11 replies to this topic

[Pillsbury]

I know this has nothing to do with urban planning, but this is the coffee house.

So long 99X.  Thanks for the memories.   Cumulus could have picked a better farewell song than that stupid Green Day song.  How about some Smiths?  Cure? REM? Heck, even Big Head Todd's "Bittersweet" or something.  But it demonstrates how far from greatness 99X had fallen.   96 Wave is gone; 99X is gone; Channel Z, perhaps the greatest progressive rock station in Augusta ever, is gone.  Y'all in Atlanta have fun listening to 100,000 watts of the Bert Show.

At its height, 99X was one of the most powerful alternative rock stations on earth.  It was responsible for introducing new bands to the USA.  I'll miss Steve Craig and the retro lunch, which always got me through work.  I'll miss being able to hear songs that I hadn't heard in years.  I liked that they could play Coldplay back to back with the Velvet Underground back to back with the Sex Pistols.  But that was a long time ago and I know it grew worse with age.  But still, it was a great radio station.

Edited by Pillsbury, 28 January 2008 - 09:17 PM.

[teshadoh]

Good riddance - I was a WRAS 88.5 & occasional WREK listener myself.  Certainly it did provide mild curiosity to hear some of my favorite bands like Sebadoh & Ween get 1 or 2 songs on the air for a few weeks.  But stations like 99X have a lot to do with the collapse of rock music by overhyping alternative bands too much.

[adelosky]

teshadoh, on Jan 29 2008, 11:07 PM, said:

Good riddance - I was a WRAS 88.5 & occasional WREK listener myself.  Certainly it did provide mild curiosity to hear some of my favorite bands like Sebadoh & Ween get 1 or 2 songs on the air for a few weeks.  But stations like 99X have a lot to do with the collapse of rock music by overhyping alternative bands too much.

Aw, c'mon.  Now while agree that 99% of the music on 99X today is cr@p, 99X was a huge influence at least for me from '90-'92.  Back before iPod's and satellite radio, there were few places you could go to get the music you wanted and they REALLY helped introduce Atlanta (and high school teenagers at the time such as myself) to Alternative music which established my musical tastes that I still have today.  Yes, the majority of it was overplayed and there was a lot of one hit wonder Stabbing Westward et al, but back then they were playing music that neither Album 88, 96 Rock, or anyone else in Atlanta was playing at the time.

I'll miss them for that, but considering the only radio I listen to, if I'm even playing the radio, is sports talk, I'll forget about it in a few hours, uh, days...

[teshadoh]

Well sorry to throw turds at you all's parades.  

Perhaps if I was still in high school I would have more respect, considering the concept of playing college rock such as REM & Replacements on commercial radio was unheard of at the time.

But the reason something wasn't played on 88.5 but on 99x was only because it was on a major label.  WRAS would play some major label releases because they deserved it - like the Pixies, but generally stayed away from the Smashing Pumpkins variety of alternative.

What can I say - in the 90's I was a indie film / music snob dork.  I've outgrown that & have become an all out sell out, but back then I despised commercial radio.

[adelosky]

teshadoh, on Jan 30 2008, 10:29 AM, said:

Well sorry to throw turds at you all's parades.  

Perhaps if I was still in high school I would have more respect, considering the concept of playing college rock such as REM & Replacements on commercial radio was unheard of at the time.

But the reason something wasn't played on 88.5 but on 99x was only because it was on a major label.  WRAS would play some major label releases because they deserved it - like the Pixies, but generally stayed away from the Smashing Pumpkins variety of alternative.

What can I say - in the 90's I was a indie film / music snob dork.  I've outgrown that & have become an all out sell out, but back then I despised commercial radio.

It's all good.  Different strokes for different folks.  I tried listening to 88.5 and always had it on a preset, there was just never that much on that I enjoyed listening to over what would've been on 99X at the time.  But alas, how much perspectives change in 15+ years.  We're all sell outs with our iPods and such.  But if you ask me, would I rather still be dependent on 3 rock radio stations or have 2000+ of music over the last 50 years available anytime I want and completely updateable, I know which route I'd take (and did take).

[Pillsbury]

teshadoh, on Jan 30 2008, 11:29 AM, said:

Well sorry to throw turds at you all's parades.  

Perhaps if I was still in high school I would have more respect, considering the concept of playing college rock such as REM & Replacements on commercial radio was unheard of at the time.

But the reason something wasn't played on 88.5 but on 99x was only because it was on a major label.  WRAS would play some major label releases because they deserved it - like the Pixies, but generally stayed away from the Smashing Pumpkins variety of alternative.

What can I say - in the 90's I was a indie film / music snob dork.  I've outgrown that & have become an all out sell out, but back then I despised commercial radio.

I despise commerical radio as well, but for a while 99X operated a bit differently than a typical commerical station--certainly not one which broadcasted 100,000 watts all over northern GA.  In Augusta a little station called Channel Z acted in the same way.   Also, it's still difficult to find a Pixies song on mainstream radio even today.  When I speak of 99X's heyday, I'm referring to that period between 91 and oh about 94 or 95.

Don't get me wrong:  99X has sucked for a long time.  But it still beats out most the stuf on Atlanta radio.

[Pillsbury]

teshadoh, on Jan 30 2008, 11:29 AM, said:

Well sorry to throw turds at you all's parades.  

Perhaps if I was still in high school I would have more respect, considering the concept of playing college rock such as REM & Replacements on commercial radio was unheard of at the time.

But the reason something wasn't played on 88.5 but on 99x was only because it was on a major label.  WRAS would play some major label releases because they deserved it - like the Pixies, but generally stayed away from the Smashing Pumpkins variety of alternative.

What can I say - in the 90's I was a indie film / music snob dork.  I've outgrown that & have become an all out sell out, but back then I despised commercial radio.

There is no denying that.  But when it first started a lot of the djs were bringing cds from home and playing those.  But alas, corporate radio will always be . . . corporate.  But for a commerical radio station, they weren't all bad.  At least until Cumulus took over.

[Nashville_maestro]

I can't believe 99x is leaving! That's all I listened to in the ATL when I wasn't listening to cd's. That sucks because atlanta's radio choices suck other than them. Country or rap. Take your pick. As far as I know dave fm was the only other halfway descent station. Why is 99x leaving? Were they bought out? Also, what is replacing the station?

[Pillsbury]

Well Cumulus bought the station last year, but it's lagged in ratings for a while.  I believe they moved 100.5 to 99.7, and then came up with Rock 100.  Also, for the rednecks, the Regular Guys were brought back to that station.

[Andrea]

The advent of new media (iTunes on the net, the iPod and portable MP3 players, the rise of satellite radio and cable music channels, etc.) has made FM broadcasting increasingly irrelevant.  It no longer has the coolness factor either.  I used to listen to FM, including 99X, all the time but it's been years since I tuned in.

It's the passing of an era.

Edited by Andrea, 31 January 2008 - 07:30 PM.

[dmccall]

It's sad. 99X was one of the best stations I had ever heard when I was down there for the 92/93 Peach Bowl. Much Catherine Wheel!

[cabasse]

check out 97.9 - "the new ninety-nine x on ninety-seven-nine"

it's back! (though i'm usually on 88.5/90.1/91.1 myself)