KITS
Encyclopedia
KITS is a San Francisco, California
, USA-based radio station
broadcasting at 105.3 MHz. The station is owned by CBS Radio
and programs a modern rock
format. The station also broadcasts on HD channel
L2, locally on Comcast
cable
channel 986, and is streaming
online.
arrived in February 1983 when the station adopted radio consultant Mike Joseph's Hot Hits
Top-40 music format. Seven air personalities were recruited during a nationwide search from stations such as XETRA
Tijuana, Mexico, Q104 Kansas City
, 92x Columbus, Ohio
, and WCAU-FM Philadelphia. The transplanted jocks underwent a "broadcasting bootcamp" for two weeks prior to launching the new Hot Hits format. Radio personality Doug Ritter (Doug Ritterling) was the first Disc Jockey on the air (at 9am on February 27, 1984), transitioning KBRG-FM from its Spanish format to Hot Hits.
The station was referred to as "Hot Hits KITS" and followed the formula of a very short playlist
with heavy repetition and fast-talking air personalities. The original DJ lineup on 105 KITS consisted of program director Jeff Hunter 6–9am, followed by Doug Ritter 9am–12pm, Gary Robbins 12–3pm, Todd Parker 3–7pm, Richard Sands 7–midnight, and Rick Neal (George Fryer) midnight–6am, Mark Van Gelder was 105 KITS first Production Director, Annette Parks (daughter of pioneer broadcaster and Miss America
Pageant Host Bert Parks
) was the station's news director, and Michele Meisner (formerly of San Francisco's Fantasy Studios) was music director.
A modest ratings success, KITS fought off competition from the legendary AM CHR station, KFRC
(which changed format to big bands in 1986), as well as KMEL-FM, which had switched from album-oriented rock
to CHR
in 1984. 105 KITS was, for a while, the darling of the Jet Set; daily visits were common from movie celebrities such as Bette Midler
, Tom Cruise
, Pat Morita
, George Takei
, Anthony Perkins
and others. The celebs didn't usually make it on the air, but they toured the studios in San Francisco's Merchandise Mart just to see what the industry buzz was all about.
Modern rock station KQAK
"The Quake" changed formats in 1985, and fans of the station were eager for another station to pick up the format. During this time, on-air personality Steve Masters
began experimenting with modern rock
on his evening show and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
Over time, KITS dropped the "Hot Hits" approach and remained a mainstream CHR
station, but began a gradual musical shift, incorporating modern rock songs into their Top 40 playlist. By October 1986, KITS had completely dropped the pop artists from the playlist and became a pure modern rock station. The station's new moniker became "Live 105" under program director Richard Sands
and music director Steve Masters.
The music ranged from mainstream alternative rock
, imports, dance music
, and even classic songs from pioneering artists such as Lou Reed
, David Bowie
and T-Rex. Live 105 became a major influence on the format, and sole source of radio exposure for such artists in the San Francisco Bay Area
.
The airstaff lineup remained relatively stable from 1986 through 1997, and included Masters, Big Rick Stuart
, Mark Hamilton, Roland West, and Alex Bennett & Lori Thompson in the morning. Bennett was let go from the station briefly in 1989 and replaced by Perry Stone, as Live 105 attempted a 'more music' approach in the morning. This proved to be a failure, and Bennett, who briefly went to WIOD
in Miami, Florida
, was brought back.
Hamilton left in 1994 to accept the program director job at KNRK
in Portland, Oregon
, and Steve Masters departed soon after to take a Promotion job at MCA
's new alternative label, WAY COOL. Roland West then moved from night to middays and took over the music director position, eventually becoming the Assistant Program director. Aaron Axelsen, then assistant music director, become the music director and host of specialty programs "Sound Check" and "Subsonic." The station also ran Hibernia Beach LIVE
, a gay-themed radio call-in show, from 1989 to 1999.
