Over the last several months, longtime sports talk radio programmer Andy Roth has been making the adjustment to working in the Atlanta metropolitan area leading a trusted media brand for the local sports fanbase. As the director of programming for 680 The Fan, he is responsible for overseeing the on-air sound of the entity, maintaining partnerships with professional teams and positioning the outlet for sustained prosperity. Roth contends that his first six months have been amazing joining the team at Dickey Broadcasting Company.
Throughout his short tenure with the station, Roth has identified both strengths and deficiencies, implementing changes to foster a stronger and more cohesive on-air product. For example, he ensured talent remain inclusive with the fanbase in terms of topic selection, discussing local franchises and minimizing the amount of ineffective ideas and practices. Now that the Atlanta Braves’ season is well underway, Roth believes that the station is in a flow and that it continues to stride forward because of the culture and commitment from employees.
“Everybody here wants to make this place a success, and they’re not shy to tell me that,” Roth said. “The only way that you can make things better is when you learn through disagreement on what should be better. They’ve been really accommodating at some of the questions I’ve had to try to understand everything.”
There are still some instances where Roth feels he does not know what he is doing, but he is grateful for the support of his colleagues through the process. There are some people who have been with the company for more than 15 years, and joining an entity with veterans of the market has rendered the transition easier. Furthermore, company president David Dickey has kept people motivated to think outside of the box and express their genuine thoughts surrounding operations of the venture.
“It’s so great to be with a community that understands its own DNA,” Roth said. “The places I’ve been with, you kind of had to re-work the culture or re-work the DNA a little bit or even make it. In here, that’s all established. The key thing is making the best out of people not only that we have, but also taking the rest of the staff, whether it’s part-timers or promotions people or digital staff, and making everybody try to work on the same page.”
Learning From Others at the BSM Summit
Roth recently attended the BSM Summit where he took part in a panel with program directors for major and mid-major marketplaces. Reflecting on the event, he felt reinvigorated in hearing different perspectives on the current state of media. Roth also realized that there are different points of reevaluation and can attest to how hard everyone is working to make their stations a success. Part of that comes through understanding the fan and how to resonate in the current moment, referencing how consumers desire things to exist everywhere.
“The way that people want sports information, they want it now, and they want it from their phone, they want it from their computer or they want it from the radio, and you have to be there at the exact time for the sports fan,” Roth said. “If you’re not there for them, they will find it somewhere else.”
Previously, Roth enjoyed a 13-year run with Audacy where he served as brand manager of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, Ohio. Coming to terms with leaving the city and joining Dickey Broadcasting Company was difficult, especially since his children grew up in the locale. On top of that, Roth worked hard to craft the outlet into a perennial winner and forged invaluable professional relationships with his colleagues, and he considers them family and has gratitude for their congratulatory messages upon his departure.
“Instead of programming to one specific fanbase, Cleveland, you’re trying to make sure that you cover definitely all of the stuff that’s happening with college football and pro football, but right now, it’s Braves season,” Roth said. “In Cleveland, you’d talk about the Browns and you talk about probably they’re doing a lot of Cavs right now. Here, we’re definitely talking about the Braves but also have a look ready to go on the NFL schedule and also what’s going to happen with college football.”
Recently, the Atlanta Braves agreed to a 12-year broadcast right extension with 680 The Fan that keeps the team on the station through the end of the 2037 season. In addition to the Braves, the station is also the flagship home of Georgia Tech football and basketball and the official sports talk partner of the Georgia Bulldogs. Despite his short time at the station thus far, Roth has already seen palpable early returns on these investments.
“The more fun game for the year was Georgia-Georgia Tech, which went to seven overtimes, and only two stations could make that one go, and trust me, we saw numbers that night that showed that people were wrapped to that and then came back for the next day,” Roth said. “That’s the advantage that we have. We have great play-by-play partners – every sports radio station will say that – but it’s up to the sports radio station to make them part of their DNA.”
