Vault: These Businesses Refuse to Stop Saying Hotlanta

Summary

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The Bert Show – Vault: These Businesses Refuse to Stop Saying Hotlanta

Date: May 21, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this entertaining and spirited episode, The Bert Show crew rallies behind their ongoing "No Hotlanta" campaign, a good-humored yet sincere effort to retire the outdated nickname "Hotlanta" for the city of Atlanta. The co-hosts share listener stories about businesses and even celebrities clinging to the term, discuss why it doesn’t sit right with locals anymore, and encourage listeners to call out "Hotlanta" offenders whenever they spot one. The episode is filled with witty banter, relatable frustrations, and calls to action as Atlantans try to shape how their beloved city is perceived.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Origins and Annoyance of "Hotlanta"

• The hosts outline how "Hotlanta" began as a PR term in the 1970s, meant to promote Atlanta’s rapid growth and vibrant culture.
• Jeff points out, “Now we find that only people outside the city of Atlanta use the word Hotlanta... it’s a little cheesy because it's now 30 years old. And so it's just time for change.” (01:36)
• The group agrees that locals rarely use the term now, and it's seen as outdated and inauthentic.

Taking Responsibility for the City's Image

• Melissa Carter suggests, “As Atlantans, we have a responsibility just to say to our out of state friends that don’t know any better, hey, you know, we don't really call it Hotlanta down there anymore.” (02:26)
• The crew agrees that it’s time for a shift to more authentic nicknames like "the A" or "ATL."

Exposing "Hotlanta" Offenders

The crew recounts submissions from listeners who have spotted "Hotlanta" on banners, mugs, beer packs, and more:

• Tavern 99 Banner
  Listener Jessica Brown submits a photo of a banner:
  “Hot Hotlanta welcomes the Millercore's Southeast region team.”
  Melissa laments, “You should know better... Hotlanta will not get you on the cool list.” (03:10–03:31)
• Starbucks Mugs
  Listeners criticize Starbucks for selling “Hotlanta” mugs, helping proliferate the term nation- and world-wide.
  “People are actually, like, coming here, taking one of those home to other places... Spreading it. Like swine flu.” – Ellen and Melissa (03:53–04:14)
• Sweetwater Beer Mix Pack
  The Sweetwater brewery is called out for printing "brewed and bottled in Hotlanta, Georgia" on its packaging.
  “Sweet water, man. Sweet water... That is always what you order, and you cannot order it anymore until they... vow to take it off.” (04:33–04:47)
• Hotlanta Wings Restaurants
  A listener mentions a "Hotlanta" wings restaurant in Riverdale, prompting debate over if it’s okay when referencing spicy wings rather than the city.
  “Such a fine line here, though.” – Melissa (05:27)

The Ripple Effect: “Hotlanta” in Pop Culture and Media

• Merch and signage at Atlanta’s airport are propagating the nickname to travelers. “If we are promoting it in the busiest airport in the world, Hartsfield, where passengers around the world are seeing this, it’s no wonder it's spreading like fire.” – Melissa reading Sarah’s email (07:10)
• Syndicated radio host Neil Bortz and TV personalities like Niecy Nash and Ellen DeGeneres are labeled as celebrity offenders, inadvertently reinforcing the use of “Hotlanta” in broader media: “She [Niecy Nash] was all over the Style Network saying it.” – Caller (08:10) “Ellen DeGeneres, on her recent show... she said all the way from Hotlanta. And I about cried.” – Caller (09:22)
• The team sees recruiting high-profile locals or ex-locals as crucial to shifting habits:
  “We get him (Bortz) on board, if we get him to buy in on this...” – Julie (07:39)