The modern rock format changed nationwide by the 1990s, moving away from the dance-heavy Europe
an sound to a harder direction with artists like Nirvana
and Soundgarden
, and Live 105 began incorporating it into their sound. After numerous years of success, ratings for Live 105 began to dip during the late '90s, as Infinity Broadcasting
's KOME
in San Jose
switched to a harder modern rock sound. KOME had great success in the ratings and managed to even beat Live 105 with the Howard Stern
morning show and its guitar-driven music format, as opposed to the more British, euro-based music Live 105 had carved a niche with.
sold the station to Infinity Broadcasting (later CBS Radio
). After the sale to Infinity, on June 1, 1998, the big shakeup occurred. Stern's morning show, KOME's management and programming staff, and a few on-air personalities were brought up from San Jose to take over Live 105. KOME was eventually sold to Jacor
, which moved KUFX
to the 98.5 frequency and the KOME call letters were "parked" on an AM station in Fort Worth, Texas
. Program director Richard Sands, assistant program director/midday host Roland West, and the relatively new morning team of Johnny Steele & Lori Thompson were all dismissed. KOME's program director, Jay Taylor, assumed programming duties at the new Live 105, and Ally Storm and No-Name moved into middays and nights, respectively. The syndicated call-in advice show, Loveline
, was also brought to Live 105 as its late-night program. Big Rick Stuart continued in afternoons until being let go in 2000, severing the last remaining thread to the original incarnation of Live 105, though Steve Masters returned briefly to host a midday specialty show.
By the end of 2001, Live 105 had drastically lost listeners due to the generally unpopular music assortment that was being played, which included heavier amounts of hip hop
and heavy metal
. Toward the middle of 2002, the station hired Sean Demery as Program Director in hopes of bringing back listeners and refocused on core alternative rock artists, more popular hits, and established artists, playing a mix of critically acclaimed artists from The Cure
, The Pixies, Depeche Mode
, The Clash
and current artists as, Franz Ferdinand
, Bloc Party
, and The Killers. The station regained its reputation as a leader in new music and respect among many industry types, winning numerous awards for creativity and playing new bands before national support. Muse
, The Bravery
, Silversun Pickups
, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs
were amongst the popular bands which enjoyed huge success after early support from Live 105.
ended his syndicated morning show in December 2005, and departed for Sirius Satellite Radio
. In response, CBS Radio flipped the majority of its Alternative-formatted radio stations to an all-talk format known as Free FM
. Live 105 was allowed to keep its music format, and thus decided to go in a music-oriented direction for its subsequent morning show, The Woody Show (originally The Morning Music Co-op, then The Woody, Tony and Ravey Show), hosted by Jeff "Woody" Fife, Tony Mott, and Renee Ravey, with producer Greg Gory and asst. producer Jason "White Menace" McMurry. Woody, Tony, and Ravey had previously worked afternoons on Chicago alternative rock station WKQX. The show made its debut on January 3, 2006. A successful run ensued, as the show retained many of the original listeners from Howard Stern
. In November 2006, the station hired a new Program Director, Dave Numme, who was already programming KUFO in Portland, another station owned by the CBS Radio.
Originally thought to be an April Fool's joke, The Woody Show was taken off the air on April 1, 2009 and subsequently confirmed that several members of the program were fired by CBS Radio management. On April 20, 2009, it was announced that No Name, the former radio morning show co-host on Alice 97.3 and former night jock of KITS
in the late 90s and early 00s, would host the Live 105 morning show, known as The No Name Show, originally with Greg Gory and Katie. Greg Gory was fired from Live 105 on July 16, 2009, with Matty Staudt taking over producer duties. Staudt and No Name had worked together at KLLC
for numerous years, however, the morning show was unable to gain traction in the ratings and Staudt was let go after one year. In October of 2009, Dave Numme was released from his position as Program Director and the programming reins given to CBS Radio San Francisco VP of Programming, Michael Martin.
On March 30, 2010, the Oakland Raiders announced a multi-year agreement for Live 105 and its sister station, KFRC (now KZDG) to broadcast play-by-play coverage of the team’s pre-season, regular season and post-season games.
In December 2010, the majority of the on-air staff was overhauled by management and revamped. The most notable of the changes was airing the syndicated Kevin and Bean
show, originating from sister station, KROQ-FM
in Los Angeles
as the new morning drive program (5:30–10AM) beginning January 3, 2011. As a result, the No Name Show was broken up as sidekick/traffic reporter Katie was released from the station and No Name was moved from mornings to afternoons displacing long-time afternoon host Jared Aman. Midday host, Kat was also released from the station as part of the changes.
On May 10, 2011 Derric "Mega" Tanner, who had joined from competitor KSJO
was released from middays after just two months of joining the station and replaced by White Menace(10a-noon) and Music Director, Aaron Axelsen(noon-2P).
