By Mike

June 26, 2006 08:31 AM | Link to this

99x lost me as a listner when they cut “Fat Kid” They lost their minds when they cut Fred Toucher, did not sign Jimmy B and then let Wally, walk. 99x just needs to flip and become a talk station. We may not be able to hear Fred Toucher any more, but you can hear “Fat Kid” if you live in north GA. 96.5 “The Mountain” 7pm to midnight.

By rob2595

June 26, 2006 08:57 AM | Link to this

Ok they lost me with the break up of the Morning X like they did most thier listeners that made them the dominating station they were. Toucher is and was a joke and I cannot believe he got a gig in Boston that I think will flop in one year. And JImmy Barron needs a person like Barnes to play off of.

To get back they need a morning show with a big local name. I think picking up Chris Rude would be interesting and that is not crazy b/c their new owners already have rights to Rude on 680 The Fan. Lets face it he is not a sports talk guy. Leslie, Axel, and Rude In the Mornings….could work.

By bud

June 26, 2006 10:29 AM | Link to this

What does 99X need to do to regain its footing? Their format is too young to be old and too old to be young. They should wipe the slate clean…clean out the staff, do a month of stunting in their new format, then start fresh.

A decent FM Talk station might do OK…with sucessful syndicated radio talent from the west coast like Tom Leykis. There is very little new under the sun when it comes to commercial music radio…with IPOD’s, Music Choice (off of Comcast), streaming audio from the internet, XM, and Sirius, folks don’t have to tolerate commercials inbetween their tunes. The commercials are less jarring when put between talkers, so talk radio is going to take more and more stations until only those stations at the edges of the spectrum will play music.

Whine if you want to…this trend is not going away.

By too old?

June 26, 2006 10:59 AM | Link to this

Craig’s comments a “non factor”??? A true “non-factor” would be somebody’s age when it comes to programming. If your stupid enough to believe being too old is a problem, will you please call Clive Davis, Aaron Spelling(okay, you can’t call him) or COUNTLESS OTHERS in radio, and tell them how out of touch they are and they have to go! By the way Williams, you too will soon be out of your target demo! Does that mean you will be out of touch? If you ask me, you’ve been out of touch for quite awhile pal!

By xfan

June 26, 2006 12:28 PM | Link to this

99X should hang on to some of the “nostalgic” aspect mentioned in the story by bringing back items like: the 99X Files (to keep listeners informed about their favorite artists) and maybe even Mandatory Metallica nightly (even though they don’t really play Metallica anymore…). Just the little things that gave 99X a special focus. It’s the history that has kept them around so long; it’s the history that’s going to keep them in the future. And this big concert with 311 that they’re talking about so much, maybe start a “311 at 420” or something humorous like that up till the concert and see how that works out. And the morning show needs to be like a Don Miller Part 2/continued/whatever you want to call it. Simply wiping out any sense of “the old days” is going to make people wonder how much the station really cares about them. They can’t just start over…so consider adding to the ensemble therefore giving everyone involved something to bounce off of the others.

I was somewhat disappointed with the focus of Rodney’s story due to the incessant commentary by none other than Chris Williams, a FORMER PD who is just bitter because his reputation in radio is about as high as The Buzz’s ratings this book.

By shannon

June 26, 2006 12:36 PM | Link to this

this station can be saved - but the morning show for starters is going to have to come from another major market or they will have to rebuild a team selecting candidates, again, from outside the Atlanta market. I don’t think anyone currently here can do it. Start fresh.
As far as music, the genre is still well in tact and you could pull from past years (on a low rotation) and combine it with today’s music (again, keeping with the genre). Combine also, the rough and tumble with the soulful but keep it edgy.
I know too many younger people who love today’s stuff that would have made 99X as great years ago and from those of us who were the watercooler crowd from years ago would enjoy a format like that. Finding a balance for morning show it key - here’s my tip - I remember BL&J some mornings you wee embarrassed to hear them talk about certain things, but on the other hand you couldn’t wait to line up at the watercooler to see if anyone else heard it. Fun!

By radio listener

June 26, 2006 12:53 PM | Link to this

If 99x wants to win again, maybe they should do what they did in the 90s:

1. Get a decent morning show.
2. Break cool new bands.

What was the last band 99x helped break? The last one I know of was when Axel pushed Kid Rock. He’s still doing “drunk dials” to Rock’s phone years later. They keep hanging on to the past.

