people liked after taking advice from clueless “consultants” and kill radio for hundreds of thousands of commuters that don’t want to pay for radio. Slow…clap.
MICHELE
August 1st, 2012
9:44 am
SOOOO disappointed..we have enough sports talk radio!! I LOVE Mara, Yvonne, Margot and Sully!!!
Brent
August 1st, 2012
9:45 am
@Marsh, I whole heartily agree………….Big………clap.
Calling It Like It Is
August 1st, 2012
10:04 am
@idiots – The Braves and Falcons may be high now, but they sure weren’t in the 90’s. What happens when they have a bad season? Let’s not even talk about Hockey.
And translator stations – yes they are a good idea because it gets the station on the air, but the area of reception is so limited, it’s not worth it.
How many times has there been a “Greatest Hits” station format here? When people think of greatest hits, The River comes to mind or another “Oldies” station. How many times has that been on the air, only to change?
@Marsh – You are right. The media corporations that own these stations have no clue about the markets they are in. Playlists are determined by a computer and what label is paying them how much.
For the personality haters, yet claim to love the station for the music – Give Steve a programming gig and you would have one hell of a station. The guy has been around for quite a while and knows his music, whether it be Rock or Alternative.
Bravo CBS….slow, continuous clap..BRAVO..
Vicki Shapiro
August 1st, 2012
10:07 am
I’m so happy for The Mitch. He’s my lover & soul mate. He’s more talented than people give him credit. We were happy for years at the 790 then they let him go. But he’s stronger than ever.
I am concerned about the hours. Who will help me with my scrapbooking? and we like to play the Soduko together. Sometimes we put on Bruce Springsteen& do Rock Guitar. But with The Mitch working so much I just don’t know
Atl Listener
August 1st, 2012
10:10 am
One name nobody is mentionig is Sandra Golden. Well I guess that means nobody in ATL is that stupid.
Victoria
August 1st, 2012
11:16 am
This is a shame. I love Dave FM. Why would you replace such an excellent station, with excellent staff, like Mara Davis, with sports chat? Good music selection is a lost art. Bad form Caffey. Bad form.
Brent
August 1st, 2012
11:46 am
@Victoria, Dave is not a good station and never was, imo. But if that is you opinion that is your’s. But I totally agree with no sports, I am sick of putting these thug players of all colors on a pedestal, they are overpaid, and who gives a rat’s ass why someone did not catch the ball…I hope this station fails miserably and it will. WHAT AN UTTER MESS.
snottrocket
August 1st, 2012
11:51 am
Move the Steve show back to mid-days on 99x…maybe we can get that in time for the Haunted House of Retro Pleasure and the Christmasized playlists.
Todd
August 1st, 2012
11:55 am
http://www.change.org/petitions/cbs-radio-keep-dave-fm-92-9-on-air-with-the-same-rock-format-in-atlanta-georgia
Who cares?
August 1st, 2012
12:45 pm
“broke” Mumford and Sons and Adele? Yeah they did – the laser shoots staright through the disc now as they played them so often. Oh, and Bob Marley – really? That’s 40 years old now – there had to be something, anything, new that could be played. The Program Director lost sight of his audience long ago – is there even one there? I am considered in the prime demo group – love alternative rock – but that station lost the alternative label a couple years ago. Any kind of edge, and I am not talking the one from U-2, would have sufficed – but alas, they Dave became dull.
Brent
August 1st, 2012
1:46 pm
Please sign my petition.
Thanks
http://www.change.org/petitions/no-to-a-sports-format-on-92-9-atlanta#
Stephanie
August 1st, 2012
1:47 pm
What do I love about DAVE? The music and DJs with some real PASSION and RESPECT for the music and rock & roll history. I’m talking about gems like Mara Davis and Steve Craig who have glitter and grunge under their nails! Give me someone with experience & heart, not more sports coverage or computer-programmed formats. PS: Just because Gore Vidal died today doesn’t mean I’m going to start reading Perez Hilton’s blog.
MooCow
August 1st, 2012
2:21 pm
I hate to hear this. I’ve always been such a huge fan of the 3M’s…Margot, Mara and Monet. Fingers crossed another local station picks them up soon. They’re too good to not be on the air. Best of luck to all.
