Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2008 > July > 11 > Entry
7/11: 99X’s Steve Craig moving to New York’s WRXP-FM to join Leslie Fram
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A second 99X vet is off to New York: on the heels of Leslie Fram taking over a new rock station at the Big Apple, long-time 99X mid-day host Steve Craig will be joining her soon. He’ll be doing mid-days at 101.9/WRXP-FM.
“It’s bittersweet to leave a town I love,” he told me today, “but it’s exciting to be building a new radio station. Craig, best known for his lunch hour “Retroplex” on 99X for 15 years, lost his on-air gig in January when 99X became an online-only operation. For the last few weeks, with his contract about to run out, he’s been doing shifts on 99X.com, heard by about 98 percent fewer people.
Craig reached out to Dave FM’s program director Mike Wheeler in January but didn’t hear back. He said he also contacted Rick Caffey, Wheeler’s boss, but Caffey deferred to Wheeler. Craig’s contract with 99X is up August 1 but he was allowed to start negotiating with other parties July 1. The WRXP gig came up immediately so he didn’t really pursue Dave FM, which would have been a good fit for him but he would have been held back by a non-compete clause and kept off the air until February 2009.
As for the New York gig, he doesn’t have a starting date just yet but it should be within a few weeks.
Fram is now the program director and doing some morning work with host Matt Pinfield.
Comments
By Jay
July 11, 2008 4:50 PM | Link to this
Wow.. That makes me sad. I’m going to miss hearing his voice over the PA at Atlanta Thrashers games this year. :(
But I do wish him all the best - Steve’s always seemed to me (the few times I met and chatted with him) to be a really genuine, stand-up kind of guy.
Best of luck Steve! You will be missed!
By John
July 11, 2008 5:01 PM | Link to this
Good Luck Steve,
Fifteen years is a seriously long ride in radio. And in this market - even longer. Bring back the plex, we’ll listen online. Call it Plex’ in the City. Audios.
By IYH
July 11, 2008 9:00 PM | Link to this
mike wheeler is the idiot who hired zak but didnt bother to call steve craig back? wtf. he should be fired. some pd. let leslie and zak get away. only good thing is he good jimmy on the air. 2 little 2 late. he shouldve gotten all 3 to do morning show. good luck to steve and leslie, i need a bus ticket to ny. atlanta has no decent music no decent stations anymore. cumulus saw to that when they kill 99x.
By iyh
July 11, 2008 9:09 PM | Link to this
dave needs to counter offer and keep steve craig in atl. pay him wheelers salary. wheres neil millman when u need him>
By Rodney Ho
July 11, 2008 9:33 PM | Link to this
Sorry. Some weird technical issues are causing my blog entries to disappear. They’re trying to fix it. I hope this isn’t some bad omen!
By Katie
July 12, 2008 6:36 AM | Link to this
Wheeler is an idiot
By JD
July 13, 2008 10:10 PM | Link to this
Steve Craig is the man! He will be missed… he already is missed!! He knows anything and everything regarding music!
By Joey Mills
July 14, 2008 11:52 AM | Link to this
RXP just rocks. No bs like here in Atlanta. When I can hear Springsteen and the Sex Pistols in same hour, I am hooked. Atlanta needs to learn from NYC… The people are nicer and radio is in a much better place.
By Actuality
July 14, 2008 9:09 PM | Link to this
98%, Rodney? Is that a fact? Break that number down for us, would you??
::ahem:hack:ahem::
By JD
July 15, 2008 11:38 AM | Link to this
Maybe they’ll pull Will Pendarvis from Sirius (which is HQ’d there) and it’ll be like old times.
By Scott Heden
July 15, 2008 7:07 PM | Link to this
Leslie Fram left Atlanta? No wonder things seemed a little less 90’s out there.
I
By beelzebubba
July 16, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this
You know I understand that radio stations need to make money and that ads are the primary source of revenue. But 99x at the very least gave the impression that the station was about music and people and not numbers and demos. I think it’s a shame that the three people whom each had more musical knowledge under their belts than most have in a lifetime have had to move on, we’re loosing quite a bit. The music scene here seems even more dead now.
By cdk
September 4, 2008 7:09 AM | Link to this
You know… I simply do not understand how the undertalented and highly annoying Steve and Vikki duo can always find a gig in Atlanta and we let music geniuses like Craig and Fram be stolen away to NYC.
Welcome to the dumbing down of Atlanta Radio. Honestly— I’m switching to satelite.
By cdk
September 4, 2008 7:11 AM | Link to this
You know… I simply do not understand how the undertalented and highly annoying Steve and Vikki duo can always find a gig in Atlanta and we let music geniuses like Craig and Fram be stolen away to NYC.
Welcome to the dumbing down of Atlanta Radio. Honestly— I’m switching to XM.
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November 20, 2008 1:32 AM | Link to this
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November 20, 2008 1:34 AM | Link to this
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November 20, 2008 1:35 AM | Link to this
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