At least Buzz is pushing Flyleaf and whoever. Of course 99x might not want a band with a lead singer who sounds like a meth powered canary in pain, but you get the idea.

How many aspiring DJs are out there? Toucher gets bottom-of-the-pile ratings one month and ends up moving up a market the next spring. They have to find someone to fill the morning show gap.

By Erik from Atlanta

June 26, 2006 01:13 PM | Link to this

The article in the Sunday Edition of AJC about 99X was long overdue. The station is having a identity problem. They need to figure out who they are. They need to start over as an Alternative station or change formats(I suggest Classic Rock,since 96Rock is not doing its job as a classic rock station).

By 99x Fan

June 26, 2006 01:44 PM | Link to this

NO MORE CLASSIC ROCK IN ATLANTA!!!! If 96 Rock isn’t doing it’s job FINE. Then listen to the RIVER or DAVE FM. I’m in my mid twenties and 99x is the only station in Atlanta that plays music I listened to in high school.

By Zachary

June 26, 2006 01:55 PM | Link to this

The article, while perhaps overdue, didn’t say much that anyone who listens to the radio didn’t already know. 99X is in serious trouble from several angles (demographics, change in ownership, flagging ratings, competition from within and outside the broadcast radio market). Satellite and iPods are putting the hurt on broadcast radio, and I think 99X needs to compete accordingly.

Programming? I’d love to hear more new bands/music, something like a college radio style in a commercial format. Less DJ banter and inanity, but enough smarts to know how to pronounce band names (if you’ve listened to 88.5 for any length of time, you know what I’m talking about). Stop endless repetition of “hit” singles (“Dani California”, anyone?) and play some “deep” album cuts that aren’t necessarily single releases. And please don’t dwell so much in the past — I vowed that every time they play “Sex and Candy” or “Man In the Box” I’d change the station, and my radio doesn’t want to stay on 99X for more than an hour. “Everything Alternative” is nice on paper, but it’s tearing 99X apart.

It seems everyone agrees that the morning show needs an overhaul. Might I suggest…oh, I don’t know…playing some music? Leave the “morning zoo” stuff to the ex-frat boys on other stations and rise above. Leslie’s not a bad on-air talent, she’s just not right for prank calls and gay jokes. She knows the music she plays, as does Steve…they’re the only bursts of intelligence next to Jay Harren, and from what I understand he’s on his way out too.

Just a couple of ideas. Not all radio listeners are impressed by fart jokes and Howard Stern-like stunts.

By LHK

June 26, 2006 02:19 PM | Link to this

I agree with radio listener and Zachary that 99X would be smart to focus on breaking new bands again — innovative bands, thanks, and not purveyors of Buzz-style noise rock. I remember when 99X was the place I went to hear new music. Now, I figure that I’m much like other members of my age group (I’m 26) in that I turn to my friends or to the Internet to find bands that’ll take years to find their way to terrestrial radio, if they ever do. A big emo snort went up from the twentysomethings of metro Atlanta a couple months ago when both DaveFM and 99X introduced Death Cab for Cutie as a “new” band. 99X has become what they never wanted to be — a place for the deja-vu “new” songs of time-tested bands (i.e. Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers). I love early and mid 90s music, but some of their nostalgia spins are becoming tiresome, too. Instead of tightening their playlist, as they did recently, they should open it up, allow their DJs some more autonomy, bring in some songs that make people really say, “Wow!” rather than just, “Wow, I think I’ve heard ‘Come As You Are’ seven times already this week.”

By Atlanta native and 99X fan

June 26, 2006 03:00 PM | Link to this

Rodney Ho appears to be on a personal vendetta ride and 99X is just his next unassuming target. His friend, Toucher, no longer works at the station so he sudddenly feels compelled to write: “My 99X story, which I should have gotten in the paper ages ago.” As a former employee of a major radio station group, I have a keen understanding of how radio stations are formatted and rated, both nationally and locally. I used to sell radio air time and am all too familiar with the intricate details of radio ratings. I read your article, Rodney, and before you start tearing down a historic Atlanta radio station such as 99X, let me give you a few pointers.

