99.1 History

This is post number 22 of the Knoxville AM and FM radio station histories. This next post focuses on 99.1 which once carried a country format also heard on WLOD-AM.

99.1 History

On September 26, 1988, 99.1 signed on the air as WLOD-FM, a country music station that was also heard on WLOD-AM. WLOD-FM 99.1 was a rimshot from Loudon, TN. In 1991, WLOD-FM changed calls to WNOX-FM. In 1992, WNOX-FM changed formats from country to jazz AC as “Double 99”.

“Double 99” was a jazz AC station that was also heard on WNDD-FM 99.3 (now WNRX-FM 99.3) out of Jefferson City, Tennessee. In 1994, WNOX-FM 99.1 changed formats from jazz AC to urban AC as “X-99” while WNDD-FM 99.3 changed formats from jazz AC to country as “FM 99-3 WNDD”. In 1997, WNOX-FM 99.1 changed formats from urban AC to news/talk as “NewsTalk 99 WNOX” because WNOX-AM 990 was simulcasting the news/talk format heard on 99.1 FM.

This lasted from 1997 until 2005 when WNOX-FM changed formats from news/talk to sports as “The Sports Animal” and the calls were changed to WNML-FM. The sports format, known as “The Sports Animal, is also heard on WNRX-FM 99.3 in Jefferson City and WNML-AM 990 in Knoxville.