On September 3, 2011, the Kevin and Bean
show was dropped in favor of a music-intensive morning show. The duo was subsequently dropped from its syndicator, Westwood One, due to the loss of outlets carrying the show.
s every year. BFD has traditionally place at the Shoreline Amphitheatre
in Mountain View, California
in June. This festival-style concert
runs all day with up and coming bands performing on the festival stage during the day, and more established bands on the main stage at night. The first BFD concert took place in June 1994 with artists such as Beck
, Green Day
, and The Pretenders
. It has since hosted bands which went on to platinum-album status such as AFI
, Red Hot Chili Peppers
, The White Stripes
, Blink 182, Hole
, The Killers, The Strokes
, 311
, Third Eye Blind
, the Foo Fighters
, Panic at the Disco, The Offspring
, Stone Temple Pilots
and the Beastie Boys
as well as older bands such as Duran Duran
, Social Distortion
and The Cure
.
The station's winter concert is Not So Silent Night, formerly known as the Green Christmas Ball and Electronica Hanukkah, occurs in early December, has featured such bands as Linkin Park
, Muse
, Green Day
, Kasabian, The Killers, My Chemical Romance
, Smashing Pumpkins, System of a Down
, Blink-182
, David Bowie
, Franz Ferdinand
, The White Stripes
, Silversun Pickups
, Modest Mouse
, Cake
, Paramore
, Angels & Airwaves
, Spoon
, Jimmy Eat World
, Death Cab for Cutie
, and Everclear
.
In 2009, LIVE 105 added a third annual concert - Subsonic Halloween Spookfest. This concert debuted on October 30, 2009 at the Cow Palace
in San Francisco. The Halloween-themed concert featured three stages of entertainment. Performers have included The Faint
, Basement Jaxx
, Crystal Method, DJ Steve Aoki
, Crystal Castles
, MSTRKRFT
, Underworld
, DJ Shadow
, and many other electronic and rock artists that are regularly featured on the station's Saturday night show, Subsonic.
magazine.
Other nominees included WBCN in Boston, KROQ-FM
in Los Angeles, KTBZ-FM
in Houston, KNDD
in Seattle, and WWDC
in Washington, DC.
Various members of the LIVE 105 programming and airstaff have also received individual awards for contributions to the station. Ex-Program Directors, Richard Sands and Sean Demery were awarded "Program Director of the Year" by various trade magazines, as well as current Music Director and DJ Aaron Axelsen, who received the "Best Terrestrial Radio DJ in San Francisco" award from the weekly publication SF Guardian in 2009.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, USA-based radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting at 105.3 MHz. The station is owned by CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
and programs a modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
format. The station also broadcasts on HD channel
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
L2, locally on Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channel 986, and is streaming
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
online.
Hot Hits
The station's original call letters were KBRG. The KITS call lettersCall sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
arrived in February 1983 when the station adopted radio consultant Mike Joseph's Hot Hits
Hot Hits
Hot Hits was a radio format created by consultant Mike Joseph in the 1970s. That concept, which helped spur the birth of what is now known as CHR, also revitalized the Top 40 format and would play a role in bringing the format to the FM band throughout the 1980s.The concept was to play only the...
Top-40 music format. Seven air personalities were recruited during a nationwide search from stations such as XETRA
XETRA
XETRA may refer to:*A "border blaster" radio station in Tijuana, Mexico:**XEWW-AM , which once had the call sign XETRA-AM**XETRA-FM , branded as "91X"* Xetra , an electronic trading system developed by Deutsche Börse...
Tijuana, Mexico, Q104 Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, 92x Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, and WCAU-FM Philadelphia. The transplanted jocks underwent a "broadcasting bootcamp" for two weeks prior to launching the new Hot Hits format. Radio personality Doug Ritter (Doug Ritterling) was the first Disc Jockey on the air (at 9am on February 27, 1984), transitioning KBRG-FM from its Spanish format to Hot Hits.
The station was referred to as "Hot Hits KITS" and followed the formula of a very short playlist
Playlist
In its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. They can be played in sequential or shuffled order. The term has several specialized meanings in the realms of radio broadcasting and personal computers.-In radio:...
with heavy repetition and fast-talking air personalities. The original DJ lineup on 105 KITS consisted of program director Jeff Hunter 6–9am, followed by Doug Ritter 9am–12pm, Gary Robbins 12–3pm, Todd Parker 3–7pm, Richard Sands 7–midnight, and Rick Neal (George Fryer) midnight–6am, Mark Van Gelder was 105 KITS first Production Director, Annette Parks (daughter of pioneer broadcaster and Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
Pageant Host Bert Parks
Bert Parks
Bert Parks, born Bertram Jacobson , was an American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer, best known for hosting the annual Miss America telecast from 1955 to 1979....
