WWWQ-HD2

For the current HD2 channel of WWWQ FM 98.9, see W255CJ.
99X Atlanta
City Atlanta
Broadcast area Atlanta
Branding 99X
Slogan It's What's Next
Frequency 98.9 FM
First air date October 26, 1992-January 25, 2008 (99.7 FM)
December 2004 (99.7 HD1)
April 17, 2009 (97.9 FM)
June 9, 2011 to September 14, 2011 (99.1 FM)
September 15, 2011 to August 31, 2012 (98.9 FM)
January 1, 2016-Present (98.9 FM)
Format Alternative rock
Owner Cumulus Media Partners
(Cumulus Licensing LLC)
Webcast Listen Live
Website whatsnextradio.com and 99x.com

99X is a radio station in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, streaming an alternative rock radio format branded as 99X, which began on full-power station WNNX (now WWWQ) FM 99.7 in late October 1992. The station was taken off-air when Q100 (WWWQ) was moved to 99.7 from 100.5 (now WNNX), but returned to W250BC FM 97.9, and then moved to W256BO FM 99.1 (which is now W255CJ FM 98.9). It was taken off-air again on the last day of August 2012, and replaced the following day with "98-9 the Bone", but none of the on-air staff were fired as commercial broadcasters typically do when changing a format, indicating that 99X (or something similar) may make a second resurrection on another Cumulus Media station in the area. 99X would be relaunched on W255CJ on January 1, 2016.

After the 2011 purchase of Citadel Broadcasting, its sister stations in Atlanta include WKHX-FM 101.5 and WYAY FM 106.7, in addition to previous Cumulus holdings WWWQ FM 99.7, WNNX FM 100.5, and W250BC FM 97.9.

99X history

Original logo

At the beginning of the 1990s, Atlanta's Power 99 was the dominant top-40 station in the southeast. However, the success of Nirvana and Pearl Jam and the subsequent rise of alternative music gave station management pause. In early 1992, KEDG-FM debuted in Las Vegas as an alternative station and immediately moved to #1 in the ratings. At the same time, Power 99 was seeing its ratings decline. Susquehanna's management agreed that changes were in order.

In early September 1992, Will Pendarvis was brought in to host an all-alternative program on weeknights called "Power 99 On the Edge". After receiving a solid amount of positive feedback, station management decided to re-brand Power 99 and tweak its format to include more alternative songs. Just prior to its planned debut, Sean Demery, Leslie Fram, and station PD/MD Rick Stacy agreed that the approved format was not drastic enough a change from what Power 99 was playing. Without knowledge of management, they rebuilt the playlist, focusing more on alternative music.

On Monday, October 26, 1992, at Noon, 99X made its debut with "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. Station management expressed their disapproval that the trio had recrafted the station without their permission. However, the positive response from listeners and ad buyers encouraged them to allow the station to move forward.

Initially, the station stuck with Power 99's WAPW call letters, but soon acquired the call sign WNNX from a PEMEX oil rig off the coast of Corpus Christi, Texas on November 27, 1992.

During the first couple of years of the format, 99X maintained a surprisingly wide playlist, including songs from the previous fifteen years of modern rock radio, almost in the style of college radio. They also opted to play album tracks that were not necessarily singles, often to the dismay of the major labels and standard marketing strategies. Despite the initial positive response, the station earned modest ratings in its initial books. As a response, the station moved to tighten the playlist and act as more of a "Top Alternative" station. However, the station did not call itself an alternative station, instead adopting the slogan "New Rock 99X".

99X played a key role in breaking numerous acts during its early years. MD Sean Demery's push behind The Cranberries' "Linger" in 1993 helped earn the band national attention. On a trip to Australia in early 1995, PD Brian Phillips brought back a copy of fledging band Silverchair's debut EP, with the station adding the EP's version of eventual single "Tomorrow" to regular rotation. The day after the release of their debut album Frogstomp, the band played its first US show at the Roxy in Atlanta as a 99X Freeloader show.

In early 1993, 99X established what would become its best known program, Live X. The station invited touring acts into the studio to perform (usually) acoustic sets. The first year saw live performances by World Party, Natalie Merchant, Lenny Kravitz, and Frank Black, among others. In 1994, the station issued its first compilation of Live X performances, with the proceeds benefitting Habitat for Humanity. Over ensuing years, a total of twelve compilations were released.

For most of the first two years of the station, mornings were hosted by Demery and Fram. In early 1994, the show added newcomer Jimmy Baron and was named "The Morning X". That summer, Demery decided to move to afternoons, swapping shifts with Steve Barnes. With Barnes, Leslie, and Jimmy, The Morning X became a top-five morning show in Atlanta, earning several industry awards during its nine-year run.

99X spent the end of the 1990s adding more "light" alternative fare, such as Tonic and Matchbox Twenty. By 1999, the station saw its greatest success, billing upwards of $20 million a year.

With the turn of the century, 99X turned heavier, nearly crossing into active rock territory. The goal was to target a younger male audience, pulling the focus away from recurrents and more toward the latest tracks from Limp Bizkit, KoЯn, and Kid Rock. The station added a late-night program called Living Loud, hosted initially by Axel and Jill and later by one-time 99X intern Fred Toucher. The program included a nightly segment called Mandatory Metallica, featuring a block of Metallica songs.

