Before there was a dream of a River Campus, KBVM has been broadcasting from the Gulch since 1989.
A syndicate of Metro Catholic Broadcasting (MCB), Catholic broadcasting came to the Northwest in 1983, and the University of Portland in 1988 (the UP location was the suggestion of Auxiliary Bishop Paul Waldschmidt, C.S.C., our former president). And so KBVM, named in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Catholic radio station stands today in the gulch between Physical Plant and Mehling Hall. Ground broke for the KBVM radio station on February 28, 1988 and the building was completed the summer of 1988. KBVM was dedicated and formally went live on the air in the Portland metro area on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1989. Today, celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Dedication, KBVM (88.3 FM) provides live recorded programming that includes Christian liturgical and sacred music; live interviews with Catholic clergy, including diocesan and Holy Cross priests, local and national speakers and musicians, religious groups, and organizations; prayers and devotions; Catholic news, and even Catholic sports updates. KBVM’s signal can be heard from Vancouver to Salem and its sister station, KMME (94.9 FM, 100.5 FM), reaches listeners in Eugene, Springfield, and Cottage Grove. Online audiences can follow KBVM anywhere at www.kbvm.fm.