A popular Seattle radio station has bought the Bay Area’s 92.7 FM station (currently known as 92.7 The Hu$tle), and will start broadcasting their indie rock stylings next week.

In recent decades, the Bay Area radio station known as 92.7 FM has changed formats about as often as their DJs changed their socks. Founded in 1959, it had a strong 35-year run as the jazz station KJAZ. But over the last 20 or so years, that station has switched to the techno station Party 92.7, EDM station Energy 92.7 (which was briefly quite good with Fernando & Greg, until the station fired them), station pop station REV FM, and most recently, hip-hop station 92.7 The Hu$tle. It had far too many call letters over the years to list, and went bankrupt in 2023.  

The Chronicle reported last November that the bankrupt station was bought by popular Seattle indie rock station KEXP for $3.75 million. KEXP is known for having been an early adopter of grunge acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and has a substantial digital and Youtube presence. And now Bay Area News Group reports that the new 92.7 will start broadcasting in the Bay Area on Tuesday, March 19.

“KEXP is grateful to have the opportunity to connect with music lovers everywhere, and we couldn’t be more excited to begin this next phase of our evolution with a whole new pool of listeners in a market area with so much rich musical history and character,” KEXP CEO Ethan Raup said in a release. “We’re looking forward to learning from our new Bay Area neighbors while we help do our part to grow our community and programming in the market, and ultimately move KEXP’s mission forward.”

At first, the station will broadcast the same programming as their 90.3 FM Seattle stations. But, according to the Chronicle, some local broadcasting will be mixed in over time.

“We have a strong audience in the Bay Area, and it’s one of the reasons why we’ve been looking at the possibility of doing something like this with terrestrial broadcast for several years now,” Raup said in a Chronicle interview. “It’s a really low-barrier way to reach a lot of people. We expect that we’re going to be able to boost our audience significantly beyond what we’ve been able to do just for digital.”

Seattle’s KEXP currently averages 200,000 weekly listeners on the broadcast  airwaves, and 100,000 listeners online.

Related: Bay Area's Live 105 Returns to Alt-Rock Format Following Fan Revolt [SFist]

Image: Professional studio microphone, recording studio, equipment in the blurry background (Getty Images)

Live 105, a.k.a. 105.3 FM, was for decades the radio-dial home of the likes of Radiohead, New Order, Green Day, and Nirvana. And in some good news especially for older Millennials and Gen Xers who still listen to FM radio, the station is dropping the 105.3 Dave FM "random" format its had the last couple of years, and going back to the original.

Look for personalities like Party Ben and Miles the DJ to return to the airwaves, as radio station owner Audacy has decided to listen to fans and not mess the old, heavily 90s-rock formula.

"The people have spoken, and we are excited to answer the call,” says Stacey Kauffman, regional vice president and market manager for Audacy San Francisco and Sacramento, in a statement. “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.”

And, per a press release, Live 105 returns today (June 5) with "music from every era of its history as the ‘Bay Area’s Alternative'” with the core list of artists including "Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, The Killers, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Blink-182, Foo Fighters, Depeche Mode, the Cure and more."

As Bay Area News Group reports, you'll mostly just be hearing music to start on the revamped Live 105, with the on-air personalities returning later on.

"The first priority is to re-establish that the Live 105 music is back on the radio," says brand manager John Allers, per the news group. "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’ in guiding the evolution of Live 105 into the future," Allers adds.

The rebranding to "Dave FM: Totally Random Radio" happened in 2021, several years after the formation of Audacy, which followed a merger between CBS Radio and Entercom. The station had previously undergone a December 2017 rebranding as Alt 105.3.

Some surveying of fans in the last two years told the company that most of them just wanted the old Live 105 back.

Live 105 dates back to 1986, and was always the region's more alternative and rock-centric option beside the popular and more pop-y Alice 97.3 — which is also now owned by Audacy. As the Chronicle reports, veteran Alice music director Jayn will also be music-directing the new Live 105.

Starting in the 90s, Live 105 began doing popular summer and holiday-season festival-type shows — their annual BFD shows in June at Shoreline Amphitheater, and December concerts at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and later the Oakland Arena called Live 105's Not-So-Silent Night, which ran through December 2017 and were an important rite of passage for a certain segment of Bay Area teens.

The station won't be only backwards-looking in terms of artists, despite the above-mentioned list. Allers tells the Chronicle that there will be new tracks as well, and "Live 105 will represent the past, present and future of alternative music."

Listeners can find Live 105 on regular old terrestrial radio, or on the Audacy app.