) was the station's news director, and Michele Meisner (formerly of San Francisco's Fantasy Studios) was music director.
A modest ratings success, KITS fought off competition from the legendary AM CHR station, KFRC
KFRC (defunct)
KFRC was a radio station in San Francisco, California in the United States, which made its first broadcast on Wednesday, September 24, 1924, from studios in the Hotel Whitcomb 1231 Market Street. KFRC originally broadcast with 50 watts on the 270 meter wavelength , then moved to 660 kHz. in...
(which changed format to big bands in 1986), as well as KMEL-FM, which had switched from album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
to CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
in 1984. 105 KITS was, for a while, the darling of the Jet Set; daily visits were common from movie celebrities such as Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
, Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
, Pat Morita
Pat Morita
Noriyuki "Pat" Morita was an American actor of Japanese descent who was well-known for playing the roles of Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the The Karate Kid movie series, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1984.-Early life:Pat...
, George Takei
George Takei
George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
, Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Friendly Persuasion and as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho , and its three sequels.-Early life:...
and others. The celebs didn't usually make it on the air, but they toured the studios in San Francisco's Merchandise Mart just to see what the industry buzz was all about.
1985–1997
KQAK
KQAK is a commercial oldies music radio station in Bend, Oregon, broadcasting on 105.7 FM.-History of the KQAK call sign:KQAK was the Federal Communications Commission call sign of a now defunct modern rock radio station "The Quake" in San Francisco, California. See KSOL-FM under the history...
"The Quake" changed formats in 1985, and fans of the station were eager for another station to pick up the format. During this time, on-air personality Steve Masters
Steve Masters
Steve Masters is an American radio and club DJ. He was an MTV VJ in 1991, and has worked for radio stations such as "Live 105" San Francisco and Channel 104.9 San Jose. He has also been in a band with his brother, Neighborhood Dilemma, and started his own record label, Tripindicular Records...
began experimenting with modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
on his evening show and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
Over time, KITS dropped the "Hot Hits" approach and remained a mainstream CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
station, but began a gradual musical shift, incorporating modern rock songs into their Top 40 playlist. By October 1986, KITS had completely dropped the pop artists from the playlist and became a pure modern rock station. The station's new moniker became "Live 105" under program director Richard Sands
Richard Sands
Richard Sands is employed in the American radio industry.First program director at LIVE 105 in San Francisco. He began at the station as evening disc jockey when it was a Hot Hits formatted Top 40 station in 1983, eventually rising to the program director position in 1985...
and music director Steve Masters.
The music ranged from mainstream alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, imports, dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
, and even classic songs from pioneering artists such as Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and T-Rex. Live 105 became a major influence on the format, and sole source of radio exposure for such artists in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
.
Rick Stuart
Rick Stuart is a Radio DJ in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is currently hosting afternoons at KFOX.Stations he has previously worked for include KFOG , Live 105 , KNAC, The Quake, and KUSF....
, Mark Hamilton, Roland West, and Alex Bennett & Lori Thompson in the morning. Bennett was let go from the station briefly in 1989 and replaced by Perry Stone, as Live 105 attempted a 'more music' approach in the morning. This proved to be a failure, and Bennett, who briefly went to WIOD
WIOD
WIOD is a news/talk formatted radio station in Miami, Florida. For over 80 years, it has been a major information station in South Florida...
in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, was brought back.
Hamilton left in 1994 to accept the program director job at KNRK
KNRK
KNRK is a commercial Modern AC-leaning Alternative rock music radio station in Portland, OR, broadcasting to the Portland, Oregon area on 94.7 FM...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, and Steve Masters departed soon after to take a Promotion job at MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
's new alternative label, WAY COOL. Roland West then moved from night to middays and took over the music director position, eventually becoming the Assistant Program director. Aaron Axelsen, then assistant music director, become the music director and host of specialty programs "Sound Check" and "Subsonic." The station also ran Hibernia Beach LIVE
Hibernia Beach LIVE
Hibernia Beach LIVE was a gay-themed call-in talk radio show broadcast on San Francisco, California rock radio station KITS "Live 105" from October 1989 to 2000...
, a gay-themed radio call-in show, from 1989 to 1999.
