Most galaxies comparable to or larger than the mass of the Milky Way host hot, X-ray emitting atmospheres and central radio sources. Hot atmospheres and radio jets and lobes are the ingredients of radio-mechanical active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. To create a feedback loop which stabilises the atmospheres, their thermal state must influence the power output of the black hole. I will present recent results based on radio and X-ray observations, which provide new insights into the physics of hot atmospheres and black hole activity in early type galaxies.