The change brought 99X the highest ratings of its existence, but it came at a price. In the opinion of former MD Sean Demery, "[It] began to alienate women and alternative lifestyle groups that the station was originally based upon."[1] Within a few years, the station's ratings began to erode as the edgier fare waned in popularity and as those who enjoyed the more "classic" alternative sound turned elsewhere. In addition, 99X's ratings eroded further when WZGC flipped to AAA (a format similar to alternative) as "Dave FM" in 2004.

Barnes left the station in 2003 when the station decided not to renew his contract. The station subsequently moved Toucher to mornings with Baron and Fram.

Late in 2004, the station also tried experimenting with its format, moving from strictly modern rock to "New Rock and 90's Alternative", a reference to their heyday in the 1990s. The station soon unveiled its new slogan: "99X - Everything Alternative". Following Hurricane Katrina, 99X staged a weekend promotion during which they sent all their DJs out to help with disaster relief efforts while the music was aired from then-music-director Jay Harren's iPod. This promotion was popular enough that it continued over subsequent weekends as 99X On Shuffle.

99X would sign on HD Radio operations in December 2004. The 99.7 HD1 signal carried 99X, while 99.7 HD2 would carry classic alternative rock, branded as "99XS."

On May 5, 2006, Cumulus Media acquired Susquehanna Radio and all of its stations, including 99X and sister station Q100. In the weeks leading up to the closing of the sale, several long-time members of 99X's staff departed from the station, including Jimmy Baron, Fred Toucher, and music director Jay Harren. Fram would continue to host mornings with Axel Lowe being moved up to mornings on a temporary basis.

Over the next twenty months, Cumulus continued to support 99X's Modern Rock format, despite a continuing decline in Arbitron ratings. In October 2006, 99X introduced The New Morning X, marking the return of Sean Demery to 99X, and added Rob Jenners to morning drive. However, ratings failed to improve for the station, leading to rumors among radio insiders that 99X was ripe for a format change. In December 2007, Demery announced his departure from the station.

On January 11, 2008, Cumulus announced that it was moving the CHR format of sister station Q100 to the stronger 99.7 signal. It also announced the departures of founding 99X members Leslie Fram and Steve Craig. On January 25, 2008, at 5:30am, 99X ceased broadcasting on 99.7, following its last song, Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)". The 99X brand and its modern rock format moved to 99.7 HD-2 and 99X.com. The WNNX call sign would move to 100.5 FM, the former home of Q100, while 99.7 would receive the WWWQ call letters from 100.5.

Fifteen months later, 99X returned to the FM airwaves in Atlanta. On April 16, 2009, 99X announced that they would be returning to the radio airwaves on April 17 at 9:09 am. At that time, 99X signed-on at its new dial position of 97.9 FM, with "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day being the first song played.[2]

On June 9, 2011, 99X began simulcasting on 99.1 FM (W258BU, now W256BO). A few days later, W250BC then began stunting with different genres of music, as well as Atlanta news and history bits and periodic announcements that 99X had moved to the new frequency. At noon on June 17, W250BC launched a new "gold"-based "hot AC" format branded as "Journey 97-9". That station's format and imaging is virtually identical to that of WNNF in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was launched in early June 2011, and also shares the "Journey" moniker.

On September 15, 2011, 99X moved from 99.1 to 98.9, in order to increase the station's power. The translator's callsign was also changed to W255CJ.

On August 31, 2012, at 6 PM, W255CJ unexpectedly began stunting with a ticking clock and a four-minute clip of songs featured on a new active rock format to debut the following day at noon. This came about after longtime rock station WKLS FM 96.1 flipped to top 40 two days earlier. The final song on 99X at 98.9 was "Up All Night" by Blink 182.[3] There have been rumors around that 99X could be relocated back to a full-powered station, presumably the current WNNX FM 100.5, though as is typical in broadcasting, this hasn't been confirmed by Cumulus or the station itself.

On December 30, 2015, it was rumored that 99X would possibly return to W255CJ, as Cumulus reactivated the station's Twitter feed (while promoting the hashtag #itswhatsnext), as well as activating the new website whatsnextradio.com. The rumors were confirmed true on January 1, 2016, when 99X was relaunched on the frequency, with "S.O.B." by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats being the first song played. Instead of having a gold-focus, the station's third go-around will have more of a new music-heavy focus, with a playlist spanning from the previous 5 years to the present day.

Former 99X on-air staff

99X shows

Promotions and concerts

See also

• Y100 Philadelphia, another displaced modern rock radio station.

References

  1. ↑ Demery, Sean. "99X… The Beginning , Middle and End". seandemery.blogspot.com. January 25, 2008.
  2. ↑ Cumulus to Return 99X to the Atlanta Airwaves. "Radio Online". radioonline.com. April 16, 2009.
  3. ↑ 99X becomes The Bone
  4. ↑ Transcript of Clark describing the event leading to his being fired
  5. ↑ Berman, Keith. Demery Exiting 99X. RadioandRecords.com. December 4, 2007.
  6. ↑ Transcript of Jay Harren talking about synesthesia on CNN
  7. ↑ Website referencing AJC article about Chris Williams' suspension
  8. ↑ Article talking about Alicia Culver's legacy.

External links

Coordinates: 33°48′26″N 84°20′22″W / 33.80722°N 84.33944°W / 33.80722; -84.33944

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