Former 99Xers resurrect a station online Thursday as a tribute
Fans of the original 1990s incarnation of 99X will be heartened to learn that many of the original members of the station, including Steve Barnes, Jimmy Baron and Jill , are resurrecting the station as a tribute starting at 7 a.m. Thursday.
In the 1990s, 99X was one of the most influential alternative rock stations in the country when alternative rock mattered. And the Morning X garnered huge ratings.
Barnes - part of the original team from 1993 to 2003 – came up with the idea to bring the station’s spirit back after Cumulus killed the alternative rock station at 98.9 earlier this month in favor of hard rock 98.9/The Bone, which was a reaction to the death of Clear Channel’s Project 9-6-1 two weeks ago.
He’s dubbing it EX99 and it will be available at EX99radio.com.
“I’m calling it a pop-up station,” he said. He’s going to pick 300 songs he thinks represented the good ol’ days with some more current stuff that would fit in as well such as the Killers. He can’t define how long he’ll do it since he’s launching it out of his own pocket with no outside financial support.
Barnes plans to debut Ex99 Radio on air at 7 a.m. Thursday. He and Baron, former co-horts on the original Morning X with Leslie Fram, will join up at 8 p.m. to wax nostalgic and take calls. He isn’t sure if Fram will be able to join them given her responsibilities at CMT, where she is senior vice president of music strategy. Steve Craig, the long-time mid-day host on 99X, is interested, too, but he’s still attached to mornings on Dave FM until that station goes away in about a month or so. Sean Demery, former afternoon host at 99X, might join them.
Baron, the wisecracker, and Barnes, the mouthy jock, didn’t always get along but have long buried the hatchet. When Baron was on Dave FM, he even brought Leslie and Barnes back on air for a bit.
Let go from Dave FM as morning host after two years last fall, Baron said when he posted the news about EX99 on his Facebook page, many fans took the presumption he was back in real “radio.” That’s not true. Baron has had a real estate license for five years and just joined Goldin Group Real Estate Services to be a residential realtor. (You can reach him here if you need to buy or sell a house.) He’s also continuing to work on his video projects, which he started earlier this year.
Barnes, in the meantime, has been a successful social media consultant.
While Baron, who has a lot of old Morning X bits he could access, wanted to air some of them on Ex99, Barnes didn’t want to get in the crosshairs of the attorneys at Atlanta-based Cumulus, which still owns the intellectual property. (Not that this has stopped one guy here.)
If you’re feeling nostalgic now, here’s a “Monica Closeups” on the Morning X from the earlier days:
99X has already gone through multiple deaths in a sense. For many, the station wasn’t quite the same when the Limp Bizkits of the world popped up in 2000. Others point to the departure of the original Morning X in 2003. Or when 99X lost its spot on 99.7 to Q100. Or when 99X simply lost its spot on the FM dial. And though it came back on three different translators, the station was a shadow of its former self and had only a fraction of its original listeners.
Barnes doesn’t even consider the most recent incarnation as the real thing.
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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49 comments Add your comment
Former 99xer
September 11th, 2012
12:10 pm
When 99x transitioned from Power 99, it was one of the few moments in Atlanta radio when they had it right. Steve Craig could potentially recapture the magic, but Barnes & Jimmy are desperately clinging on to their past. And didn’t Jimmy stab Barnes in the back-acne?
macrotech
September 11th, 2012
12:30 pm
Loved these guys when I lived in the ATL….made getting up worth it!!! These folk were the first voices I heard regarding 9-11. I’ll never forget Barnes voice as the second plane hit….I raced home to watch the rest on t.v. I’ll tune into their newest effort….memory lane, here I come!!!
