KUFO

For other radio stations that previously held the call sign KUFO, seeKUFO (disambiguation).

KUFO

Portland, Oregon
Broadcast area	Portland metropolitan area
Frequency	970kHz
Branding	Freedom 970
Programming
Format	Talk
Affiliations	Fox News Radio Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks Radio America Salem Radio Network Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Alpha Media (Alpha Media Licensee LLC)
Sister stations	KBFF,KINK,KUPL,KXTG,KXL-FM
History
First air date	April 12,1922(as KQP)
Former call signs	KQP (1922–1926) KOIN (1926–1977) KYTE (1977–1990) KESI (1990–1991) KBBT (1991–1996) KUPL (1996–2001) KUFO (2001–2002) KUPL (2002–2005) KCMD (2005–2010) KXFD (2010–2011)
Former frequencies	1208.8 kHz (11/9/1925-11/17/1925) 1414.1 kHz (11/1925-12/1925) 1309.1 kHz (12/1925-1/1926) 1410 kHz (1/1926-3/1926) 939.8 kHz (1926–1927) 940 kHz (1927–1941)
Call signmeaning	K UnidentifiedFlyingObject (originally on co-owned FM 101.1 as a rock station)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	26926
Class	B
Power	5,000watts
Transmitter coordinates	45°30′56″N122°43′56″W
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	www.freedom970.com

KUFO(970AM) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toPortland, Oregon.The station, owned byAlpha Media,calls itself "Freedom 970" and airs atalkradio format.KUFO's offices and studios are on Southwest 5th Avenue in Portland.

Thetransmitteris in Portland'sWest Hillsoff SW Barnes Road.KUFO broadcasts with 5,000wattsaround the clock. By day, the signal isnon-directional,but at night, KUFO uses adirectional antennato protect other stations onAM 970.

Programming

KUFO features mostlynationally syndicatedtalk shows, includingBrian Kilmeade,Dave Ramsey,Sean Hannity,Mark Levin,Todd Starnes,Red Eye RadioandLars Larson,who is also heard on co-owned 101.1KXL-FM.Weekends feature shows on money, home improvement, real estate and food. Syndicated weekend shows includeBeyond the BeltwaywithBruce DuMont.Some weekend shows are paidbrokered programming.Most hours begin with world and national news fromFox News Radio.

The station previously airedPortland State Vikingscollege footballandbasketballgames andPortland SteelArena Football Leaguegames. Some of those teams are now heard on co-ownedsportsstationAM 750KXTG.

History

Early years

KUFO was first licensed, with the randomly assigned call lettersKQP,on April 12, 1922to the Blue Diamond Electric Company in Hood River, Oregon.KQP moved to Portland in the fall of 1925,making it one of the city's oldest radio stations. It made its Portland debut broadcast on November 9, 1925, from a studio in the Portland Hotel that was connected by private telephone line to the transmitter located "one mile north of Sylvan".In April 1926 the station was acquired by thePortland News,which changed thecall signtoKOINand moved the station's studios to theNew Heathman Hotel.KOIN was aCBS RadioNetwork affiliate,carrying its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports,soap operas,game showsandbig bandbroadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio."It was also an affiliate of theDon Lee Network,based on theWest Coast.In March 1941, KOIN moved from 940 kHz to 970 kHz, following the enactment of theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement(NARBA).

In 1948, KOIN added an FM station, KOIN-FM, which today is co-owned 101.1KXL-FM.KOIN-FM mostlysimulcastthe AM station until the late 1960s, when it began airingclassical musicin the evening. In 1953, KOIN put a TV station on the air, Channel 6KOIN-TV.Because KOIN Radio was a CBS Radio affiliate, KOIN-TV carried CBS TV shows.

1950s–1980s

In the 1950s, as network programming moved from radio to television, KOIN began airing afull servicemiddle-of-the-roadformat. On May 12, 1977 thecall letterschanged toKYTEfeaturing aTop 40 hitsformat. On September 4, 1979, it switched tocountry musicas "97 Country".

In 1981, the station flipped toautomated"Music of Your Life"adult standardsprogramming. On January 27, 1989, KYTE began playingclassical music,picking up that format when 101.1 KYTE-FM dropped classical forsmooth jazzas KKCY "The City." The classical format turned out to be short-lived on AM 970.

1990s

In 1990, the station changed call letters toKESIand aired a mostly instrumentaleasy listeningformat branded as "Easy 970." On May 1, 1991, the station again changed call letters toKBBTand beganstunting.18 days later, the station began airing analternative rockformat known as "970 The Beat." In July 1996, KBBT began simulcasting on KDBX 107.5 FM (nowKXJM), and tweaked its format toModern AC.On October 2, 1996, The Beat was moved to FM, while 970 changed call letters toKUPLand switched toclassic country(as "Straight Country 970" ).

On September 19, 1997,American Radio Systems,owner of six Portland radio stations, announced thatWestinghouse Electric,the owner ofCBS Radio,had bought all of its U.S. radio stations, including KUPL.KUPL switched tooldiesas "Cruisin' Oldies 970" on January 23, 2001.

2000s

On August 1, 2001, KUPL changed call letters toKUFO,and on August 7, switched to a newhot talkformat, branded as "Extreme Talk 970." Hosts featured on "Extreme Radio" includeBob Rivers,Don & Mike,Opie & Anthony,The Sports JunkiesandRon & Fez.On October 11, 2002, after a briefsimulcastwithactive rockKUFO-FM, 970 changed its call letters back toKUPL,returning toclassic countryas "Straight Country 970."

KCMD branding

AM 970 continued as KUPL until February 2, 2005.At that point, it becameKCMD,letters chosen to reflect its "all-comedy format." That same year, afterMAX 910abandoned itshot talkformat, CBS Radio (formerlyInfinity Broadcastingbefore December 2005), hoping to enlarge the station's audience, decided to broadcast syndicated programming, includingThe Tom Leykis Show,Phil Hendrie,andDon and Mike,shows that had previously aired on MAX 910. At the same time, the station was renamed "Johnson 970".

By early 2006, CBS Radio askedRick Emersonto take over as program director and return on-air after being dropped from "MAX 910." Emerson was accompanied by on-air producerSarah X Dylanand newsmanTim Riley.Within months, Johnson 970 became "AM 970 Solid State Radio," and took on more syndicated broadcasts from around the country, includingDennis Miller.

After the launch of "Solid State Radio", the station added a local weekend show (Miles Around Radio & Television), and became the affiliate forDr. Demento,The Mike O'Meara Show, and The John and Jeff Show, as well as syndicatingFox Sports Radio.

On June 23, 2008, KCMD's slogan changed from "Solid State Radio" to "The Talker." On March 12, 2009,The Rick Emerson Showmoved to KCMD's sister station KUFO-FM to replace the canceledThe Adam Carolla Show.

Alpha Broadcasting

In August 2009, CBS Radio sold its Portland cluster, including KCMD, to Alpha Broadcasting in an effort to focus onmajor marketstations. Alpha rebranded the station to "Freedom 970" on September 14, 2009, and on May 24, 2010 changed its call letters toKXFDto reflect this branding. KXFD concentrated on mostlyconservative talkshows.

On March 22, 2011, the station was reassigned the call signKUFOwhich it had previously held from August 2001 to October 2002.The call sign became available after co-owned 101.1 FM changed its call letters from KUFO toKXL-FM.KUFO 970 continued its conservative talk format.

External links

• Official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 26926 (KUFO)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
• KUFOinNielsen Audio's AM station database
• FCC History Cards for KUFO