Richard Sands

Since he was a child, Richard Sands wanted to be on the radio, and when he was a student at the University of California, Berkeley, he began to realize his dreams. During that time, Richard worked as a DJ at KALX, as well as KPOO and KPFA, while maintaining a full curriculum. 

After graduating in 1975, Sands discovered that getting that first paying job was tough. He eventually landed in Mendocino doing mornings at KMFB. Later, he DJ’d in beautiful places like Hawaii, South Lake Tahoe, and San Diego. Sands moved back to the Bay Area in 1983, doing nights at KITS, and working up to afternoons, then becoming KITS Program Director/VP of Programming. In 1986, the “Live 105” format  was created, with Sands as the initial Program Director/VP of Programming. The Modern Rock station gained widespread acclaim, winning national awards and becoming a ratings success that helped change the local club scene and culture. 

After 12 successful years, a corporate reshuffling merged Live 105 with KOME, and Sands moved on to the Gavin Report as that periodical’s Alternative Editor. Later, he created his own targeted report, The Sands Report. For more than 20 years, The Sands Report has been Alternative Radio’s #1 news weekly, with Richard Sands serving as publisher, writer, and editor-in-chief. After nearly 50 years on the radio and helping to create a cutting-edge radio station, then writing about Alternative radio on a national level, Richard Sands continues to stir things up in music and radio.