The ballot for the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame is out, and about the only person missing is Mayor Ed Lee.

For the Class of 2011, the Hall of Fame has listed 91 nominees in seven categories. Voters are asked to select one for each category, although more than one may be inducted. Last year, 20 broadcasters were enshrined, including five in the “Announcer” division. The year before, the honorees numbered 12.

Here are the nominees:

Announcer (program host/DJ): Scott Beach, Tom Campbell, Bill Collins, Les Crane, Norman Davis, Jack Friday, Ward Glenn, Fred Goerner, Sue Hall, Clyde “Buddy“ Hatton, Johnny Holliday, Rosalie Howarth, Larry Ickes, Bob Jones, Greg Kihn, Jack Kulp, Johnny Morris, Bobby Ocean, Celeste Perry, Barry Pope, Bob Ray, Ron Reynolds, Dusti Rhodes, Laurie Roberts, George Ruge, Dan Sorkin, Sly Stone, Ray Talliaferro.

News: Helen Bentley, Jan Black, Larry Brownell, Clarence “Clancy” Cassell, Chet Casselman, Peter Cleaveland, Mike Colgan, Gene D’Accardo, Gil Haar, Herb Kennedy, Frank Knight, Bob Lazich, Dick Leonard, Bob Melrose, Knowles Robertson, George Sampson, Jeff Skov, Barbara Taylor, Susan Leigh Taylor, Tony Tremayne (born Mel Fritze).

Sports: Ralph Barbieri, Ron Barr, Steve Bitker, Bob Blum, Ken Dito, Jim Grady, Ken Korach, Bill Laws, Hal Ramey.

Pioneer: Wilda Wilson Church, Bouncin’ Bill Doubleday, Floyd Farr, Sybil Herrold, Francis J. McCarthy, Don Thompson.

Owner-manager: Russ Coughlan, Don Curran, Al Leavitt, Joe Levitt, Lorenzo Milan, Alice Potter, Bill Weaver.

Specialty: Warren Boggess (KSFO traffic), Dr. Dean Edell (syndicated medical talk), Ron Fell (Raiders, Gavin Report, KNBR PD), Bob Foster (journalist), Elma Greer (KSFO music librarian), Louise Jorjorian (KSFO promotions), Jane Morrison (KNBR community affairs), Mike Pech-ner (KCBS weather), Peter Scott (KSFO PD), Don Tayer (AFTRA), Kim Wonderley (KCBS traffic).

Engineering: Frank Bindt, John Higdon, Howard Immekus, Shingo Kamada, Fred Krock, “Super“ Harlow Meyers, Bill Ruck, Mike Schweizer, Roy Trumball.

Ballots are available online at barhof.org and at events produced by the Hall of Fame’s partners, the Broadcast Legends and the California Historical Radio Society. Voting ends July 10; write-ins are welcome.

Ch-ch-ch-changes: KGO’s award-winning morning co-anchor, Ed Baxter, has departed, and the station has moved noon news co-anchor Jon Bristow into his slot, alongside Jennifer Jones. Baxter joined KGO 35 years ago and anchored afternoons with Rosie Allen before moving to the pivotal 5-to-9 a.m. shift in 2000. “I’m looking forward to sleeping in,” he told me. “This was my plan. I couldn’t get up at 3:30 anymore, and they (owner Citadel) are changing ownership and need to make long-range plans.”

Baxter named a few highlights of his time at KGO, including the Jonestown mass suicides and killings in Guyana, along with the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in late 1978; the Bay Area quake of 1989, and 9/11.

“We watched the second plane hit and described it on the air. On breaking news, I’m proud that we’ve done a good job.” Baxter named as one of his “biggest thrills” being tapped to work as Paul Harvey‘s fill-in anchor from 1994 to 2000. Although it’s been reported that he “retired,” Baxter sounded as if he was far from done. “I have something else I want to do,” he said. Bristow, a 20-year veteran, had been on the revived noon newscast with Chris Brecher since December.

By the numbers: And the new champion is … KQED! Yes, the NPR station notched its first No. 1 ratings period ever in the April Arbitron rankings with a 6.6 percent share of the available audience. KCBS slipped from 6.8 in March to a 6.3, while KOIT had a 5.2. Note: These are the overall ratings, for listeners ages 6 and up, from 6 a.m. to midnight. Advertisers do not buy such general demographics, but these numbers indicate overall popularity. Now then: Fourth place went to KNBR (4.4, up from 2.5, thanks to a certain baseball team), followed by KMVQ (“Now”) (4.3). KGO, a lock at No. 1 for 30 years, until last year, is tied with KYLD (“Wild”) for sixth, with 4.2. “Wild’s” sister KMEL had a solid 3.9.

Then it’s KBRG (3.5), KISQ (“Kiss”) (3.4), KIOI (“Star”) (3.2), KSAN (“The Bone”) (2.9), KSOL (2.6), KSFO (2.5), and, tied with 2.4, KBLX, KFOG and KUFX (“KFOX”). The latter, in its second month with twin signals (98.5 and 102.1), jumped from a 1.6. Meantime, KKSF, in its final month as a classic rocker, had a 1.9, trailing both KLLC (“Alice”) and KRZZ (“Raza”) at 2.1 and rounding out the Top 20. Just outside: KBAY and KITS (“Live 105”) with 1.8. Classical KDFC, having moved to a weaker signal at 90.3, managed only 0.7.

The top ranking for KQED, even if it’s only for April (back in the day, Arbitron issued heftier, quarterly “books”), is significant. For years, its ratings were unknown to the public because noncommercial stations were not included in Arbitron’s published ratings, even though it measured some stations’ audiences. Those ratings were compiled by the Radio Research Consortium, which serves public stations. RRC data showed KQED scoring solid ratings for years. Now, Arbitron is including stations like KQED and KALW, and the word is out, finally: public radio is strong in these parts and, now, No. 1. KQED’s president and CEO, John Boland, commented: “We are very gratified that the KQED audience has grown to the point where we are No. 1 in the market because that indicates we are filling a need in the community, and that’s what public broadcasting is all about – community service.”

Random notes: KFRC – the “Big 6-10” version of it, anyway – is getting the big tribute treatment this week from the Broadcast Legends, which will turn its spring luncheon over to the powerhouse Top 40 station of the ’60s and ’70s. A six-pack of stellar names from the legendary station – Bobby Ocean, Dave Sholin, Jo Interante, Sue Hall, Big Tom Parker and John Catchings – will tell stories (with me moderating), and the audience will be studded with many alumni with their own tales to tell. The luncheon also will honor the late “Dr. Don“ Rose. The event, on Tuesday at the Doubletree Inn in the Berkeley Marina, is open to the public. For info on lunch prices and reservations, go to www.broadcastlegends.com … Fun fact: 610 AM is now KEAR, home to Family Radio, the religious network whose leader, the Rev. Harold Camping, had predicted Judgment Day. If he were a DJ, he’d have spun Blondie’s 1981 hit, “Rapture” … Fave new call letters: A community station in Santa Rosa is ramping up to broadcast in Sonoma County on 88.1 FM with the FCC-approved calls: KWTF.

Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, June 12, 2011