Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2006 > March > 15 > Entry
3/15: Toucher’s last day Friday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you want to wish Fred Toucher farewell, be at Fado in Buckhead Friday morning. Here’s his latest www.fredtoucher.com posting:
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
“You heard it here first…
Since you guys have been so good to me over the last 7 years I will tell you first. My last show at 99X will be on Friday at the “Kegs and Eggs” party at Fado.
Ever since I started at 99X 7 years ago Rich Shertenleib and I have talked about doing a show together. He quit the show he was on in Dallas in December in order to do his own thing. When Crash was let go at 99X we knew what we had to do. I asked station management if it was cool to look for another gig and they said with all the changes that are happening it would be fine.
When people in the industry heard about our eagerness to do a show a bunch of people contacted us. As most of you know we did a test show in Phoenix. It went very very well. In fact it was the funnest 3 days of radio I have ever participated in. “A dream come true” if you will.
Anyway the tapes of our show have made their way around the industry. Radio companies have been very kind. In fact we are flying to a major North Eastern city on Sunday to meet with station brass. I don’t want to say what markets we are talking to because we haven’t made any final decisions yet. However, I am maintaning ft.com and will fill you in as soon as anything is official.
Everyone at 99X has been great and I thank them for giving me a chance to do a final show.
Anyway, Friday should be really fun. I hope you can make it out.”
So where is he going to land? Boston has been bandied about. A rock station WBOS-FM/92.9 doesn’t appear to have a morning show but looks more music intensive than what Fred & Co. want. 96.9 FM talk runs Imus in the mornings. 101.7 FNX looks like it’s more Toucher’s speed than BOS but has something called the Swasey Show. Hard rock station WBCN 104, owned by CBS, is running the stumbling David Lee Roth morning show. That’s a possibility. WAAF 107.3, another hard rock station, has the Hill Man morning show.
Crash and Fred’s agent Norm Schrutt says he’s still shopping the show around, not necessarily with Infinity or Free Fm, but it could be on a rock station which will allow Fred & Co. to talk a lot and limit songs to about four an hour. He said he knew the program director at the Free FM in Phoenix and the guy helped him out to give Crash, Rich and Fred a chance to create an audition tape. Because of a non-compete clause in Fred’s contract, which technically runs through October, there’s virtually no way Fred will stay in Atlanta.
“We have a financial package on the table,” Schrutt said. “We’ve had one offer but it’s just with Toucher. Toucher wants to work with Rich and Crash and we will continue to go in that way with those three pieces.” He said he’s taking interested calls from different radio stations.
“We sit in a much better position because we have a contract for an extended period of time,” Schrutt told me, referencing Fred. (Rich and Crash, though, are not getting paid so there will be some pressures for Fred to sign a deal soon.
Schrutt said he’s impressed that Susquehanna, which is about to hand over the reins of 99X to Atlanta’s Cumulus, is allowing Fred to have an actual goodbye on the air. Most on-air talent getting booted are not given that opportunity. “They are being nicer than I have ever been,” Schrutt said, of the Dickeys, who manage Cumulus. Schrutt used to run radio stations, including Kicks and Eagle.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Ryan
March 15, 2006 02:53 PM | Link to this
About time!
He’s been talking about leaving since last fall, I’m glad he was able to finally get out of town.
By who cares
March 15, 2006 02:53 PM | Link to this
Who cares?
By Ronin
March 15, 2006 02:56 PM | Link to this
Good. The talentless 99x morning crew will further disappear into obscurity.
By FREDFAN
March 15, 2006 02:57 PM | Link to this
Fred, you will be missed!
By jeff
March 15, 2006 02:57 PM | Link to this
Oh no!!!! WHY!!!!!!!!!!! WHY GOD!!! WHY???!!!?!!?!!!????!!! Good riddance loser.
By John
March 15, 2006 02:57 PM | Link to this
Good riddance! What a loser! PS. Rich is not cool either. Dork in high school dork later in life.
By fredfan
March 15, 2006 02:58 PM | Link to this
let me guess you listen to the minless drool of Q100?
By fredfan
March 15, 2006 02:59 PM | Link to this
let me guess you listen to the minless drool of Q100?
By teach
March 15, 2006 03:00 PM | Link to this
This sucks for atlanta morning radio! Freddy T’s sarcasm has kept me going day after day. No one else is even worth listening to. Tragedy!! We’ll miss you Freddy T! Please don’t put Barnes back on there. Let him continue to destroy his own station.
