Briefs: Bert Show 20th anniversary; Wendy Corona back on air; Court TV apologizes

Hot 107.9′s 25th anniversary birthday bash draws 25,000.
The primary cast of the Bert Show at 5 Church in Midtown on July 17, 2021. RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

The primary cast of the Bert Show at 5 Church in Midtown on July 17, 2021. RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

The Bert Show held a party in Midtown this past weekend to celebrate 20 years on the air.

Only a handful of people involved with the show when it launched are still involved: Bert Weiss himself and Tracey Kinney, his producer. Kristin Cowart, a publicist who worked with the Bert Show in its early days, helped market the party.

Attendees included 93.7 and 680/The Fan host Chris Dimino, podcaster and former Dave FM host Mara Davis and CBS46 reporter Adam Murphy.

The show began in 2001 on a new station called Q100 on a weak 100.5 signal. Weiss was given time to figure things out and turned it into a must-listen younger alternative to Steve & Vikki on Star 94 by the mid-2000s. Even as his entire on-air cast has turned over, Weiss has managed to keep the show relevant and it’s now heard on more than 20 stations nationwide.

Kristin Klingshirn, who has been with the Bert Show for nine years as a co-host, emceed the event and lauded her boss because he gives his colleagues space to develop their skills on air and “shine.”

“You genuinely in your heart want the best for every single person that belongs to your show and team and that’s a testament to the Bert Show and why you’ve lasted 20 years,” she said to directly to Weiss.

She added: “He’s a fantastic story teller. He’s the king of the tease.”

Klingshirn then paused, jokingly adding, “That sounded really bad.” (She meant that Weiss is good at promoting what is coming up next so listeners won’t change the channel.)

Weiss on the dais said some folks at the party had asked him why he chose Atlanta back in 2001. “I didn’t pick Atlanta,” he said. “Atlanta picked me! Nobody else would hire me!”

He credited his then Q100 boss Brian Phillips, who is now his boss again two decades later. “We had no idea what we were doing” when he started, Weiss said. But Phillips encouraged him to just figure it out.

“You’re so much better when you don’t fear failure,” Weiss said. “The success of this show is knowing what your limitations are and filling the studio with people who know what they’re doing and let their talent show.”

Bert Weiss at 5 Church July 17, 2021 to mark the 20th anniversary of his Bert Show. Here he is with a cardboard cutout of himself circa 2008 and his boss, the Q99.7 program director Louie Diaz (right). RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

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Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

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Wendy Corona, Channel 2 Action News, returns on air after treatment regarding breast cancer. WSB-TV

Credit: WSB-TV

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Credit: WSB-TV

Wendy Corona, Channel 2 Action news anchor, returned on air Monday after a month off to treat breast cancer.

She said last month that her cancer was caught early and she encouraged other women to check regularly.

“Back with my team today and it feels grrreat!” she wrote on social media Monday. “Thank you ALL for the love and support during my breast cancer journey. Thank you for sharing with me… connecting with you has been very uplifting. Also, the power of prayer is very REAL! Tell a woman you care about to get checked- early detection is everrrryyyything!”

Her colleague and afternoon anchor Jovita Moore is still recuperating from surgery in April involving the removal of two brain tumors.

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A screenshot of the Derek Chavin trial from Court TV. (Court TV)

Credit: TNS

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Credit: TNS

Atlanta-based Court TV settled a lawsuit by rival network Law & Crime Network regarding Court TV marketing that it was the only network to provide gavel-to-gavel live coverage of the recent Derek Chauvin case.

Court TV issued an apology over the weekend: “Marketing materials promoting Court TV prior to the trial of Derek Chauvin incorrectly stated that Court TV is the only multi-platform network devoted to live, gavel-to-gavel coverage, legal reporting, and analysis of the trials. The network Law & Crime also provides live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of many trials with its own legal reporting and analysis, including coverage of the Derek Chauvin trial. Court TV regrets the error.”

Law & Crime is a rival network run by Dan Abrams, a legal analyst who is part of Nexstar’s NewsNation operation and just received his own prime-time show.

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ajc.com

Credit: Hot 107.9

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Credit: Hot 107.9

Hot 107.9 held its biggest annual “Birthday Bash” ever at Georgia State’s football stadium this past Saturday, drawing 25,000 fans to see the likes of Lil Baby, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, Migos and Rick Ross.

Hot also brought back many key artists from its past 25 years including Goodie Mob, Young Dro, Pastor Troy, Crime Mob and Travis Porter.