99x in Atlanta is no more....

[Cheiron]

This is sad. I don't love everything they play on there. Actually, I like very little of what they play on there. But 99x was still an important radio station for alternative rock. They are still going to have an online presence. But whatever. Its done.

With classic rock radio stations basically gone, in Atlanta I have my choice between a shitty hard rock station, Jazz, college radio, or NPR. I usually spend my time on the Jazz station (its a really good one. They'll even play full versions of 12 minute songs), or flipping through college radio for the rare good song.

Sigh.

 

[freakchylde]

Guess radio is going bye bye, period. :/

 

[Cheiron]

Not really. Just that talk radio, hits radio (top 40, top 200), country, bible, and some 'hard rock' does well. However, alternative rock ... well doesn't. And Dekker from 99x made a good point. A lot of the people who are interested in 'alternative' music (and this holds true for metal, and other less played genres) have already switched to sattelite radio or iPods. They don't need the radio, and nothing the radio does is really going to grab them back in other than perhaps a certain concert promotion, but that probably won't last long.

 

[DAVETHEMETALGUY]

this is all the more reason to embrace and support college radio stations that have the balls to program metal. Whether it is in the form of a weekly radio show or in regular programming. My show was started in 1980 and has continued uninterrupted since then.

 

[Cheiron]

Is yours recorded/saved/replayable?

 

[lady_space]

With classic rock radio stations basically gone

Have you ever listened to The River? I think it's 97.1. Anyway, if I listen to the radio, I listen to them. They do tend to play the same stuff repeatedly, so listening for more than a few days can get repetitive, but I generally enjoy what they play--Styx, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, etc.

Anyway, yeah, my cube-neighbors were talking about 99x being gone the other day--it was apparently a big surprise.

Shaye

 

[Cheiron]

River was suddenly gone as well. =(
Its 95.7

And when I could get it I listened. I still listen to their new format sometimes too and somteimes they play good stuff.

 

[lady_space]

River was suddenly gone as well. =(
Its 95.7

And when I could get it I listened. I still listen to their new format sometimes too and somteimes they play good stuff.

What do you mean they were suddenly gone? I'm pretty sure that's what i was listening to when my alarm came on this morning... I guess I'll ahve to actually turn it on in the car and see what the heck it is I've been listening to exactly.

Shaye

 

[Cheiron]

Hmm. I don't recall. It -was- named something different. I used to hear 'you are listening to ____ the best of classic rock'. And now its like 'you are listening to ________ top hits.' Or something. But I'm trying to remember if it used to be called the River... or if its just now called the River.

Either way if I was on it for long I used to get Pink Floyd, and lots of southern 'classic' rock, Van Halen, etc. Now, its very different. If I remember what the names were I'll let you know.

 

[DAVETHEMETALGUY]

Is yours recorded/saved/replayable?

yeppers

 

[Cheiron]

yeppers

Good. More music I can listen to at work then =)

Can't access most streamed music from say Beyond Ear Candy, nor even Rhapsody Music Service now.

 

[Locust0311]

I only vaguely remember it, but it sucked more when Power 99 became 99X...

 

[Cheiron]

What do you mean they were suddenly gone? I'm pretty sure that's what i was listening to when my alarm came on this morning... I guess I'll ahve to actually turn it on in the car and see what the heck it is I've been listening to exactly.

Shaye

Ok its confusing now. 99x was on during my drive home. But Q100 or whatever wasn't. I know both are owned by the same company, so many 99x traditionally has more listeners in the afternoon so they are going with that while they transition.

As for River. You are right 97.1 is the River and is still on. But that doesn't' work south of Atlanta. It was 95.7, a Colubmus, GA station. Now I don't know what 95.7 is, but I'm pretty sure its no longer classic rock (which was called the River. So probably same station ownership for a time, or still is and is just different program).

