WWWQ-HD2
WWWQ-HD2 – branded 99X – is a digital subchannel of Atlanta market radio station WWWQ. Owned by Cumulus Media, WWWQ-HD2 functions as a commercial alternative rock radio station, serving the Atlanta metropolitan area. Using the proprietary technology HD Radio for its main digital transmission, WWWQ-HD2 also simulcasts over low-power analog translator W255CJ, and streams online. The WWWQ-HD2 studios are located in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs, while the WWWQ-HD2 and W255CJ transmitters both reside in Atlanta's Druid Hills neighborhood.
History
What was then WNNX in Atlanta signed on HD Radio operations in December 2004; WNNX-HD1 carried a direct simulcast of WNNX's standard analog transmission, an alternative rock format branded "99X", while WNNX-HD2 would carry classic alternative rock, branded as 99XS. On May 5, 2006, Cumulus Media acquired WNNX owner Susquehanna Radio.Cumulus performed a series of format changes and call letter changes on January 25, 2008. As part of these moves, WNNX-HD2 changed format from classic alternative rock back to the alternative rock format heard on WNNX; and rebranded the subchannel as 99X; this coincided with WNNX changing format from alternative rock over to contemporary hit radio branded as "Q100". WNNX's callsign was changed to WWWQ on January 29, 2008; thus, the subchannel callsign was changed to WWWQ-HD2. In effect, this new WWWQ-HD2 licensed to Atlanta became the successor to the previous WNNX licensed to Atlanta.
Fifteen months later, 99X returned to the FM airwaves in Atlanta. On April 16, 2009, 99X announced that they would be returning to the radio airwaves on April 17 at 9:09 am. At that time, 99X signed-on at its new dial position of 97.9 FM, with "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day being the first song played.
On June 9, 2011, 99X began simulcasting on 99.1 FM. A few days later, W250BC then began stunting with different genres of music, as well as Atlanta news and history bits and periodic announcements that 99X had moved to the new frequency. At noon on June 17, W250BC launched a new "gold"-based "hot AC" format branded as "Journey 97-9". That station's format and imaging is virtually identical to that of WNNF in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was launched in early June 2011, and also shares the "Journey" moniker.
On September 15, 2011, 99X moved from 99.1 to 98.9, in order to increase the station's power. The translator's callsign was also changed to W255CJ.
On August 31, 2012, at 6 PM, W255CJ unexpectedly began stunting with a ticking clock and a four-minute clip of songs featured on a new active rock format to debut the following day at noon; the final song on 99X at 98.9 was "Up All Night" by Blink 182. WWWQ-HD2 and W255CJ changed formats to active rock branded 98-9 The Bone on September 1, 2012, at Noon. The first song on "The Bone" was "Warrior's Call" by Volbeat. The station displaced 99X after nearly a year run on the 98.9 frequency. 99X was less than two months away from its 20th anniversary on October 26.
The Bone was born after longtime active-rock station "Project 9-6-1" flipped to top 40 three days earlier. The huge protest that arose because of the flip prompted Cumulus Media to resurrect the format on one of their stations, in this case, 98.9. The new format sounds like a cross between alternative 99X and hard-rock Project 9-6-1. Unlike most format flips, the 99X staff was not immediately fired, indicating there may be a future for it, possibly on another Cumulus station, pending an announced flip to sports radio of CBS Radio's alternative "Dave FM" in October 2012.
On January 28, 2013, W255CJ and sister station WNNX began promoting changes to the two stations on their Facebook and Twitter pages, hinting a "bigger and better change" to come February 1. The rumors that state the announcements are a possible merger of the two formats on one frequency, presumably on 100.5, was confirmed two days later, and took place at Midnight, when 98.9 and 100.5 began simulcasting. At 10 a.m., 100.5 relaunched with a full-fledged active rock format. The simulcast ended on February 4 at 10 a.m.; following a two-hour stunt of clips of songs with "Walk" in the title, the station flipped to a country-leaning Christian AC, branded as The Walk. The first song on "The Walk" was "For The Grace of God" by Keith Urban.
On August 25, 2013, four websites were registered that would signify a format change to classic hits as 98.9 The True Oldies Channel, The True Oldies Channel 98.9, Atlanta's True Oldies 98.9, or Oldies 98.9. This would be the third format change on 98.9 in a calendar year, and would bring the oldies format back to Atlanta after WYAY dropped it for all-news in May 2012. On August 26, at 11:00 a.m., the station began stunting with songs from the 1960s with the word "Walk" in the title. One hour later, the station relaunched as True Oldies 98.9, launching with "Jumping Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones.
On June 28, 2014, W255CJ switched from The True Oldies Channel to Westwood One's "Good Time Oldies" format, as Cumulus discontinued syndicating the former.
On August 15, 2014 at Noon, W255CJ flipped to a traditional country format branded as Nash Icon 98.9, a spin-off of the Nash FM brand focusing on a mix of veteran and modern country artists. W255CJ was, alongside Savannah sister WZAT, one of the first two stations to adopt the format.
On November 23, 2015, at Midnight, after playing "She's in Love with the Boy" by Trisha Yearwood, W255CJ began stunting with Christmas music, and rebranded as Warm 98.9. A new format, widely expected to be Soft AC, was expected after the holiday season, in order to compete with WSB-FM. At 2 a.m. on December 26, the station launched a mainstream adult contemporary format, with "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates as the first song played. The station utilized Westwood One's "AC Total" network feed. At first, this appeared to be the permanent format; however, this turned out to also be a stunt. At Midnight on January 1, 2016, after playing "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey, 99X and its alternative rock format returned to Atlanta, with "S.O.B." by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats being the first song played.
On April 12, 2018, W255CJ, the translator which broadcasts the "99X" format on the terrestrial FM band, was forced off-the-air by the FCC due to interference complaints by WWGA in Tallapoosa. "99X" would remain on WWWQ's HD-2 sub-channel, the iHeartRadio and 99X mobile applications, and online in the interim. W255CJ would remain off air until December 21, 2018, when the translator returned to air, this time with a directional antenna to protect WWGA.