If you lived in Georgia during the late nineties or the early aughts, you heard it. That aggressive, slightly distorted, high-energy signal bleeding through your car speakers. 790 The Zone Atlanta wasn't just a radio station; it was a cultural phenomenon that fundamentally changed how people talked about sports in the South. It was loud. It was often offensive. It was incredibly smart until it wasn't.
Before the "790 The Zone" brand became a cautionary tale of corporate mismanagement and on-air blunders, it was the king of the jungle. It pioneered the "guy talk" format that moved away from dry box score reading and toward personality-driven chaos. You didn't tune in just to hear about the Braves' pitching rotation; you tuned in to hear Steak Shapiro, Andrew Saltzman, and the rest of the crew argue like they were at a dive bar in Buckhead.
Radio is different now. We have podcasts and Twitter (X) and instant highlights. But back then, 790 was the town square for Atlanta sports.
The Rise of a Sports Radio Powerhouse
Starting out in 1997, the station took over the WQXI-AM frequency. It was a bold move. At the time, sports radio was still trying to find its footing nationally. Most stations were strictly "stats and facts." 790 The Zone flipped the script. They realized that fans cared more about the feeling of being a fan than the actual Earned Run Average of a middle reliever.
The station’s owners, Big League Broadcasting—led by Shapiro and Saltzman—didn't just hire announcers. They hired characters.
- Mayhem in the AM: This was the flagship. It featured Shapiro, Chris Dimino, and Nick Cellini. They were the Three Musketeers of Atlanta sports media. They were fast-paced and irreverent.
- The 2 Live Stews: Ryan and Doug Stewart brought a completely different energy. They were raw, hip-hop-influenced, and spoke to a demographic that traditional sports radio had ignored for decades. They were arguably the biggest stars the station ever produced, eventually going national on Sporting News Radio and ESPN.
- The Midday Guys and Afternoon Drive: Names like Mike Bell and Chuck Oliver kept the momentum going.
The station thrived because it felt local. When the Falcons went to the Super Bowl in the 1998 season (the "Dirty Bird" era), 790 was the heartbeat of the city. They didn't just report the news; they created the atmosphere. Honestly, it’s hard to replicate that kind of local dominance today when everyone is competing for "national" clout.
When the Swagger Turned into a Problem
Success breeds ego. In the world of sports media, that ego usually leads to one of two things: a massive contract or a massive scandal. For 790 The Zone, it was the latter.
✨ Don't miss: Kurt Warner Height: What Most People Get Wrong About the QB Legend
The station’s downfall didn't happen overnight, but there is one specific moment everyone points to. It was June 2013. The "Mayhem in the AM" crew—Dimino, Cellini, and Shapiro—aired a segment featuring a mock interview with a character meant to be Steve Gleason.
Gleason, a former New Orleans Saint, was (and is) a hero in the NFL community. He also suffers from ALS and uses a computerized voice to communicate. The segment used a "robot voice" to make jokes about Gleason's condition.
It was a disaster.
The backlash was instantaneous and furious. Within hours, the three hosts were fired. The station’s reputation, which was already wobbling due to increased competition and financial struggles, took a hit it could never truly recover from. You can't mock a man fighting a terminal illness and expect a city like Atlanta to just move on. It was the end of an era, and it happened in the most painful way possible.
The Business Reality: Why the Signal Faded
While the Gleason incident was the PR death blow, the financial reality was already grim. Running an independent sports station is expensive. Really expensive.
790 The Zone Atlanta was eventually sold to Lincoln Financial Media. Later, Entercom (now Audacy) got involved. As the station moved through different hands, the "local" feel started to evaporate. Corporate radio loves synergy and cost-cutting. They don't love high-priced local talent who might say something that scares off a national advertiser.
🔗 Read more: Juan Carlos Gabriel de Anda: Why the Controversial Sportscaster Still Matters
Competition from 92.9 The Game
The biggest blow to 790 wasn't just its own mistakes; it was the arrival of FM sports radio. For years, sports fans had to suffer through the static and weak signal of AM radio. When 92.9 The Game launched on the FM dial in 2012, the clock started ticking for 790.