Christopher Rude
August 1st, 2012
3:37 pm
what did i tell ya!? 8 pages of comments from sports-talk sales people (and nick from 790) and not one post from anybody who can name one decent rock station on satellite
Christopher Rude
August 1st, 2012
3:39 pm
8 pages of comments and nobody can name one decent rock station on satellite?
skeeter
August 1st, 2012
3:54 pm
Dam!!! alot of moist comments from non-sports jocks, afterall ATL is San Fran south…..
QH5
August 1st, 2012
4:35 pm
Talk Radio sucks. RIP. – Love, Quiet Hounds
Art Howard
August 1st, 2012
5:00 pm
Everyone should just subscribe to my podcast in iTunes. http://www.ArtHowardAtNight.com.
Brent
August 1st, 2012
5:08 pm
I guess it is up to Clear Channel now, Cox won’t do anything with their disasters. 96.1, 94.9 or 105.3 should go…………..
Mellow ANG
August 1st, 2012
5:25 pm
If they land some great host. Then I will frequently tune in. The signal will be so much stronger than the other 2 stations.
sounds like a done deal
August 1st, 2012
5:49 pm
But for what it’s worth, Atlanta radio really needs 2 things, an Oldies Station with Randy and Spiff, and the KIMMER!
William
August 1st, 2012
7:00 pm
Oh cool so now I hve my choice of 3 different sports stations that will talk about how the Braves Choked and lost a compelling lead, or how next year the Atlanta Falcons will be better, or how the Atlanta Hawks are working on the fundamentals, Or how the Thrashers……oh that’s right we don’t have a hockey team anymore. Dave FM is the one station in this town that actually plays a decent mix of music and happens to be on the cutting edge of local and national music scenes. But hey, let’s talk more about sports, because 15 ESPN’s, CSS, VS, and all of the other stations on TV or the radio don’t cover enough.
Jill
August 1st, 2012
9:15 pm
The Steve Show in the morning was the only reason I listen to DaveFM in the morning. I absolutely LOATHE most morning shows, and the only good thing they do is make sure I get up in the morning just so I can turn them off. Atlanta needs to keep Steve Craig, find him a new home!
Eric
August 2nd, 2012
2:17 am
With the Atlanta sports teams… we still have the Braves, Falcons, and Hawks… and the Dream. The Trashers moved away to Canada. We have college teams GT and UGA.
As for Atlanta’s 93.7FM frequency being so weak… Macon has a 93.7FM frequency in the form of WPEZ-FM’s Z-93.7, if I’m not mistaken. I believe Birmingham has a 94.9FM frequency, which would explain’s Atlanta’s 94.9FM frequency being weak.
94.9FM, in my opinion, used to be good during the Peach and Lite FM era… before Clear Channel changed it to country music station The Bull. 96.1 used to be good as 96 Rock, before Project 9-6-1 came along. I remember 92.9FM as Z-93, 97.1FM as Fox 97, and 99.7FM as 99-X. Also remember 106.7 as a country music station (Y-106 and Eagle 106).
Atlanta has had its share of memorbale morning radio shows. Steve & Vikki… Cindy & Ray… Kelly & Alpha… Randy & Spiff. B-98 disbands Steve & Vikki, by canning Steve, and keeping Vikki. B-98 invites Kelly back, without Alpha. Star disbands Cindy & Ray, by canning Ray, and keeping Cindy. Randy & Spiff had little to no success since 2003 at being able to stay at an Atlanta radio station.
The way I see it with Atlanta radio… station management and their parent companies are very much out of touch with the audience.
Eric
August 2nd, 2012
5:18 am
With the station management and parent companies being out of touch with the audience… you’re likely to find that they rely on the so-called “focus groups”, which are not 100% reliable.
We’ve got B-98 wanting to be another Star 94 and Q-100. We’ve seen 95.5FM and 106.7FM converted from music to the news-talk-sports format. We’ve already got 680 The Fan and 790 The Zone… and don’t see the need for yet another news-talk-sports radio station. CBS needs to leave 92.9FM alone… either keeping the Dave FM name, or adopting the Jack FM name, or going back to the previous Z-93 name.
