QUEST FOR A CALL SIGN

There were ongoing discussions beginning in the fall of 1971 about what call letters should be requested for the new station. Owner Walter Kraus had originally envisioned catering to the well-heeled Lake Oswego crowd by providing them with classical music, opera performances, and news.

Another interesting Kraus idea was the "Ivy Club," a take-off on the Ivy League and its social prestige. Ivy Club members would pay a fee to receive commercial-free classical music on a station-provided subcarrier receiver. A suggested call sign at that point was KIVC.

Soon thereafter, as the proposed format changed from classical to Progressive Rock and the possible use of discrete Quadraphonic audio was added to the mix, more call letter ideas emerged. Questions also arose about the feasibility of a rock station providing classical music on a subcarrier, so it was decided to abandon the Ivy Club idea for the time being.

However, with the emergence of the Quad concept, the "IV" would now stand for "4." One favorite call sign suggested was KIVQ (K4Q). It was pointed out that it might be offensive to some if the station became known as "Fork You." The eccentric Walter Kraus and other staffers loved that one, but were soon talked out of it.

After several discussions and a vote, we applied for a call sign that captured the true spirit of the station. The winner was KQIV (KQ4) which the FCC granted us on December 27, 1971.