In 2020, “Stop” by Jane’s Addiction closed out what was believed to be the final broadcast of Windsor-based 89X, once one of metro Detroit’s most iconic radio stations. But at 8 a.m. on Thursday morning, 89X returned — once again playing Jane’s Addiction and resurrecting “Windsor-Detroit’s only new rock alternative.” The station announced its return with a cheeky social media ad campaign, encouraging listeners to “GET BACK WITH YOUR X.”
After five years as a bland pop-country station, 88.7 FM surprised the Detroit area by switching back to its former format, even featuring some of the original station IDs that many listeners will remember and a nostalgic playlist spanning from darker alternative rock of the ’80s and ’90s to the cheery “stomp-clap” millennial hipster sound of the 2010s and beyond.
89X was officially born in 1991, expanding from an alt-rock segment called “The Cutting Edge” for CIMX. The station soon solidified its place in the local media landscape as a haven for the alternative kids, adapting to its audience and keeping pace with the evolving scene, playing a mix of grunge, punk, goth, and hip-hop (notably Eminem) through the ’90s.
By the mid-2000s, the station began playing emo acts like My Chemical Romance and bringing in a younger crowd. (Around this time I called the station when I was 11 years old and asked them to play “Jesus of Suburbia” by Green Day. They said no, and then told me I was way too young to know that song.)
While the Canadian-based station infiltrated U.S. radio waves with plenty of legally mandated “CanCon” with foreign (to us) artists like the Tragically Hip and Our Lady Peace, it also prided itself on playing local Detroit acts, such as the White Stripes and We Came as Romans. Its “The Homeboy Show” segment showcased local talent from Detroit and Windsor, giving listeners the chance to vote on their favorite tracks and instilling the importance of underground scenes and a music-based community through the use of street teams, events, and its popular morning show, Dave and Chuck the Freak (who eventually moved to Detroit’s WRIF, which also shifted from a classic rock identity to an alt-rock direction).
On its first day back as 89X, the station played hits from its late-’90s and early 2000s heyday, with a playlist focused on the alternative rock era with tracks by Beastie Boys, Oasis, Linkin Park, the Strokes, Green Day, No Doubt, and Weezer, as well as older acts like the Cure and Depeche Mode and newer ones like Royal Blood and the Beaches. While the format may have seemed to be going out of style when 89X went away back in 2020, its return seemed to be well-received in 2025 with the nostalgia machine in full force.
For once, we’re excited to see our “X.”
This article appears in Aug 20 – Sep 2, 2025.