Navigating Change in the Dirty South
Over the last several months, the station has made programming changes including moving former Georgia quarterback Buck Belue to a two-hour weeknight show. Belue has cemented himself to be widely popular among Atlanta sports fans, some of whom expressed their dismay towards Belue shifting away from his late-morning timeslot on weekdays.
“I think this is going to be really good for not only during the season so that we get some of Buck when the Braves are on, but it also sets us up for the football season as well,” Roth said. “It’ll allow Buck to really be heard on everything Atlanta and college football.”
The morning show trio of Brian Finneran, Brandon Leak and John Michaels have worked together in the daypart for parts of the last four years as The Locker Room. These personalities shine on their own, but when combined together, it has created compelling and engaging conversation about college and professional football, along with other everyday topics. Roth has provided specific feedback for the show as the director of programming, emphasizing that there were some segments that needed to move faster. Yet he knows that the trio can entertain the audience and represent the station in the area.
“We also send them out to charity golf tournaments or to morning breakfast places so that they can be part of the community as well,” Roth said. “They also kicked off our radiothon that we had in February, and they work their ass off. Not like anybody else at our station doesn’t, but those guys hustle like no other morning show I’ve seen.”
Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino have resonated with the midday audience dating back to their time on 790 The Zone. Since working together on 680 The Fan, the duo has appealed to the local listeners through expansive and insightful conversations. Roth knows that the group works to safeguard the program against becoming hackneyed or trite in its remarks as the years persist, and he trusts them in effectuating such on a daily basis.
“There’s definitely some times where they know they’ve strayed off topic,” Roth said. “They like the feedback. They want to know what I think of the program – and there have been times where I even think, ‘Hey, did I say it too negatively that time?,’ and so far they haven’t hit me, and that’s a good sign.”
Chuck Oliver and Matt Chernoff round out the weekday prime lineup and provide what Roth feels is a distinctive program to the Atlanta airwaves. The program equips segments with which the audience is familiar and participates, something that is wholly unscripted despite sounding like it was written beforehand. Characterized by a unique style and an ability to make prompt references related to the locale, he will sometimes ask the duo to explain what they mean to him in reviewing the show.
“When people have been watching and learning about the sports scene down here, they know better what’s coming up next or what we should be covering, and I’ve been lucky that they’ve told me some of my answers to some of their questions have been totally backwards,” Roth said. “I’ve had to re-work some of the things, whether it’s the imaging or clock stuff, to better suit what’s gone on down here, and it has not been smooth sometimes, but I like that.”
Adapting for the Future of the Industry
Building out the digital platforms surrounding 680 The Fan has been an area of focus for Roth as director of programming, recognizing that there are some people who prefer highlights of games and may not be interested in tuning in for the full broadcast. In order to effectuate this system to run as smoothly as possible, he understands the need for synergy among various departments. Making sure that the digital products match with what is being broadcast over the airwaves is crucial, but he is heeding the advice of his contemporaries by observing the ecosystem.
“I am part of these guys now. I had different ideas coming in, and now we’re starting to really flow during the Braves season,” said Roth. “Everybody talks about it out loud and makes sure that we don’t have any misses, and we did have some misses. Some of them were my fault, but that’s how you get better. You make mistakes, you realize them and you move forward.”
As the industry moves forward, Roth recognizes the importance of talent retention as radio personalities have found themselves moving to television. Harkening back to remarks made by Laurence Holmes of 670 The Score at the BSM Summit, he can feel the multifaceted responsibilities of talent, such as preparing for shows and utilizing social media. Moreover, Roth knows that he is responsible for finding new people and facilitating their success through monitoring internal performance and providing the necessary platform.
“There’s such a big support system to let everybody do their job and make sure that they do it well,” Roth said. “Understand their challenges so that if there was a problem, that you know how to help them better the next time. You’re not there to be the talk show host on the air, you’re not there to help answer a phone call. You’re there to guide everybody to make sure that they’re the best they can be.”
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Derek Futterman is an associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, email Derek@BarrettMedia.com or find him on X @derekfutterman.
