Likely 92.9 Sports Talk launch date: Monday, October 15
Last year, Rich "Sully" Sullivan talks with Robin Meade at Ryan Seacrest's "The Voice" studio at Children's Healthcare at Egleston by Emory. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
As adult rock station 92.9/Dave FM reaches its final weeks of existence, there has been plenty of speculation on when the life support machine will officially be unplugged.
Rick Caffey, the boss, didn’t have anything for me on dates but said they’ll be solidified next week. He also had no talent to name yet for Sports Talk 92.9 (or whatever it’s going to be called.)
An insider did tell me, though, that on-air staff will be gone by the end of the month. Dave, which debuted in the summer of 2004, has committed to its annual Children’s Healthcare of Egleston “Radio-a-thon” from Sept. 26 to 28. That seems to be the effective farewell for Steve Craig, Rich Sullivan, Mara Davis and Margot Smith.
Then Dave will run without any jocks for a couple of weeks before the sports talk station takes over in mid-October.
The Radio-a-thon, which raised more than $400,000 for the children’s hospital, was held in November, 2011, and guests included Alton Brown and Robin Meade. I wonder how much actual acknowledgment of the format’s impending death will be allowed by the on-air staff.
So enjoy your Avett Brothers, Lumineers and Mumford & Sons while you can on the FM dial.
The timing for the sports talk launch is not optimal. The football season, both professional and college, is already well under way. But CBS has the money to make this a splashy debut. We’ll see how well they get the word out and what type of talent they attract.
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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42 comments Add your comment
dicat
September 12th, 2012
1:03 pm
BOO!
Bryan Stone
September 12th, 2012
1:05 pm
CBS Sports Radio is serious about being a player in the Nat’l Sports TV/Radio game. Not sure if they got what it takes in a crowded sports talk radio market like Atl but it’s worth a shot. They got a very good sports radio guy in Mitch Evans. Good luck guys. Kick some ass Mitch.
Oh yeah, and First!
Bryan Stone
September 12th, 2012
1:06 pm
2nd I guess
Holden Magroyne
September 12th, 2012
1:21 pm
Too many flips!!! I have given up on Atlanta radio! Sirius XM is the only way for me now. Came standard with my car and puchased a portable unit for my wifes car.
Calling It Like It Is
September 12th, 2012
2:33 pm
Let’s see how long it lasts….meanwhile, ex99 starts tomorrow.
McDougal
September 12th, 2012
3:04 pm
You’re getting Jim Rome in middays to talk Pac 12 football starting October 15th!
kristoffer
September 12th, 2012
4:10 pm
I hope this sports talk station crashes and burns so fast it makes their head spin!
SCR
September 12th, 2012
4:20 pm
Very curious move. Are they trying to take share away from 790am? We lose the a major sports franchise in the Thrashers, but gain another sports radio station?
Michelle
September 12th, 2012
5:03 pm
I hope it crashes and they realize a big mistake has been made. So long Atlanta radio hello Pandora.
carla
September 12th, 2012
5:55 pm
BOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Why on earth would anyone listen to sports talk?
Gonna miss My DAVEfm.
lou
September 12th, 2012
8:55 pm
No offense to Mitch Evans because he seems like a good guy, but how he has lasted this long in the world of sports broadcasting is a mystery. He has one of the most stilted deliveries anywhere and sounds like a guy trying to sound like a guy doing radio sports. It just goes to show you how limited the options seem to be in this city. If he is the starting point for a station, I would say that is not a great starting point.
finally
September 12th, 2012
9:06 pm
Not a good move especially on my anniversary. Clearly the listeners are “ripe for the picking” with 99x and 961 gone. Go back to the beginning of Dave when they played a wonderful variety, not just red hot chili peppers every hour. Keep the talented jocks, there are actually people in Atlanta who WANT to hear about music and upcoming concerts and other current topics with a bit of humor/wit/sarcasm et al. Why is there even a market for talk/news/sports when we all (pretty much) can get anything we want with a few keystrokes on google or any other search engine??? Much faster than someone reading headlines or scores???? Once you have heard the headlines you tune out, you don’t listen ALL day to hear the same stories again and again??? I just don’t get this at all. Sure it may be cheaper to staff with just some copy readers-but really? Atlanta isn’t really a huge sports town, it’s more music oriented with several genres represented. I just have to shake my damn head.
brian j
September 13th, 2012
8:25 am
This just SUCKS!!! I have lived in Atlanta my whole life and we have never had so little to choose from on the FM dial. I hope the DJ’s from Dave land new jobs in Atl and I hope the new sports talk station crashes and burns.