By Rich
March 15, 2006 03:00 PM | Link to this
The whole show sucked anyways. Fred Toucher won’t be missed. Personally I no longer listen to FM. I’ve moved on to satellite radio. More music, less meaningless crap and talk during my commute!!!
By Sam
March 15, 2006 03:01 PM | Link to this
Good riddance.
By javis
March 15, 2006 03:05 PM | Link to this
FT hasn’t done anything funny since Mandatory Metallica. He’ll be spinning records in Mobile, AL in 2 years.
By JW
March 15, 2006 03:05 PM | Link to this
I knew something was up when Toucher was absent for 2 weeks, once again I will have no morning show to listen to, the 99x morning crew lacks chemistry without Fred. I hate to see you go Toucher, being able to listen to 99x.com while I was stationed in Iraq was one of the few highlights everyday and the morning show always ended my day on a funny note. Good Luck with the new gig!
By Terror
March 15, 2006 03:08 PM | Link to this
I’m so happy to see Toucher leave!!!!
By jill
March 15, 2006 03:08 PM | Link to this
You’re using Wiki as a source? Yikes! Do your homework!
By Fredhatter
March 15, 2006 03:09 PM | Link to this
There is a God. Thank goodness he’s leaving. I hope Friday gets here a whole lot faster.
I just hope we don’t go from the frying pan to the fire. But, then what can be worst than Fred???
By Cindy
March 15, 2006 03:10 PM | Link to this
Doesn’t matter whether Toucher stayed or not. Whenever anyone leaves 99X, they fill the vacancy with the retreads from the not-so-popular time on air. So next, we’ll have Axel. Not that I know much about him. 99X has lost their edge and will not return to their former glory until they bring in a new, fresh crew. And not some silly nationally syndicated group out of Chicago either.
By david
March 15, 2006 03:11 PM | Link to this
the best shows have always been those minus toucher… maybe now they can have a morning show thats tolerable again….
By jungleland
March 15, 2006 03:11 PM | Link to this
I thought that AXL was a fantastic replacement for Toucher last week. They should make him the new morning guy.
Was ANYONE surprised by this? They all but said it on air 4 or 5 times this morning.
Good for Fred, Rich and Crash! Way to take a chance and find something new…..
By corey
March 15, 2006 03:12 PM | Link to this
Funniest Guy on the radio in a long time. Seems like he’s been scaled down into mini-toucher as of late. I guess I’ll listen to XM in the morning instead.
By evelelvis
March 15, 2006 03:13 PM | Link to this
well good hopefully the rest will follow, not trying to be mean but atlanta need a fresh new radio station that is not just a rehashed version of it’s former self, good luck and all the best fred please take jimmy and leslie with you!!
By Chris
March 15, 2006 03:14 PM | Link to this
I am sure that many people in the Atlanta area won’t even notice that 99x has lost another member. The station has fallen rapidly in the past five years. The buzz 105.3 is the best station for music in Atlanta. They actually play more music than chat.
By rcant
March 15, 2006 03:16 PM | Link to this
Toucher was a joke as a main guy in the morning. Individually I am not fond of Barnes, Leslie, or Jimmy but they were pretty good together. Barnes is doing well now rating wise and that is b/c Holly compliments him well. I see Leslie leaving the air to just be a the program director and Jimmy can stay if he takes less money and will agree to work with a whole new team of people.
I wonder if Chris Rude is interested in going head to head with the regular guys in the FM side. Putting Rude and Jimmy on air together would be interesting. All I know is Rude stinks as a talking head on sports talk.
By lex&terryfan
March 15, 2006 03:18 PM | Link to this
A good opportunity for 99x to start over and hire Lex & Terry. They are morning radio. Jimmy sucks.
By lino
March 15, 2006 03:20 PM | Link to this
this is some of the worst news ever. fred, you really made that show and you will be sorely missed. i am so freakin’ sad about this! geez. it was the ONLY thing i listened to in the morning…
i can’t find the words.
also, if you go to any pay service … i will definitely follow.
although it sucks for us in atlanta … good luck man. good luck.
By Jim
March 15, 2006 03:22 PM | Link to this
Fred actually wasn’t too bad. At least he tried to be funny. Jimmy the idiot is the one who needs to go. Jimmy is the most self absorb talentless baffoon on the radio and the brainless Leslie is just pc to put her on. Out of the 3 Fred was by far the best. Atlanta radio in the morning just plain sucks anyway! 50 minutes an hour of brainless talk radio and 10 minutes of music. XM is the way to go.
