We are Volunteer-Powered, Non-Commercial, Listener-Sponsored, Full-Strength Community Radio for Portland, Oregon, Cascadia & the World!

Core Values:
Values that are the essence of KBOO and should remain intact no matter how the station changes:
COMMUNITY: local, accessible, empowering. welcoming, inclusive, participatory, involved
PROGRESSIVE PERSPECTIVE: questioning, vital, uncensored, controversial, activist resource, educational, journalistic integrity, reflecting justice, peace, sustainability and democracy.
EMOTIONAL MATURITY: respectful, honest, fair, positive, peaceful, non-violent, engaging, open
DIVERSITY: valuing, embracing, bridging, listening, understanding, giving voice
LEADERSHIP: bold, exploring, independent, cutting edge, responsible, excellence
CREATIVITY: eclectic, traditional to experimental, idiosyncratic, innovative, iconoclastic. evolving, compelling

Programming Charter

KBOO news and public affairs programming shall place an emphasis on providing a forum for unpopular, controversial, or neglected perspectives on important local, national, and international issues, reflecting KBOO’s values of peace, justice, democracy, human rights, multiculturalism, environmentalism, freedom of expression, and social change.

KBOO’s arts, cultural, and musical programming shall cover a wide spectrum of expression from traditional to experimental, and reflect the diverse cultures we serve. KBOO shall strive for spontaneity and programming excellence, both in content and technique.

A group of Portlanders, disgruntled at the lack of a classical music station, organized themselves as Portland Listener Supported Radio in 1964. They had heard of Lorenzo Milam, a former KPFA volunteer, and the success of the station called KRAB that he had started in Seattle. Lorenzo Milam agreed to help them organize a station, and after a series of meetings, Portland Listener Supported Radio applied for a license for a Portland radio station.