NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — It happened a quarter-century ago today. Radio station KDF Rock suddenly went country, with Nashville listeners believing it might be an April Fools’ joke.

“I mean, I think we always call it the day the music died,” said Shannon McCombs, a former station personality, sharing a sentiment many agree with.

The day was April 1, 1999. The iconic rock ‘n’ roll station, KDF rock, was seemingly gone overnight.

“The day before, things were normal from an appearance standpoint,” remembered former Promotions Director Cindy Francis Lovelace.

But behind the scenes, it was a different story.

“The program director at the time was like ‘OK we’re going to go out with something,’ so he started playing ‘Closing Time,'” said Lovelace.

It was a sign of what was to come…

“The song was just playing, over and over and over again,” recalled Lovelace. “People were like what’s going on?!”

This was only the beginning.

The morning of April 1, 1999, as the new morning show came on the air, the station played REM’s, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It,” a clear indicator that a new chapter was beginning.

“That went into the start of, ‘Don’t rock the jukebox,’ by Alan Jackson,” said Lovelace.

What some thought was an April Fool’s prank was actually a months-long, secret effort to not tip off the competitors in Nashville.

“I can’t tell you how many vendors I talked to and said ‘OK you’re going to have to sign a NDA,'” said Lovelace.

The phone lines lit up with listeners who were furious.

“I’m actually surprised some listeners didn’t show up and picket the radio station,” laughed Lovelace.

Twenty-five years later, listeners still wonder what happened. The million-dollar question remains today: Why?

Long-time radio personality Shannon McCombs remembers it all too well.

“I mean, in radio, you’re used to format changes and losing jobs,” said McCombs. “That’s just part of it. But you’re not used to losing your job when the station is on top.”

McCombs was hired to work overnights at KDF in 1985, taking a pay cut and a less than ideal schedule to work for the coveted Nashville station.

Almost 10 years later, McCombs said was fired when the station went from classic rock ‘n’ roll to alternative rock, in search of a younger demographic in 1994.

“But heck, I would have been 32, I guess, it was too old to rock and roll,” laughed McCombs.

Looking back, this was only the beginning of format changes.

Despite dominating the ratings, radio formats were changing to stay profitable, which meant KDF would have to change, too.

McCombs would eventually be hired back in 1999 to work the midday radio shift to help the station during its most significant programming switch.

The Brownsville, Kentucky native said the homecoming didn’t last long after she was told she’d be playing classic country, only to find out the station had other plans.

McCombs would still flourish in Nashville, working for other radio stations and interviewing the biggest artists at the Grand Ole Opry.

As a two-time cancer survivor, Lovelace went on to establish the non-profit, Healing NET Foundation, bringing attention and awareness to neuroendocrine cancer.

Twenty-five years later, those big red letters can still be seen in Nashville, but what it means to each person passing through, might depend on where you were April 1, 1999.