In a superheterodyne receiver, which stage sets the received frequency?

In a superheterodyne receiver, tuning to a specific station is achieved by changing the frequency of the Local Oscillator. The Local Oscillator generates a steady, unmodulated RF signal that is fed directly into the mixer. The mixer takes this Local Oscillator frequency and subtracts it from the incoming signals picked up by the antenna to create a fixed Intermediate Frequency (IF). Because the IF must remain constant for the rest of the radio to work, the only way to listen to different incoming frequencies is to shift the Local Oscillator frequency up or down mathematically. While the RF amplifier might have some broad, tracking filters, it does not dictate the precise reception frequency. Similarly, the Beat Frequency Oscillator (BFO) is used only at the very end of the chain to demodulate specific modes like SSB or CW, not to tune the radio's primary reception frequency.