KFBW (105.9
FM) is a
commercial
Commercial may refer to:
* (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services
** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money
* a dose of advertising ...
radio station
Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting 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 rad ...
licensed to
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...
, and broadcasting to the
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland metropolitan area is a metropolitan area, metro area with its urban area, core in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington (state), Washington. It has 5 principal cities, the largest being Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Man ...
. Owned by
iHeartMedia, Inc., 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 a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...
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 (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...
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 54,539 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Oregon, 12th most populous city in Oregon. Incorporated in 1961, the city i ...
.
History
The station was initially licensed to the
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
-based
Citicasters as of February 1996, when that broadcasting group was acquired by
Jacor Communications.
The station has had seven call signs since mid-1998.
While owned by Jacor, it changed call letters to KXMX. When Jacor sold it to
Clear Channel Communications
iHeartMedia, Inc., or 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 founded by ...
, 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 assi ...
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 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
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 radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, and owned by iHeartMedia. KYSR broadcasts an alternative rock format and is the flagship station of ''The Woody Show''. KYSR's studios are located in Burbank, whi ...
. At that time, both stations aired a Modern AC format.
On June 21, 2002, KSTE-FM dropped the
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 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
music format, likely due to lackluster ratings and direct competition from cross-town
KRSK, which aired a similar
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 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
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 the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
).
On June 25, 2002, KSTE-FM adopted a
classic hits music format branded as "The River". A change of
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 assi ...
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 commercially oriented crossover jazz music. Although often described as a "genre", it is a debatable and highly controversial subject in jazz music circles. As a radio format, however, smooth jazz radio became the successor to e ...
music format that the
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland metropolitan area is a metropolitan area, metro area with its urban area, core in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington (state), Washington. It has 5 principal cities, the largest being Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Man ...
was lacking since the demise of KKJZ (now
KLTH
KLTH (106.7 MHz "The Eagle") is a commercial FM radio station, licensed to Lake Oswego, Oregon, and serving the Portland metropolitan area. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and airs a classic hits radio format. Specialty programs on KLTH ...
) 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'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
KLTH
KLTH (106.7 MHz "The Eagle") is a commercial FM radio station, licensed to Lake Oswego, Oregon, and serving the Portland metropolitan area. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and airs a classic hits radio format. Specialty programs on KLTH ...
and its
classic hits format from
CBS Radio 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 radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
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 (CCM), also known as 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 Christianity, Chri ...
format from the
WAY-FM Network. Its programming can also be heard on local translators K235CU 94.9 MHz in Bethany.
KFBW-HD3
KFBW-HD3 featured a
classic country 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
The HD3 subchannel has since been turned off.
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