FM is clearer. It's more accessible. And 92.9 had the backing of CBS Radio. They started poaching talent and, more importantly, they started winning the ratings war. By the time 790 tried to pivot to a more "national" feed with ESPN Radio content, the battle was already lost.
The Lasting Legacy of the "Zone" Style
Despite the messy ending, you can't talk about sports media today without acknowledging what 790 did first.
They proved that "guy talk" works. Look at the biggest podcasts today—Pardon My Take, The Pat McAfee Show—they all share DNA with the original 790 The Zone format. It's about chemistry. It's about being the person the listener wants to grab a beer with.
- Talent Incubation: Think about where the 790 alumni ended up. Chris Dimino and Nick Cellini eventually found homes at 680 The Fan. Mike Bell became a staple at 92.9 The Game. Steak Shapiro moved into the food and lifestyle space with "Atlanta Eats." The station was a factory for media personalities.
- Community Integration: They weren't just behind a glass window. They were at the bars. They were at the stadiums. They hosted the "Zone Bowl." They made sports radio an event.
- Diverse Voices: By giving the 2 Live Stews a platform, 790 broke the "old white man" mold of sports talk. They proved that sports are a universal language that sounds different depending on who is speaking, and that those differences are what make the conversation interesting.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Station
A common misconception is that the Gleason incident was the only reason the station failed. That’s just not true.
The station was already hemorrhaging listeners to 680 The Fan (their long-time AM rival) and the new FM upstart. The "Zone" had become a bit repetitive. The schtick was wearing thin. The Gleason incident was a catalyst, but the structural integrity of the business was already failing.
💡 You might also like: Ja Morant Height: Why the NBA Star Looks Bigger Than He Actually Is
Also, people tend to forget that 790 was an ESPN affiliate for a while toward the end. They tried to save themselves by leaning on national brands like Mike & Mike, but Atlanta is a "homer" town. People in Cobb County don't want to hear about the Yankees or the Lakers for four hours; they want to hear why the Braves' bullpen is a dumpster fire. When 790 lost its local identity, it lost its soul.
The Actionable Insight: What We Can Learn
If you’re a creator, a business owner, or just a sports fan, the story of 790 The Zone Atlanta offers some pretty clear lessons.
- Own Your Niche: 790 won because it was unapologetically Atlanta. When it tried to be "everything to everyone" by bringing in national feeds, it became nothing to anyone.
- The Line Exists: Irreverence is a great tool, but there is a line. Mocking the vulnerable isn't "edgy"—it's a business liability. In the digital age, your worst 30 seconds can erase 15 years of hard work.
- Adapt or Die: The move from AM to FM was a technological shift that 790 couldn't navigate effectively. Always keep an eye on how your audience is consuming your product, not just what they are consuming.
The 790 The Zone frequency eventually went silent, replaced by other formats and eventually fading into the background of Atlanta’s crowded airwaves. But for a solid decade, it was the loudest voice in the room.
If you're looking to revisit that era, your best bet is to follow the former hosts on their current platforms. Many are still active in the Atlanta market, primarily on 680 The Fan or through independent podcasts and digital media ventures. The "Zone" is gone, but the talk goes on.
Next Steps for the Sports Media Enthusiast:
- Audit Your Content: If you run a podcast or a blog, look at your "local" vs. "general" split. Are you speaking to a specific community or shouting into the void?
- Historical Archive: Look up old clips of the 2 Live Stews on YouTube. It's a masterclass in how to bring energy to a medium that can often feel stale.
- Monitor 92.9 and 680: Watch how these stations are currently adapting to the "Post-Radio" world. They are heavily investing in digital streaming and social media clips—exactly what 790 failed to do in time.
The story of 790 The Zone isn't just about radio. It’s about the rise and fall of a local institution that defined a city's sports culture for an entire generation. It was a wild ride while it lasted.