Top image: Perry Farrell and Jane's Addiction performing at "Live 105's Not So Silent Night" at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on December 12, 2003 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

Forgetting the fact that Lorde's hit single "Royals" has already been overplayed to death by Top-40 radio stations, two San Francisco stations are putting the kibosh on its airplay for reasons of a certain team from Kansas City whose hopes and dreams the Giants are planning to crush in the coming days. Local FM stations 104.5 KFOG and 96.5 KOIT have both banned the song until the World Series is over, just in case it might give the Kansas City Royals some extra mojo.

KOIT program director Brian Figula announced on the station's website that the move was in response to listener emails. "Our listeners told us to do it, so we did it."

KFOG quickly followed suit.

Meanwhile, since it's corporate radio, KOIT has a sister station in Kansas City, KZPT, which will be putting "Royals" into its highest rotation, playing it every hour on the hour on Tuesday, as Rolling Stones reports.

The song has been adopted as an unofficial theme this year by the Kansas City Royals. And as it turns out, even though Lorde doesn't seem to be a baseball fan, she says she became obsessed with the word after looking at an old National Geographic photo of onetime Royals great George Brett, in his jersey, signing baseballs. So, the connection is actually real, as Yahoo News notes.

I look forward to having the song shoved down my throat during Games 1 and 2 in Kansas City, starting on Tuesday.

What's more addictive and more dangerous this time of year than a gram of Tenderloin black tar? "Hey Santa!" by Brian Wilson by proxy. It borders on genius, really. So hooky. So California. So appropriately, yet at the same time blasphemously, casual. Now, of course, it's no Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" or "Sleigh Ride" by the Ronettes, that's for goddamn sure, but it's up there. Awful and wonderful all at once. What are we talking about? This.

Starting at NOON today, the lightest of light and least of the talk, KOIT 96.5 will begin its annual besiegement of holiday classics. Oh, you want a taste? Here you go. But from today until New Year's, KOIT will burrow a hole to your heart with a tongue-sharpened candy cane. You can't escape it. You'll hear it everywhere. Trust me.

NOTE: Beware of Vic Damone's "Christmas in San Francisco," a tune that, sadly, is one of the worst. Just terrible. A slice of the fruit cake of modern Christmas carols for your consideration: "Maybe eat in Chinatown/Before we trim the tree/And then a North Beach cappucino/Would sure taste good to me."

The war on women continues unabated, with KNBR being the most recent apologist of anti-female sentiment. Damon Bruce, if you recall, went on a horrific tirade demonstrating his hatred toward women last week. He was suspended, but now he's back. Because dudes. Because sports. Because of course. Because gross.

Bay Area Sports Guy reports, "According a source I spoke to and another one from KRON, Damon Bruce will be back on the air at his regular time tomorrow. However, he will no longer be on KNBR’s 49ers pregame show."

Rich Lieberman goes on to confirm Bruce's return, noting, "The move...was confirmed to me by Bruce himself via text. 'I'm back on the air tomorrow,' (Tuesday), said a clearly relieved Bruce."

Also, for what it's worth, he now wants your forgiveness.

On Friday, Bruce unfurled a verbal manifesto against women in sports journalism. Among the golden nuggets of turd that poured forth from his mouth? Let's see: "A lot of sports has lost its way, and I'm gonna tell you, part of the reason is because we've got women giving us directions." Also he told women to "go write a restaurant column. Go write a housekeeping column. Get out of the world of sports." And then he barfed out a bucket of other dangerous, inaccurate bile.

Previously: Bay Area Sportscaster Damon Bruce, of KNBR, Goes On Misogynistic Rant

To all you soggy blankets, poopers at parties, and veritable drips who bemoan the early arrival of Christmas each year (hi, Jay!), we give unto you this. Drink it in. Soak it up. Let it wash over you like a cool chocolate-mint shower of Christ's afterbirth. "This is how you know it's really fucking Christmastime," writes friend of SFist Beth Spotswood, who sent us the fantastic news this morning.

Starting Wednesday at noon, 96.5 KOIT starts their annual tradition of 24/7 Christmas music. But before tomorrow's kickoff, why not get those pesky thoughts of Thanksgiving out of your head by listening to Christmas music RIGHT NOW as KOIT has already started streaming it online. Lucky you.

And if you hear an explosion coming from SOMA, that's just our head blowing up with unadulterated joy upon hearing the first few jingles of "All I Want For Christmas Is You."

[Spotswood]

SFist was the first to bring you the now-famous spandex suit Giants closer Brian Wilson wore at Wednesday's ESPY Awards, and it was glorious. We don't know about you, but our appreciation for Wilson as a San Francisco delegate jumped tenfold. However, not everybody was happy about it. Broadcaster and KCBS commentator John Madden slammed Wilson this morning for his revealing attire at last night's awards show.