By David
March 15, 2006 03:32 PM | Link to this
Toucher was palitable when he was alone. With Jimmy and Leslie it was terrible radio. Shame that Barnes has another gig in town. But I think that upper management should take the opportunity and let Jimmy go and do his talk thing. Leslie she is a great program director, but as the years have gone on her interest has been fading. Sounds like a grand time to find something new for the morning, and that isn’t Axel. Axel needs to stay on evenings, just like Toucher he is better alone.
By Robin
March 15, 2006 03:38 PM | Link to this
As far as I am concerned I think the whole 99x morning crew is especially boring! That Jimmy is a complete DORK that tries to act as if he is the coolest thing because he was an extra in a freaking movie. Wow, I’m impressed. Toucher will be missed. I will not get my rolling of the eyes exercise from listening to crap.
By boogaloo
March 15, 2006 03:39 PM | Link to this
Thank God we have SIRIUS. I’ve been listening to Stern since January…
By Rock
March 15, 2006 03:42 PM | Link to this
Par for the course. It seems that if you have charisma you get nowhere in this town. I at least hope they get rid of Leslie and Jimmy AKA: The Rolling Stones of Atlanta radio, Fred will be missed.
By Jeff
March 15, 2006 03:43 PM | Link to this
Fred Who???
By Kevrock
March 15, 2006 03:51 PM | Link to this
That is great!!! When are they going to get rid of Jimmy!?!?! Atlanta has the worst DJ’s (for rock) for a large international city. The morning shows for Rock Stations are just terrible…I remember Chase and woodside they were bad too but not as near as bad as the whole 99X.
By steve walsh
March 15, 2006 03:54 PM | Link to this
Mr. Ho…radio is dead.
By Kelly
March 15, 2006 03:55 PM | Link to this
Is he the one with that horrible, annoying laugh? Who wants to listen to retarded pervs on the way into work every morning anyway? Morning talk radio sucks. I agree with Chris, 1053 The Buzz is awesome!
By BILL
March 15, 2006 03:59 PM | Link to this
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD BYE
By stephanie
March 15, 2006 04:02 PM | Link to this
I love you Fred Toucher!
By Matson
March 15, 2006 04:04 PM | Link to this
Toucher should pay no mind to the monkeys posting on here. As a 99xer since the early days I say to you Fred Toucher, good luck and have fun!!!
By TRS
March 15, 2006 04:05 PM | Link to this
Listening to lex&terry fan would be the absolute WORST thing 99X could do. A couple of two-bit hacks from Jacksonville, what are you thinking?!?
I am happy to see Toucher go to better pastures, and will always miss Crash. In the meantime, can the BUZZ get a more signal?
By Hamilton
March 15, 2006 04:07 PM | Link to this
Those of you who are bashing Fred so viciously are obviously fans of the mindless dribble on Q100 in the morning, which means you are either a chick…or you’re gay. Or…you’re a Buzz fan…which means you’re one of those annoying emo kids with a bad haircut, and you hate your parents, and your idea of good music is Fall Out Boy.
By TRS
March 15, 2006 04:07 PM | Link to this
Sorry…..should be “a stronger signal”
By Harold
March 15, 2006 04:10 PM | Link to this
OH NO! Can you leave Thursday?
By Touchervigina
March 15, 2006 04:13 PM | Link to this
Worst show ever. Adios, dumbass.
By Nolonger99x
March 15, 2006 04:14 PM | Link to this
If they want to have a good morning show on 99x, they need to get rid of Jimmy also. He has never been good and never will be. When they added Toucher, he became worse than before. Poor Leslie had to deal with them both. Good Ridience to Toucher and hopfully they will reformat and give us a decent morning show. Leslie, work on the play list also, we do not need to hear Nirvana’s Teen Spirit anymore.
By dave
March 15, 2006 04:16 PM | Link to this
Now get rid of Jimmy.
By supermomma
March 15, 2006 04:18 PM | Link to this
THANK GOD! Now if Jimmy Baron and Leslie Fram would RETIRE (good Lord…how old are they?!?!?!) all would be right with the world. And to the person who said Fred would be in AL in 2 years…hahaha! Absolutely true! Remember when ‘Barnes’ left 99x to ‘pursue his acting career’? How’d that work out for ya Barnes? Came crawling back to Atl. did ya?
By Hamilton
March 15, 2006 04:24 PM | Link to this
For all the hate being doled out, it sure does seem like you all listened to him quite a bit.
By ab
March 15, 2006 04:24 PM | Link to this
Oooooohhhh….that’s sweet! Send them all. He’ll do well there. He’s always tried to be mini-HowardStern so he’ll already have a market up in the North East.
FT…you suck!
