Photo I took of Jimmy Baron in 2016 with a bobblehead I owned of him from the Morning X heyday. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
This was posted by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog on Tuesday, October 24, 2017
99X, during its heyday from 1992 to 2008, generated a slew of great on-air personalities, from the weirdness of Sean Demery to the cerebral rock encyclopedia of Steve Craig to the sharp wit of Fred Toucher.
Amazingly, most of the on-air folks are still in radio, a testament to the quality of talent they generated.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the station’s launch on Thursday, October 26, here’s a summary of what key players are up to. (The Morning X will reunite on 99X at 98.9 on Thursday morning to reminisce from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. A free concert at Live at the Battery Atlanta with Drivin’ n Cryin‘ and Shawn Mullins is scheduled for that evening.)
Steve Craig of X107.1 and 97.1/The River, has warm memories of The Ramones. CREDIT: The River
Steve Craig (1992-2006): The former mid-day host at 99X spent much of his time on the station as the mid-day host. After stints in New York City on a rock station there and the now defunct Dave FM, he is now hosting mornings on classic hits station 97.1/The River and is also music director.
Sean Demery (1992-1999, 2006-07): As 99X’s program director during the 1990s, he helped formulate and create the original 99X and build up its success. He later worked in San Francisco and came back to 99X for a brief, ill-fated morning stint. Since then, he became a morning host in Seattle and recently began working at a rock station in Portland, Ore., KINK-FM, as program director and afternoon host.
Rick Stacy (1992-93): Music director at the launch of 99X, he was fired not long afterwards. He has worked at major stations in New York and Los Angeles, as well as Sirius/XM. He is now morning host at Sunny 105.9 in Orlando.
Jimmy Baron (1993-2006): After 13 years at 99X as a morning host, he joined mornings at the now defunct Dave FM from 2009 to 2011 but decided to stop doing radio after that. He has found a new career as a top-selling realtor at Keller Williams and many of his clients have been radio folks like Steve Barnes and Larry Wachs.
NASHVILLE, TN – JUNE 07: Senior Vice President of Music Strategy for CMT Leslie Fram and Dierks Bentley attend the 2017 CMT Music awards at the Music City Center on June 7, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT)
Leslie Fram (1992-2008): The former Morning X host, 99X program director and operations manager ran a rock station in New York City before joining CMT in 2011 as senior vice president of music strategy. She was recently in Atlanta over the summer to host a talk with Sheryl Crow.
Steve Barnes’ Linkedin photo
Steve Barnes (1992-2003): The Morning X host left to pursue acting. He became morning host with Holly Firfer on Dave FM from 2004 through 2006 and created a web TV series “High Rise.” He now runs Barnes Creative Studios which uses drones to develop videos for high-end resorts and real estate properties.
Christopher “Crash” Clark now wears a suit every day on 11Alive to do traffic. CREDIT: 11Alive
Christopher “Crash” Clark (1994-2005): The former party-loving traffic guy on 99X has grown up – somewhat. After working with Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb in Boston, he returned to Atlanta to work at Dave FM and V-103, briefly working with Ryan Cameron in mornings. In 2014, he landed a new job on TV covering traffic for 11Alive’s morning show and now wears a suit to work though he’ll occasionally don a crazy outfit when the mood strikes him.
Axel working the controls at Rock 100.5 after 99X disappeared for a time. CREDIT: Rock 100.5
Axel Lowe (1993-2008): He was an afternoon host for 99X for much of its run and remained at Cumulus even after it changed to Rock 100.5. In 2016, he moved to Cincinnati to be program director of a rock station called 96 Rock and does an air shift, too.
Fred Toucher worked at 99X from 1999 to 2006 but has found his calling in Boston doing sports talk. CREDIT: 98.5 the Sports Hub
Fred Toucher (1999-2006) – He started as a jock at night, found his quirky voice, then helmed the 99X morning show for two and a half years. Unfortunately, the new 99X owners didn’t want him so he moved to Boston. There, he co-hosted a talk show on a rock station, then moved to 98.5 The Sports Hub where he has thrived with Rich Shertenlieb.
Rich Shertenlieb (1999-2003) – He was the Morning X’s merry prankster, whether it was giving away fake “Star Wars” spoilers in front of a hostile movie theater crowd or mocking Martha Burk at the Masters. He later worked with Dallas’ Kidd Kraddock, then joined Toucher in 2006 in Boston, where he has become a star.
Jill Melancon (1992-2008) – An often unheralded jock at 99X, she was there the entire run both full and part time. She later worked at Dave FM and All News 106.7 but recently landed at news/talk WSB and The River as a traffic reporter and DJ, respectively.
Facebook profile photo of Yvonne Monet.
Yvonne Monet (1992-1999) – She hosted the weekend dance show ‘The Pleasuredome” and other specialty programs for the station. She spent several years at Dave FM and has been an event DJ for that entire time.
Melissa Carter (1995-2001) – She was a newsreader and helped out Leslie Fram for years at 99X but when Q100 started, management gave her a chance to shine as part of the new Bert Show. For more than a decade, she thrived there. Later, she hosted mornings at B98.5 but recently departed and has started a national podcast on Progressive Voices called “She Persisted.”
Jeff Clark (1993-1996) – The still long-time publisher of rock magazine Stomp and Stammer hosted a Sunday night underground indie music show called “Fear the Music.” “It was probably the best job I ever had,” he said. “I had a lot of fun there.”
Will Pendarvis (1992-1995) – Will was the wild and woolly night guy on 99X in its burgeoning years. He worked at the legendary K-Rock in New York before landing at what is now Sirius/XM, where he remains as a top-flight rock music programmer.
Gary “Wally” Wallace (2003-2006) – Toucher’s morning show producer switched gears and left the secular rock world to become host of a nationally syndicated contemporary Christian music radio program, Total Axxess, which ran from 2004 to 2011. Now he hosts the syndicated Wally Show on more than 100 affiliates nationwide.
Matt Jones at a Kicks 101.5 event earlier this year before he left Cumulus Radio Atlanta. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Matt “Organic” Jones (1993-2008) – He spent many years doing overnights and a popular Sunday morning show called “Organic X” which focused on the lighter, more acoustic side of rock. He stayed around after 99X ended, working for various Cumulus stations in marketing and promotions but recently left the company and is working outside of radio.
Jeremy “Fat Kid” Powell (2003-06): He was a morning show producer for Toucher’s show and often was the butt of many pranks and stunts. Since then, he has worked in Chattanooga and Minnesota before producing morning shows at B98.5 and Kicks 101.5. He recently lost his gig with Cadillac Jack at Kicks and is seeking fresh employment.
Jay Harren (1997-2006): Music director and host of “Sunday School,” he put together many of 99X’s biggest events, from Big Day Out to Downtown Rocks. He is now head of A&R and artist development at Descendent Records, a boutique label for Sony.
Brian Phillips (1992-1999) – He was the 99X general manager during the station’s rise from feisty underdog to powerhouse until 1999. In 2001, he joined CMT as a programming manager and eventually became president. He just left that post over the summer.
Mark Renier (1999-2006): He took over for Phillips as general manager and helped build 99X’s revenues to its peak in 2003. Since his departure, he has worked at various outdoor advertising companies. He is currently sales manager at Link Media Outdoor.
