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KXTG (750 AM, "The Game") is a commercial radio station in Portland, Oregon. It airs a sports radio format and is owned by Alpha Media, a company headed by veteran radio executive Larry Wilson. The studios are on SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland.

By day, KXTG is powered at 50,000 watts, the maximum for AM radio stations. But 750 AM is a clear channel frequency reserved for Class A WSB Atlanta. To avoid interference, KXTG reduces power at night to 20,000 watts using a directional antenna with a four-tower array. The transmitter is on SE Curtis Road in Damascus.

Programming

KXTG is Portland's flagship home to the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer. It also carries Seattle Mariners baseball and games in the NCAA March Madness. It had served as home of the Portland Steel in the Arena Football League in 2016.

John Canzano hosts The Bald Faced Truth weekday afternoons on KXTG. Canzano's show was the inaugural sports program when the station was launched on May 12, 2008. Among the guests that first day were golfer Peter Jacobsen and former U.S. President Barack Obama. Canzano's program is the only local show on the weekday schedule. In middays, two popular nationally syndicated programs are heard, The Dan Patrick Show and The Jim Rome Show. The rest of the day and on weekends, the station runs the Infinity Sports Network, with some programs from the BetQL Network.

History

KXL

The station signed on the air on December 13, 1926; 98 years ago (1926-12-13). The original call sign was KXL. In its earliest days, KXL would broadcast on different frequencies. By the 1930s, the station was heard on 1420 kilocycles, sharing time with KBPS, now on 1450 AM.

In that era, KXL's power was limited to 250 watts by day, 100 watts at night. The studios were in the Multnomah Hotel on Pine Street in Portland. With the enactment of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) in 1941, KXL moved to 750 AM and got a boost in power to 10,000 watts. But it was a daytimer, required to go off the air at night to protect Class I-A station WSB Atlanta from interference. Its studios relocated to Washington Street.

By the 1960s, the daytime power was increased to 50,000 watts. By day, KXL played an easy listening format it called "Good Music." Artists included Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Perry Como, Nat King Cole and Henry Mancini. But KXL was still silent after sunset due to restrictions on 750 AM.

KXL-AM-FM Good Music

On May 13, 1965, the FCC approved the $125,000 sale of KGMG, a station at 95.5 FM. It was bought by KXL's parent company, Seattle, Portland & Spokane Radio. Two months later, on July 5, 1965, KGMG became KXL-FM and began duplicating KXL's "Good Music" format as KXL & KXL-FM Stereo.

In 1970, KXL-AM-FM switched to a middle of the road (MOR) format as "KXL-FM Stereo 95." Most large city 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 750 and KXL-FM 95.5 continued this practice through 1974 when KXL-FM began airing a separate format. Today, that KXL-FM is KBFF.

Alpha Broadcasting

KXL 750 was bought by Alpha Broadcasting in 2009, along with sister station KXTG 95.5 FM. On March 26, 1999, 95.5 FM became KXJM, with a successful rhythmic contemporary format that lasted until May 12, 2008, when it switched formats to sports. The KXJM call letters, hip-hop format and all other intellectual property were acquired by CBS Radio and moved to 107.5 FM.

The FCC had relaxed restrictions on its clear channel frequencies. With Portland 2,100 miles (3,380 km) from Atlanta, KXL was allowed to broadcast around the clock, using a directional antenna powered at 20,000 watts at night.

In the early 2000s, 750 KXL's news/talk format was becoming more popular. Management saw that some listeners wanted to hear its programming in clearer FM sound, so plans were made to switch KXL to the FM band.

Move KXL to FM 101.1

At 8:47 a.m. on March 15, 2011, KXL started simulcasting on 101.1 FM, replacing the active rock format of KUFO. For two months, KXL's news/talk format was heard on both stations. Then at 4 p.m. on May 25, 2011, the 750 frequency switched from news/talk to sports, changing its branding to "750 The Game" (from KXTG 95.5). Thus, KXL's news/talk format is now exclusively on FM 101.1 and 750 AM is now all sports.

On June 1, 2011, KXL changed its call letters after 85 years. It became KXTG to match "The Game" branding. In 2013, KXTG switched affiliations from Fox Sports Radio to NBC Sports Radio. Fox Sports Radio is now on KPOJ 620 AM, owned by iHeartMedia. In October 2015, KXTG switched affiliations from NBC Sports Radio to CBS Sports Radio. And in 2024, CBS Sports Radio changed its name to the Infinity Sports Network.

FM translator

In July 2014, KXTG began simulcasting on FM translator K274AR 102.7 FM. On December 19, 2014, K274AR upgraded from 10 watts at 102.7 FM to 99 watts at 102.9 FM. On February 3, 2015, K274AR changed call letters to K275CH.

In August 2019, KXTG dropped its simulcast on the 102.9 FM translator frequency, due to a format change to hip hop music. KXTG's sports programming is now available on 750 AM, on the iHeartRadio platform and on the Alpha Media Player.

Ownership history

This section needs expansion with: information on KXL's owners before 1955, and general KXL history. You can help by adding to it. (September 2009)

From 1955 to 1998, KXL was owned by Les Smith. Rose City Radio, a company controlled by Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen, bought it and KXTG from Smith in 1998 for a reported $42 million. In May 2009, it was announced that Larry Wilson, the founder and former owner of Citadel Broadcasting, bought KXL and KXTG from Rose City for $11 million.

References

1. ^ "Wilson buys KXL and KXTG from Paul Allen". Portland Business Journal. August 31, 2009.
2. ^ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau. June 1, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
3. "Facility Technical Data for KXTG". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
4. 750 The Game - Portland's Sports Radio
5. Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-174. Retrieved Nov. 21, 2024
6. Broadcasting Yearbook 1935 page 50. Retrieved Nov. 21, 2024
7. Broadcasting Yearbook 1942 page 170. Retrieved Nov. 21, 2024.
8. Broadcasting Yearbook 1959 page B-217. Retrieved Nov. 21, 2024
9. "Broadcasting Yearbook 1966 page B-122" (PDF). Retrieved March 26, 2024.
10. "Topic: THIS DAY IN PORTLAND RADIO HISTORY (JULY) | Feedback.pdxradio.com". Retrieved March 26, 2024.
11. "750 KXL Becomes the Game". May 25, 2011.
12. KXTG to Drop FM Simulcast Radioinsight -August 23, 2019

External links

• KXTG official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 948 (KXTG) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• KXTG in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• FCC History Cards for KXTG

• Radio stations in Portland, Oregon
• Sports radio stations in the United States
• Radio stations established in 1926
• 1926 establishments in Oregon
• CBS Sports Radio stations
• Alpha Media radio stations