1983-2005: 97X & X97-7
Launched in September 1983, 97.7 FM began broadcasting a modern rock format, which soon became dubbed 97X: The Future of Rock & Roll. The station benefited from a large youthful audience at adjacent Miami University as well as listeners in urban and suburban areas of Cincinnati and Dayton, but a majority of its broadcast area was rural.
The first song played when WOXY-FM made their transition to a modern rock format was "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2. This award-winning station was available terrestrially at 97.7 FM on the dial for the next 21 years, until May 13, 2004. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was also the very last song played by the station to end their terrestrial 97.7 FM transmission.
In 2004, Dallas, Texas-based First Broadcasting purchased the station from owners Doug and Linda Balough. 97X programming became solely available as an Internet radio station as WOXY.com until returning to Cincinnati airwaves via Cincinnati Public Radio Inc. in August 2007.
The station was rebranded as X97-7 for only a year, continuing as a satellite-fed alternative rock format.
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