On August 8, 1982, KCBJ and KOMU swapped affiliations. ABC had become the nation's highest-rated network and had been looking to get its programming on higher-rated stations. It found the chance to align with long-dominant KOMU too much to resist. The Koenigs sold the station to Stauffer Communications in 1984. By 1985, however, NBC regained the ratings lead and the two stations returned to their original networks on New Year's Day, 1986. Along with the switch, channel 17 changed its call letters to the current KMIZ. Stauffer merged with Morris Communications in 1995 but Morris was not allowed to keep the former Stauffer television stations. As a result, the former Stauffer television holdings, including KMIZ, were sold to Benedek Broadcasting in 1996. In the late 1990s, KMIZ owner Benedek Broadcasting launched two low-powered stations, K02NQ in Columbia and K11TB in Jefferson City, to bring Fox to Mid-Missouri. It also operated the cable-only WB 100+ affiliate "KJWB" (known on-air as "WB 5" from its cable channel location) from its launch in 1998 until 2002. Benedek went bankrupt later in 2002, and most of its stations, including KMIZ, were sold to Gray Television. "KJWB" transferred ownership to the University of Missouri (owners of KOMU), and KMIZ was divested to Chelsey Broadcasting. Chesley in turn sold the station to JW Broadcasting in May 2003.