S.F. March Radio Ratings In Review...

In the latest Arbitron ratings, News KCBS (740 AM and 106.9 FM) keeps its grip on the top spot among all listeners age 6+ for the third straight month. KQED-FM (88.5) holds the second spot, followed by Lite Rock KOIT (96.5 FM)

In AllAccess.com's analysis:

Like geological strata revealed on a dig, the P25-54 rankings for March are layered by format from #1 to #10. At the top is the News layer, revealing #1 KQED-FM and #2 KCBS-AM. Next is the Top 40 stratum, featuring #3 CBS Radio Top 40/Mainstream KMVQ (99.7 NOW), #4 Clear Channel Top 40/Rhythmic KYLD (Wild 94.9), and #5 KMEL. Next is the Latin layer, with #6 Univision Regional Mexican KSOL and #7 Univision Spanish Adult Hits KBRG (Recuerdo 100.3). The final layer of the P25-54 Top 10 format stratification is the AC layer, which shows KOIT, Clear Channel Hot AC KIOI (Star 101.3), and Clear Channel Rhythmic AC KISQ (98.1 Kiss FM) stacked at #8, #9 and #10, respectively.

AllAccess also notes that the Wild 94.9 morning show, starring J.V. and Rico, has jumped from #5 to #2 among listeners 18-34, and from #10 to #5 among listeners 25-54.

Clear Channel/SF Rearranges Deck Chairs

AllAccess.com reported just moments ago that two of Clear Channel's heaviest hitters in San Francisco, John Scott and Stacy Cunningham, have "exited the cluster."

Scott was program director of Green 960 (KKGN), while Cunningham programmed KMEL (106.1 FM).

CC/SF operations manager Don Scott takes over programming duties at KMEL, with Ricci Filiar now programming 98.1 Kiss FM, Green 960 and KNEW (910 AM). Filiar had been APD and music director at Kiss FM.

For Stockton's KSTN, Sudden Death

I learned just a few moments ago from a longtime employee at Stockton's KSTN (1420 AM, 107.3 FM) that both stations will go dark tonight.

The AM station will reportedly be dismantled and remain silent. Its future, if it has one, is unclear.

The FM, which has been popular in the Central Valley as La Poderosa, will be off the air over the weekend, then will return on Monday as a "repeater" for Educational Media Foundation's K-Love Christian network.

Both stations are expected to go off-air tonight at or around midnight.

UPDATE (5 PM): I am now informed from personnel inside the radio ranch house at 2171 Ralph Avenue that KSTN/1420 will sign off for good at 6:15 PM this evening.

UPDATE (6:30 PM): Following Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust," KSTN program director John Hampton, who has been with the station for thirty years, and chief engineer Paul Shinn, who has been there for a dozen, said their final farewells and played her out with the KSTN version of the theme from "WKRP In Cincinnati" by Steve Carlisle. Then, sadly, dead air on 1420 kiloHertz.

Click here for an excerpt from the final moments of KSTN/1420.

UPDATE (2/20/2010 12:05 AM): No sentimental send-off for La Poderosa. At midnight, following a quick legal ID, the power was simply shut off on 107.3 FM.

Ken Dito To Join KTRB?

Unconfirmed -- the I's haven't been crossed and the T's haven't been dotted yet -- but I've heard from a couple of people that Ken Dito will be heading to reconstructed Xtra Sports 860 (KTRB) as sports director and morning show host.

Dito (photo, right) had been reporting sports on the radio at KGO, and is a veteran of KNBR, KSFO and KYA.

No word yet on when the show will start, but Dito's potential presence on KTRB would certainly offer an alternative to KNBR's morning program.

KTRB continues its significant effort in going from third or fourth-tier (and, in some cases, fifth-tier) talk programming to a sports-oriented format, centered around Oakland A's baseball, Sporting News Radio and Ron Barr's Sports Byline USA.

PHOTO: Ken Dito, from the Bay Area Radio Museum Archives, courtesy of Ken Dito.