By Michele
March 15, 2006 04:29 PM | Link to this
No one has been listening to Toucher’s station since before they went “alternative”. Not like we’ll really miss him!
By dave
March 15, 2006 04:29 PM | Link to this
Who cares? Commercial radio is pathetic, regarless of what station you tune your dial to. My guess is that 99x will probably jump on the dumbass hip hop bandwagon or go back to the crap they spun before the so called “new music revolution.” Either way it’s nlistenable. Thank God for CD’s.
By Cari
March 15, 2006 04:30 PM | Link to this
There is a God and he likes me! So glad to hear Toucher is moving on to big and better things. Hated him on the AM show. Now, if we can get rid of Jimmy and Leslie and allow Axel to just play music the morning commute with be awesome!
By DaveFM fan
March 15, 2006 04:30 PM | Link to this
They lost me when Fred got too political. Just play the music stupid, nobody what’s to hear your dumb opinions! 99X you guys need to get younger DJ’s if you want that market. Jimmy, Leslie I’m sorry but your time is up too.
By TRS
March 15, 2006 04:31 PM | Link to this
Hey Hamilton, they play Fall Out Boy on 99X also.
By shari
March 15, 2006 04:35 PM | Link to this
99x lost me after the comments Fred made about cruelty to animals. Good Riddance…
By Corey
March 15, 2006 04:36 PM | Link to this
99x lost me long ago, about the time Barnes left… I have hated toucher since his T&A days with Axel. I’m so glad that Barnes is back on Atlanta radio and I can hear music I enjoy. Way to go on your new job Toucher… now get the hell out of here, I’m sure you’ll find an “inspired” audience. Hell, Howard Stern did, I’m sure you can too.
By Rick
March 15, 2006 04:36 PM | Link to this
Who cares if every dj leaves? The only decent radio station in town is the new 97.1, BECAUSE they don’t have all that mindless chatter all the time. Radio should be about music.
By Larry
March 15, 2006 04:38 PM | Link to this
Personally, I know I’m getting older and this ain’t my demographic any more, but see ya’ later, who cares? Actually, maybeIdo. Toucher was the beginning of the end of radio in my car. I love theolderAtlanta, without the foul-mouthed yankees on the radio. IMHO, of course.
By rob2595
March 15, 2006 04:39 PM | Link to this
Toucher acts as if he is leaving to pursue other opportunities. Whatever, we all know you were just not going to resign and Jimmy is a lap boy so he will take less and reconform to whatever he needs in order to keep a job, and that is fine he has cash in the bank and is too old to keep moving. I will push for the Rude and Jimmy show, no worse that the crap they have had with Toucher recently.
And to the person who is critical of Barnes and his acting career. He NEVER left Atlanta; he could not go to a competing station for one year after he leaves. Going to Dave FM was the plan. And by the looks of the rating continuing to incline that plan is working.
By Doug
March 15, 2006 04:40 PM | Link to this
Toucher was the only reason for anyone in Atlanta not to move to satellite radio. Now that he’s moving on, everyone in this city should get Sirius and let terrestrial radio die.
By Scott C
March 15, 2006 04:47 PM | Link to this
This sucks..I actually thought he brought some good humor to a completely awful morning show. I’ll miss him..
By Remember The Day
March 15, 2006 04:51 PM | Link to this
99X will never be what it was. I’ll never forget the April Fools joke in 96 or 97 when the station “fired” Barnes, Leslie and Jimmy and how the whole town went mob mentality. I loved Barnes…he got involved with the personalities in town. Whether you liked him and the personalities or not(ie., John Rocker), he brought excitement and originality to the show. I don’t like DaveFM 70’s music, but I do listen for Barnes.
By Jimmy
March 15, 2006 04:53 PM | Link to this
So you’re sticking it to yourself.
By LinosFriendVince
March 15, 2006 04:56 PM | Link to this
Anyone who hates Fred obviously doesn’t “get it” — which really disturbs me. Yeah, you can argue all day about whether Jimmy and Leslie deserve to be on air, or get paid as much as they do. But Fred has more talent — even when delivering a BriteSmile promo — than any other DJ in Atlanta. And why do any of you care so much about the music? If you haven’t heard, they make CD players for cars now. Atlanta is losing an amazing entertainer. So long Fred!
By Brett
March 15, 2006 04:58 PM | Link to this
99X lost their testicular fortitude a long time ago…long before that loser crew of “touches little jimmies” came on board. Good riddance! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out! Now all they have to do is change the name back to Power 99!
As for morning talk radio in Atlanta, it sucks everywhere! Thank God The Buzz doesn’t do morning talk. There is absolutely no crew that can match Lex & Terry! Those two are the only ones that I would actually listen to!
