The channel began as an independent television station on May 1, 1987 as , a low-powered station on UHF channel 49. It was the first over-the-air outlet of non-network programming in Baton Rouge. Branding as WKG-TV, it was owned by Woody Jenkins and Great Oaks Broadcasting. The call letters were chosen because of a partnership with WKG-TV-Video-Electronic College, which taught television and radio broadcasting and production. It did not have a local newscast but, instead, ran Independent Network News. Following several format tests, the station officially began broadcasting 24 hours a day on August 5, 1987.