"He's trying to hard, " said Madden. "It's a severe case of 'look at me.' "

Aw, come now, Madden. Brian was just having a little bit of fun at an admittedly bizarre awards show. (Red carpet award shows and sports should never mix. No, it just ain't right.)

Rich Lieberman goes on to point out: "Madden isn't a big fan of sports stars trying their best to resemble a visual Rubik's cube. You could say its a case of an old fart not in times with Generation Y, but Madden wouldn't go there."

For his part, Brian Wilson explained his outfit to the Washington Post accordingly.

“It's a onesie, so it has built-in gloves that are a little dirty because I've been getting a little awkward here on the carpet. And I've got my cougar cane — my 'plus one' tonight. And the socks came in the fan mail from a San Francisco Giants fan. You know who you are, thank you. It said: ‘Enjoy.’ That was the letter. And I'm currently enjoying them. Ninja socks.”

And on that note, we leave you with some Wilson crotch bulge to commence your day. You're welcome.

Buster Posey's collision with Marlins rookie Scott Cousins still has fans and teammaktes alike livid. And rightfully so. The crash yanked the noted Rookie of the Year out for the rest of the season. Posey has since refused to return any of Cousins' apologetic phone calls. Which is understandable. He's hurt. We're hurt. Heavens' angels are hurt. Anyone with a heart is hurt. While incidents like Cousins' aren't unusual in baseball, it was aggressive and unnecessary. We get this. However, on yesterday's KNBR show with Ralph Barbieri and Tom Tolbert, Giants General Manager had some equally aggressive words for Cousins.

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports:

“Why not be hard nosed?” Sabean said. “If I never hear from Cousins again or he never plays another game in the big leagues, I think we’ll all be happy.”

Asked later in the interview if perhaps those words were too harsh, Sabean didn’t back down. In fact, he left little doubt that the Giants are bent on getting some on-field vengeance.

“Well, no,” Sabean said. “He chose to be a hero in my mind, and if that’s his flash of fame, that’s as good as it’s going to get, pal. We’ll have a long memory. Believe me, we’ve talked to (former catcher Mike) Matheny about how this game works. You can’t be that out-and-out overly aggressive. I’ll put it as politically as I can state it: There’s no love lost and there shouldn’t be.”

While we feel Sabean's pain, we cannot imagine that threatening another player with on-field violence is the best solution here. We think Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles sums up yesterday's radio brouhaha seamlessly, saying:

Hey, Sabean: shut up. You're embarrassing me.

Indeed.

Hot on the heels of Benjamin Wachs and Joe Eskenazi's excellent article on silly ordinances at City Hall, SF Weekly roundaboutly reports that Supevisor Ross Mirkarimi plans on introducing a resolution supporting KUSF, everyone's suddenly favorite radio station that abruptly changed formats earlier this month, as first reported by SFist. Will it makes a difference? Absolutely not. It will get killed before it goes anywhere. (Which is too bad, or so we hear. The over-inked station was quite popular with certain people.) Will it make a handful of people and reporters feel good about themselves? Of course. And isn't that, in the end, what's most important? [SFW]

Both private school students and classic music lovers are fuming ever since yesterday's KUSF announcement of a drastic change in format. An attempt to save KUSF is currently afoot with this handy Facebook page. It declares: "USF underhandedly sold off our beloved 90.3FM KUSF and forced it to go online. Let's try to save as much of this wonderful station as possible! This is the place to find info on the sale and what our next options are."

Also, a 6:30 pm demonstration at USF might or might not happen at the school's Phelan Hall.

KUSF 90.3FM, noted for thier quality jazz and hip hop radio shows, sent out the this Twitter message claiming University of San Francisco just sold the station. "USF just sold KUSF! #WTF we're off the air. we need your help. Impromptu demonstration on the USF campus tomorrow at 7."

The doors are reportedly locked, too. Carolyn Keddy, AKA KUSF's CarolyntheDJ, reported on what happened when she tried to show up at the station this morning: "Just showed up @kusf to my show and the doors are locked. USF has sold the station. Management was in on it. They're keeping all our records."

The KUSF site now simply reads, "Please check back soon for an important annoucement regarding KUSF."

The station might move to a web-only format, we hear. We'll update as soon as we know more.

UPDATE: In a press release, USF confirmed that KUSF wasn't sold itself, but they sold the space KUSF occupies on your radio dial. It's unclear why there's such a difference between the cry of alarm from the KUSF twitter account and the release from USF, which appears to depict a well planned change. And if it was so well planned, why they felt it necessary to keep students and DJs in the dark, literally locking them out. Strange. We called USF for comment. We have yet to hear back from them.

Read the press release in its entirety below.