Way Media is acquiring Urban “We 96.3” KWEE West Linn/Portland OR for $3.5 million.

KWEE is currently owned by 3 Horizons LLC, a partnership of Keith Shipman’s Horizon Broadcasting Group and David Rauh’s 3 Cities Inc and operated via LMA by Alpha Media since August 1, 2016. Horizon owned the station when it operated in the Bend OR market and transferred half of its ownership stake to 3 Cities to get their 96.1 KXXO Olympia to relocate allowing the station to make its move into Portland in September 2015. The current format registered a 1.7 share in the April 2019 Nielsen Audio Ratings.

Way Media’s “Way-FM” Christian AC programming is currently available in Portland on 104.5 K283BL via iHeartMedia’s 105.9 KFBW-HD2.

WAY Media, Inc. has entered into an agreement with 3 Horizons, LLC. to purchase KWEE-FM in West Linn, OR which will replace the 104.5 FM translator WAY-FM has broadcast from since 2011.

WAY Media President / CEO John Scaggs stated, “We are excited to move our signal so that WAY-FM / Portland increases from 800,000 to 2,000,000 in coverage. This full power station expansion helps cover the triangle of life where our listeners work, live and play. We look forward to being the soundtrack of Portland for those that know Jesus and those yet to know Him. The Portland metro area is the most religiously unaffiliated city in the United States, with 42 percent of residents identifying as atheist, agnostic or no religion. That’s twice the size of the next largest minority: white evangelical Christians. As odd as this might sound, this is exactly the kind of city where we want to have a WAY-FM, rather than one we run away from.”

Scaggs added, “We are interested on serving Portland like never before. Much like our current signal that we are superseding, WAY-FM is community supported – donor as well as business support. This new WAY-FM signal in Portland, joining our purchase 2 weeks ago in Evansville, IN, are examples of our intention to shore up coverage in current WAY-FM markets along with our goal to enter new markets.”

WAY-FM (part of WAY Media, Inc.) reaches into over 50 communities on FM signals in 26 states including stations in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Portland, Nashville, West Palm Beach, Louisville, Ft. Myers and Huntsville.