Is it officials at Clear Channel Communications detonating XTRA Sports 1360? Or is it the suits at XX Sports 1090 hitting the panic button and placing a pair of unprofessional, screaming neophytes on in the coveted 3-7 p.m. drive-time slot? Actually, for the average listener in Southern California, the two are interrelated.

When officials at 1090 decided to put Jordan and Earl and their four-hour screamfest on the air, listeners started to tune in to 1360 to get a sample.

But 1360 was the victim of lack of patience, poor planning, lack of promotion, poor ratings and nationwide cuts by the home office at Clear Channel.

XTRA Sports 1360 isn't totally gone, but it has taken a major hit.

There is still sports programming, but there is very little local flavor left.

The lineup now includes "The Dan Patrick Show" from 6-9 a.m. and "JT The Brick" from 7-11 p.m. Both are syndicated national shows. Steve Hartman and Chris Myers work the noon-3 p.m. slot from Los Angeles.

Actually, the first sampling wasn't bad.

The station's only San Diego-based show features Josh Rosenberg and Brian Wilson, who are on from 3-7 p.m.

Both are good, hard-working guys. Honestly, and I never thought I'd write this, but Rosenberg is now the best drive-time host in Southern California.

Some awfully good on-air people ---- Craig Elsten, Chris Ello, Jeff Dotseth and Mike Costa ---- got the axe when the folks at Clear Channel gave up on 1360.

In addition, Clear Channel merged its XTRA Sports 570 operation in Los Angeles with Fox Sports Radio.

So Andrew Siciliano, Ben Maller and Krystal Fernandez were let go. Petros Papadakis and Matt "Money" Smith will do a syndicated drive-time show on 570. That's why I say Rosenberg is now No. 1 in drive time.

If the timing was different, if the economy was better, 1360 might have survived. Officials might have gambled that the station could get its act together and bring down a wobbly 1090 never more vulnerable to a well-placed jab.

But after 14 months, the station never posted a rating of better than 0.3.

Folks, that's bad, real bad.

But outside of a terrible "We've Got Balls" promotion, Clear Channel never put a dime into promoting the station on TV, newspapers or billboards.

And they never got the station's weak signal right.

If you're south of the 56, you have a chance to pick up the station. North of Highway 56? Forget it. After dark? Forget it.

That's no way to run a station.

Right now, if someone had a little money and wanted to start an all-sports station, they could put together a pretty decent free-agent lineup.

With pros like Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton, Bill Werndl, Joe Tutino, Elsten and Ello out of work, you have all the talent to run a nice station.

It will never happen, but a guy can dream, can't he?