I've been handed a new column with Score Atlanta where every week I'll take a look at all of the happenings in the Atlanta sports media. This is my first column.
In today’s sports world it seems that as long as a competition is going on, television, radio or a print media is covering it. And who is going to keep tabs on all of that coverage? Score Atlanta, that’s who. Every week we’ll break down what the various forms of media are doing in Atlanta and across the country. With no further ado…
The Hawks will be on national television seven times this upcoming season. Getting to the second round certainly has its perks. Not only are you on the national stage with a chance to win a title, but you get to be on ESPN and TNT the following year so everyone can track whether or not you’ll make it back. ESPN has selected six Atlanta games, four of which will be played at Philips Arena. The first national broadcast will be live from Boston on November 13, but Hawks fans can pack Philips on Thanksgiving night as well as New Year’s Night. Considering the Hawks used to never even sniff ESPN or TNT, this is a big deal. People love their Joe Johnson and Josh Smith.
The Atlanta Braves will be moving next season. No, not to a new stadium but to a new radio station. Braves games will be heard on AM 680 The Fan as well as 100.5 FM starting in 2010. The team and the station have signed a five year deal and will move to The Fan, who also owns the broadcast rights to the NHL’s Thrashers. The Fan works with two other smaller AM stations so NHL coverage will likely get pushed to The Fan2 or The Fan3 when schedules conflict. The games are currently aired on Project 96.1 FM and AM 640. This move makes sense for the Braves because with Leo Mazzone now on the station’s morning show “The Rude Awakening,” and with Buck Belue on in the afternoon, the team will get plenty of coverage, though you have to wonder if the coverage will be slanted to the positive because of the affiliation. John Kincade gives hard-hitting commentary on the Braves and it would be a shame to have him have to curb his opinions because of a fear of backlash like he sometimes does with the Atlanta Thrashers.
The Fan is also adding Florida Gator football. For the last three seasons, the Fan has been the home of Auburn football, but with Atlanta being the home to so many Florida alumni, and with the Gators seeking its second straight title and third in four years, the Fan decided to strike while it is hot. With Auburn going through a transition year and as long as Tim Tebow is doing the Gator chomp, this change will seemingly bring listeners out of the woodwork. The question is though will the station give the Gator-faithful the Urban Meyer call-in show? Maybe I missed it but I don’t remember hearing from Tommy Tuberville all that much when he was roaming the sidelines for the Tigers. WSB 750 AM will still carry the University of Georgia games with extended coverage and Sports Radio 790 The Zone is still the flagship station of Georgia Tech.
Speaking of 790 The Zone, Football still lives on the station and Friday Nights will once again feature high school football. Trey McDaniel returns to call play-by-play and John Michaels will give color commentary on all of the action. McDaniel calls a solid game and Michaels originally got his feet wet working with the Georgia Force. The two called games together last season and this year the pair should be able to flow off of each other. Those fans looking for the Saturday morning recap though might be disappointed. High School High Five will not return for a third season. Those looking for High School football news will need to tune in to 790 Sunday from 2-4 for The Official Visit, presented by Score Atlanta. Starting the week after Labor Day, the Official Visit moves to Mondays.
Finally WSB’s Chuck Dowdle will retire at the end of the year. Dowdle has been with Atlanta’s WSB for 24 years. He won’t be leaving the Atlanta sports scene however. Dowdle will still do the weekly Mark Richt coach’s show as well as handle post-game interviews for the Georgia Bulldog Radio network. It seems a shame to lose a staple of the local television scene, especially when you consider how much of a professional he was on the sports report. Dowdle never seemed to fall victim to the ESPN poseur-trap that so many sports anchors did when SportsCenter hit its peak earlier this decade. You never seemed to get a Craig Kilborn/Dan Patrick impersonation with Dowdle; you just got Chuck, and that was perfect for Atlanta.
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