1) Citing recent and past Arbitron ratings is not only uselss, but also a waste of time. Anyone who knows anything about radio can tell you that these ‘ratings’ are only a collection of volunteer radio logs from people who are paid $1.00 to write down what radio station they are listening to at different times during the day. Can we say incaccurate? Do you honestly think that someone is going to take their time and be 100% honest and write down their ‘radio log times’ every day for a week for only $1.00? Sure, this may be the only form of ratings measurement that the radio industry has so far, but to use it as a back up for an argument is just plain silly. Asking people on the street who their favorite radio station is, or which radio station events thet attend the most - now that’s measuring your listening audience.

2) Rodney seems to have his definition of alternative music a little skewed. 99X does in fact play alternative music - the only station in Atlanta that does. The Buzz is claiming to play alternative music, but in fact are just blasting some Slipnot songs for their 14 year old boy audience. 99X is the only Atlanta radio station where you can find a program like Organic X that promotes and plays new singer/songwriters every Sunday.

3) Sure, 99X has had a lot of turnover since Cumulus bought the station a few months ago. As with any station buy out, many station DJs are lost or replaced. But let’s not discount the current 99X credible airstaff and jocks that are still turning out good radio everyday. And whether or not you like Steve Craig, Leslie Fram or Axel is not the point - from the blogs listed here and the rumble on the Atlanta streets, people are talking about them - good or bad - which means they are listening.

4) 99X is one of the few stations, if not the only, in Atlanta that can get it’s listeners front in center of the bands they like most. Did you like the Coachella music festival? 99X probably told you about it and maybe even got you tickets to see it. How about the Virginia Highlands Summerfest? 99X was the only radio station to promote this great local festival and draw in the crowds that showed up to jam to the great music they brought in. When was the last time you heard Trent Reznor perform live on air in Atlanta? If you can answer this question, than you are obviously a 99X listener b/c they are the only station that brought you this treat.

It seems Rodney and friends are just anxious to talk about anything. What does 99X need to do to regain its footing, you ask Rodney? Keep on doing what their doing. Playing great music that no other station has the courage to step out of the box and play, set up unforgettable promotions that draw in huge Atlanta crowds everytime, give the listeners what they want - an up close and personal look at their favortite artists, and finally, a stamp on the Atlanta radio waves that they have been doing for decades.

99X will get a new morning show team. And it will only add to the greatness that is this radio station TODAY.

By concerned listener

June 27, 2006 08:29 AM | Link to this

99X’s problem is the ownership. How can you start a brand new morning show and not support it with advertising? And then follow up no advertising by not standing up for your talent? Add to that the junk they are passing off as new alternative, Gorillas, Panic at the Disco, Artic Monkeys. This stuff is not alternative rock. It’s crap. As far as I’m concerned 99X has died. It was a good run while it lasted. I’ve had to migrate to the Regular Guys to get my humor fix. While I find them funny most times, the flaming conservative bit is too much. What Atlanta needs is a morning show that is funny, but has a balanced political feel to it. I think we all missed out on what would have been the best morning show when Toucher didn’t take the job with the Regular Guys way back before his 99X days. Can you imagine Wachs actually having someone who wouldn’t back down from his ridiculous political rhetoric? Porn Czar offers some balance, but lacks the guts (mainly because he works for Wachs) to make an argument stick.

By spambait2

June 27, 2006 09:18 AM | Link to this

Their entire playlist now is bought and paid for by the record companies. Perfect example was the heavy promotion of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs a couple of months back. They constantly played some crappy song and always mentioned them during their “Coach to Coachella” promotion. Now that the promotion is over, the band and song are gone.

The only thing 99x has going for them now is their smoking hot traffic girl, Jamie Massey, whom I’d love to sleep with. Well, and that Brooke chick in the Brown & Co. commercial sounds like someone I’d like to sleep with.

By Jeremy Kennedy

June 27, 2006 09:46 AM | Link to this

When 99x was born in 1992, Atlanta radio would never be the same. The risks involved were daring and almost blasphemous against Top 40 Pop music that its predecessor station Power 99 shoveled to listeners. Although Power 99 flirted with alternative music to some degree (Camouflage, Erasure, Figures on a Beach, Siouxsie, and New Order all had singles rotated on Power 99 during the station’s 6 year run), breaking the pop patterns that proved to be successful for many short-lived MTV acts such as Milli Vanilli, Colour Me Badd, Dino, and Will to Power was a chance that Casey Kasem radio trembled at the thought of. Post Power 99, 99x extended the music to represent a culture of trends: the Big Shirt, the Freeloader’s Card, and big-name sponsored concerts including a Simple Minds / Big Audio Dynamite bill at the Roxy that packed in audiences that Power 99 never gained. From PM Dawn to the Toad the Wet Sproket, Utah Saints to Shakespears Sister, being ‘left of center’ relocated the target of mainstream in Atlanta.

