In 1984, the Columbia-Willamette Broadcasting Company acquired and built out the license for a new FM station for Portland licensed to Beaverton.[5] It intended to sign on the station with a country music format, and the "CW" in the station's calls would have held a dual meaning for 'country and western' had it gone to plan.
KUPL (98.7), which had been an easy listening station on FM, instead had the country format airing on sister station 1330 AM KUPL bumped to 98.7 on February 24, 1984. Thus, KKCW instead went on the air with a soft adult contemporary format and de facto traded formats with KUPL. KKCW has never changed its format since sign-on, outside adjustments to fit industry trends.[6]
In 1986, the station was sold to Trumper Communications of Portland.[7]San Antonio-based Clear Channel acquired the station in 1999.[8]
HD programming
The station currently carries 1 HD Radio subchannel besides the HD1 simulcast, though it has had two subchannels in the past.
KKCW-HD2
From August 2007 until 2019, an automated smooth jazz format with a resemblance to that of KIJZ, which switched to oldies after that point, was programmed. It eventually took the automated playlist heard on the iHeartRadio web/app Smooth Jazz channel until its demise. In January 2024, the HD2 signal was reactivated with a Latin pop/AC format known as "Magic".
KKCW-HD3
The channel carried the Educational Media Foundation's Air1Christian worship music network, which was also relayed on FM translator K224DL (92.7 FM), until November 2019. Air1 then moved to KLVP-HD2 after that station was moved into the Portland market, which is translated by K235CU (94.9).