Third
September 11th, 2012
12:35 pm
Third
Bird
September 11th, 2012
12:36 pm
Bird
Absurd
September 11th, 2012
12:37 pm
Absurd
Turd
September 11th, 2012
12:37 pm
Turd
Popsux
September 11th, 2012
12:50 pm
Sad to see 99x change but new alternative is still alive and well. The listeners have just moved over to ipod, pandora, spotify, etc. Pop and hip hop is still alive on the radio because those listeners don’t mind being spoon-fed crap. They have no taste buds.
dick whiskey
September 11th, 2012
1:05 pm
let bygone days be bygone,thought jimmy was working at wal-mart as door greeter,and leslie was just to damn ugly(good thing she was on radio),and barnes got ran off everywhere else he went,good riddance guys it’s not 1993 anymore
clark kent
September 11th, 2012
1:22 pm
The inception of 99x was a refreshing change to the stale radio, and even staler music of that time. Like them or hate them, the whole station crew (not just BL&J) was a good team while it lasted. The morning personalities wore thin over time, but props to Barnes for using his own time and money on this tribute.
Calling IT Like It Is
September 11th, 2012
1:23 pm
Hopefully, this may catch on and do well and prove the jackasses at the big media companies that there still is a market for this. As long as they don’t go overboard and play a single artist to death, like Foo Fighters or whoever else was big during that time frame.
I remember too, listening to them as they broadcast on 9/11. It doens’t matter what the person looks like on radio. You are listening to them for their voice, not their looks. Plus – you have the option not to listen. There are some of us that like the 90’s era of Alternative vs. the stuff being called Alternative now. And Leslie is a Senior VP at CMT for a reason….she knows the music business.
Let’s hope this does work out and wish them well. They are doing this for the fans, not for the corporate world. And it will be nice to hear some of the voices from the past and hear what they have been up to.
The inside scoop
September 11th, 2012
1:45 pm
Both Barnes and Barron had egos that were normal at first, but became huge due to the success of their show. Barnes was the most pompous between the two over time, this his inability to stay employed on air. Barron, slightly more humble kept on air jobs longer, but it was clear his role is more of a foil than a central figure.
Going back before the end of the Morning X, Barnes and Barron had it out, with the staff taking Barron’s side because Barnes became so full of himself(pseudo acting career). It was funny actually, but I won’t say much more as to not inflict harm on the others involved.
Of course there was Fram…..Under the control of her over bearing husband…..Codependency at it’s highest.
Willard was here...
September 11th, 2012
1:49 pm
I remember the good old days too…
Slaphead
September 11th, 2012
2:12 pm
I was an early adopter of 99x, listening from day 1 until Cumulus killed them off the Morning X.
My Sirius radio comes Thursday, thank God……
Jere
September 11th, 2012
2:27 pm
I wish them luck — and I’ll dial my iphone to their website on Thursday morning to listen to them. If they could get Crash to do traffic, my morning ride would be complete: Some decent music to listen to, some funny, goodhearted (hopefully) banter, and traffic updates to get me to work close to on time. Looking forward to it.
Bill Campbell
September 11th, 2012
2:32 pm
That is the most pathetic thing I’ve read today. Let me try and retell without spin:
A group of underemployed ex morning show hosts from a radio show that achieved a moderate amount of success 20 years ago are getting together to broadcast live on the internet in hopes someone will listen and they will become popular again.
Leaving people to wonder do they know what a podcast is?
snottrocket
September 11th, 2012
2:35 pm
I enjoyed those days..it was back when I was really discovering great music and 99x was the heart of that for me. Up until 99X went down for the 2nd time, I laughed every time a new track would get air time on 99x knowing that 6- 9 months later it would be running on the mainstream radio stations.
I miss the morning X, but good things don’t last forever.
Favorite Morning X moments: april fools jokes, Live X with people like Bowie and “know your metal”
Al
September 11th, 2012
2:38 pm
I enjoyed the music but hated the on-air talent if you can call it that. I did like Yvonne Monet who was on at night during the weekends.
Class of '98
September 11th, 2012
2:40 pm
I was 17 in 1992 when I woke up and heard the deejays on Power 99 say they were going to make an announcement regarding the format of the station, but rest assured they weren’t going to make “BIG” changes.
And then Power 99 became 99x, and they went from playing pop music to alternative (grunge).
