After a five-year hiatus, the iconic alternative rock station 89X returned to the airwaves on Thursday, reviving a beloved fixture of the Detroit-Windsor music scene.
Bell Media’s Windsor-based CIMX-FM (88.7), which had shifted to country as Pure Country 89 in 2020, relaunched as “Windsor’s Alternative” at 8:08 a.m. with Jane’s Addiction’s “Stop!”—the same song that launched the brand in May 1991.
The station, sporting a new logo, closed its country era with four Johnny Cash tracks, ending with “The Man Comes Around.”
Program Director Brad Gibbs noted, “We’ve been teasing this for a week, and the city’s response has been incredible. It’s a full-circle moment.”
Known for events like the Night 89X Stole Christmas and 89X Birthday Bash, 89X cultivated a loyal cross-border following over nearly three decades. Its return is billed as “the relaunch of a movement.”
The station posted on its New Rock 89X Facebook, “Windsor’s Alternative is back. Did you miss us? Because we missed YOU!
”Fans flooded social media with excitement. “Jane’s Addiction at 8 a.m. never sounded better,” one commented. Another wrote, “Welcome back, 89X! You’re my No. 1 preset now. Loved the Johnny Cash send-off for Pure Country.”