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.

San Jose's KLOK Sent To Principle's Office

Radio-Info.com is reporting that Univision's KLOK (1170 AM) in San Jose has been sold to Principle Broadcasting, a New York-based outfit that specializes in "ethnic and other niche radio plays":

Principle, run by President/CEO Bill Saurer, is paying $7,650,000 for the facility, which has 50-kw days and 5-kw nights. Univision will retain the current "Radio Cadena" news/talk format and move it to the HD-2 signal of its "Recuerdo" KBRG-FM (100.3).

Last November, Your Intrepid Reporter had blahhhhged that KLOK's expected sale was to Salem Communications (owners of KFAX and KDOW here). Wrong? You betcha.

UPDATE (6/5/2009): Here's your coat and hat, what's your hurry? A quick twist of the wrist finds that Principle has already taken over KLOK's programming. At this moment, there is some truly swingin' South Asian music rockin' the 1170 airwaves...

Rumor: Salem Buying KLOK/1170?

The rumor being bandied about last night in the high-altitude press box at HP Pavilion in San Jose was that KLOK/1170 has been/is on the verge of/might be sold to Salem Communications by Univision.

From there, the scenarios started being thrown about: perhaps Salem would either (a) move the KDOW/1220 programming to 1170 and put the KLOK programming on 1220; or (b) abandon the plan to build a new transmitter plant for 1220 in Hayward and diplex both KLOK and KDOW off the same 1170 towers on South King Road in San Jose, which seems like a more NIMBY-proof way of doing things.

All of this is, of course, rumor and speculation, as far as I can figure at this point.

The San Jose Fighting Sharks, by the way, defeated the Dallas Stars on a last-minute slam dunk by Patrick Marleau, and are easily the best, most talented and most exciting sports team in the Bay Area in many years — the perfect tonic for those of us disenchanted by the moribund Raiders and 49ers.

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