It began operating in November 1981 as an adult contemporary station owned by a husband and wife, Charles Rowe and Kim Singer, who were also TV news anchors.

"[8] After Rowe moved to Spokane, KCRF-FM was sold to Matrix Media, which paired it with KBCH, Lincoln City's AM station.

[13] KCRF-FM, along with its sister stations (KNPT and KNCU in Newport, KBCH in Lincoln City, and KWDP in Waldport), shut down on December 31, 2023.

[14] The closure followed the August foreclosure of the stations' Newport studios, which were sold to Oregon Coast Bank in a sheriff's sale on December 5.

Xana Oregon, owned by Thomas Hodgins and Christopher Jacky, acquired KNCU and KCRF-FM from Yaquina Bay Communications for $115,000 in a sale filed with the FCC in April 2024.