The modern rock format changed nationwide by the 1990s, moving away from the dance-heavy Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an sound to a harder direction with artists like Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
and Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, and Live 105 began incorporating it into their sound. After numerous years of success, ratings for Live 105 began to dip during the late '90s, as Infinity Broadcasting
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
's KOME
KOME
KOME was a radio station in San Jose, California, heard at 98.5 FM from 1971 thru 1998. Currently, the 98.5 FM frequency is home to KUFX .-Beginnings:...
in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
switched to a harder modern rock sound. KOME had great success in the ratings and managed to even beat Live 105 with the Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
morning show and its guitar-driven music format, as opposed to the more British, euro-based music Live 105 had carved a niche with.
1997–2005
On March 11, 1997, owner EntercomEntercom Communications
Entercom Communications Corporation is the fourth-largest broadcasting company in the United States. As of November 2009, Entercom operates 110 radio stations in 23 markets across the United States....
sold the station to Infinity Broadcasting (later CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
). After the sale to Infinity, on June 1, 1998, the big shakeup occurred. Stern's morning show, KOME's management and programming staff, and a few on-air personalities were brought up from San Jose to take over Live 105. KOME was eventually sold to Jacor
Jacor
Jacor Communications was a media corporation which owned a large number of radio stations in the United States. Inside the radio industry, Jacor was seen as one of the most competitive broadcast companies in history. Jacor's re-image in 1996 created the slogan "The Noise You Can't Ignore".Jacor was...
, which moved KUFX
KUFX
KUFX is a classic rock-formatted radio station in San Jose, California. It is owned by Entercom Communications. The station is referred to on-air as K-FOX.On January 24, 2011, KUFX began simulcasting on KUZX 102.1 MHz in San Francisco....
to the 98.5 frequency and the KOME call letters were "parked" on an AM station in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. Program director Richard Sands, assistant program director/midday host Roland West, and the relatively new morning team of Johnny Steele & Lori Thompson were all dismissed. KOME's program director, Jay Taylor, assumed programming duties at the new Live 105, and Ally Storm and No-Name moved into middays and nights, respectively. The syndicated call-in advice show, Loveline
Loveline
Loveline is a syndicated radio call-in program in North America, offering medical and relationship advice to listeners, often with the assistance of guests, typically actors and musicians. Its flagship station is KROQ-FM in Los Angeles....
, was also brought to Live 105 as its late-night program. Big Rick Stuart continued in afternoons until being let go in 2000, severing the last remaining thread to the original incarnation of Live 105, though Steve Masters returned briefly to host a midday specialty show.
By the end of 2001, Live 105 had drastically lost listeners due to the generally unpopular music assortment that was being played, which included heavier amounts of hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. Toward the middle of 2002, the station hired Sean Demery as Program Director in hopes of bringing back listeners and refocused on core alternative rock artists, more popular hits, and established artists, playing a mix of critically acclaimed artists from The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, The Pixies, Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
and current artists as, Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
, Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
, and The Killers. The station regained its reputation as a leader in new music and respect among many industry types, winning numerous awards for creativity and playing new bands before national support. Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, The Bravery
The Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band from New York City that consists of Sam Endicott , Michael Zakarin , John Conway , Mike Hindert , and Anthony Burulcich...
, Silversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. The band comprises Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester....
, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring...
were amongst the popular bands which enjoyed huge success after early support from Live 105.
2005-present
Howard SternHoward Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
ended his syndicated morning show in December 2005, and departed for Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
. In response, CBS Radio flipped the majority of its Alternative-formatted radio stations to an all-talk format known as Free FM
Free FM
Free FM was a short-lived, mostly-talk-radio format and brand name for eleven FM CBS Radio stations in the United States, and was created because of Howard Stern's departure to Sirius Satellite Radio in January 2006. Free FM was given its name to highlight that its stations broadcast free-to-air,...
. Live 105 was allowed to keep its music format, and thus decided to go in a music-oriented direction for its subsequent morning show, The Woody Show (originally The Morning Music Co-op, then The Woody, Tony and Ravey Show), hosted by Jeff "Woody" Fife, Tony Mott, and Renee Ravey, with producer Greg Gory and asst. producer Jason "White Menace" McMurry. Woody, Tony, and Ravey had previously worked afternoons on Chicago alternative rock station WKQX. The show made its debut on January 3, 2006. A successful run ensued, as the show retained many of the original listeners from Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
. In November 2006, the station hired a new Program Director, Dave Numme, who was already programming KUFO in Portland, another station owned by the CBS Radio.