Dave McQueen Signs Off At KCBS Tonight

Dave McQueen, one of the best newsmen we'll ever hear, retires after his late-night shift at All News KCBS (740/106.9) tonight. KCBS has been running a tribute piece by Mike Sugerman as their cover story today, and his friends and colleagues will hold a retirement party for him tonight.

McQueen (photo, right) came to the Bay Area forty years ago from Texas as the news anchor at KSAN during its nascent days as "The Jive 95." He had a deep, solid, authoritarian voice -- a "network voice" -- which belied his appearance: Dave McQueen was a full-on long-haired hippie.

He also worked at KFRC, KNEW, KKCY and KKSF. McQueen's last shift tonight (through early Saturday morning) has him on from 9 to 11 PM, then again from 2 to 5 AM, according to the KCBS program schedule.

UPDATE (6/27/2009 5 AM): As I fully expected, Dave McQueen -- who declined to be interviewed for Mike Sugerman's tribute piece -- signed off his final broadcast on KCBS in simple, by-the-book fashion: he mentioned the features that were coming up in the next hour, and then, after the top-of-the-hour time signal, he intoned "five o'clock."

The KCBS audio tribute to McQueen may be streamed at the station's website.

PHOTO SOURCE: Dave McQueen, circa 1973, from Jive95.com.

Karel Show Loses Energy

As tipped by Rich "Big Vinny" Lieberman in his "City Brights" blog this morning, Karel has announced on his own website that he has been dropped from Energy 92.7's schedule.

Energy 92.7 has decided to not carry the Karel Show any longer. The reasons stated were financial reasons and the fact that it’s a new show and so as ratings tend to do they drop off at first and then rebuild. The building process isn’t happening fast enough for management so the money men (and women) said, stop.

According to Big Vinny's blog, Karel emailed him that the show will continue on Peter Laufer's KRXA (540 AM) in Monterey, and that "we are looking towards another station in [the Bay Area], perhaps Green 960 or such," to pick up the program.

Live 105: The Return Of "Yes/No" Radio

The Chronicle's SFGate.com reports this morning that Live 105 (KITS 105.3 FM) will turn its 10 PM to midnight block on Sunday nights into "listener's choice" in conjunction with a San Mateo social media startup -- kind of like KLOK's old "Yes/No Radio" mashed up with Russ "The Moose" Syracuse's bombing runs on bad records back in the day on KYA

Jelli's website proclaims this to be "100% User-Controlled Radio. No Suits. No DJs. No Kidding."

(Brilliant! Remote-controlled radio! We've now got an app to replace the music director and the disc jockey -- just what radio needs these days! Wouldn't it be easier to tell your listeners to go out and buy an MP3 player and shut off the transmitters completely? Here's an idea: how about an app that replaces all the listeners that previously flocked to radio?)

The first iteration of "LiveJelli 105" rolls out on Sunday, June 28.

Excerpts from the article on SFGate:

Jelli Inc., which officially launches Wednesday, lets listeners vote up or down on a play list of songs streamed on its Web site, Jelli.net.

Songs chosen as "Rocks" get bumped up the list and will be chosen seconds before it actually streams. Songs marked as "Sucks" can get bombed off the list, even while it's playing.

UPDATE (10:45 AM): FMQB has more about this wonderful innovation that will revolutionize radio as we know it, including this nugget:

"We want to change the entire concept of what ‘traditional radio’ can be, via real-time web services, enabling new experiences, social web integrations and content possibilities," said Jateen Parekh, CTO and co-founder of Jelli. "Jelli helps traditional broadcasters convert active listeners into active web users, drive ratings and revenue, and access reporting about what their audience cares about."

UPDATE (3:30 PM): Man, is this thing getting coverage in the trades. By early afternoon, in addition to SFGate and FMQB, there have been detailed articles in Billboard Business News, CNET, Radio World, Streaming Magazine, Radio Online, Kurt Hanson's RAIN and Media Buyer Planner about this. Google News has updated links to all industry coverage on this topic.