The Soundtrack of My Young Adulthood
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The Soundtrack of My Young Adulthood
Happy 30th Birthday to 99X!
Thirty years ago today, the best radio station of my life made its debut — and I say that without any hyperbole whatsoever. On the Atlanta radio dial, 99.7 was Power 99, a Top 40 station until Oct. 26, 1992, when it changed formats.
I remember listening to the morning show that day when they made the announcement. The hosts, which included Program Director Leslie Fram, went to great care to explain what was going on. The station would become 99X, an alt-rock station.
The first song they played as 99X was “Video Killed the Radio Star.” I was dubious at first, even though I liked (and still like) that type of music. But I was willing to give 99X a chance. The rest was glorious music history. Their playlist was the music of Generation X, and 99X became one of the premier rock stations in the South.
Fram became one of the most influential programming directors in the country, and she stayed on as cohost of The Morning X radio show. 99X helped songs like “Linger” by The Cranberries break nationwide, and the station gave local and regional artists like Shawn Mullins a platform. I even remember hearing a track or two from Third Day’s debut album on a show dedicated to new music by local artists.
Shows like House of Retro Pleasure and features like the charity Live X CD’s were staples of my young adulthood, and it was through 99X that I fell in love with artists like Soundgarden, Matthew Sweet, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Sarah McLachlan, Weezer, and so many more. It was also where I first learned about the death of Kurt Cobain.
After a few really amazing years, the playlists started shifting in a rap-rock direction, but late ‘90s alt-rock in general was moving that way. At that point, I started losing interest in 99X. The station hung around on terrestrial radio until 2008, and nowadays it’s a streaming station playing current alt-rock as well as an HD radio substation on 99.7 frequency.
In its heyday, 99X was the soundtrack of my life, and I miss it in all kinds of ways.
Happy Birthday 99X. Thanks for making me feel old.
Image from YouTube screenshot