Steak Shapiro and Sandra Golden are returning to the airwaves in Atlanta. The former 680 The Fan morning duo are moving across town to join 92.9 The Game for a new show with an old name. Barrett Sports Media broke the news earlier today, it was officially confirmed at 4pm on The Game’s afternoon show Dukes and Bell.
The longtime friends and on-air partners will team up again under the moniker The Front Row. It was the same name their show used previously on 680 The Fan. Additional members of the show cast are expected to be named at a later date.
As with their previous partnership, Shapiro and Golden will not necessarily stick to sports. An email sent to Barrett Sports Media promises the show will cover a variety of Atlanta topics in addition to sports including food and entertainment.
During an appearance today on Dukes & Bell, which included Mark Zinno who was filling in for Mike Bell, Shapiro expressed his excitement to join the station, and specifically to be heard on a big signal on the FM dial.
“After doing this for twenty five years, practically every day of my life, I’ve been off the radio for a minute,” said Shapiro. “To be with Sandra, and bring back The Front Row, and be at this station, I’m used to stations with little bitty signals. That’s been my career. Having started and built a station called 790 The Zone and then somewhere else, to be at a 100,000 watt flamethrower with the NFL, NBA, Atlanta United, big personalities, in a city that’s given me everything I could’ve ever asked for, a city that I love, and to squeeze me in from 9 to 11 every morning, and to be surrounded by these properties, and meet some new guys, I’m thrilled, and have to thank Rick Caffey, Mike Conti and everybody here for putting us in a great spot.”
Shapiro and Golden were radio free agents. Steak lost his job at 680 The Fan in Atlanta amidst Covid-19 related layoffs in 2020. He had been with the station since 2014 in morning drive working alongside Golden and former Falcon Brian Finneran. Prior to that he built an impressive profile as one of the city’s top talents at 790 The Zone, a station where Golden worked as well. Since losing his show at 680, Shapiro has continued hosting his locally produced television show Atlanta Eats.
Golden meanwhile announced she was leaving The Fan a short time after Shapiro. Her final day was February 19, 2021.
“I’ve had a ten year run at the station,” Golden said when announcing her departure from 680. “I’ve been here in Atlanta doing media since 1997 and I feel like it is the greatest blessing of all time.”
The new incarnation of The Front Row will launch on Thursday August 4th. The show will be heard weekdays from 9a-11a. The program is being added to The Game’s current lineup, not replacing another show. Instead, the station will replace a ‘Best of’ hour of John & Hugh’s, and reduce Andy & Randy’s show by 1-hour.
The new lineup at 92.9 The Game will look like this:
5-9 AM: John & Hugh
9-11 AM: The Front Row
11-2 PM: Andy & Randy
2-7 PM: Dukes & Bell
7-11 PM: John Chuckery
