Atlanta Radio: 104.7 FM The Fish Signs-Off

Kevin Avery and Taylor Scott

At 6:50 a.m. on a Friday morning in the WFSH Fish 104.7 studios on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, host Taylor Scott read a social media post from a former Atlanta radio host, who praised her and co-host Kevin Avery for their gracious, rather than bitter, farewell to the station's nearly 25-year run. 

Scott's voice began to waver as she spoke, "We wanted to do right by our listeners because you guys have been the best in the world."

Avery chimed in, "They trusted us to say goodbye."

According to Rodney Ho at ajc.com, the staff at Fish 104.7, owned by Salem Media, had the rare opportunity to bid farewell over an entire month, with this Friday marking the end of Atlanta's first significant FM Christian pop station. Over the years, Fish had built a loyal audience, achieved high ratings, and attracted content advertisers.

However, Salem's financial burdens led to the sale of its seven Fish stations for $80 million to The Education Media Foundation from Franklin, Tennessee. From Saturday, 104.7 would transition to Air1, a Nashville-based worship music format.

Avery and Scott, the initial duo when Fish started broadcasting in October 2000, were grateful for the chance to give their listeners a proper send-off, including a farewell event at Mount Paran Church where they spent over four hours with fans sharing memories and snapping pictures.

With the station's closure, over 40 employees are jobless. Many gathered for one last time at the Atlanta Fish Market, a significant venue since their first client event in 2000. Allen Power, who hired Avery and Scott and now president of Salem’s broadcast media division, reminisced about the station's legacy, "If someone were to write a book on Atlanta radio history, the Fish would be a major chapter."

Power also noted the initial challenge of changing perceptions about professionalism in Christian radio, aiming for Fish to match the quality of secular stations like B98.5 and Star 94.

The extended goodbye from Salem was unusual in the radio industry where stations like 96 Rock and Fox 97 ended without any farewell. Spiff Carner, with experience across various Atlanta stations, highlighted this contrast.

The shift in listener habits towards podcasts and streaming has impacted traditional radio, with Roddy Freeman, a long-time media buyer, noting the decline in radio revenue due to digital advertising and debt.

In their final broadcast, Avery and Scott took calls from listeners, including Scott's best friend, Cindy Simmons, and featured segments like "Junior Joker" and "World of Food." Despite the media landscape's challenges, both hosts expressed optimism about continuing their partnership on another station, potentially in a different music format.