The Rise and Fall of Atlanta's Everything Alternative Station, 99x

Atlanta's Everything Alternative radio station, 99x, has been offair since January 25th. Atlanteans are still mourning the loss of the station, which has had no duplicate. 99x showcased local artists, and played a variety of Alternative music. 99x's ratings and revenue were steadily declining since 2002, and it all seemed to go downhill after Cumulus Media Partners overhauled the previous owners,Susquehanna Radio. Cumulus canned the Morning Show, dismissed radio jockeys that had been at the station from as early as 1992, and decided to move its sister station, Q100, to the 99x signal. The empty Q100 signal was then changed to Rock 100.5. The fan base of nearly 100,000 then split and searched for greener pastures. WNNX's humble beginning was as an easy listening channel.In the late 70's, a popular music block was "Golden Sundays". This was an oldies show which began live from a Sandy Springs restaurant.The format lasted until 1979. From then on until 1983, it was a soft rock station, and for three shortlived years it followed the same pattern, as "Warm 100", which later changed to "Warm 99". The station battled with a top 40 station, Z93, and also changed to a Top 40 station known as Power 99. Z93 fumbled, and tried to collect a more urban crowd, but couldn't continue. In January 1989, they waved a white flag and turned into a classic rock station. In the 90's, Power 99 was a dominant Top 40 station in the Southeast. The station began to change again after the success of Nirvana and a new wave of music, called "Alternative".In 1993,jockey Sean Demery's nudge for the Cranberries' "Linger" gave the band national attention. In 1993, Live X was launched, which would later become one of the most famous acts in the station's history. In early '94, the Morning Show was created with the station's pioneers, Sean Demery, Leslie Fram, and Jimmy Baron. This was just the first of the frequent switches between morning jockeys. Demery and Steve Barnes switched shifts, making the Morning show Sean, Leslie and Jimmy. The trio made the Top 5 of Atlanta morning shows, and earned several awards. In the end of the 90's, 99x included lighter alternative, like Matchbox Twenty. 1999 was the biggest year for the station, with revenue and ratings at alltime highs. Going into 2000, the playlist included heavier fare, like KoЯn. The goal was to target a younger male audience. A new latenight program was created, called "Living Loud",first hosted by Axel and later by Fred Toucher. The change gave the highest ratings ever, but the price came as it alienated women and lifestyle groups who were the initial audience. In just a few years, the ratings began to collapse. In 2003, Barnes left, and Toucher was moved to the morning shift. In late 2004, the station tried experiments with its format, including New Rock and 90's Alternative. The new slogan came to existence, as "Everything Alternative". After Hurricane Katrina, all the jockeys were sent to help with reconstruction efforts. The music was aired from Jay Harren's Ipod, and the promotion was popular enough to spur 99x on Shuffle. In 2006, Cumulus acquired the station and its sister station Q100. Many of the longtime jockeys left in the final weeks before the takeover. Cumulus continued to support the Modern Rock format, even with its steady decline in Arbitron ratings. Sean Demery returned in 2006, and the "New Morning X" came into play. Ratings continued to decline, and rumors began of 99x being about to undergo a format change. Demery apparently sensed this and left in December 2007. January 11, 2008 proved that the end was truly near, as Cumulus announced their moving Q100 to 99x's stronger signal. It also dismissed its remaining members from the staff, such as Leslie Fram and Steve Craig. January 25, 2008, at 5:30 am, was the final time 99x played over the FM airwaves. The last song played was Green Day's "Good Riddance(Time of Your Life)". This was when the namesake and station was pushed off to 99.7 HD2 and the website. Luckily for hardcore fans, 99x wasn't just thrown to the wind. However, it's a huge understatement to say that everything's back to normal.The website is quite lackluster and has plenty of kinks to work out. The online streaming broadcast also has problems, and is difficult to play on Mac computers. The HD station requires an expensive HD radio, and depending on circumstances, one may not be able to afford an HD radio for both home and office. The 99x website made a blog for complaints, and it lit up within the first month of the station's disappearance. Says Sean Z., a fan of the nowousted 99x: "Leslie Fram, Steve Craig, and everyone else built 99x from the ground up, only to have it all taken away.The last great radio station in Atlanta is gone." We, the loyal fans of 99x, are still hoping for our beloved station's return.