790/The Zone keeps Tony Barnhart and Wes Durham in more limited capacity
Wes Durham
Tony Barnhart and Wes Durham had been in furious negotiations with 790/The Zone over their future there for weeks since they stepped off in April for a break.
The result: a more limited role on the sports talk station. They will do a two-hour “Southern Football Kickoff Show” on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and “contribute” the rest of the week.
Barnhart hosts the weekly Tony Barnhart Show on the CBS Sports Network and Talkin’ Football on CSS and contributes to CBS’s “College Football Today.” Durham is the play-by-play voice for Georgia Tech football and basketball and anchors play-by-play for the Atlanta Falcons on 790 The Zone.
In other words, they’re both insanely busy. Trying to do a five-day-a-week radio show the past two years on top of that proved too taxing.
Tony Barnhart
But Barnhart and Durham pulled in plenty of listeners for the Zone, which is why the Zone really wanted to keep them, even in a more limited capacity. And it guarantees at least through this football season that the new Sports Talk 92.9 will not grab them.
I have heard no concrete hires yet for the 92.9 sports talk station or even a specific launch date. Dave FM will definitely be around at least through the end of the month. Its annual “Care-a-thon” for Children’s Healthcare will air from Sept. 26 to 28.
While the arrival of an FM sports talk station isn’t good news for either 680/The Fan or 790/The Zone, at least the Fan has the Hawks and the Zone has the Falcons. There are no major sports teams available anytime soon for 92.9 to pick up, though it used to have the Falcons. (The current 790/Star 94 deal still has 3.5 years left.)
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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31 comments Add your comment
G
September 11th, 2012
3:08 pm
How does this work with the “Red Zone”? It sounds like a crowded booth when you add the Stews and Hans.
Rufus
September 11th, 2012
3:34 pm
Well I hope for ole Wes that he can stil talk with Arch,Spoon, Quiz, Smitty,an maybe throw in ole daddy Wood. Wes eems a bit full of himself.
arff
September 11th, 2012
3:41 pm
I used to be a fan of 790 but once they started limiting and then diluting the Stews I stopped listening. I don’t mind the good ole boy programming on a lot of sports talk but the Stews were the only thing directed towards the African-American sports fan. You take that away you lose a lot of listeners. I hope this new FM sports talk station has the Stews or someone like them. If not hosts of color at least some one young and fresh that doesn’t trot out the same cliches and stereotypes that illicit the same tired listener comments.
lkjlkj
September 11th, 2012
4:24 pm
I had wondered if they weren’t going to end up on 92.9, especially given Barnhart’s ties to CBS. I am really curious as to who’s going to show up when they go live or if they’ll start with mostly syndicated programming like Tim Brando and Jim Rome. Chuck & Chernoff or Archer & Bell would be a great get, but I’m guessing 680 and 790 will do everything they can to keep from losing them at some point.
rrgt
September 11th, 2012
4:34 pm
Why is it that those asking for the most tolerance are the least tolerant?
Skram30082
September 11th, 2012
7:09 pm
Hey Rodney, I’m thinking Toucher and Rich from Boston may be the sleeper picks to start at Dave once it converts to sports talk. They’ve been doing sports talk in Boston for about three years, and they both have pretty good ties to Atlanta, having worked at 99X before its demise.
You heard it here first!
Sage of Bluesland
September 11th, 2012
7:15 pm
Durham is too full of himself and his love of his own voice to be taken seriously. I turn the station whenever I hear his full-of-himself voice.
I’m a fan of 790, but this show was the ultimate in boring and I always switch the station immediately.
I’m looking forward to the new station, as I will certainly give them a chance.
Go Jackets
September 11th, 2012
7:31 pm
Stews are headed to new station on 92.9……stupid if they dont….Hans issa DWEEB…..
Steak is a blow hard
September 11th, 2012
8:57 pm
As long as Steak Shapiro continues to be on the air, I refuse to listen to 790. He and Chris Berman are the two biggest blow hards in sports media.
Lance
September 11th, 2012
9:04 pm
That’s a shame, they had the best show on radio period. And now sadly one day a week for 2 hours is all I get.
B. Thenet
September 11th, 2012
9:48 pm
Finebaum is going to be in the afternoon slot for the new sports station, book it. Hard to believe he isn’t already on one of the 4 sports talk stations in Atlanta already.
Wishful Thinking
September 11th, 2012
9:48 pm
Toucher and Rich were mentioned weeks ago………
rod
September 11th, 2012
9:52 pm
rodney, wes and tony announced months ago that they would be back in their new roles
The Truth
September 11th, 2012
10:17 pm
I like Barnhardt but agree with others that Durham thinks he’s Gods gift to the announcing and sports analyst world.
