In the worst kept secret in Atlanta radio, Steve Craig is back at 99X after a 15-year absence as mid-day host and program director.
Morning hosts Steve Barnes and Leslie Fram made the announcement Monday morning.
He starts at 10 a.m.
Craig, who is known for his ironclad knowledge of rock history, was the midday guy for 99X’s entire original run from 1992 to 2008. He left when the station basically was disbanded and went on to work for New York City alternative rock station WXRP-FM for three years.
He returned to Atlanta in 2011 to work briefly for Dave FM, then joined 97.1/The River, where he spent nearly 13 years.
The River has been the dominant rock station in the market for the past 15 years and Craig could have easily cruised into retirement there. But he chose to leave at the end of 2022 soon after 99X relaunched on 100.5 playing music from its heyday in the 1990s and 2000s.
He couldn’t go on air immediately because of a six-month noncompete clause in his contract.
“I’ve been pumped since Christmas,” Craig said on air.
He is bringing back the noon show “The House of Retro Pleasure.”
This move was understandable. 99X was always his favorite station to work for and his former boss and Cumulus Chief Content Officer Brian Phillips, who helped build 99X into a powerhouse in the 1990s, convinced Craig to come back to not only program the station but return to his old mid-day slot.
The station convinced several players from the 1990s to return to the station including two of three key Morning X hosts Leslie Fram and Barnes, original night guy Will Pendarvis and long-time Organic X host Matt Jones.
Axel Lowe, a long-time afternoon host at 99X, was already at the station when it was revived in December but chose to leave voluntarily in March. It seems likely he will end up taking Craig’s morning spot and programming duties at the River once his non-compete is over.
Ratings leaped into the top 10 earlier this year after the station’s return but have since slipped back a bit.
The station ranked 16th overall with a 2.8 share in May Nielsen ratings. When the station was Rock 100.5 a year ago, it generated a 1.7 share, good for 19th place. Among 25-54, it’s at a 3.5 share, 11th place vs. 2.4 share a year ago or 17th place.
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