2025 Atlanta media year in review: CNN sale, ‘Bert Show’ ends, CBS swap
This was a tumultuous year for Atlanta media with CNN possibly going on the block, “The Bert Show” ending, CBS changing Atlanta affiliates, and the TV and film production business in the dumps.
Here’s a look back at some of the year’s biggest stories:
Warner Bros. Discovery up for sale: The New York-based media company, which has significant operations in Atlanta, announced plans in June to separate the deteriorating basic cable networks including TNT, TBS and CNN from HBO Max and the movie studio. Then it decided to put itself up for sale and in December, Netflix chose to buy part of the company. Paramount, which was spurned, opted for a hostile takeover. So who will ultimately own the company remains up in the air.
“The Bert Show” ends: Bert Weiss decided to call it quits after a quarter century of “The Bert Show,” a show he created in Atlanta that focused on relationships and authenticity. It became a successful syndicated show with a rotating cast whose departures would sometimes stir up controversy. (See Jeff Dauler, Davi Crimmins and Moe Mitchell.) Weiss will continue to run his podcast company but plans to focus on family and travel for the time being.
TV and film business slogs along: Higher labor costs and rising competition from other states and countries have taken a toll on the Georgia’s TV and film business. A majority of soundstage space now sits empty with only 25 to 30 active productions at any given time compared to 40 to 50 three years ago. Athena Studios is looking to become a data center, while one of the early studio owners has converted some stages to other uses. And many major big-budget films have fled to Europe. Unfortunately, 2026 does not look any more promising unless the state Legislature actively decides to sweeten the state’s tax credit system. On the bright side, Georgia has attracted a lot of game shows.
Thank you, James Gunn: Marvel fully abandoned Georgia for the U.K. in 2024, with “Thunderbolts,” its final movie shot in Atlanta, released this past spring. Rival DC Studios, while also working a lot in England, has not entirely left the state. One major factor: co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios James Gunn has a home in Atlanta. “I have the power to do that,” Gunn told the AJC over the summer. “Most filmmakers do not.” He not only shot Season 2 of “Peacemaker” with John Cena in metro Atlanta but also his take on “Superman” starring David Corenswet, which was a solid hit over the summer. He is bringing a “Superman” sequel to Trilith Studios in Fayetteville in the spring 2026.
CBS swap: While CBS’ parent company went through a major ownership change, its local TV affiliation in Atlanta also shifted. Gray Television’s WANF-TV decided to go independent in August, forcing CBS to take its existing WUPA-TV and turn it into the CBS affiliate airing everything from “60 Minutes” to “Survivor.” CBS also began building a new newsroom featuring an immersive Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality format and the return of personalities like Dagmar Midcap and Sam Crenshaw.
Fish fried: Christian pop station Fish 104.7 ended its 25-year run in Atlanta at the end of January, replaced by a syndicated operation with no local personalities. Some of the staff like Dan Ratcliffe and Kim Fitz went to North Georgia Christian pop station the Pulse 101.1 while morning show hosts Kevin Avery and Taylor Scott found a new home at Star 94.1.
Farewell to the Upside Down: “Stranger Things,” one of the biggest shows Netflix has made to date, finished production in metro Atlanta in 2024 after a decade in town but is in the midst of releasing its fifth and final season this year. The final episode of the series — known for its unique mix of action, science fiction and nostalgia — is even being released in movie theaters on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Other Atlanta-produced shows that concluded this year include Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” after six seasons, Starz’ “BMF” after four seasons, syndicated gossip show “Dish Nation” after 13 seasons, NBC drama “Found” after two seasons, FX’s “English Teacher” after two seasons and HGTV’s “Married to Real Estate” after four seasons. And Kevin Bacon’s “The Bondsman” on Amazon lasted just one season.
Soapy comeback: The first new daytime soap opera in the United States in a quarter century debuted earlier this year on CBS. Called “Beyond the Gates,” it focused on a wealthy Black family and shot year-round at Assembly Studios in Chamblee. The show did well enough that it was given a quick renewal for 2026.
Tumultuous times for public media: Georgia Public Broadcasting and WABE this fall lost about 10% of their funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a federal entity ended by the Trump administration. WABE has been more upfront about what it’s cutting, including a portion of its staff and its daily arts show “City Lights Collective” just a few months after its original host Lois Reitzes retired after 46 years at the station. WABE did get some good news: an Atlanta fan who died donated his entire $3 million estate to the station.
Major local deaths in the media landscape:
Joel Katz: The well-respected Atlanta entertainment attorney represented a vast array of A-list celebrities including James Brown, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Michael Jackson, Alan Jackson, Jimmy Buffett, Ludacris, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, the group TLC and George Strait. He died in April at age 80.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner: The beloved actor made his name as a teen on “The Cosby Show” but later landed a wide range of roles, coming to Atlanta in 2018 to play a surgeon on Fox’s “The Resident.” He chose to stay. He became entrenched in both the spoken word and jazz communities. He died in a tragic drowning accident in Costa Rica in July at age 54.
John Moore: A longtime WSB radio host in the 1970s, Moore died at age 82 in November. “It was a different era,” said his stepdaughter Laura Fowler. “Everybody listened to him. We would go to all the restaurant openings and new Six Flags rides. He was a big guy and very recognizable. We’d go out and people would come up to him. It was kind of cool and kind of embarrassing.”
Valerie Hoff DeCarlo: The former 11Alive reporter “was a force with everything she did,” said Derrick DeCarlo, who married her in 2004. “She was a strong, capable, loving woman and a wonderful mother.”
Jon Shirek: The eloquent and humble news reporter who spent a bulk of his career at 11Alive died of cancer in April. Shirek was nicknamed “The Poet” in the newsroom for his eloquent writing style. His colleagues called him unflappable and kind, the type of journalist the bosses could rely on to land the story and hit his marks every time.
Cadillac Jack: William “Cadillac Jack” Choate, a veteran country radio host in Atlanta, died of a heart attack in February at age 51. Donna, his wife, cited Choate’s “long and difficult struggle with mental illness and addiction” and said he “battled demons we couldn’t always understand … I hope and pray he has found the peace he was searching for all this time.”
Kevin Rowson: A veteran 11Alive police reporter, Rowson died in September at age 72. “He had no love for crime, for sure, but he was good at putting himself in the shoes of the people he was interviewing,” his wife, Karen, said. “He cared.”
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