Strategies for Change: Social Campaigns and Grassroots

• Listeners are prompted to help stop the spread: “If you see an offense, go ahead and email us or Facebook us and we’ll put them on our list. We'll embarrass them for sure.” – Melissa & Jeff (11:23, 11:30)
  • Discussion of hashtags and online campaigns: “If everybody's gonna tweet her [Ellen], how should they do it? NoMoreHotlanta.” – Ellen & Julie (10:18–10:26)
• Real-world action: Parties and events are now themed “Not Hotlanta,” such as a fundraiser at East Andrews nightclub.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Spreading it like swine flu.” – Melissa Carter, drawing laughter about the contagious nature of bad nicknames (04:14)
• “Miller people... they should know better. Just gotta educate these people.” – Ellen (09:11–09:13)
• “We gotta make real social change.” – Ellen, humorously escalating the quest to ditch “Hotlanta” (05:59)
• “No more Hotlanta.” – Multiple hosts, echoed as a rallying cry and hashtag throughout the episode (10:26, 11:22)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:36] – Jeff explains the origin and evolution of "Hotlanta"
• [02:26] – Melissa and Jeff discuss local responsibility
• [03:10] – Listener Jessica exposes Tavern 99’s offending banner
• [03:46] – Callouts about Starbucks "Hotlanta" mugs and their problematic distribution
• [04:23] – Sweetwater Brewery’s use of "Hotlanta" highlighted
• [05:05] – Listener reports a Hotlanta Wings restaurant; group debates context
• [06:02] – Callers share efforts to stop the term’s spread outside Georgia
• [07:07] – Airport merchandise incident described as "most dangerous"
• [07:31] – Discussion of syndicated radio hosts and media personalities perpetuating "Hotlanta"
• [08:21] – Announcement of “Not Hotlanta” party event
• [09:22] – Ellen DeGeneres named as a major celebrity offender
• [10:25] – Plan to use #NoMoreHotlanta on social media
• [11:22] – Final calls to action, repeat encouragement to report new offenses

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Tone and Flow

The hosts balance their campaign with playful ribbing and earnest city pride. Their approach is humorous and relatable, using a blend of sarcasm, wit, and community spirit to energize their listeners toward a fun but real social change.

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Summary

For Atlanta locals—and anyone familiar with city pride wars—this episode is a masterclass in grassroots rebranding. The Bert Show harnesses both laughter and local loyalty to implore listeners to retire "Hotlanta" once and for all, outing businesses and celebrities clinging to the phrase, and planting seeds for what Atlanta’s image could be next. Their call to action is clear: Join in, keep your eyes peeled, and hashtag your finds. No more Hotlanta!

Transcript

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The Bird Show Melissa Carter, why don't you reset this for us? What is our no Hotlanta campaign?

[Jeff]

All right, well, for years I think this we established a start in the 70s where the term Hotlanta was big for the city. It was like a PR kind of buzzword for Atlanta so that everybody knew that it was Hotlantic because it was a city that was growing. It's getting hot. Well, now we find that only people outside of the city of Atlanta use the word Hotlanta. So when they're talking to, you know, you know, one of us is talking to friends or relatives. Oh, well, how's that in hotlanta and so it's a little cheesy because it's now 30 years old. And so it's just time for change. So we need, you know, now it's the A. ATL But Hotlanta is just not cool. So we're trying to get everybody to understand that it's not cool and to stop using it. So I believe. Was it Janet Jackson, the first person we talked to about this no Hotlanta campaign? Like just stop using the word Hotlanta and tell all your, all your people not to use the word hot land. And that's kind of how it started.

[Melissa Carter]

And if it just comes up in casual conversation, I think as Atlantans, we have a responsibility just to say to our out of state friends that don't know any better, hey, you know, we don't really call it Hotlanta down there anymore.

[Jeff]

It's not cool anymore.

[Melissa Carter]

But there are still some locals that are holding on to past traditions. And we have suggested that you email us or call us, whatever you got to do, Facebook us in a lot of cases also and tell us about these offenders. Here are five.

[Jeff]

Well, and like you said, to make change, sometimes you have to embarrass a few people. You know, set them out as examples, what not to do.

[Melissa Carter]

This one comes from Jessica Brown on my Facebook page. If only I had a magic marker last night. Obviously Tavern 99 didn't get the memo regarding Hotlanta.

[Ellen]

Oh no.

[Melissa Carter]

And she snapped a picture of a big banner they had up last weekend that said Hot Hotlanta welcomes the Millercore's Southeast region team.

[Ellen]

No, see, Tavern 99's new too.

[Melissa Carter]

You should know better.

[Ellen]

It's like a new cool place to go and hang out.

[Julie]

It's a new place. Let's not go with cool yet.

[Ellen]

Well, yeah, it's a cool place.

[Melissa Carter]

This won't get you on the cool list. Hotlanta will not get you on the cool list.

[Ellen]

Down off the coolest.

[Melissa Carter]

Getting a whole bunch of emails from you guys. This one from Teresa again, telling Starbucks that you gotta get rid of those mugs with the Hotlanta merchandising.

[Jeff]

It says Atlanta in here. There's letters on this one coffee mug. And then underneath Atlanta it says Hotlanta. So it's not even necessary. Cause it's not.

[Ellen]

The already says Atlanta. I have a friend who collects those mugs. Cause you can like only buy the city when you are visiting the city. So like in Atlanta, it's just the Atlanta mug.

[Julie]

It's like a Hard Rock T shirt.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Ellen]

Like in San Diego, you know, so they're collectible in each city. So people are actually, like, coming here, taking one of those home to other places there's. Spreading it.