David Puddy
September 13th, 2012
8:42 am
Pick up Chuck and Turnoff so I don’t have to listen to Hannity or, worse, Clark Howard.
Pippy Short Stockings
September 13th, 2012
8:56 am
Wow that is a creepy picture. I can only imagine what is going through Sully’s mind there. We should have a captioning contest for that pic!
danish
September 13th, 2012
9:54 am
I am sooooo sad about this, Dave is by far my fave radio station. Wahhhhhh.
A Different Jeff
September 13th, 2012
10:19 am
Looking forward to another sports talk station on the FM dial, especially in the morning. I’m about tired of the Morning Commercial Show on 93.7, sporadically interrupted by something called the “Rude Awakening.”
Ellen TN
September 13th, 2012
11:17 am
Sad, sad, sad. Hope to see a Dave FM booth at Music Midtown this year. Hopefully my favorite DJ’s will pose for some pics with this loyal listener. I wish the DJ’s well and hope they all stick around on the air somewhere in Atlanta. I’ll be a polite Southern gal and leave it at that!! Though I’d LOVE to say more!
Hillyard Crump
September 13th, 2012
1:04 pm
i hope they hire 2 live stews
Dennis
September 13th, 2012
1:24 pm
This news has brought together two different radio audiences into discussion. From every blog I’ve seen from Rodney about this subject the DaveFM fans are understandably upset at losing their station, and not so understandably have wished nothing but ill will on the new sports station, and a fair amount of scorn and putting down of sports talk listeners… as Carla puts it “Why on earth would anyone listen to sports talk?”
Most of the sensible ones, IMO, simply stick to the discussion of losing an FM station, the general evolution of commercial radio, and the role internet and satellite radio are now going to play in their lives.
The sports radio lovers, myself included, jump right into good debates about which talents they’d like to see move from their current jobs to the new station. The fact a rock station fell victim seems an after thought. But I’ve not seen any one declare joy and happiness about one less rock station in town… or ask “Why on earth would anyone want to listen to rock music?”
Lastly, for those who want to see the new station crash and burn, this is CBS Sports, not a start up venture. Do you honestly think they would be doing this just for fun, without knowing what is already here? Rodney pointed out in another article that they’re making the SAME moves in Tampa and other cities as a major push for their CBS Sports Network growth. SOMEONE’S favorite station was going to get swallowed, unfortunately for you loyal fans it was your station.
The next outcry you hear will be from loyal fans of either 790 or 680 when one of them falls victim next, and the headlines read “Longtime local sports station to change format, loses ratings war to recently added CBS station”
dtanner
September 13th, 2012
3:03 pm
the only thing in life more useless than ballgames,is people sitting around talking about ballgames
Ed Taylor
September 13th, 2012
3:48 pm
I hve ben a long time listener in sports radio and have to say I am looking forward to seeing what CBS has up their sleeve with this new sports format. For starters, I think Mitch Evans is a pro – he seems like a real guy that is passionate about his craft. It should be interesting and I will be happy to step away from the staleness of Mayhem and the crew as well as Rude and his screwy clan.
Change is GOOD people -
A
September 14th, 2012
10:22 am
I hope Sports 92.9 dies a fast death. It’s just sad that a supposed major market like Atlanta will soon be without any alternative music on its commercial airwaves.
Sports Talk Fan
September 14th, 2012
11:41 am
Since the 2 Live Stews got the boot this morning from 790 the Zone, maybe they will end up here.
G
September 14th, 2012
11:43 am
Hope the 2Live Stews can find a new home @92. 790thezone has just fired the Stews.
FalconsDiva
September 14th, 2012
12:06 pm
Hopefully I’ll get to hear the 2 Live Stews on 92.9 in approximately 1 month!
Marie
September 14th, 2012
2:23 pm
I hope Sully stays in town.
