'The relaunch of a movement': 89X returns to airwaves 5 years after switchover to country
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Five years after a sudden switchover to country from alternative rock, Windsor's 89X is back on Detroit airwaves.
Bell Media-owned CIMX teased the return of 89X on Wednesday before the official relaunch at 8:08 a.m. Thursday morning.
Before changing back to rock, four Johnny Cash songs played in a row with "The Man Comes Around" ending the Pure County 89 run on the station. At exactly 8:08 a.m., a brief history of the station played.
"And then just like that it was gone… but now it's time to make some noise again," 89X played. "This is the relaunch of a movement."
After, "Stop!" by Jane's Addiction, the first song played when 89X first transitioned to alternative rock back in 1991, ushered in "New Rock 89X."
The backstory:
In 1990, CIMX had played a pop-mix format, but in the evenings would host a "Cutting Edge" show of alternative rock starting at 8 p.m. with DJ Greg St. James among a rotating group.
Eventually, this led to a complete station change starting in May 1991 with the first (and eventually the last) song played - "Stop!" by Jane's Addiction.
89X branded itself as "the only New Rock Alternative" and hosted several concerts in the area over the years, such as the annual "The Night 89X Stole Christmas" and "The 89X Birthday Bash."
In 2017, 89X closed its American office, laying off several staff members as it downsized, leading to speculation of its fate.
On Aug. 21, a trade publication, RadioInsight, reported that CIMX had begun dropping references to the Pure Country branding and between songs warning that a "revolution" would bring "Canada's greatest export" and "something familiar" back.
The Source: Previous FOX 2 reporting was used in this story.