This was a fruitful year for Atlanta-based television, with up to 50 productions going on at any given time. And for the fifth year in a row, by far the biggest show is “The Walking Dead,” with an increasing number of scripted dramas and fewer reality shows shot in the area.
On local TV news, there has been a massive meteorologist shuffle. On radio, sports talk has grown, and a second public radio station arrived in a swirl of controversy.
Here are eight of the biggest Atlanta radio and TV stories of 2014:
A hugely successful prank, baby! In February, Justin Bieber was rumored to be looking to buy a home on West Paces Ferry Road in swank Buckhead. The Regular Guys, a local guy-oriented morning show, created a fake "protest" from a fictional neighborhood association and had interns and staff stand in front of the targeted home with signs and yell inane slogans. Local media fell for it and stories ricocheted around the world. Then they revealed the joke, which Bieber enjoyed. He even tweeted about it. Unfortunately, that inspired bit didn't save Larry Wachs, the man who co-created the Regular Guys. He was let go in early December after nearly 15 years on two stations, the now-defunct 96rock and Rock 100.5. Oddly, Rock 100.5 chose to keep the rest of his team, adding former 92.9/the Game host Jason Bailey to helm the revamped ship entering 2015.
Zoned out: 790/the Zone threw in the towel this past spring by dumping all local talent in favor of cheaper ESPN syndicated hosts. With an FM sports talk signal for the new Game and an AM/FM simulcast for rival 680/the Fan, the Zone could not compete on a lone AM signal. In the meantime, several former Zone personalities found new homes at rival stations. Former Zone afternoon host Mike Bell landed at 92.9/the Game, which finally showed some ratings traction in the fall after adding the Falcons to the lineup. Steak Shapiro and Chris Dimino, who lost their Zone morning gig in 2013 after a misbegotten on-air bit mocking an ALS victim, found full-time jobs on the Fan.
The big blindside: Georgia Public Broadcasting has been thirsting for an Atlanta radio signal for decades to air news/talk. Management finally nabbed the daytime hours of Georgia State University's student-run 88.5/WRAS-FM. Blindsided students protested the changes to no avail. 90.1/WABE-FM, the long-standing public radio station, last month announced it will soon drop classical music during midday hours for news/talk. Management said plans were long in the works, but GPB's move may have hastened the change.
Deadly in a good way: "The Walking Dead," shot in metro Atlanta, finished season four strong and continued to keep fans glued to their seats with season five this fall. It remains the No. 1 cable drama and most popular show in America among 18- to 49-year-olds. More than 20 million viewers check out each episode. Not surprisingly, a "Walking Dead" convention in October drew 35,000 fans to downtown Atlanta.
Paul Lynde wants his shtick back: USA this year gave Atlanta resident and metrosexual, Southern drawlin' Todd Chrisley a family reality show called "Chrisley Knows Best." He plays the eye-rolling, constantly annoyed but ultimately loving aphorism-spouting dad to his kids. Two seasons are already in the can, and a third is forthcoming.
Tsunami of changes in meteorologists: Three of the four local TV networks lost their chief meteorologists this year. 11 Alive axed Mike Francis and gave Chris Holcomb the job. CBS46's Markina Brown voluntarily left, and the powers that be gave the gig to Jim Kosek. Over the summer, Fox 5's Ken Cook retired after 35 years. His job is still open, with the logical pick David Chandley, who left Channel 2 Action News in July but is awaiting his noncompete clause to end in January. Even Atlanta-based the Weather Channel got into the act, bringing Sam Champion from ABC's "Good Morning America" to lead its morning show.
Headquarters in name only: Atlanta still employs more CNN employees than anywhere else, but its title as "world headquarters" is becoming more difficult to justify because the primary decision makers have all moved to New York. None of CNN's weekday anchors is based in Atlanta either after Carol Costello and Brooke Baldwin shifted to the Big Apple over the summer.
Stop! In the name of love: After dropping out of the running to be Juan Pablo's squeeze on "The Bachelor," Fulton County district attorney's office prosecutor Andi Dorfman became "The Bachelorette" over the summer. She played cute on dates in Europe and the Dominican Republic while picking UGA grad and jock Josh Murray over the intensely unpleasant Nick Viall. She also stepped down from the D.A.'s office though she said she intends to go back to law.
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