Originally thought to be an April Fool's joke, The Woody Show was taken off the air on April 1, 2009 and subsequently confirmed that several members of the program were fired by CBS Radio management. On April 20, 2009, it was announced that No Name, the former radio morning show co-host on Alice 97.3 and former night jock of KITS
KITS
KITS is a San Francisco, California, USA-based radio station broadcasting at 105.3 MHz. The station is owned by CBS Radio and programs a modern rock format. The station also broadcasts on HD channel L2, locally on Comcast cable channel 986, and is streaming online.-Hot Hits:The station's...
in the late 90s and early 00s, would host the Live 105 morning show, known as The No Name Show, originally with Greg Gory and Katie. Greg Gory was fired from Live 105 on July 16, 2009, with Matty Staudt taking over producer duties. Staudt and No Name had worked together at KLLC
KLLC
KLLC is a commercial radio station located in San Francisco, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KLLC airs an Adult Top 40 music format same as KZZO in Sacramento and on 97.3 HD-2 is Chill With Alice, a Chill format channel...
for numerous years, however, the morning show was unable to gain traction in the ratings and Staudt was let go after one year. In October of 2009, Dave Numme was released from his position as Program Director and the programming reins given to CBS Radio San Francisco VP of Programming, Michael Martin.
On March 30, 2010, the Oakland Raiders announced a multi-year agreement for Live 105 and its sister station, KFRC (now KZDG) to broadcast play-by-play coverage of the team’s pre-season, regular season and post-season games.
In December 2010, the majority of the on-air staff was overhauled by management and revamped. The most notable of the changes was airing the syndicated Kevin and Bean
Kevin and Bean
Kevin and Bean is the morning show on KROQ-FM, an alternative rock-format radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is hosted by Kevin Ryder and Gene "Bean" Baxter. The show has been on the air since 1990 and intersperses music and news with comedy bits, celebrity interviews, listener call-ins,...
show, originating from sister station, KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
as the new morning drive program (5:30–10AM) beginning January 3, 2011. As a result, the No Name Show was broken up as sidekick/traffic reporter Katie was released from the station and No Name was moved from mornings to afternoons displacing long-time afternoon host Jared Aman. Midday host, Kat was also released from the station as part of the changes.
On May 10, 2011 Derric "Mega" Tanner, who had joined from competitor KSJO
KSJO
KSJO is a commercial radio station in San Jose, California, and broadcasts to the San Francisco Bay Area on 92.3 FM. KSJO currently airs a Chinese format branded as "92.3 KSJO".-History:...
was released from middays after just two months of joining the station and replaced by White Menace(10a-noon) and Music Director, Aaron Axelsen(noon-2P).
On September 3, 2011, the Kevin and Bean
Kevin and Bean
Kevin and Bean is the morning show on KROQ-FM, an alternative rock-format radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is hosted by Kevin Ryder and Gene "Bean" Baxter. The show has been on the air since 1990 and intersperses music and news with comedy bits, celebrity interviews, listener call-ins,...
show was dropped in favor of a music-intensive morning show. The duo was subsequently dropped from its syndicator, Westwood One, due to the loss of outlets carrying the show.
Concerts
Live 105 hosts two major concertConcert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s every year. BFD has traditionally place at the Shoreline Amphitheatre
Shoreline Amphitheatre
Shoreline Amphitheatre is an outdoor amphitheater, in Mountain View, California, USA, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Inside the venue it has a capacity of 22,500, with 6,500 reserved seats and 16,000 general admission on the lawn...
in Mountain View, California
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
in June. This festival-style concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
runs all day with up and coming bands performing on the festival stage during the day, and more established bands on the main stage at night. The first BFD concert took place in June 1994 with artists such as Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, and The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
. It has since hosted bands which went on to platinum-album status such as AFI
AFI (band)
AFI is an American alternative rock band from Ukiah, California that formed in 1991. They have consisted of the same lineup since 1998: lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backup vocalist Adam Carson, with bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget, who both play keyboard and contribute...
, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, Blink 182, Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
, The Killers, The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
, 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
, Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...
, the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, Panic at the Disco, The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
, Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
and the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
as well as older bands such as Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, Social Distortion
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...
and The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
.
