Atlanta Radio: Cumulus Fires Q99.7 Staffers

Morning Crew

Atlanta-based Cumulus Media laid off on-air staff at 99X on Friday amid major financial challenges facing the radio company.

The cuts were first reported via a social media post Friday night by Steve Barnes, a key “Morning X” host from the station’s 1990s heyday as a Gen X hub for alternative acts including Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers and No Doubt. Barnes, who returned to lead mornings for the station’s late-2022 revival, titled the post “The End.”

“Thanks to all the listeners that made history bringing back a historic brand for an unprecedented second run,” he wrote. “It’s never been done before like this.” He added: “It’s a brutal business and everyone knew that when they came back.”

Brian Philips, Cumulus chief content officer who helped launch 99X in 1992, had rehired several 1990s-era talents including Barnes, Leslie Fram, Steve Craig, Will Pendarvis, Matt Jones, Christopher “Crash” Clark and Jill Nelson. The status of midday host and program director Craig, weekend host Jones and afternoon host Pendarvis remained unclear.

Rodney Ho at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Craig and Jones did not respond to texts, while Pendarvis said Saturday he had heard nothing from management. Philips declined to comment Friday on the cutbacks or the station’s future.

The moves followed job losses at sister station Q99.7, where afternoon host Kristin Klingshirn was let go, along with night host Laura Dickerson and promotions director Jake Bennett, who oversaw Cumulus’ Atlanta cluster (including New Country 101.5 and classic hip-hop OG 98.9). 

Cumulus owns nearly 400 stations nationwide and ranks as the second-largest U.S. radio group behind iHeartMedia. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in March; a judge approved a reorganization plan weeks later that reduced some of its debt.

Jimmy Baron, a 1990s morning-show partner of Barnes who now works in real estate and occasionally rejoined the show, said 99X drew solid Nielsen ratings among older men until Cumulus stopped paying for the service in January. 

“This was not a 99X ratings problem but a systemic problem,” Baron said. “The music sounded great. The marketing sounded great. But the business model isn’t tenable anymore. Back in the 1990s, advertisers recognized radio was one of the best ways to get their messages out. That’s simply not the case anymore.”