Mystery Solved
Weekend Peach Buzz:
Fox 97 dumps oldies format
So much for Fox 97's "Save Our Oldies" campaign last spring.
Cox Radio dumped Fox's oldies format at 10:30 a.m. Friday, replacing it temporarily with a sampling of Cox-owned radio stations nationwide, including alternative rock Y101 in Richmond, Va., and Hawaiian 105's "Aloha Morning Show."
Randy Cook and Spiff Carner, who had helmed Fox's morning show since 1989, were fired along with the rest of the air and sales staff, totaling about 20 people.
Fox in its '90s heyday was baby-boomer heaven, selling out the Georgia Dome with its Ultimate Oldies concert. But since Cox Radio bought Fox in 1999, the station has been in a funk, finishing 15th in the last ratings book. It dropped the Ultimate Oldies concert last year and placed Randy and Spiff on a double shift to save money. The "Save Our Oldies" campaign prompted a short-lived leap in ratings.
What is Fox going to be replaced with? We probably won't know until Monday. Among candidates bandied about by radio followers are an urban format, country or even regional Mexican. (Cox Radio is part of Cox Enterprises, which also owns the Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
Boo!!
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