Calling It Like It Is
August 2nd, 2012
9:01 am
They do need to keep it, but not bring back the Z-93 moniker. People will associate that name with The Greaseman and all of the other OLD stuff. If they were to keep it music, they would need to get rid of the Dave name, rebrand it and stick with it. It can be done. Hell, 97.1 kept the tagline “Atlanta’s New home of classic rock” for what, 5 years?
Forget the oldies, forget Randy and Spiff, forget Kelly and Alpha….they are all in the past. Keep the music current or adopt the AOR format. There is no station that plays deeper cuts or anything other than the singles that were released. So much of the music on a CD is better than what is released to radio. Free form rock radio would be the best fit for a “lost” station. Some classic rock, new music from older bands, breaking bands, local bands. Screw Top 40, unless it’s relevant to the format. How about being a pioneer and create your own format?
Going back to the Z-93 name is taking a step backward. They need to move forward, but not with sports talk!
Brent
August 2nd, 2012
9:28 am
We need this..
http://www.hippieradio945.com/
Brent
August 2nd, 2012
9:31 am
@Calling it like it is, here is my email, I want to run some ideas by you we seem to be on the same page
bjorgensen10@gmail.com
Thanks
Brent
Irish
August 2nd, 2012
8:56 pm
What the hell. Dave was the only station that I listen to. I hooked on the Steve Show when it came on and listened the rest of the day to Mara, Yvonne, Sully and Renee. This just sucks.
Keenan Woods
August 3rd, 2012
7:55 pm
I’d love to see Rick Caffey hire former NBA player and 2007 NBA Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell and Former National Champion Georgia Bulldog and Green Bay Packer Defensive Back DJ Jones. Mitchell has also worked with NBA TV and currently host “Time Out with Sam Mitchell” Radio Show on Fox Radio AM 1460 in Columbus, Ga. Jones is a 15 year veteran Radio/TV host who currently is the Executive Producer and Cohost of Sportsvisions Atlanta which airs on Comcast ESPN2 he also is a member of the University of Georgia Football Radio Broadcast team. These guys would light up the Atlanta sports talk radio market with their great insight and knowledge. Both are very intelligent, articulant and has played the game at highest level. I have been in the market for a very long time and it would be refreshing to hear from a couple of successful African-American former players who made the media transition after professional sports. Why not… and they both live or have lived in the ATL???
Paco
August 3rd, 2012
8:00 pm
Don’t get your hopes up about rock music on Satellite radio. XM stations suck – there is nothing close to the music selection of DaveFM. Don’t know about Sirius (I know they merged, but they still maintain XM programming just about like it used to be). There is definitely no personalities on XM!!
Greg
August 5th, 2012
10:57 pm
I started keeping Dave FM on my radio after they hired Steve for the morning show. He is funny and he doesn’t have hours of tiresome celebrity gossip. I wonder if the all talk format will work. I haven’t listened one second to the last station that switched from music to all talk.
Jennifer
August 6th, 2012
6:46 pm
This REALLY bites! Thanks for selling out your loyal listeners, CBS and Rick Caffey. We have enough stupid sports….but only ONE station like Dave FM! I disagree about what you said about having a strong signal….your signal sucks and is most probably why you don’t have more listeners. We didn’t stop listening…we stopped hearing you! I live in north Georgia and my reception is awful. I didn’t even know you existed until I got a new car with a better sound system. My old car didn’t even pick you up, and I can’t pick you up at home either. Anywhere north of Gainesville has sucky reception…but we listen to fuzzy radio ANYWAY because we are sick to death of top 40 and all the other crap stations–including SPORTS– that we are offered. So thanks a lot. Jerks. I hope your sports talk station bombs.
Your formal loyal viewer, Jennifer
Amanda
August 7th, 2012
12:07 am
This is such a shame. No, they may not have had the top numbers, but it is such a great station. Great music 24/7, brilliant DJs and just a lovely break from every other station in the ATL.
92.9 has been my #1 programmed radio station in every car I’ve ever owned. I will change it the day the station changes format.
What a waste of talent and variety, something radio in this town is desperately lacking.
mary kelly
August 7th, 2012
8:15 am
I predict they’ll be off the airwaves in less than a year. Stupid move, DAVE, but
it’s what we’ve come to expect from you. However, can ‘t tell you how much I appreciate your canning that Barron as*****. What a d***. Steve, GOOD LUCK. Haunt
them from another station in Atlanta.