 

[Thorn23TX]

I know how you all feel with regards to good radio dying... Dallas rock radio has been awful for YEARS. We had 97.9 KZEW (the Zoo) 102.1 KTXQ (Q-Rock) 97.1 KEGL (The Eagle) and then 99.9 KZRK (Z-Rock) came in 1986 at the onset of the hair metal explosion. That was 4 quality rock/metal stations for a brief while. The Zoo shut down at the end of 1989 and went to an urban contemporary format. Z-Rock went the way of the dodo on New Year's Eve 1996 and became a musica latina station. KTXQ died in 1998 and went to a "rhythmic oldies" format. The Eagle died in 2004 and became adult comtemporary for a year or so and then a latino station after that.

So, that's a lot of information, but my point is... I haven't listened to Dallas radio in years. I think the Eagle is back playing a rock format and we have a relatively new station called The Bone playing classic/album rock. As others have stated already the advent of the iPod, satellite radio, and web-based have all but killed the AOR format on the AM/FM frequencies. Not to mention the popularity of country, rap, latino, and Top-40. Thankfully I can find other outlets rather easily to get my music fix these days, because if the only way I was to learn about music was on the radio here, I'd be forced to listen to something other than rock/metal... and that thought makes me cringe.

 

[Ruthven]

this is all the more reason to embrace and support college radio stations that have the balls to program metal.

QFT. Even I might get into that game in the coming months.

As for 99x, I feel much the same way as Cheiron does. I didn't like everything they played, but for an alternative rock station, they were pretty good. I wasn't going to hear anything heavy, but I would rather hear a good alternative rock station than a bad hard rock station - and current hard rock radio is little more than "alternative" rock marketed to a different audience anyway. Oh, and the occasional '80's metal/hard rock song that we've heard a bazillion times, let's not forget that.

So I am sad to see 99x go, but I find it funny that Dekker mentioned iPods...I finally got with the times and bought one Monday - because of the crappiness of radio. I don't feel like coughing up for satellite radio, and all I have in my car is a tape player. So, I went with iPod.

 

[Magius]

99X is no loss to me. I haven't listened to commercial radio in over 10 years, literally. Even when I did 99X had nothing to offer.
96 Rock was once a viable rock station. That is until Clearchannel bought it out. Now as Project 96.1 it's a hot topic station.
97.1 The River gets played at work, and it seems okay, if you like that kind of stuff.
Wasn't there a Z93, or Z94 Classic Rock station in Atlanta? I have no idea what happened to that.

Satellite isn't something I'd spend money on. Every time I see their commercials for over 300 channels I think "WTF? I'd only need one."
Seriously, can 50 Pop, 50 Talk, 50 Sports, 50 Country, 50 R&B/Rap, 50 Classic Rock, and 2 Metal stations be worth a subscription?
I think not, when I probably have more on my shelf than the Metal stations combined.

 

[Diamond45]

Over time, more rock stations are biting the dust.

In the medium sized town where I live, we had an alt rock station that was killed in favor of "The Vibe" - an Urban formatted station (rhythmic/dance). As if we really needed any more of that cRAP on the radio. uke:

But other stations I used to listen to have gone downhill. In nearby Richmond, Virginia, we had a good rock station with great DJs called XL-102. "Cheap Channel" (they own the largest amount of radio stations in the US) basically killed the station bit by bit. First they disbanded the morning DJ team as a "cost savings" measure. Then they killed the hard rock format for that "Nirvana" format (alt/modern rock) where they play Green Day and all that -core crap all the time. So now the station is just a carbon copy of DC-101 (the Washington, DC alt/modern station), and in fact uses the same morning team on both stations. uke:

It's a shame that no one is willing to try power & prog metal. I think it would be an immediate winner, but all these radio conglomerates just don't understand where rock music is going.

I just play "WIPOD" on my radio in my car (an iPod with a radio transmitter). My music, my way with no commercials!

 

[J0ST0PH0LEES]

Well at least the new rock station at 100.5 is decent enough. Pretty similar to what 96rock used to be

 

[Cheiron]

I agree.

 

[Diamond45]

Do they play anything more than the same 10 tired songs over and over again?