After a weekend loop of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” calling back to the late Sean Demery’s repeated airplay of the song when it was new, Cumulus Media relaunched the venerable “99X” brand on 100.5 WNNX College Park/Atlanta this morning.
Focusing on Classic Alternative from the 1980s through early 2000s, the station debuted with the same song that launched the brand in 1992: The Buggles “Video Killed The Radio Star”. That was followed by Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, and REM “The One I Love”. Following a stopset, the first half-hour continued jockless with Kate Bush “Running Up That Hill”, Collective Soul “Shine”, Red Hot Chili Peppers “Dani California”. The remainder of the first hour featured Candlebox “Far Behind”, U2 “Pride (In The Name of Love)”, Stone Temple Pilots “Interstate Love Song”, and Flock of Seagulls “I Ran”.
Since the demise of the original iteration in January 2008, Cumulus has bounced the “99X” brand among multiple translators with its most recent incarnation airing on 98.9 W255CJ/WWWQ-HD2 since January 2016. That signal is currently simulcasting WNNX.
A letter shared on 99XAtl.com and on Twitter indicates the full staff launch will come on January 3, 2023. Expectations are that many original station staffers will be returning to the station.
Listen to the relaunch of 99X at FormatChange.com.
The original is back. The Original 99X. Coming January 3rd. And every day beyond. Listen on 100.5FM. pic.twitter.com/pGuYTyseUK
— 99X (@99x) December 5, 2022
Updated 12/3: Cumulus Media’s “Rock 100.5” WNNX College Park/Atlanta began stunting on Friday afternoon with a loop of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”. Sweepers between spins of the song state, “It’s Coming, Same As It Ever Was. Monday 6am.”
WNNX fell to a 1.2 share in the November 2022 Nielsen Audio ratings that came out earlier this week with the station also cancelling the WWDC Washington DC based “Elliot In The Morning” after just eight months of airing.
All indications point to Cumulus Media relaunching the “99X” brand on 100.5 WNNX on Monday.
We hear the new incarnation of the “99X on 100.5” brand will be more Classic Alternative based featuring the return of hosts from the station’s heyday on 99.7 from 1992 to 2008. Since then multiple iterations of the brand have bounced around on HD subchannels and translators including a current based Alternative currently heard on 98.9 W255CJ/WWWQ-HD2.
Cumulus recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of 99X with the launch of an online museum featuring audio and videos from the station’s heyday including much from the most well-known incarnation of the “Morning X” featuring Leslie Fram, Steve Barnes and Jimmy Baron from 1994 to 2003.
Brian Phillips, who programmed WNNX from 1993 to 1997, currently serves as Chief Content Officer for Cumulus Media. “Rock 100.5” Program Director Axel Lowe worked at the station in multiple roles for its entire run on 99.7 and later programmed one of its translator iterations.
“Rock 100.5” morning co-host ‘Southside’ Steve Rickman and midday host Lyndsey Marie will no longer be on the station moving forward. We have not confirmed their employment status as she also hosts shifts for other Cumulus Media stations including Rock “93X” KXXR Minneapolis, “96 Rock” WFTK Cincinnati, and Classic Rock “101 The Fox” KCFX Kansas City.
