Chattanooga's 107.9 "Big" FM all-time classics station will leave its old moniker and playlist behind for good at 5 p.m. today, as the station adopts a country music playlist and changes its nickname to "NASH ICON," still found at 107.9 FM.
NASH will play top country songs from the last 20 years while mixing in today's country artists.
"The NASH ICON brand has been incredibly well-received in Nashville and Atlanta because we are giving the listener exactly what they want -- the great country songs that came along in the '90s and early 2000s, but also the current country music hits," said Cumulus Media General Manager John Lewis on Friday.
Lewis called Chattanooga's 107.9 FM the "perfect format" for the country station.
"It's the largest music library I've seen in my six years of radio," he said.
Atlanta-based Cumulus Media operates radio stations in 110 American metro areas, according to the company's website.
NASH ICON has a sister brand, NASH-FM, in Nashville. The NASH country music programming has been added to 37 U.S. cities.
NASH premiered in New York City in February, after the city went 17 years without a country station, according Cumulus Media.
"For country music fans in Chattanooga, you're going to have a country radio format that doesn't play the same song over and over," said Lewis. "This station was born to give country music fans the best country music ever created, and that's exactly why we're adding here in Chattanooga."
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.