KAUT commenced entertainment programming on November 3, 1980, three weeks after the VEU launch. At that time, it became the third independent station to sign on in the Oklahoma City market – after KOKH-TV (channel 25, now a Fox affiliate), which converted from a non-commercial educational independent into a commercial independent on October 1, 1979, and KGMC (channel 34, now CW affiliate KOCB), which signed on four weeks later on October 28. The station initially maintained a mixed information and entertainment schedule, running local news programming from sign-on at 12:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., and a limited schedule of first-run syndicated programs (initially consisting of only two shows, "The Merv Griffin Show" and game show "Liar's Club") weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Later that month, KAUT reached an agreement with the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) to temporarily carry some of the Christian-oriented religious network's programs from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekends until TBN's upstart owned-and-operated station KTBO-TV (channel 14)—which was originally scheduled to sign on in September—was able to correct technical issues with its transmitter facility; the agreement concluded when KTBO officially debuted over channel 14 on March 6, 1981.