Dang, I’m getting old.
greg hutch
September 11th, 2012
2:45 pm
@the inside scoop,interesting read, i found out once about their overinflated ego’s,met leslie framm once at a 99X concert,approached her and told her how much i enjoyed the show and i was totally ignored,from there on refused to listen to the ugly bitch
david c
September 11th, 2012
2:50 pm
The only one of those has-beens I remotely cared about recently was Steve Craig, but after his relentless support of Chick-fil-a and harping about “the gays” on his morning Dave FM show, I say good riddance to them all.
World's Second Oldest teenager
September 11th, 2012
2:56 pm
I briefly liked 99X when they first signed on in October, 1992, but then by a year later they had dropped the true alternative music for a lot of heavy metal noise that came to be called grunge. Bring back the ’80’s alternative sounds, not the ’90’s. The alternative sound of KROQ in the ’80’s, especially 1982-1985 was my kind of alternative radio.
dagadawgs
September 11th, 2012
2:58 pm
Let that horrible station die already
Satellite Radio Fan
September 11th, 2012
3:01 pm
Two words: Sirius Radio.
Ransom Stoddard
September 11th, 2012
3:06 pm
Funny, people using “99X” and “great music” in the same sentence. I guess for ATL radio it was pretty good, but compared to some of the great stations in NYC, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Seattle, 99X was nothing but a wannabe staffed by more wannabe’s. Steve Barnes & Jimmy Baron are two of the biggest hacks ever to hit the business and only “made it” because Leslie Framm propped them up.
BillBill
September 11th, 2012
3:10 pm
99X was pretty much the only station I listened to for many years. It was here when I arrived in Atlanta in 1996 and it defined that era for me. I spent the next several years going to their various concerts, Big Day Out, Music Midtown, etc. I was disappointed when it went off the air, but admittedly, I wasn’t listening to them as much at that time. As I aged, I trended toward DaveFM. I am now very sad to see them going away too. When DaveFM is gone, there will be a huge void in the Atlanta radio market with respect to ‘alternative’ music. Hopefully something comes along. I still enjoy hearing new (and old favorites) on the radio.
barnesology
September 11th, 2012
3:26 pm
free jimmy baron.
Chris Clark
September 11th, 2012
5:14 pm
Let me know when they need me to give away 311 tickets, I’ll be in Buckhead at the……, the……., is there anywhere to go in Buckhead?
RMS
September 11th, 2012
5:35 pm
Is Axel Lowe still employed? I might give “98.9 The Bone” (which is such a lame name, btw) a shot if he’s still there…
FM Fats
September 11th, 2012
5:41 pm
Barnes is a successful social media consultant because “social media consultant” is a euphemism for somebody unemployed who tweets and posts to Facebook a lot.
99xFan
September 11th, 2012
6:06 pm
Now that DaveFM is going away and there are 5 top40 stations playing the same 12 songs, I will be listening on Thursday. Rock 100.5 plays fossil music. It was old when I was in high school 30 years ago. 97.1 the River plays the same songs not everyday, but every hour. I want my 99x!
James
September 11th, 2012
6:46 pm
I loved the recent version of 99x and DaveFM because they played new stuff. Everyone gets stuck in this “nostalgia” feeling like they have to play everything that was cool in the 90s or some other time. That gets old, literally, real quick. I love Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, REM, etc but I don’t need to here their “prime” songs on regular rotation. Alabama Shakes, SSPU, Gotye, fun., were 1st heard in the ATL on these stations. Playing new bands was what made the original 99x cool back in the 90s. Hopefully they’ll switch 100.5 to alternative music in the future or move this new Bone format to that frequency and 99x will be back once again.
Fred Toucher
September 11th, 2012
8:04 pm
Steve Barnes is a hack, and Atlanta radio is a joke! Rock 100.5 nor the River want to touch Alt rock. Once Dave is gone, all that’ll be left is more Skynyrd on 100.5, Dobie Gray (!!!) on the River, and non-stop grunt rock on the Bone. Oh…and, FU Steve!
Motocross Survivor
September 11th, 2012
8:17 pm
I’m with Al. I liked the music, but the people sucked. Just play the music, nobody wants to hear ya talking about anything.