Fast-forward to 2006: 99X is still at the top of the list when it comes to supporting acts and music in this town. Bands such as Candlebox, Filter, and Live all banked heavily on a good Atlanta ticket sale, thanks to the mega-sponsorship and promotion from WNNX. Just last week, 99x and the Retroplex plugged the MTV New Romantics ABC more heavily in this town than any other city in the States, according to front-man Martin Fry, who was blown away at the promotion Steve Craig and the station offered his 25 year old band. As I drove him to the station to do an interview on the Retroplex, he commented that he hadn’t heard “(How to be) Millionare” on American radio in years as it played through the FM dial. Moreover, where else could one expect to hear the American debut of ABC’s latest indy single “Ride” ? I hardly think STAR 94 or the Buzz would cater to their 20-30 something year olds with interest in hearing new material from a classic artist such as ABC. It may be New Rock / Everything Alternative, but that doesn’t hold them to the limits of a Top 40 playlist.

99x has done more for this city than any other station. I trust that the new ownership doesn’t tamper with the formula too much. The identity has always been the same: introduce new upcoming artists, sponsor a plethora of concerts that encircle the progressive and alternative, actively engage in the community, and stay connected with the roots of yesterday as well as today’s music by remembering the pioneers from the late ’70s and ’80s. The attitude has remained the same. However, the music has undergone more costume changes than Bowie on tour. Blaming 99x for a loss of identity isn’t fair. If you take a closer look, you’ll find the same 99x. I say that labels pushing their acts on a station, who then forces their ‘talent’ on the rest of us is a bit unassuring.

Looking back at their track record, Leslie and Steve have had a remarkable ear for predicting hits. Case in point, Shawn Mullins’ success. My advice: forget the politics and the label execs. Scout the promo cds, listen for the hits, and share them with us. The phone lights will ignite and the opinions will be received. From their, let the rotation begin.

By Pillsbury Doughboy

June 27, 2006 10:15 AM | Link to this

Come on, do you people really want 99x to go off the air and leave the Buzz as Atlanta’s only “alternative” station. Look, I’m as tired as everyone else of hearing the same Nine Inch Nails and Gorillaz songs all day long too. I would like to hear music that I’ve never heard before. Mix some of that new music in with the old punk and new wave/modern rock that 99x was so good at when it first came out. The people will listen again!

By tom d.

June 27, 2006 10:52 AM | Link to this

ZACHARY! Yes! - read his 6/26 post above

I think everyone needs to stop shooting the meesengers (aka - DJ’s) and look behind the curtain. How can there be excitment when your playing the same 5 bands over and over. As far as programming, age is not a factor, many artist who put out GREAT music are out of the “demo”. I think Leslie is just out of touch with reality. She has rode the wave of 99X’s hey-day way too long. For her it was just being at the right place at the right time. My dog could have programmed 99x in the early 90’s and been successful. The music was fresh and abundant. It takes someone with actual talent to program when music is in a slump, as it is now. The music is not served up on a sliver platter anymore, you gotta go find it……..take a few risks!

By burd

June 28, 2006 10:51 AM | Link to this

A couple of comments on 99x:

They do need a new morning show. The last couple of incarnations just have not been “entertaining”. Oddly, I found the Morning X crew irriating as individuals but as a group they seemed to work.

I think the jocs are good. Axel was better in the afternoons, though.

I’ve listened to the station since their inception, and for a comercial station, have found no major issues with their programming, presently or in the past. Until recently, though, there hasn’t been anything to compare it to. For whatever reason, there insn’t anything compelling about the BUZZ that makes we want to listen.

Recently, I’ve discovered that the “World Famous” station that I “cut my alternative teeth” on is streaming on-line. Surprisingly, I’ve found their playlists to be very similar to 99x. I really don’t think 99x has programming issues.

I think 99x’s declining ratings have most to do with market conditions (IPODs, sattelite radio, on-line streaming, the declining popularity of Alternative music).