Albany, Oregon sits at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, surrounded by farmland and framed by the Cascade Range to the east. It's a quiet city with a long history of community institutions, and one of them has been on the FM dial since 1969. KHPE, branded as Hope 107.9, is a Contemporary Christian radio station operated by Extra Mile Media, whose stated mission is direct and simple: to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to life. It covers the Willamette Valley from Albany to Eugene on 107.9 FM, with a translator at 96.9 in Eugene, and its signal reaches 100,000 watts from a tower on Northwest Cardinal Drive.
Over Five Decades of Christian Broadcasting in the Valley
The story starts in 1969 when KWIL, a long-established religious broadcaster in Albany, launched an FM companion at 107.9. KWIL had been on AM for years as a religious outlet, and the new FM station, first called KWIL-FM, carried religious programming with a different schedule. In 1972, the station took on new call letters, KHPE, whose meaning the station itself leans into: Hope. It has been "Hope 107.9" ever since, growing from a local religious broadcaster into a station that serves the broader Christian music community of western Oregon.
Today it operates under Extra Mile Media alongside its companion station KWIL 790 AM, which carries Bible teaching programs, classic Christian music, and Southern Gospel. The two stations give the organization a complementary pairing: Hope 107.9 for the contemporary end, KWIL for the traditional. Their studios and mailing address are in Albany, serving a listenership that stretches from Corvallis to Eugene and beyond.
Contemporary Christian Music Built for Real Life
Hope 107.9's format is Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), the genre that applies modern pop and rock production to faith-based songwriting. Listeners hear artists like Tauren Wells, Ben Rector, and We The Kingdom alongside the established names of Christian radio who have shaped the format over decades.
- Contemporary Christian pop, the main current, bringing the production quality and emotional directness of mainstream pop to faith-driven songwriting, from anthemic worship tracks to introspective ballads.
- Christian rock and alternative, the genre's harder-edged wing, with artists who bring guitar-driven energy to spiritual themes without losing the accessibility that makes CCM work on the radio.
- Inspirational programming, woven between the music: short devotionals, artist interviews, and community-focused content that reinforces the station's sense of purpose beyond just being a music service.
Listener reviews reflect what the format is built to do: one wrote that the station is "always there when I need you" and that "I have never turned on the station and not heard music I need right then and there." That's the goal of a faith-based radio station, and Hope 107.9 delivers it consistently.
The Willamette Valley's Community of Faith
Oregon's Willamette Valley has a strong tradition of community radio and faith-based broadcasting, shaped by the region's mix of agricultural communities, university towns, and suburban growth. Albany itself has a population of around 50,000 and has been a hub of community life in the mid-valley for over a century. Extra Mile Media extends that community role through events like Worship Northwest and Older Americans Day, keeping the station embedded in the daily life of its region beyond just the broadcast signal.
Stream Hope 107.9 Free on Radio Shuffle
Tune in to Hope 107.9 on Radio Shuffle — no account, no app, no fee. Press play and hear the Contemporary Christian music that has been carrying hope across Oregon's Willamette Valley for over fifty years.