Windsor's 89X Is Now Pure Country 89

After 30 years, CIMX-FM has moved away from a rock format

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Nov 19, 2020

Revered Windsor-Detroit radio station 89X has closed the book on three decades of rock, officially changing to a country format.

As of this afternoon, the long-running CIMX-FM will now be known as Pure Country 89. The Detroit Free Press reports that the format change was announced yesterday (November 18), and was signalled today with a final broadcast of "Stop!" by Jane's Addiction — the very song 89X launched with in 1990.

Pure Country 89, meanwhile, made its debut just after the noon hour with a $10,000 cash giveaway and a promised 10,000 consecutive-song broadcast, the first of which was Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise."

The Detroit Free Press points out that Pure Country 89 will be the third major country broadcaster in the Detroit market, joining WYCD-FM (99.5) and WDRQ-FM (93.1). In Canada, Bell Media-owned Pure Country stations also broadcast in Ottawa, Regina, Fredericton, Sudbury and more.

89X was born on May 31, 1991, as CIMX-FM took its modern rock format full-time. Exclaim!'s recent 89X feature explains how the station's early years led '90s CanRock to blow up in Detroit, turning tunes from Canadian acts like Sloanthe Super FriendzThrush Hermitthe Inbreds and more into regional favourites across the border.

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