“Southside” Steve Rickman has landed a morning show at classic hits Fox FM, which is on various signals in metro Atlanta and Macon and on various apps.
He starts Monday with former 97.1/The River weekend and fill-in host Geoff Cole.
Rickman was relieved of his duties on Rock 100.5 in December when Atlanta-based Cumulus Media dropped the station’s broad rock format for a resurrection of alternative rock 99X.
The pony-tailed Atlanta native known for his catchphrase “yeah, c’mon!” was a long-time member of The Regular Guys on both 96rock and Rock 100.5 before joining Jason Bailey for a morning show for seven more years. This was followed by a short stint in afternoons with Axel Lowe.
Chris Murray, who launched the Fox FM network in 2021, worked with Rickman for many years as general manager for Cumulus and Rock 100.5. Soon after Rickman was let go from Rock 100.5 in December, Murray contacted him for a job opportunity at Fox.
For Murray, Rickman is a popular legacy personality and brand in Atlanta and Macon who has been in the radio business for more than 30 years. He is also an endorsement demon who will be able to bring in advertisers like Oxygen Financial and DUI lawyer George Stein. Over the years, he has made thousands of appearances at bars, restaurants and car dealerships.
“He is simply a great spokesman for local brands and he has his own brand of bourbon he can promote,” Murray said.
Rickman briefly talked to 97.1/The River for the opening slot after Steve Craig departed, but he realized the station is very much music focused, not personality based. At Fox, which plays a mix of mostly 1970s and 1980s pop and rock hits, he said he’ll be able to design his own show and play maybe three or four songs an hour.
“Chris wants to build the station around me,” Rickman said.
Cole, a Georgia State University graduate who has been doing Atlanta radio since 1998 at places like 96rock, 94.9/The Bull and the River, said he hopes to have the “truest Atlanta morning show since we are both Atlanta natives.”
The pair has been doing test runs in preparation for the official launch Monday.
“We hope to have fun,” he said. “It won’t be political. It will be about being parents and growing up in Atlanta and having fun here.”
In Atlanta, Fox can be heard at 102.1 on the east side of Atlanta, 100.1 on the west side, 97.3 on the southwest and 104.9 in the southeast. It’s also heard in the Macon area.
Murray picked up the Fox name, which has legacy in Atlanta from the 1990s when it was a popular oldies station in Atlanta.
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