Audacy classic alternative/modern rock “Live 105” KITS San Francisco will be honored as the Bay Area Radio Museum and Hall of Fame’s 2026 Legendary Station of the Year at a Jan. 30 ceremony at the California Historical Radio Society. BARHOF has recognized a Legendary Station every year since 2009.
“Live 105” has been among the U.S.’s most influential stations in the format since its debut in 1986, helping to launch the careers of acts such as Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, Pearl Jam, Blink-182, Foo Fighters and Depeche Mode. KITS received Billboard’s “Radio Station of the Year” award in 1989 and was a Radio & Records “Alternative Station of the Year” nominee in 2007.
During a 19-month period following a format switch in October 2021, KITS aired a “Classic Live 105” HD subchannel featuring alternative rock from the 1980s through the 2000s, leading to the station’s June 2023 relaunch of “Live 105.”
BARHOF’s ceremony will feature “Live 105” alumni and current staff, with speakers including former Brand Managers Richard Sands and Mark Hamilton, former General Manager Ed Krampf, former Promotions and Marketing Director Gabby Medecki, and former Music Director Steve Masters. Also on hand will be former on-air personalities Alex Bennett, Big Rick Stuart, Mike “No Name” Nelson, Spud, Lori Thompson and Roland West, along with Audacy VP of Programming John Allers and current on-air hosts Aaron Axelsen, Dallas Osborn and Marci Wiser.
“What an incredible honor for an incredible brand and people who’ve made Live 105 the legend it is,” Allers says. “Very few radio stations have influenced and inspired listeners, artists and radio professionals the way Live 105 has over its 40 years.”
Bay Area Radio Museum and Hall of Fame founder David Jackson adds, “Live 105 was simply the coolest station in the Bay Area during the 1980s, into the 1990s, and beyond. And its listeners knew it was just that.”