The moment Live 105 returned to the radio in the Bay Area.
Live 105 announced its return to the Bay Area airwaves on Monday, June 5, with “Welcome to Paradise,” a pop-punk classic by hometown heroes Green Day.
The song title no doubt describes the feeling of joy felt by many local radio listeners who were anticipating the return of the region’s much beloved and dearly missed alternative station, which was pulled off the air two years ago to make room for a free-format retro Top 40 station called Dave FM.
Before the planned 10:53 a.m. switchover — give or take a few minutes — the 105.3 FM (KITS) frequency was filled with the sound of static and random news clips heralding, “Excitement is building all over the Bay Area.” Amid the white noise, there were warped segments of easy listening favorites like Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and Dionne Warwick’s “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” and the sound of Starship’s “We Built This City” melting away.
Then a pair of movie voices interrupted.
“I’m looking for Dave!” said one.
“Dave’s not here” came the response.
And with that dramatic segment playing out, another voice announced, “The one and only Live 105 is back!”
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images 2021
A medley of songs by alt-rock acts like the Killers, Jimmy Eat World, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Nirvana gave way to the full-length Green Day track, which got plenty of air time on the station back in 1991. That was followed by the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” and Foo Fighters’ “Learning to Fly,” with voices reassuring listeners between tracks that they really were once again listening to Live 105.
“The wait is over as all eyes and ears are on the Bay Area today!” said another disembodied news anchor’s voice.
The return of Live 105 comes six years after the station was initially rebranded as Alt 105.3 then Dave FM “Totally Random Radio,” with a playlist that in its last few minutes on-air included Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville,” Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer.”
On Friday, June 3, John Allers, regional vice president of alternative programming at Audacy, told The Chronicle that the company is committed to restoring the essence of Live 105, which served as the Bay Area’s primary alt-rock station for more than three decades before the format changes.
Marielle Hayes
Along with the familiar music, that includes bringing back on-air personalities such as Aaron Axelsen, Miles “Miles the DJ” Anzaldo and Ben “Party Ben” Gill. An announcer on the station also hinted that the station would resume producing special events around the Bay Area, such as the famous BFD Festival during the summer and the Not So Silent Night concert series in December.
The rest of the on-air talent will be announced in the coming weeks, Allers said. In the meantime, the station will operate without regular DJs.
“Live 105 will represent the past, present and future of alternative music,” Allers said.
Live 105 broadcasts on-air at 105.3 FM in San Francisco and is available to stream nationwide on the Audacy app and website.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
