Radio and music blogger Brad Kava notes that, once again, KGO-AM 810 finished on top in the fall ratings for listeners over 12, with 5.9 percent of listeners compared to No. 2 KOIT-FM (96.5), at 5.7 percent. KOIT worried KGO because it always gets a surge in listenership when it switches to all Christmas music.

Kava points out that five of the top 10 stations are talk. But three talk stations are struggling — No. 23 KNEW-AM 910, the home of Michael Savage; No. 27 KKGN-AM 960, liberal “Green 960,” and the new KRTB-AM 860, which doesn’t even crack the list of Top 40 stations despite a 50,000-watt signal and a dial position just north of No. 1 KGO 810.

KTRB is airing syndicated hosts all day and not investing in much local programming. Kava writes: “Manager Jim Pappas says there may be more [local programming] if the station gets more advertising and ratings. But that seems to be a cart leading the horse argument. Why would people want to listen to a station that is carrying the same type of cookie-cutter conservative hosts as KSFO and KNEW?