| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Portland metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 95.5MHz |
| Branding | Live 95.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KINK,KUFO,KUPL,KXL-FM,KXTG | |
| History | |
First air date | September 25,1960 |
Former call signs | KGMG (1960–1965) KXL-FM (1965–1999) KXJM (1999–2008) KXTG (2008–2011) |
Call sign meaning | BFF = Acronym forBestFriendsForever |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 949 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 346 meters (1,135 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 45°29′19″N122°41′44″W / 45.48861°N 122.69556°W /45.48861; -122.69556 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | live955.com |
KBFF (95.5FM, "Live 95.5") is acommercialradio stationlicensed toPortland, Oregon, and serving thePortland metropolitan area, including parts ofOregon andWashington. The station airs atop 40 (CHR)radio format and is owned byAlpha Media.[2] It carries thesyndicated morningdrive time show "Brooke & Jeffrey" fromKQMV inSeattle.
KBFF'sstudios and offices are located inDowntown Portland, on SW Fifth Avenue.[3] Thetransmitter is in Portland'sWest Hills, off SW Fairmount Court.[4] KBFF has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000watts.
The 95.5 MHz spot on the FM dial in Portland was first occupied by the originalKWJJ-FM. That stationsigned on in 1946.[5] It only transmitted with an effective radiated power of 3,400 watts and it mostlysimulcastAM 1080 KWJJ (nowKFXX). But in the 1940s and 50s, few radios could receive FM signals and management saw little opportunity to make it profitable. In the mid-1950s, KWJJ silenced the FM station, giving up the license.
On September 23, 1959, theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) granted International Good Music, Inc. (IGM) aconstruction permit to build a new FM station on 95.5 MHz. In early October 1959,call signKGMG was granted, standing for "Good Music," the format term forclassical music. By September 9, 1960, 95.5 KGMG was testing intermittently.
On September 25, 1960, at 7 a.m., KGMG began regular operations by airing programming from the IGM automation system.[6] KGMG broadcast from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, and only selected commercials were played and no singingjingles were allowed.[7] By March 1962, KGMG was broadcasting the recorded "Heritage Concert" series. On March 17, 1962, KGMG became the second Portland station to broadcast inmultiplex stereo. In July 1962, KGMG began leasing antenna space to Pacific Motor Trucking Co. for a 25-watt VHF transmitter.
On April 20, 1964, KGMG switched to anautomatedMOR format from IGM. By mid-1964, KGMG was broadcasting 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
On May 13, 1965, the FCC approved the $125,000 sale of KGMG to Seattle, Portland & Spokane Radio, a joint venture of Dena Pictures, Inc. and the Alexander Broadcasting Company.[8] Seattle, Portland & Spokane Radio also ownedAM 750 KXL (nowKXTG). Two months later, on July 5, 1965, KGMG becameKXL-FM and began duplicating KXL's "Good Music" format asKXL & KXL-FM Stereo.[9]
In September 1966, KXL-FM staff began taping the evening "Good Music" programming for syndicator IGM, now known as Broadcast Programming International (BPI). The company provided the software to many FM stations nationwide. In 1969, KXL-FM raised its power to 100,000 watts and increased antenna height to 990 feet.
At the time, KXL (AM) was adaytimer, required tosign off at sunset to avoid interfering withclear channel stationWSB inAtlanta, so itsimulcasted its programming on KXL-FM, which could continue the programming at night. In 1970, KXL-AM-FM switched to a "Popular Music"middle of the road (MOR) format asKXL-FM Stereo 95. Most FM stations by the 1970s could not fully simulcast their AM stations, but this rule didn't apply to AM stations that were daytimers. KXL-FM continued to simulcast KXL (AM) through 1974.
In March 1984, KXL-FM switched to TM'sBeautiful Music service and was playing five to six vocals an hour until 1989, when the station began runningUnistar's "Special Blend"soft adult contemporary satellite format with local morning host George Walker.
In April 1990, KXL-FM changed format to "Lite Favorites," a combination of soft AC andsoft rock. It was branded asK95.5. This format also utilized a satellite music service except for drive times.