The station's winter concert is Not So Silent Night, formerly known as the Green Christmas Ball and Electronica Hanukkah, occurs in early December, has featured such bands as Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
, Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, Kasabian, The Killers, My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
, Smashing Pumpkins, System of a Down
System of a Down
System of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is a rock band from Southern California. The band was formed in 1994. It consists of Serj Tankian , Daron Malakian , Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan...
, Blink-182
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
, The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, Silversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. The band comprises Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester....
, Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse is an American indie rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. They are based in Portland, Oregon. Since their 1996 debut album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think...
, Cake
Cake (band)
Cake is an American alternative rock band from Sacramento, California. Consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi, the band has been noted for McCrea's sarcastic lyrics and deadpan voice, DiFiore's trumpet parts, and...
, Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
, Angels & Airwaves
Angels & Airwaves
Angels & Airwaves is an American alternative rock supergroup led by Blink-182 guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, also including guitarist David Kennedy from Over My Dead Body, Hazen Street and Box Car Racer, bass guitarist Matt Wachter from 30 Seconds to Mars and former Lostprophets and Nine Inch...
, Spoon
Spoon (band)
Spoon is an American rock band formed in Austin, Texas. The band is composed of Britt Daniel ; Jim Eno ; Rob Pope and Eric Harvey .-History:...
, Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, that formed in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind....
, Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
, and Everclear
Everclear (band)
Everclear is a rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1992 best known for their radio hits spanning more than a decade. For most of its existence, Everclear has consisted of Art Alexakis , Craig Montoya , and Greg Eklund . Eklund replaced original drummer Scott Cuthbert in 1994...
.
In 2009, LIVE 105 added a third annual concert - Subsonic Halloween Spookfest. This concert debuted on October 30, 2009 at the Cow Palace
Cow Palace
Cow Palace is an indoor arena, in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco, notable as a sporting arena.-History:...
in San Francisco. The Halloween-themed concert featured three stages of entertainment. Performers have included The Faint
The Faint
The Faint is an American indie rock band. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska, the band consists of Todd Fink, Jacob Thiele, Dapose, Joel Petersen and Clark Baechle. The Faint was originally known as Norman Bailer and included Conor Oberst...
, Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx are a British electronic dance music duo from London, England consisting of Felix Buxton born 1971 and Simon Ratcliffe born 1 December 1969. They first rose to popularity in the late 1990s...
, Crystal Method, DJ Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki is an American electro house musician, record producer and the founder of Dim Mak Records.-Early life:...
, Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles (band)
Crystal Castles are an experimental electronic band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of producer Ethan Kath and lyricist and vocalist Alice Glass. Crystal Castles are known for their chaotic live shows and their lo-fi home productions. The duo released many limited EPs between 2006 and...
, MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT is a Canadian electronic music duo from Toronto, Ontario. The group was started in 2005 by Jesse F. Keeler of Death from Above 1979 and Al-P formerly of the Mississauga, Ontario electropop group Girlsareshort...
, Underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
, DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
, and many other electronic and rock artists that are regularly featured on the station's Saturday night show, Subsonic.
Awards
In 2007, the station was nominated for the top 25 markets Alternative station of the year award by Radio & RecordsRadio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
magazine.
Other nominees included WBCN in Boston, KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
in Los Angeles, KTBZ-FM
KTBZ-FM
KTBZ-FM, also known as 94.5 The Buzz, is an alternative rock radio station licensed to Houston, Texas with studios located in Houston at 2000 West Loop South, Suite 300, and with transmitter facilities located in Missouri City, Texas.- History :...
in Houston, KNDD
KNDD
KNDD , also known as "107.7 The End", is an alternative rock radio station in Seattle, Washington. It is operated by Entercom Communications Its studios are located in the Metropolitan Park West tower between Downtown and South Lake Union in Seattle...
in Seattle, and WWDC
WWDC (FM)
WWDC is a commercial radio station in Washington, D.C., broadcasting to the Washington, DC-Baltimore, Maryland area. WWDC airs an alternative rock format on 101.1 FM branded as DC101.-History:WWDC-FM signed on in 1947 as a beautiful music station...
in Washington, DC.
Various members of the LIVE 105 programming and airstaff have also received individual awards for contributions to the station. Ex-Program Directors, Richard Sands and Sean Demery were awarded "Program Director of the Year" by various trade magazines, as well as current Music Director and DJ Aaron Axelsen, who received the "Best Terrestrial Radio DJ in San Francisco" award from the weekly publication SF Guardian in 2009.