[Melissa Carter]

Spreading it. Like swine flu.

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[Julie]

Like that disease in the Cuba Gooding movie.

[Melissa Carter]

The Ebola.

[Julie]

Yeah.

[Melissa Carter]

Katie Hess, on my Facebook page, the Sweetwater Beer Mix Pack has, quote unquote, brewed and bottled in Hotlanta, Georgia, printed all over it.

[Jeff]

Sweet water.

[Melissa Carter]

Sweet water, man. Sweet water.

[Jeff]

What?

[Ellen]

It's right in our own backyard. Jeff, those are your people.

[Julie]

I know. I'm.

[Ellen]

Can't you make a call?

[Julie]

I'm gonna have to make a call.

[Ellen]

That is always what you order, and you cannot order it anymore until they. Till they vow to take it off.

[Julie]

Where do they say it is?

[Melissa Carter]

It says it's the Sweetwater Beer Mix Pack has brewed and bottled in Hotlanta,

[Jeff]

Georgia, because their trucks are tie dyed.

[Ellen]

Cool.

[Jeff]

You know, but from. From the 70s. So they just, you know, some things keep. Some things don't.

[Melissa Carter]

Miller, good morning. You're on Q100.

[Caller 1]

Hey, driving through Riverdale this past weekend, avoiding all that traffic, and there is a hot Lana wings place in Riverdale.

[Julie]

Yeah, we know about that place.

[Melissa Carter]

Yeah, somebody else has called us about that. Thank you for calling them out, though.

[Ellen]

But see, that one almost makes sense, because they're not referring to the city, they're referring to their wings.

[Julie]

Yeah, there is a.

[Ellen]

Like, it's a hot wings, and so it's like, you know what I'm saying?

[Melissa Carter]

Such a fine line here, though.

[Julie]

There is a place. There is a place in town that sells Hotlanta wings made with the Hotlanta hot sauce.

[Ellen]

This is describing the sauce and the wings.

[Julie]

I'm okay with that.

[Melissa Carter]

That is the same definition. In order to get rid of a campaign that's been so, you know, entrenched for 30 years, though, I think you gotta go totally the other way and complete.

[Ellen]

If we're gonna tackle this issue, we gotta tackle it head on.

[Melissa Carter]

Damn right.

[Jeff]

If people outside the city learn that Hotline only refers to wings here, that's fine. But we, you know, we're not there yet.

[Ellen]

Yeah, we gotta make progress. We gotta make real social change.

[Melissa Carter]

Baby steps. Julie, good morning. You're on Q100.

[Julie]

Think globally. Act locally.

[Caller 2]

Yeah, I was on a town. I was in Texas, and I spread the. No Hotlanta love to the Texas.

[Melissa Carter]

Did somebody in Texas say something about Hotlanta?

[Caller 2]

Yes, I was coming back to Texas and Sunday, and they were all like, oh, you're going back to Hotlanta. And I screamed, no.

[Julie]

Were you down in San Antonio or in the big D?

[Caller 2]

I was in Amarillo.

[Julie]

They don't even have.

[Ellen]

I'm just surprised that anybody in Texas, like recognizes any state other than Texas.

[Jeff]

I'm shocked they knew that we existed.

[Ellen]

Exactly.

[Melissa Carter]

This email may be the most dangerous here. It's. Sarah writes, I was in the airport on Monday and saw the worst violation of Hotlanta. In one of the stores in the D terminal, there is an ATL store, Atlanta store. And there was a white T shirt with the following graphic. It just said htl. And then Hotlanta, Georgia was written underneath it. And she says, this is worse. Flames were coming out of the H in the htl.

[Ellen]

Oh, no, there's a logo with Hotlanta.

[Melissa Carter]

Now she writes, if we are promoting it in the busiest airport in the world, Hartsfield, where passengers around the world are seeing this, it's no wonder it's spreading like fire. She's right.

[Jeff]

Buy that T shirt.

[Julie]

You know who we have to get on somebody who doesn't live here with this is. And I've gotten to everybody who sent the, sent the tweets. And this upsets me too, because I'm, I'm a fan.

[Ellen]

Of what?

[Julie]

Bortz. Oh, no.

[Ellen]

Neil.

[Melissa Carter]

Well, he's from that old school.

[Julie]

He used it on his show.

[Melissa Carter]

It's gonna be tougher. It's gonna be tougher with the old people.

[Julie]

But he's syndicated. He's in like 6 million cities. We get him on board if we get him to buy in on this.

[Ellen]

This is true.

[Melissa Carter]

You know how hard it is though, to get old people to change their routine.