On September 27, 1993, KXL-FM switched to aHot AC format asStar 95.5 but only lasted a year.[10]
On October 18, 1994, KXL-FM switched to all'70s Hits asSeventies 95.5.[11] This format only lasted a year and a half.
On April 15, 1996, KXL-FM modified its 1970s format to include 1980s music and adopted the brandingMusic Radio 95 KXL.[12]
In the Fall of 1996, KXL-FM returned to Hot AC. On April 1, 1997, KXL-FM switched to a new slogan asMix 95.5.[13] In December 1997, Carl Widing was hired as Program Director and in February 1998, KXL-FM switched to aTriple A format as95.5FM.
On November 30, 1998, KXL-FM was sold to the Rose City Radio Corp. for $55 Million.[14]
On March 26, 1999, at 5:30 p.m., KXL-FM switched to arhythmic contemporary format asJammin' 95.5, becoming the first FM station in Portland to air the format full time. The first song was "Changes" by2Pac.[15]
On April 30, 1999, KXL-FM changed the call letters toKXJM.
On May 1, 2008, due to declining ratings, Rose City Radio announced that KXJM would change formats to allsports on May 12, as "95.5 The Game." The switch almost left Portland without a hip-hop station, and as a result, would leave Portland listeners with only two choices for rhythmic music:Mainstream Top 40KKRZ, whoseplaylist included some hip-hop songs, andKVMX, the market'sRhythmic Adult Contemporary station.[16]
On May 9, 2008, at 6 p.m., KVMX officially ditched its Rhythmic AC format and became Portland's new home for Rhythmic Contemporary as "Jammin' 107.5." Both KXJM and KVMXsimulcasted the format that weekend until KXJM's flip to sports at 9 a.m. the following Monday, May 12. KVMX also acquired the KXJM call letters, the website and all intellectual properties from Rose City.
On May 27, 2008, the original KXJM officially choseKXTG as its new call letters to better reflect the sports format and "The Game" moniker. KXTG and AMsister station KXL changed ownership would be bought byAlpha Broadcasting in May2009. Despite the station's emphasis on local hosts, ratings success did not follow, usually peaking at about a 2.0 share in the Arbitron ratings.[citation needed]
On May 21, 2011, Alpha announced that on May 25, at 5:00 p.m., KXTG's sports format would be moving to AM 750 KXL, which was running anews/talk format that at the time was simulcasting on101.1 FM, previously a rock station.[17] 95.5 FM would then launch a new format at the same time, although the announcement didn't say what that new format would be.[18]
The question of what the format would be began to take on a life of its own when industry website RadioInsight reported that Alpha registered several domain names for the station, in order to keep people guessing.[19] On May 24, 2011, a logo and website for "Live 95.5" appeared in aGoogle cache, with the hint referenced in its moniker as "Today's Modern Mix," indicating a contemporary music format.[20]
On May 25, at 5 p.m., KXTG flipped to aHot AC/Adult Top 40 format asLive 95-5, Today's Modern Mix For The Modern Woman. The first song was "Raise Your Glass" byP!nk, beginning a 10,000 songs-in-a-row promotion to attract listeners interest.[21][22] The station also changed its call letters toKBFF.
KBFF saw its ratings improve, going from a 1.9 in its last book as a Sports outlet in May 2011 to a 3.6 share in the June 2011 book, along with a spike in its audience cumes, topping105.1 The Buzz for the Adult Top 40 crown.[23]
In September 2012, KBFF shifted to Top 40/CHR. To capitalize on this, the station shortened its slogan to "Today's Modern Mix," and then eventually "Portland's #1 Hit Music Station."[citation needed]
In August 2014, KBFF dropped its entire on-air lineup and relaunched asLive 95.5, The Station That Sounds Like Portland.[24]
In April 2015, the station restructured its on-air lineup, adding thesyndicatedBrooke & Jubal morningdrive time show, based atKQMV inSeattle.[25]
On October 22, 2018, at 10 a.m., as aHalloweenstunt, KBFF began branding itself as “eviL 95-5” (“eviL” is Live spelled backwards) and started airing spooky sounds in between songs. This continued until November 1 at Midnight.[26]
