While we await the official launch date of CBS’ FM Sports launch at WZGC Atlanta, we now know the station will be branded as “92.9 The Game“.
Following up on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Rodney Ho’s report that it would be “the likely name”, we can confirm that it will indeed be the brand name. A Twitter account has gone live at @929TheGame with the logo seen here. CBS has registered multiple Sports related domains over the past two months including 929TheGame.com and 929FMTheGame.com.
CBS also registered a number of domains for brand names that didn’t make the cut. Among the other brands looked at are: Sports929.com, 929TheTeam.com, 929SportsHub.com, 929AtlantaSports.com, 929Sports.com, 929SportsStream.com, 929ThePlay.com, 929ThePlaybook.com, 929TheSportsEdge.com, 929TheSportsLeader.com, and 929TheSportsReport.com.
CBS still has not announced any other particulars related to the Game including launch date and lineup. The current occupant of the frequency, AAA “92.9 Dave-FM” will go jockless this weekend after running a three day long radiothon for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and a 92 song farewell countdown on Saturday.
Interesting name for a station with no play by play ‘game’ rights
They don’t have games, they talk about games. Sort of like so-called news/talk stations don’t have news blocks but talk about news.
One long standing theory is that sports talk stations do better without actually running sports.
The only challenge to that theory is what happened in Detroit.
Let’s not forget that for much of the 2000s, WXYT already had flagship rights to the Tigers, Lions and Red Wings. Ratings were average, but never spectacular. WDFN had both the Pistons, MSU and ESPN PBP plus an all-local lineup – ratings for them were great in key demos, but the signal was somewhat lousy.
Then CBS moved WXYT to the FM dial back in 2007 to displace their ailing Free FM talker. And guess what? WXYT not only skyrocketed to #1 in multiple demos, but #1 overall. It was such a massive game-changer for that CC ended up destroying WDFN – firing every on-air host (most of which went to WXYT), then giving up the Pistons to WXYT.
Today, WDFN has only two on-air hosts, no play-by-play whatsoever and a very poor signal.
I thought there were Radio Discussions reports of 92.9 running national radio broadcasts of NFL and college football games. That’s one ‘cheap’ way to have high profile games on the weekends. Compass Media Networks and Sports USA games would probably suffice until they can someday snag a more local property like Georgia Tech (or Georgia).
Jason, they only took “The Game” because both “The Fan” (WCNN) and “The Zone” (WQXI) were already spoken for in the market.
I stay in Houston and Atlanta’s 92.9 Sports Radio is getting a GREAT radio host name CARL DUKES! He is leaving ESPN 97.5 to come to Atlanta’s new sports radio station. He is the best and I hate to see him leave. 09/28/2012 will officially be his last day on ESPN97.5 The Drive! We will miss you Carl! As he would say #PUTEMUPPPPPPPPPP