KFBW (105.9

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

) is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

, and broadcasting to the

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered on the principal city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, ...

. Owned by

iHeartMedia, Inc. iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

, the station airs a

mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

with emphasis on the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, branded as "105.9 The Brew". The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

is located in Portland's west hills and the studios are in

Tigard, Oregon Tigard ( ) is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 48,035 at the 2010 census. As of 2007, Tigard was the state's 12th largest city. Incorporated in 1961, the city is located south of Beaverton and north of Tua ...

History

The station was initially licensed to the

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

-based

Citicasters The Taft Broadcasting Company (also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated) was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was rooted in the family of William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the Un ...

as of February 1996, when that broadcasting group was acquired by

Jacor Communications Jacor Communications was a media corporation, existing between 1987 and 1999, which owned many radio stations in the United States. In 1998, Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications, now iHeartMedia, for $2.8 billion. Jacor Communicat ...

. The station has had seven call signs since mid-1998.Call Sign History
/ref> While owned by Jacor, it changed call letters to KXMX. When Jacor sold it to

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

, the call letters changed to KKLQ. In August 2000, it switched its

call letter In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

s to KBET. The station officially signed on air with a

modern adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet sto ...

music format branded as "Star 105.9" on February 5, 2001; to match the format, the call letters changed to KSTE-FM. It is also noted that the station used the same logo and slogan as Los Angeles station

KYSR KYSR (98.7 FM) is a commercial alternative radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, serving the Greater Los Angeles area. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., KYSR is the flagship station of syndicated morning drive program ''The Woody Show''. T ...

. At that time, both stations aired a Modern AC format. On June 21, 2002, KSTE-FM dropped the

music format, likely due to lackluster ratings and direct competition from cross-town KRSK, which aired a similar

music format. KSTE-FM then began stunting with short clips of almost all music genres branded as "Quick 106" (this stunt was used earlier in the year on KJR in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

). On June 25, 2002, KSTE-FM adopted a

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...

music format branded as "The River". A change of

s followed on June 28, 2002 to KRVO to better match "The River" branding. On November 4, 2005, KRVO changed formats yet again, adopting the

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

music format that the

was lacking since the demise of KKJZ (now

KLTH KLTH (106.7 Hertz, MHz "The Eagle") is a commercial radio, commercial FM broadcasting, FM radio station, city of license, licensed to Lake Oswego, Oregon, and serving the Portland metropolitan area. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and airs a c ...

) on February 1, 2002. A change of call letters to KIJZ was made to match the name of the format and new branding as "Smooth Jazz 105.9", a format now heard on sister station

KKCW KKCW (103.3 MHz, "K103") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Beaverton, Oregon and serving the Portland metropolitan area. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs an adult contemporary radio format. From mid-November to the 31st of Decem ...

's HD2 subchannel. On August 30, 2007, KIJZ changed their format back to classic hits, with the slogan "Kool 105.9" and changed their call letters to KQOL on September 5, 2007. The music, originally heavy on music from the 1970s and early 1980s, was shifted in spring 2008 to more of an evenly 60s/70s based format. After Clear Channel purchased

and its

format from

CBS Radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...

in April 2009, it is now in the same building as KLTH. On May 6, 2009, KQOL began stunting, directing listeners to KLTH. On May 8, KQOL launched an 1980s-based

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

format and adopted its current branding "105.9 The Brew". The station changed their call letters to KFBW on June 2, 2009 to make it branding-appropriate. As of 2011, it began to expand its library to include tracks from the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1990s, along with the new slogan "Next Generation of Classic Rock" to reflect the adjustment. In the fall of 2013, KFBW adjusted its slogan to "Real Classic Rock". In January 2014, KFBW adjusted its slogan again, this time as "Portland's Rock Station".

Branding

* KXMX (1998-1999) * KKLQ (1999-2000) * KBET (2000-2001) * "Star 105.9" /KSTE (2001-2002) * "105.9 The River" /KRVO (2002-2005) * "Smooth Jazz 105.9"/KIJZ (2005-2007) * "Kool 105.9"/KQOL (2007-2009) * "105.9 The Brew"/KFBW (2009–Present)

KFBW-HD2

KFBW-HD2 features a

Contemporary Christian Music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

format from the

WAY-FM Network The WayFM Network is a national, non-profit radio broadcasting network in the United States, primarily playing Christian adult contemporary music. While WayFM is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, content creation and programming originates in ...

. Its programming can also be heard on local translators K235CU 94.9 MHz in Bethany and K283BL 104.5 MHz in Portland, owned by the WAY-FM Network.

KFBW-HD3

KFBW-HD3 features a

classic country Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country and western music hits from past decades. Repertoire The radio format specializes in hits from the 1950s through the early 1980s, and focus primarily on innov ...

format branded as "103.7 The Legend" and was simulcast on FM translator K279BO 103.7 FM in Portland, owned by Educational Media Foundation. On May 9, 2019, K279BO dropped its simulcast with KFBW-HD3 and switched to "K-Love Classics" (simulcasting KLVP-HD3).103.7 The Legend Becomes Second iHeart Leased Translator to Revert to EMF
Radioinsight - May 9, 2019

References

External links

KFBW official website
{{IHeartMedia FBW Mainstream rock radio stations in the United States WAY-FM Network Radio stations established in 1998 IHeartMedia radio stations