99XWatch.org

Sean on 99X

I had fully intended yesterday's post to be my last.  Then, Sean posted this.  Sean analysis of 99X's ultimate decline demands whatever modest additional exposure I can give it here:

... in the mid 90’s, upwards of 50% of the music 99X played was new based.  This meant that every other song was new or no older than 3 months old.  Recently 99X has been operating with a max of 19% new music.  That means that you get 3 new songs an hour, and many of those were ill focused for the 99X music community.  In the end, it seems that Cumulus was in fact programming 99X like an AC station with alternative rock hits, in the hopes of securing a 25 – 54 year old add buys.  Focusing on 25-54 with a station that was built to accrue 18 -34 year old is like putting a bicycle on the track in a stock car race.  Peddle as hard as you want… you lose the race… by miles.

Looking from a music stand point it seems like Cumulus couldn’t understand the fact that Bush, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and their ilk were the bands of yester year, and were not the building blocks for the current music generation.  It felt like that they were trying to recreate the 90’s.  The 90’s are gone.  They couldn’t understand what bands like the Shins, Silversun Pickups, Band of Horses, Arcade Fire, The Bravery, Interpol, Spoon, Against Me, Rise Against, etc had to do with 99X.  These are bands that sell out medium sized venues in Atlanta with little or no airplay; they have massive internet and magazine prominence.  These are the same types of building blocks we used in 1992; these are today’s building blocks for this music generation.

Jim V. on 99X

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
-- T. S. Elliot, The Hollow Men

I'm not sad that 99X is gone.  Jimmy Baron said it best, "I mourned the loss of my 'friend' two years ago."  I'm sad that good people lost their jobs, but the radio station today bears little resemblance to the radio station that gave me so much enjoyment over the years.  I've replaced that loss with Sirius at home and XM in my car. At this point the only thing that a radio station can offer me that I can't get on satellite, (with better programming and fewer commercials,) is Atlanta-centric talk aimed at adults with the proper number of chromosomes. Unfortunately, the prospects for that don't look too good.

This will be my last post on 99XWatch.org.  I'm sure that my friend Rodney Ho will do a great job of keeping you informed about what happens in Barnes v. Toucher and whether or not Jimmy's two shows in development get picked up. If you want to read my occasional musings, you can check out JimV.com. 

January 27th, would have made three years blogging about 99X.  I enjoyed getting to play media critic and later gossip reporter. I want to thank all of the people who trusted me enough be sources.  I'm proud that I was able to break a few big stories. I also want to thank all of my readers.  I'm far too egotistical to do something like this if no one's paying attention.  With almost half a million page views, it's clear that people were.  Finally, I want to thank the people that made 99X--99x.

Allen Singer on 99X

I'm giving Allen Singer the penultimate word on 99X, because, he, like me, devoted a good amount of his time and energy (and money) to a website devoted to 99X.  I've always considered AllensEdge.com to be a different side of the same coin as 99XWatch.org.  His site was devoted what was good about 99X, mine was devoted to what was not so good.  If you long for the days of Toucher, Jimmy, and Leslie, Allen maintains a large catalog of some of their choice bits.  Here's what he had to say:

This latest move by Cumulus has proven yet again that the large corporation does not care about the individual radio listener, which I have stated in the past.  The dissolving of 99X does not surprise me that much, but I believe it is a great mistake.  99X is a "heritage" station and has been in Atlanta for a long time.  Tens of thousands of dedicated listeners have devoted themselves to being dedicated fans, not only supporting the many events 99X has hosted, but supporting the advertisers as well.

 

It looks like 99X will continue local promotion, sponsoring local shows and such according to the website.  Will listeners care?  How long will they remember the station they can't get in their cars and homes any longer?  How long will 99X even make the attempt before it disappears without a whisper?

 

Local 99X is gone, but still exists online in a "lite" version.  It must stand out somehow to keep its already upset fanbase.  But it will likely be on the cheap side:  no interesting jocks, no good morning show, nothing of any real interest. Just music and promos, exactly what you can get online already.  Any jocks you will hear will be dull, probably voicetracked by out of town "talent."

 

And why do I care?  Well, I'm kind of a radio junkie and ex-engineer.  I worked in Atlanta from 1996 to 1997 and discovered 99X. I loved it.  It was the best radio station I had ever heard.  I listened to the Morning X every day.  When I got a job in radio in Cincinnati in 1997, I found out that the company I worked for also owned 99X.  When it came time to upgrade 99X/Q100, I was sent to Atlanta to wire the new studios.  Since then, I've always felt like I was a small part of the station as I listened in Cincinnati online.  Then, in 2004 I discovered TJ&L and started listening again.  I started recording bits from the morning show, and thus the fansite was born.

 

The fansite stays.  All broken audio links will be restored in the very near future.  I appreciate everyone who has stopped by and enjoyed the clips from TJ&L and maybe even bought a book or two.  If there's ever anything you think should be added, please let me know.

