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Local progressive radio station XRAY.fm has been broadcasting in Portland for a decade, and a big purchase announced today ensures that they will be part of the Oregon terrestrial radio landscape for years to come.
XRAY has purchased 107.1, an FM signal that the station has been leasing since September 2014. 107.1 FM has four times the coverage of XRAY’s other signal, 91.1 FM, a relatively weak signal that cannot reliably reach most areas of the city.
“It’s such a huge deal,” says Chase Spross, XRAY’s station director. “Having 107.1 is a big part of what made this station successful. It’s where most people listen to us. This purchase means stability and long-term investment in XRAY sticking around for the city.”
XRAY says they raised $139,233 in a campaign that ended last Friday, a hefty sum for a station that is largely run by volunteers and only has three full-time staff members. The purchase price of 107.1 was $120,000, though the license transfer process can be lengthy and requires legal services and fees. FM signals are rare assets in the Portland market, according to the station, and nothing like 107.1 has been available in the past decade.
XRAY started broadcasting their progressive, independent blend of talk and music from East Portland at 91.1 FM on March 15, 2014. XRAY has been leasing the stronger 107.1 FM signal from its owner MetroEast Community Media since September 2014. XRAY has been using both signals for the past decade.
Shows are run by more than 80 local DJs, promoters, record label owners, musicians and music lovers and feature genres such as indie, hip hop, metal, soul and psych. Talk programming includes comedians, journalists, politicians and local business leaders.
XRAY is also expanding its Oregon Coast coverage by constructing a full-power, 1,000-watt signal on 90.1 FM in Seaside. According to Spross, XRAY will be available for the majority of the North Coast (from Rockaway Beach to just below Astoria) when that project is complete in 2025.
“In the age of corporations very nearly becoming monopolies in the music industry—from streaming to venues to ticket sellers—a place that can platform small, independent, and local musicians is not something we can take for granted,” said Theo Craig, one of the station’s founding DJs and former music director, in a statement.