So, where can you listed to the Avett’s, Mumford?
joe
September 14th, 2012
2:24 pm
I go to Europe for 10 days and all of Atlanta radio has changed. What happened to 99x? Also, Project 96.1 is now some take off of q100? What gives? Now Dave is going all sports?? Seems my days listening to Atlanta radio are over. What a waste…
E-Lane
September 14th, 2012
2:40 pm
I hope the sport’s version of Dave FM falls flat on it’s face. Who in the heck wants to listen to sports 24-7 anyway?
ez
September 14th, 2012
3:19 pm
Will miss Dave FM — still can’t believe it’s going away.
CD
September 14th, 2012
3:43 pm
24 hour sports is a lot of freaking sports talk. Why don’t they split up the time with their great music and add sports talk for certain blocks of time? Maybe they could appeal to even more of an audience that way….
Go figure.
G-Boy
September 14th, 2012
3:44 pm
If this new station can give me more than just 30 minutes of Sports talk over an hour span, then I will be sold as a new listener. I am tired of turning to 680 and 790 and there is always an update or Commercial, being played. Once, I timed it and both stations only give you 30 minutes of Sports talk in a hour span! The other 30 minutes? Wasted! I wish I had that job: 2 hours to talk sports and then research the rest of my time about Sports but don’t talk about it!!!!
Unhappy Radio Listener
September 14th, 2012
3:46 pm
Bring back ALT. music to the ATL market!!!
Bring back ALT. music to the ATL market!!!
Bring back ALT. music to the ATL market!!!
Bring back ALT. music to the ATL market!!!
Bring back ALT. music to the ATL market!!!
hey now.....
September 14th, 2012
4:20 pm
“enjoy your Avett Brothers, Lumineers and Mumford & Sons while you can on the FM dial”
if this had been the case all along, the station would not be flipping. Instead, they have been playing U2, the Clash, and the Police, to the point of nausea. Whoever brings back AAA/Alternative to the Atlanta market, please make it current and groundbreaking……..not digging up the dead.
wiki
September 14th, 2012
4:50 pm
Can anyone tell me some good AAA stations around the country? I’ll settle for streaming audio from a Dave soundalike.
PTC DAWG
September 14th, 2012
5:29 pm
Stupid….and just when they loosened up the playlist.
Glenn
September 14th, 2012
5:42 pm
Dave FM was the only decent station left in Atlanta. All we have left is pop, country; oldies, hip hop, Hispanic. NPR, and talk radio, which includes news and sports. Rock and contemporary alternative music has been kicked to the curb. I guess we’re stuck with our iPods and satellite radio, neither of which will get advertising dollars in our area. I guess they showed us, huh?
ATL Radio Stinks
September 14th, 2012
5:55 pm
This is so sad. Why! Sports Talk, Why? How many sports talk stations do you need. I say one is plenty. Whoever’s decision this is must have some screws loose. This is STUPID!
New World Man
September 14th, 2012
6:11 pm
I listen to sports talk several hours a day, which includes the commercials. This seems like a good move for 92.9 to generate some revenue.
Sports talk radio is where it’s at. Hopefully, they will focus on local sports.
llisarose
September 15th, 2012
12:53 pm
all around bad idea. with the Project gone, 99X gone and now Dave, there is an entire demo left without a radio station. This would be a good time for Dave to change gears and create something really new and exciting in MUSIC radio, since nothing like it currently exists in Atlanta. it is possible. I mean 99X just sort of started without a corporate directive. there were the original ‘Power” station in Atlanta and look what they were able to create right off the bat. the staff looked at the music trends, looks at college radio and boom, 99X was born. it just takes creativity. I guess CBS is lacking in that area.
Andy
September 16th, 2012
8:10 am
I’m not sure this is a good idea — Atlanta is not really a sports town. Unless it’s college football, the interest in sports is rather low. If anything, it’s a transient sports town where most of the sports fans are interested in teams OTHER than teams from Atlanta or Georgia. So they’ll talk about other teams and do you expect people discussing it to really care about how the Falcons are doing, or the Hawks or the Braves post-season? No, not really.
This is going to fail despite CBS radio’s efforts and they’ll keep it going anyway.
I really want my Dave FM back though and CBS radio is stupid and insane to even do this.
Beverly Whisenant
September 18th, 2012
12:21 am
Are there any MUSIC stations left in Atlanta? I mean ones that don’t put me to sleep or play the same 80’s songs over and over (River?). Dave wasn’t perfect but now we don’t even have that. Glad I don’t spend much time in the car any more.