Toucher on 99X

Without Toucher there would have been no 99XWatch.org. In the first year of 99XWatch, approximately 20% of the posts were critical of him.  I started listening to Toucher nights during my dot com days, working late nights alone in an office.  I still have emails that we exchanged about  The Onion and The Kids of Widney High.  The piece I wrote when Fred left 99X, bound for Boston, remains one of my favorite posts.  Toucher writes:

It is sad that  a lot of good people lost their jobs over the last almost two years.  These were the same people that made 99x what it is.  Can anyone reasonably blame them for it's demise?

Update 1/26/2008 12:16 PM

I realized that forgot to write an intro for Toucher. 

Crash on 99X

Crash's untimely departure from Atlanta inspired me to start SaveCrash.org.  It says something that I wasn't similarly inspired to start Save99X.org (still available.)  His WBCN bio gives a funny theory to his appeal, but I think his appeal stems from the fact that he's a big hearted guy who is comfortable  enough in his own skin  to share every embarrassing detail about his life.  He also has the perspective of having been a part of both 99X and Q100.  Here are his thoughts:

It's a mixed bag, on one hand the Bert show gets their much needed and deserved signal boost. There won't be a woman 18-44 from Warner Robbins to Helen who won't know about the Bert show. On the other I feel for my friends who are left to pioneer the face of the new world with, "visual radio". Right??? Steve Craig has amassed enough musical knowledge he should already have a gig by the time I finish typing this. I never met Jenners but he seemed like a good guy and one can only wish him well with a wife and three kids to provide for. I seriously doubt Leslie is going to have a tough time relocating to L.A. and jumping on board with any music related company. The woman has more contacts than Charlie Sheen and she's no dummy. She should take a year off, travel around the world and get a cushy job in a big office somewhere doing what she does best.

I came to town in 1989 and from Power 99 to 99X that was my life in radio. Almost 20 years watching people come and go, (including myself) and seeing that radio station evolve. Unfortunately like life on Mars something disastrous wiped it all out in a matter of no time.

As things unfold at 100.5 it will be interesting to see how much time and effort is spent keeping it alive. Q-100 reminds me of Obi-Wan in episode IV A New Hope. "If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." No wait, I'll do you one better, "with great power comes great responsibility" yeah, that sums it up. 99.7FM, from Warm 100, to Power 99 to 99X to Q-100. I would imagine if the Dickey's are smart they'd sign the Bert show to a ten year deal and watch the cash come in. If the regular guys are indeed coming back they should be able to recapture their loyal fan base. However, if they get canned again they would have tied me for most times fired in the same city. I'd have to come back just to get fired again and hold the record.

I guess personally I'm glad things worked out the way they did. Had I survived after my little incident I too would have been a casualty of war. Instead I'm in Boston with my two friends having a great friggin time. Why I'm doing an event tomorrow night where I'm encouraged to drink to excess and I won't get suspended for it. You got to love what little of old school radio still exists. All I have to do is not show my nipples and CBS will take good care of me. Atlanta is a much different world than it was three years ago. I still remember the staff meeting we had when John Dickey was introduced. I had a bad feeling back then and I'm sure folks like Axel and Mark Owens are having that same feeling. The good thing about the people that worked at 99X is they were a collection of the best talents in the country, except Roach, he was a douche nozzle. It's not fun relocating but that's our business, we were fortunate to have a company like Susquehanna for so many years, it's the reason we all stayed as long as we did.

Good luck future radio on the internet, good luck Regular Guys with your smaller more intimate gathering of rednecks inside the perimeter and God Bless The Bert Show, the acorn that became the oak.

And don't forget to catch Toucher and Rich on WBCN.com from 3p-7p Monday through Friday.

Jimmy Baron on 99X

One of my detractors once wrote:  "And shouldn't [99XWatch.org] be called, WhatUpWithJimmyBaronAndIHateJenners.Com?" 

To which I replied "That was taken." 

In fact, I like Jenners quite a bit, but my detractor did have a point.  Jimmy has made a long period of unemployment very interesting.   Between producing one child and two television shows, he has managed to squeeze in a number of radio tryouts, two blogs, and a close encounter with Bruce Springsteen.  Even at this point, he was forced to turn down my request because he was writing a piece for the AJC.  Here are some of his thoughts from the article:

99X may have been just a radio station, but it did mean a lot to a lot of people. Maybe it was their source for finding out what was happening in town, or maybe it was what they used in the morning to get to the office or school in a decent mood, or maybe it was simply their own local connection to coolness. I don't care who you are, everyone deep deep down wants to be cool.

However, for people like Leslie Fram, Steve Craig, Axel, Barnes, and me — who were with the station in its formative years and many beyond that — 99X meant more than just a place of employment. It was our identity. When you went out you were never just Leslie or Axel or Jimmy, you were "Leslie from 99X" or "Jimmy from 99X" or "Axel from 99X," and it meant you were part of the fabric of one of America's best cities. In fact, it's still how people often refer to me, and I haven't worked there in nearly two years.

...

I mourned the loss of my "friend" two years ago when I left and, in a way, I'm glad. I don't think I'd want to experience walking through the halls on the sad last day. Hopefully, though, my former co-workers will soon realize that, like with most things, nobody can take away your great memories.