By toucherhater
March 15, 2006 05:00 PM | Link to this
Toucher, don’t let the door hit you in the a**, you a*. And take that mindless ape Jimmy Barren wtih you and may you both disappear into oblivion faster than has ever been witnessed before.
By Hamilton
March 15, 2006 05:00 PM | Link to this
**Hey TRS: Thanks for clearing that up, Einstein. I just said that people who listen to Buzz think that Fall Out Boy is good music. Emo music and Nu-metal is all they play on Buzz, and it’s ALL CRAP. And it’s probably what you like to listen to. If so, you need to go to:
http://youhavebadtasteinmusic.com/
By Michael
March 15, 2006 05:02 PM | Link to this
Good. Fred (and the rest of the 99x morning show) has become un-listenable recently. It is patently obvious that Fred can’t string two sentences together, much less carry a talk show for 4+ hours. He’ll not be missed.
And to 99X: MORE MUSIC, MUCH LESS TALK!!!!!!
By Matt
March 16, 2006 08:23 AM | Link to this
Good ridence Mantoucher. The Morning X must be the worst radio show in the history of time. The year without the Regular Guys was truely a year in radio hell. Thank God their back! PETEEETONG!
By Rock
March 16, 2006 09:02 AM | Link to this
Fred was the only thing this station had going for it. Thank god the Regular Guys are back so I won’t have to listen to this horrible station. Also when will someone realize the corpse known as Leslie is not in touch with her audience and we don’t want to listen to her.
By stantheman
March 16, 2006 09:30 AM | Link to this
Finally!!! Now Fred, Crash, and Rich can go run another station into the ground!!! I only wish Jimmy would go with them.
By Asreial
March 16, 2006 09:33 AM | Link to this
fred. you will be missed. you are the headmaster and now the headmaster is dead in atlanta radio. i wonder how well the 99X morning show will do without you…
good luck up north or wherever the wind takes you and try to get on a station that streams via internet.
By laurel
March 16, 2006 09:34 AM | Link to this
Toucher is the best thing to happen to 99x! I’m so sad he’s leaving and will cry every day I don’t hear him.
By meeps
March 16, 2006 09:45 AM | Link to this
You think Toucher was bad? Just wait for the new Axel, Jimmy and Leslie show. Right-wing nut-jobs Axel and Wally will be kissing Bush’s a* every morning, Jimmy will play the Alan Colmes role, and Leslie, as usual, will be MIA. This is going to be an absolute TRAINWRECK!
By jmerc
March 16, 2006 11:31 AM | Link to this
How can anyone say TRG or Barnes is any good? Barnes did not come up with the best material for the Morning X, Rich did. TRG, well they just regurgitate old bits from other shows their audience does not listen to. So yeah, hooray that the most original talent is leaving and we will be stuck with nothing, hopefully the new show on 99x will be somewhat decent if Wally will come out of his shell more.
By saraseesall
March 16, 2006 12:52 PM | Link to this
Who’s Wally?
By Coffinnailer
March 16, 2006 01:08 PM | Link to this
Whatever you think about Toucher’s talent, you’ve got to give him a little credit for carrying a 4-hour show on his own for so long. Most of us have trouble getting through dinner conversation with the family let along entertaining strangers. The J & L in the show’s title provided meager support, especially in the last year. Jimmy’s main contribution lately has been to blast Barnes,(something he never had the courage to do face-to-face during their many years together)and make fun of his C- and D+ talent level peer group in Hollywood. Oh, and he’s made a habit of mispronouncing and misusing French phrases in an attempt to sound educated and sophisticated. Be patient, Fred will thrive in the right market; Jimmy will be soon downgrading his lifestyle.
By Grant
March 16, 2006 01:09 PM | Link to this
I won’t miss his constant belittling of artists on the playlist*. While I don’t listen to 99x in the morning often, it’s clear he actively dislikes most of the artists the station plays. A few weeks ago, he went off on a tear about both Belle & Sebastian and Morrissey. Well, if he’d rather be on a station that plays Styx, Journey and Kansas all the time, that’s where he should be.
At least he never got obsessed with any has-been 80s act like Barnes used to do with that “Josie’s on a vacation far away” band in the mid-90s. The Outfield?
*That’s not to say 99x’s playlist isn’t desperately in need of pruning. The fellow who programs Sunday School should be in charge of the whole shebang. I doubt Green Day would spend 18 months in rotation with him in charge.
By April Fools
March 16, 2006 01:46 PM | Link to this
THIS IS AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE
* You heard it here first *