Few frequencies in American radio have reinvented themselves as often as 106.7 in Portland, Oregon. Today it broadcasts as KLTH, branded 106.7 The Eagle, playing classic hits from the 1970s and 80s. Getting to that identity took more than three decades and at least six different formats, a genuine case study in how a single frequency can outlive every station it has ever been.
From Progressive Rock to Smooth Jazz
According to Wikipedia's history of the station, 106.7 first signed on at 10:15 p.m. on September 15, 1972, as KQIV, a progressive rock station run by Willamette Broadcasting Company that later pivoted toward urban contemporary as "Soul 107." In 1977 the frequency became KMJK, "Magic 107," cycling through soft rock, Top 40 and soft adult contemporary formats over the following fourteen years. A 1991 rebrand made it KMXI, "Mix 106," playing hot adult contemporary, before an abrupt swing in 1993 to classical music as KKBK, "K-Bach." That format lasted barely a year before the station flipped again in 1994 to smooth jazz as KKJZ, "Smooth Jazz 106.7," a format it held onto until 2002.
That is five distinct identities in thirty years, each reflecting whatever the Portland radio market seemed to be missing at the time, from progressive rock's decline to the smooth jazz boom of the 1990s.
Settling Into KLTH
In 2002, CBS took over the frequency and changed the callsign to KLTH, initially running a lite rock format under the name "K-Lite." The station eventually shifted toward the classic hits format it carries today, and on August 1, 2014, it relaunched as "106.7 The Eagle," the identity it has kept ever since. Ownership has passed through Clear Channel Communications and CBS Radio over the years and now sits with iHeartMedia. On-air, the station is currently anchored by hosts including Bob Hauer, Robin Rock, Scott Tom and Adam West, delivering the "Best of the 60s, 70s and 80s" alongside local news, traffic and weather for the Portland market.
A Frequency With a Long Memory
KLTH's history is a reminder that a radio frequency and the station broadcasting on it are not the same thing. Six formats, six identities, one number on the dial, and a listener base that has followed the frequency through soul, soft rock, classical, jazz and finally back around to the classic rock and pop it plays today.
Tune in to KLTH, 106.7 The Eagle, on Radio Shuffle for Portland's long-running mix of classic hits.