The biggest shock in Atlanta radio

[RadioFreeAtlanta]

In the past couple of years, the Atlanta radio-scape as completely changed. In your opinion what were the biggest shocks when it comes to an Atlanta station changing format? Here are mine:

1. 99X - 2008
I knew this was coming but it was still a shock when I read about it on this board. Still can't believe it is gone.

2. Peach949/LiteFM - 2006
Wasn't expecting this. I was sitting in the dentist's chair when I heard that it flipped format. I shot straight up and said, "What???"

3. Z93 flipping from CHR to Classic Rock - 1989
I was overseas at the time and a friend sent me an article from the AJC stating that it had changed. I was heartbroken.

 

[Wreck]

1) Death of 96rock. Was/is there a longer running FM radio brand in Atlanta at the time 96rock was dumped? What made this even more painful was the slow, methodical way that this station was killed. From the first firing of the RGs to the disaster that was Bob & Tom, and the ridiculous format tweaks that made absolutely no sense in its final years....unbelievable. 99X had a good exit compared to 96rock.

2) Flip of Lite to Bull during Christmas. Still an idiot decision no matter what the landscape is today to pull the plug when they did. And still a big HUH? that they up and decided competing with B98.5 was impossible (I mean, really????). Then, rather than skew the format towards a more male, country-rock demographic to match the name of the station (THE BULL), they play country pop and skew the whole playlist female. I almost gagged when I saw their first TV commercial that featured two soccer moms at the mall talking about their new favorite station, the Bull!

3) End of 99X. For 13 years no matter what car I drove preset #1 was 99.7 FM. It's all nostalgia now. Makes you feel old when the things you enjoyed growing up and still enjoy now somehow aren't relevant in one fell swoop. I was 13 when 99X signed on and i'm 28 this year. *sigh*

 

[Inside your head]

end of 99x. unbelievable.

u know it looks 2 me like all the stations r run by old guys in suits , its all corporate bs and u all been knee deep in the shit so long u became jaded and forgot what its all about. when did radio stop being about the music?

be4 u give me crap about my typing and start ripping on me cuz im just some stupid kid that listned to 99x hear me out. it seems like every1 is so busy chasing the money they will kill a station in a second and fire the staff and flip formats if they think they can make a buck and get more advertisers. rite?

u know what the problem with that logic is, maybe that worked 10 or 20 years ago but everythngs changed now. we don’t have to listen to radio. so if u want us to listen u have to give us a reason. the music and the personailites u put on. if its not getting u enough listeners, do something different but don’t just drop it and start over. give us a reason 2 listen and make it better don’t just say f**k u to the listenrs u do have.

u all 4got its always been about the music. if u r playing the right songs and got the right things to say people will listen. stop chasing the advertisers and let them chase u. if u kick ass the advertisers will be calling u. im telling u 99x had a sh*tload of college listeners. and probly the country stations had lot of listenrs. if u r the best station the advertisers should be chasing u to get their message out not the other way round.
ok go ahead and rip on me. or don’t. i don’t care i know im half baked rite now .but it is true, when did it stop being about the music.

 

[jabba17]

Shocks:
--Peach to Lite to Bull: Stupid, stupid, stupid. No effin' idea why CC threw in the towel against Cox. They had a solid 4 share with gusts to 5. I don't think that 94.9 has EVER regained the numbers it had as Peach.
--96 Rock to Project: Tweak the format, keep the branding.
--Power 99 to 99X: That took a king-size pair to pull off, considering how well Power 99 was doing--and did they pull it off!
--WCNN to WGTW Stardust 68: WTF? Especially since WJYF 104.1 had just dumped nostalgia.

Saw 'Em Coming:

--99X to WWWQ: When you can't get a 2 share on a 100kW signal...
--Z93 from CHRban to Classic Rock: Nobody, but nobody, liked the "churban" format.
--Fox 97 to Jamz: See 99X.
--Lake and Sunny to La Raza: Sign of the times.

 

[RecordPig]

"I don't think that 94.9 has EVER regained the numbers it had as Peach."

They will now.