KKWF

The station first signed on in 1948 as KIRO-FM (not to be confused with the current KIRO-FM, which has broadcast on 97.3 FM since 2008).[3] It was owned by the Queen City Broadcasting Company and it simulcasted co-owned AM 710 KIRO (like the present-day KIRO-FM). The two stations were CBS Radio Network affiliates, airing its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio." In 1958, KIRO-TV signed on the air as Seattle's CBS Television affiliate, which it still is today (with exception of a hiatus from 1995 to 1997, when it was a UPN station).

As network programming moved from radio to television, KIRO-AM-FM switched to a full service middle of the road format of pop music, news and sports. In 1963, Queen City Broadcasting, owned by Saul Haas, was sold to Bonneville International, a broadcasting corporation set up by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[4]

In the late 1960s, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began requiring FM stations in large cities to stop full time simulcasts of their co-owned AM stations. For a few years, KIRO-FM aired a Progressive Rock format, beginning in 1967. The station flipped to Beautiful Music in 1971, at first keeping the KIRO-FM call sign, and then as KSEA in 1975.

The format gradually evolved from mostly instrumental Beautiful Music to a mix of instrumentals and vocals as easy listening ("Easy 101") in the early 1980s.[5][6]

In the mid-1980s, as the easy listening audience was aging, KSEA moved to soft adult contemporary music. On February 17, 1989, KSEA shifted to a mainstream adult contemporary format.[7] KSEA also telecasted its audio on KIRO-TV throughout the late 1980s into the early 1990s when KIRO was off-air, mainly during sign-off time in overnights. The station shifted to hot adult contemporary as KWMX ("Mix 101") in April 1991, though this would last for only a short time.[8]

On September 21, 1992, the station returned to a simulcast of then-sister station KIRO. With the change, the KIRO-FM call letters were reinstated.[9] The station broke the simulcast (except for mornings) on July 5, 1994, airing a separately programmed talk format, while retaining the KIRO-FM call sign.

The initial lineup included a simulcast of 710 KIRO in morning drive time (which would be replaced by local comedian Pat Cashman in September), Rick Enloe in late mornings (who would later be replaced by Amy Alpine), Dave Brenner and Dr. Laura Schlessinger's syndicated show in afternoons, Gil Gross (syndicated from San Francisco) in evenings), Leslie Marshall at night (who would later be replaced by Jim Bohannon), along with Bernie Ward and David Essel on weekends.[10]

On January 6, 1995, the station rebranded as "100.7 The Buzz," and added the syndicated Tom Leykis Show to the lineup.[11] KQBZ was sold by Bonneville to Entercom in March 1997.[12] The station changed its call letters to KQBZ in May 1999, and shifted to hot talk in 2000 with the slogan "Radio For Guys."

During the early 2000s, KQBZ carried Don & Mike in middays and Phil Hendrie in evenings.[13] By November 2005, the station's weekday lineup consisted of local personalities Robin & Maynard (who were previously on KZOK-FM) in mornings, BJ Shea in middays, Tom Leykis in afternoons, The Mens Room in evenings, and John and Jeff and All-Comedy Radio in late nights, with paid and specialty programming on weekends.[14]

At 8 a.m. on November 30, 2005, in the middle of "Robin & Maynard", the station began stunting with a countdown clock to Noon the same day. At that time, the station flipped to country as "100.7 The Wolf" with the new call letters KKWF.[15] The first song played on The Wolf was "How Do You Like Me Now?!" by Toby Keith.[16] With the flip, The Men's Room and BJ Shea moved over to sister station KISW. Tom Leykis moved over as well, but on tape delay, from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.[17]

Entercom acquired KKWF's long-time country rival KMPS in November 2017, as a result of its merger with CBS Radio. In the immediate aftermath of the merger's completion, KMPS dropped its country format in defense of KKWF (making it the only full-market country station in the Seattle market), and ultimately flipped to soft adult contemporary on December 4, 2017. Rock station KVRQ would flip to country later the same day.[18][19]