The station first signed on the air on April 13, 1986, as KSCH. When the station signed on back on April 13th, 1986, the first program to ever air was a "preview" show hosted by Jim Finnerty and Lori Sequest. It was owned by the SFN Companies (Schuyler Broadcasting Co.). It originally operated as an independent station and aired classic television series from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, as well as some daytime programs that were preempted by KCRA-TV and KXTV (channel 10). The station originally operated from studios located on West Weber Avenue in Stockton. Some programs that were aired on the station had not been seen since their original network/syndication runs. On August 9 of that year, SFN sold the station to Pegasus Broadcasting. In 1988, the station moved its studios to a new building located on Gold Canal Drive in Rancho Cordova. KSCH was also the first station in the Sacramento–Stockton–Modesto area to provide stereo sound from its sign-on. In December 1994, KSCH entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Kelly Broadcasting, then-owner of KCRA. That station then took over the operations of KSCH.