The station began broadcasting on November 9, 1953 as KOOK-TV, Montana's second television station; Butte's KXLF-TV had signed on in August. The station carried programming from all three major networks of the time—CBS, NBC, ABC and DuMont Television Network-- but has always been a primary CBS affiliate. It lost DuMont when that network shut down in 1956 and lost NBC when KGHL-TV (now KULR-TV) signed on in 1958. The station changed its callsign to KTVQ in 1973.