[Ellen]

I think we can do it, though. I used to work down the hall from him. He remembers me.

[Melissa Carter]

We can call little Flash Flash. He remembers you. All right. Good morning, Katie. You're on Q100.

[Caller 2]

Hey.

[Jeff]

Gee, I wonder why.

[Caller 2]

Guys, he's calling to report Niecy on the Style Network came and did a show in Atlanta and she kept referring to it as Hotlanta.

[Jeff]

Cause she's not from here. She was doing the show here. So niece.

[Caller 2]

She was all over the Style Network saying it.

[Julie]

Well, from now on, I'm gonna refer to her as Nissa.

[Melissa Carter]

Dina writes, this one is actually too. Wendy. Hey, Wendy, I thought you'd be interested in the Not Hotlanta party we East Andrews are hosting this Thursday night at 10 o' clock in conjunction with a local singles group and Hands On Atlanta fundraiser. It's not only for a great cause, but also to show our support for your radio campaign. We look forward to seeing you and your listeners on Thursday night. So that's a Not Hotlanta party going on at East Andrews on Thursday.

[Ellen]

East Andrews gets it. Tavern 99. You gotta step it up down the

[Melissa Carter]

street from each other, help each other out.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Melissa Carter]

Hey, Alvin.

[Caller 2]

Go ahead.

[Melissa Carter]

You're on Q100.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, I called about the bar thing. I used to work at a bar, and the corporate actually prints those banners and gives them as a. Like a run for certain beers and such like that.

[Jeff]

So she's out of towner banner.

[Julie]

The Miller people.

[Melissa Carter]

Yeah, they should know better.

[Ellen]

Just gotta educate these people.

[Melissa Carter]

Good morning, Samantha, you are on Q100. Hi.

[Caller 2]

Hi.

[Julie]

Hey.

[Caller 2]

I was actually calling because I have a celebrity offender. Ellen DeGeneres, on her recent show, did the bigger, wider show. And she was introducing one of her newest acts. And she said, all the way from Hot Lana. And I about cried.

[Melissa Carter]

Do you remember the name of the act?

[Caller 2]

I'm not sure. Well, they had a gentleman that swallowed a hanger and then his wife hit him on the head with a toaster to bend it at an angle.

[Melissa Carter]

Okay.

[Caller 2]

And I think that was the act. If it wasn't that, it was when she was introducing Kanye West. But it was right within those couple minutes.

[Julie]

Did I drop acid? All right, so am I gonna pass 30 seconds? Am I in shrooms?

[Jeff]

That's how we get on tv.

[Melissa Carter]

We need to tweet Elle today and tell her that she's made a terrible, terrible mistake.

[Julie]

Hey, when you introduce that guy before Kanye west who swallowed the coat hanger before his wife hit him with a toaster, do you remember that? Remember? Do you remember? Remember you said Hot Lana.

[Ellen]

If everybody's gonna tweet her, how should they do it? £ no more Hotlanta.

[Julie]

Yeah, you gotta hashtag it.

[Jeff]

Okay, and what is the hashtag?

[Julie]

NoMoreHotlanta.

[Jeff]

No more Hotlanta.

[Melissa Carter]

Good morning, Matt. You're on Q100.

[Caller 1]

Hi.

[Melissa Carter]

Hi.

[Caller 1]

How are you guys?

[Melissa Carter]

Good, sir. How are you?

[Caller 1]

Good. I'd like to report an offense this past weekend during the Georgia game. Yeah, right before halftime, there was a commercial. And as the commercial went out and the announcer came back on, he said, well, welcome guys, back to Hotlanta, where the dogs are. And he gave the score and everything. And I was like, no.

[Melissa Carter]

Was that on? Was that Vern Lundqvist on CBS or. No, this was an ABC game, wasn't it?

[Caller 1]

No, this was on the radio on 750am 750.

[Melissa Carter]

Again, this is your team.

[Ellen]

Was that Neil Williamson?

[Caller 1]

I'M not even sure of his name, actually.

[Jeff]

You got to make the phone call.

[Caller 1]

I just turned the channel there.

[Melissa Carter]

Okay, so 750. We got boards to cover. And we've got this dude to cover now also over at 750.

[Ellen]

Yeah, Neil Williamson. I used to work with him too. I got to call him up.

[Melissa Carter]

They should know better.

[Ellen]

No more Hotlanta.

[Melissa Carter]

All right, once again, if you see an offense, go ahead and email us or Facebook us and we'll put them on our list.

[Jeff]

We'll embarrass them for sure.

[Melissa Carter]

It's the no Hotlanta campaign.

[Julie]

Get it?

[Melissa Carter]

The Birch show

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