So while you may have to go elsewhere for your alternative rock fix, keep that well-used 99X Freeloader card in your wallet, don't peel off your 99X window sticker just yet, and for gosh sakes, hang on to that 99X Big Shirt. Some things will always say you're cool.

New URLs?

A reader shares with me the following:

I have ... found the following web addresses, www.rock100atlanta.com, www.1005rock.com, www.rock100atl.com and www.rock1005.com have all been registered and temporarily pointing to the site of sister "Warm98" WRRM Cincinnati.

Dekker on 99X (Part 2):

Greg "Dekker" Russ writes:

No longer being able to tune into 99X on the airwaves is going to be a strange thing, considering the legacy of the station and the amazing things it did over the years.  With the changes, a lot of people I care about lost their jobs.  It sucks, but we all know that this is a ruthless business, and we deal with it as best we can.  The down time between jobs is a drag, but the truth is that five years from now, we'll all be at different places in our lives, with new worries and new concerns.

I also think Bert deserves the opportunity to be on a bigger signal.  He's kicked ass over the past few years, and is a perfect example of what a good radio show can do for a station if the management is willing to put in the investment and let it grow.  No consultants, no micro-managing - just a group of talented people that were trusted, left alone, and allowed to do their own thing.

I will miss 99X, but change is a constant.  It's not always wanted, but it's there.  All you can do is keep the memories and move on with your life.

Overheard at 99XWatch HQ

January 21, 2005 7:00 am:

Can you believe how they're shilling for Bush?

January 21, 2008 7:00 am:

Can you believe how they're shilling for Paula Abdul?

Dekker on 99X (Part 1):

I should have known that Greg Russ' fate at Cumulus was sealed when I wrote something nice about him. I asked him for his insight and I got a great response.  Rather than try to edit it down to a single post, I decided to share it in two parts.  Here is part 1:

I think we all expected changes at 99X, but I can't say that I expected them to be this drastic.

Before I go on, I'd first like to state that what I'm about to write is done so without any animosity whatsoever.  I have no hard feelings towards Cumulus or 99X, and am grateful for the time I was able to spend there.  Hosting the night shift at 99X was the first real radio gig I had, considering my start at 96.7 the Buzz was voicetracked and heard by approximately seven people on any given night.  I'd also like to express my appreciation towards Leslie Fram for giving me an opportunity with the station.  I was just some kid that emailed her one day and asked her to lunch, and she took a chance on me and gave me an airshift.  For that, I am forever grateful.

Here's my theory on 99X:  It lost its way.  This isn't any one person's fault, or really any one's fault at all.  If you look at the current state of alternative radio, there isn't a station out there anymore that is dominating the ratings.  That's partly due to the fact that a lot of mainstream music being released is generic sounding and unimaginative, and partly due to the fact that the 18-34 listening audience is cynical and hates everything.

There isn't a clear-cut path to programming an alternative station.  The people that would want to hear newer bands such as Band of Horses, Pinback, Cold War Kids, etc., have pretty much stopped listening to terrestrial radio.  I had scientists do the research, and 98.3 percent of my friends who fall into the target demo no longer listen to the radio.  Instead, they've turned to iPods and satellite radio, leaving it very difficult to get them back.  Sure, you may grab their attention every one in awhile with a specific promotion or concert, but they all ultimately resort back to their technologically infused ways.  Mind you, this is just the "alternative" listening audience.  The majority of the population still does utilize the radio, and within that group, the rock audience seems to prefer the likes of Trapt and Disturbed.  That's not my cup of tea, but there's obviously a demand for it, which is why those bands and active rock stations fare better.

I also think alternative radio's heavy reliance on research is contributing to its demise.  When the format first debuted, new and exciting music was played, and the listeners were told it was good.  Since then, the roles have reversed, and many stations are now acting like the new kid in town, looking to gain acceptance by agreeing with the other children on the playground, even if deep down they don't really agree those children.  What's that?  You like to eat dirt?  So do I!  You want to hear Pearl Jam's Jeremy again?  So do I!  Please be my friend.  Alternative radio used to have a certain attitude that listeners were attracted to.  Now that's all but gone, with repetitive playlists and a lack of risk-taking, all of which ultimately leads to a rather uneventful on-air product.  But that's the current trend of the radio industry as a whole.  It's frustrating, as radio is original in that it is a medium of nothing more than sound.  There's so much room to experiment and be creative, but that's frowned upon in contemporary radio.

I do understand that radio is a business and that the bottom line is to make money.  It's just that I've always viewed radio in the same light as, say, a professional football team.  If you field a team of sub par players that don't cost you a lot of money, you're going to save money up front, sure.  But your team is going to lose and draw little interest.  On the other hand, if you field a team of the best players, you may have to shell out more cash, but the team will win games and ultimately create a higher revenue through ticket sales, televised games, merchandise sales, etc.  If you put out a better product, you're going to make more in the long run.  Most companies are choosing against this, though, and I don't quite understand it.  Then again, I'm biased to creativity and don't claim to be a business mind.