KRYP is a "move-in" station. It signed on the air on May 10, 1981; 43 years ago (May 10, 1981).[3] Its original call sign was KAST-FM and it broadcast on 92.9 MHz in Astoria, Oregon, about 90 miles (145 km) northwest of Portland. It was the FM sister station of KAST1370 AM, one of Oregon's oldest radio stations. KAST-FM ran 25,000 watts, with too little power and too far away to be heard by the larger Portland audience.
In the early 2000s, the decision was made to ask the FCC to allow the station to move. If it could relocate to the Portland metropolitan area, that would be a lucrative change.
KTRO
KTRO came into existence through a complicated deal that involved five owners of radio stations in Oregon and featured both signal downgrades and frequency migrations.[4] It started in 2005 when Salem Communications bought the FM signal from New Northwest Broadcasters, which had operated it as KAST-FM on 92.9 in Astoria. To make room on the Portland dial, KPDQ-FM, also owned by Salem, moved from 93.7 to 93.9 and downgraded its broadcast station class from C to C1.[4] McKenzie River Broadcasting's KKNU, licensed to Springfield, moved from 93.1 to 93.3. Bay Cities Building's KDCQ, licensed to Coos Bay, moved from 93.5 to 92.9. Meanwhile, Oregon Eagle's KTIL-FM, licensed to Tillamook, moved from 94.1 to 94.3. New Northwest's own 94.3 licensed to Long Beach, Washington, picked up the KAST-FM call sign and format, moving from the original 92.9 to 99.7 FM.[4]
Salem management saw that the Hispanic community was growing in the Portland area. It decided KTRO's talk format could go on an AM station, leaving 93.1 FM to serve Spanish-speaking listeners with a music format targeted at them. (The Salem Radio Network's conservative talk programming is now heard on co-owned KPAM860 AM.)
KTRO took on new call letters, KRYP, and a new radio format during the two-week period starting on March 28, 2007. It uses the moniker "El Rey" or The King. Salem Media normally "target[s] audiences interested in Christian and family-themed content and conservative values."[6] But KRYP was an exception. Salem management brought in José Santos of Santos Latin Media to help. He is a former program director of KLVE, one of the top Spanish-language stations in Los Angeles.[7] Santos would lead the station's change to a Regional Mexican format.[8]
The Spring 2008 Arbitron ratings saw KRYP become the Portland radio market leader. It was the first time a Spanish-language radio station achieved that milestone.[9][8]
