It Was All A Dream… LIVE 105 Returns!
• After a 20-month science experiment as Adult Hits 105.3 Dave FM, a semblance of sanity returns to Bay Area radio tomorrow — at the frequency-related hour of 10:53am, Audacy will officially right the ship on KITS-FM and return the legendary Alternative LIVE 105 brand to its rightful place in San Francisco. We were originally sworn to secrecy until Monday morning, but word of the impending flip started leaking over the weekend (Thanks, SF Chronicle!),
“The people have spoken, and we are excited to answer the call,” said Stacey Kauffman, RVP/Market Manager, Audacy San Francisco and Sacramento. “After a six-year hiatus, LIVE 105 — THE Bay Area’s Alternative — has returned to the airwaves! We are proud to bring back this local favorite that gives our loyal listeners and favorite Alternative artists from the ’90s to today a place to call home again, right here in the Bay Area.” Indeed, the station will feature music from every era of its storied history as “The Bay Area’s Alternative,” with core artists that include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, The Killers, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Blink-182, Foo Fighters, Depeche Mode, The Cure, etc.
The former KRBG became KITS-FM in Feb. 1983, adopting Mike Joseph‘s “Hot Hits” format. Three years later the station formally evolved to Alternative as LIVE 105 under the command of inaugural PD Richard Sands, who remained on the job until 1998. Live 105 was subsequently programmed by Jay Taylor, the late Sean Demery, Dave Numme, Michael Martin and Jacent Jackson. In December 2017, shortly after the CBS Radio/Entercom merger, Entercom rebranded the station as ALT 105.3. Then came that fateful day — Oct. 15, 2021, when the company made the decision to flush the three-decade-old format and flip to Adult Hits as 105.3 Dave FM, “Totally Random Radio.”
The re-imagined Live 105 will launch with RVP of Programming John Allers serving as Brand Manager, and market fave Jayn as Music Director, in addition to her MD role across the hall on KLLC (Alice @ 97.3). “Our entire team has great respect and admiration for what Live 105 means to the Bay Area Alternative community,” said Allers. “We will continue to honor Live 105’s rich history and legacy by bringing back brand mainstays such as Soundcheck with Aaron Axelsen and other familiar voices while collaborating with Live 105 alumnus ‘Miles The DJ’ [Anzaldo] in guiding the evolution of Live 105 into the future.” On-air talent will be announced in the coming weeks.