Stews are racist. THAT is why they lost all their white listeners, Sporting News Radio, and ESPN. And poor Doug doesn’t even know that much about sports.
Steak holds down Chellini and Domino. Now there is the talent I would want if I was starting a new station!
ATL TV GUY
September 11th, 2012
10:25 pm
Rodney,
I have heard that CBS is targeting October 15th as the launch date. No talent has been publicly named yet.
What the?
September 11th, 2012
10:25 pm
Hey Arff..”same cliches and stereotypes”…that is all the Stews are.
Ed S.
September 11th, 2012
10:39 pm
Amen “The Truth”. The Two Live Racists lost their national gig because of that. The quicker they can be kicked out of there the better. Let 92.9 have them and their 35 listeners. Over the years I’ve seen far better talents fired from 790. However, the Stews won’t fair as well as Chris Cotter and others have. Maybe Ryan can find somebody else to sue.
David
September 11th, 2012
10:42 pm
Those of you cracking on Wes have to be UGA fans. As someone who knows him personally you couldn’t be further from the truth on him.
Rodney Ho
September 11th, 2012
10:48 pm
@rod It’s clear the Zone wanted more of a role for Wes and Tony, given their popularity, but Wes and Tony drew a line in the sand for their own sanity.
Goldenrod
September 11th, 2012
10:52 pm
Excellent! Love me some Wes Durham, I already get to hear his golden voice on Saturdays AND Sundays and now I will add Thursdays to my list.
Since 790 The Zone is THE official flagship station of Georgia Tech athletics I will do part to support them in their every endeavor.
We WILL Run This State!
AthDog
September 11th, 2012
11:37 pm
Athens resident, Dog season ticket holder and in my opinion Durham is the best play by guy in the state since Munson passed and it’s not even close! I listened to he and TB when I was in ATL and will again. Unfortunately, once you get outside the Perimeter you can’t pick up 790. They’d be great on 680 before Buck and Pinhead.
Reggie
September 12th, 2012
6:18 am
Looking forward to hearing the Stews on FM radio. You guys that want good old boy radio will soon have it. The Stews only problem was the new management at 790, He took a great product and watered it down to “Heeeeey Buck” radio. They will kill the ratings again once they are authentic again and on FM radio!
Yawn
September 12th, 2012
7:06 am
Listening to Tony and Wes is a snoozer. I don’t know how anyone does it keeping their eyes open.
Yawn
September 12th, 2012
7:14 am
Ryan Stewart piling on the entitlement bandwagon by joining the nefarious NFL concussion lawsuit. Interesting that he seemed perfectly fine when his radio and TV career was doing well. You can take the man out of the ghetto but never the ghetto out of the man.
Keep Wes, get rid of Blowhard Barnhart...
September 12th, 2012
8:13 am
…Blowhard thinks he is the next Furman Bisher, but he ain’t…not even close.
And you can book it that The Stews ain’t getting any gig at 92.9 – they blew their chance when they became “race baiters” rather than “sports” guys…
Suggestion Box
September 12th, 2012
8:16 am
I loved their show but – here’s the thing, OK? – Wes says “Here’s the thing, OK?” about ten times an hour.
dtanner
September 12th, 2012
8:25 am
need to fire that bald headed loud mouthed arrogant steakie baby,he is the reason i refuse to listen to the zone,and that other bald headed no personality nick cellini is just as bad,looks like a wooden indian on that sat. nite sports show on WGCL
T
September 12th, 2012
11:58 am
there will finally be a reason to listen to 790 again. without wes & tony, it became AWFUL radio. Dear GOD the stews with hans what’s-his-face? I’d rather watch paint dry. 790 stays ‘middlin ‘ as long as steak shapiro’s obnoxious “do you know who I am?” voice is emitting thru their signal.
Tank
September 13th, 2012
1:23 pm
I’ve heard the hosts from Endzone to Endzone on WIGO may get picked up
Banned Poster
September 13th, 2012
5:37 pm
You people are crazy. CBS is not going to put on anyone locally from one of the other stations. they will bring in their own team and syndicate Tim Brando and Jim Rome until they can get a better footing in the market. Oh and that idiot Finebaum won’t ever see a gig in Atlanta.
K from Da Wood
September 14th, 2012
1:30 pm
How do some of you guys live you regular life. If you don’t like someones voice fine…opinions great…topic knowledge, I get it, but why so many personal attacks on people you don’t really know? A lot of you guys are cowards at best. You should be ashamed of yourselves. These guys are juat trying to earn a living to support their famlies the best way they no how. Are you jealous because of the opportunities that they all have or is it just that you hate your own existence so much!