Motocross Survivor
September 11th, 2012
8:25 pm
btw, Leslie was a dumb as she was ugly. Dimwit. She never rose above college radio level talent.
casual listener
September 11th, 2012
9:00 pm
I obviously don’t care about “radio” as much as a lot of you… I just remember all the mornings about 10+ years ago when I would drive to work and spend an extra few minutes in the parking garage because I had to hear the rest of their bit. Then hurry into the elevator, hope no one else got on, and run into the office to turn on the radio before the commercial ended. Thanks for bringing back those memories for me! Can’t wait to listen to you!
JohnF
September 11th, 2012
9:53 pm
Barnes and Jimmy hated each other back in the day when the original Morning X had ended. At one point Barnes had sued Jimmy and Leslie for defamation of character.
Unsuccessful careers later and a desperate attempt for current success leaves a bad taste in my mouth. You guys were great. But your glory days are over.
Old South
September 11th, 2012
11:48 pm
The 99x folks should be glad they were in Atlanta during a good time. And, now, like that good time, it’s all over.
There were a lot of great years in Atlanta. A unique thing to watch a boom town. And a unique thing to watch a bust.
Where's Fred?
September 11th, 2012
11:50 pm
No one has mentioned Fred Toucher’s name once in this article and comments yet? Come on, he gave the 99X morning show a real show. BL&J had a great run, but when it petered out, Toucher brought a real show to town, and I guess not enough people appreciated it. Not enough management pinheads anyway. I still laugh thinking of original bits he did, not Howard Stern retreads a la TRG nitwits.
Andy
September 12th, 2012
6:12 am
99X was one of the worse radio stations in ATL during that era.
Andy
September 12th, 2012
6:12 am
worst
Fat Kid
September 12th, 2012
7:58 am
The best thing about 99x was ‘Organic X’ on Sunday mornings. And Rich was funny as hell when he was the sidekick. I’ll never forget him yelling at Martha Burke to “make my dinner” during the Augusta National protests.
dtanner
September 12th, 2012
8:19 am
barnes,leslie and jimmy,you guys are old and washed up,you are yesterdays news and no one gives a damn about any of you anymore fade away please
Pippy Short Stockings
September 12th, 2012
8:52 am
Barnes quit living in the past! It’s time to move on. Times change, people change. It’s not 1995 anymore!
Calling It Like It Is
September 12th, 2012
10:00 am
All the negative comments….you have a choice…don’t listen. They have been playing music for the 24 hours and it’s been some of the best music that’s been played in years….no Top 40, no Adele, no Gotye. Good music from the hey day (Oasis, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Sponge) and some current Alternative. None of the crap that Project was playing.
In regard to the stations that were brought up from other markets, all of those stations picked up where 99x left off, before they went into the harder edge. There is a reason why those stations have that format….99x created it and everyone jumped on the bandwagon to copy them. If I remember correctly, during that era, they were beating the crap out of every other station in Atlanta, including Q100.
Don’t ruin it for those of us who actually like this kind of music. This fill a void that the corporate idiots are missing….even if it is only on the internet. If you don’t like it, don’t listen, and move on.
gttim
September 12th, 2012
11:40 am
99X was going downhill the moment Will Pendarvis left the station.
Joey Mills
September 12th, 2012
7:20 pm
It will be great to hear Barnes and JB on the air again. I will be up at 4am PST to welcome them back on air.
Kevin
September 14th, 2012
9:52 am
GO AWAY already!!!! How is that acting career coming Barnes??
BehindEnemyLines
September 14th, 2012
12:06 pm
@RMS – Looks like Axel Lowe is indeed at The Bone, as both PD/MD (whatever the heck those titles actually mean in today’s radio environment)
Benjy
September 18th, 2012
6:41 am
Thank God! I was a rabid 99X listener in both its old and more recent incarnation. Far as I’m concerned, they were the only station in Atlanta that got it right. A bit of hard rock (say, Dead Sara) mixed with a bit of the more unique stuff (say, Of Monsters and Men). A mix of Tonic and Green Day with Black Keys and Alabama Shakes. It was perfect. It wasn’t living in the past….it was taking the best of the past and the present for the most interesting listen in Atlanta (with the possible exception of the soon-to-be defunct DaveFM).
Thanks to Barnes for bringing any of it back.