Likely 92.9 sports talk launch date: October 15

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. (UPDATE: The actual launch date ended up being October 24.)

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.