97X - Rumblings from the Big Bush

Barb Abney, modern rock maven

Barb Abney spent more than a decade at 97X and woxy.com, starting in the summer of 1994 and doing middays from 1998 through 2006, when she moved to Minneapolis to work for The Current for 8+ years. She continues to play great music and support local bands as the morning show host at KFAI-FM in the Twin Cities. Dave and Damian talk to Barb about dressing for success, her collection of 97X paraphernalia, stalking the Afghan Whigs and lessons learned in the station bathroom.

Dan Reed part 2

Dan tells more stories from the early 97X years, including tales about his band Chem-Dyne, his friends Mr. K and Greg Dulli, working at Bogart's, and learning life lessons (sometimes the hard way) from 97X owners Doug and Linda.

Danny Crash crashes the party patio - part 1

Dan "Danny Crash" Reed is the self-described "Forrest Gump" of the music business. He was a young DJ at 97X when it changed formats in 1983, and later became program director (while also playing in local bands). After leaving 97X, Dan worked at Bogart's, WNKU, WFPK (Louisville) and is now the afternoon host/music director at WXPN in Philadelphia and talent manager for the syndicated World Cafe program. He has 101 stories about the old days - which is why we had to make his interview a two-parter. You can follow Dan on Twitter: @WXPNDanReed  and Instagram: WXPNDANREED

A Shiv for All Seasons

Matt Shiverdecker, a.k.a. Shiv, ran the gamut at 97X... from boyhood superfan/long-distance listener to station intern to part-time DJ to full-timer at 97X, then woxy.com, where he worked until the bitter(sweet) end in Austin, Texas. Dave and Damian talk to Matt about his journey, get his take on the online station's untimely demise, and find out more about middle school broadcast camp and the top-secret WOXY historical archives. 

Jae Forman - the extended remix

Jae Forman ruled the evening shift in the early to mid 90s, and also served as the music director during the grunge era, a pivotal point in the station's history. She also was the Queen of 97Xtrabeats, bringing her club DJ skills to that popular Saturday evening show. Dave and Damian chat with Jae about how she got the job, the grunge explosion, picking songs as music director, her first in-studio interview with a band, life after radio and... yes, Dave's favorite topic: butt coolers.

Robin Plan: Return to Planet X

There were dozens if not hundreds of DJs at 97X/woxy.com over the years. Robin Plan was easily the most unique. A free-spirited person who took freeform radio to a whole new level, every evening after midnight, Robin transported 97X listeners far, far away from the ordinary, to an entirely different universe, and a magical place called Planet X. Dave and Damian talk to Robin about how she pushed the limits throughout her radio career, and what the station meant to her.   

Steve Daedalus part 2 - Jockeys and the Jockey Club

More of Dave and Damian's conversation with Steve "Daedalus" Stenken, the original program director when WOXY-FM became "modern rock for Cincinnati" (and Oxford!) Steve talk about disco barns, horse racing, Robin Plan, the Jockey Club... and why Damian was his stalker for years. 

Steve Daedalus, idea man and original program director

Steve "Daedalus" Stenken was working as the nighttime DJ at WOXY back in 1983, and doing a weekly one-hour "modern rock" program... he suggested that the station should change the format to all modern rock. The rest is radio history. Steve joins Dave and Damian in the party dungeon to talk about those formative years... and bust some myths along the way. 

George "Goober" Lindsey, Abe Vigoda and a gazillion Six Packs

In Episode 10, Dave and Damian talk about the Golden Rule of Celebrity Phone Calls... it involves George "Goober" Lindsey, of course. They also chat with superlistener (or perhaps superhoarder) Chris Barkley, who has amassed a mind-boggling amount of recordings of 97X's "Six Pack" feature. Dave also talks about his side hustle as agent to the stars, and basks in the afterglow of his finest 97X moment: Abe Vigoda's Birthday Bash. 

Episode 9: Matt Sledge, local radio legend

Matt Sledge not only spent a decade at 97X, the Future of Rock and Roll, he also later worked weekends for WNKU-FM, another Cincinnati area radio station that played similar artists and was near and dear to its listeners' hearts. Dave and Damian talk to Sledge (we're on a last name basis with him) about local bands, living through the shutdown of both stations, f-bombs on late-night CDs, and "butt coolers." (And listen until the very end for some fun outtakes.)