The station signed on the air on 19 October 1954. During its first year on the air, it was Wichita's NBC affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation. It became a sole ABC affiliate in 1955 after KARD-TV (now KSNW) signed on. For 30 years, KAKE was the highest-rated station in Wichita, even though it didn't build an extensive translator/satellite network in central and western Kansas until the 1990s. For most of the last quarter-century, it has been runner-up to KWCH-TV which has been the dominant station in the market. KSNW-TV has been just behind KAKE in third place.