The station first signed on the air on September 25, 1962; at its launch, the station served as one of the founding owned-and-operated stations of the Spanish International Network (the forerunner to Univision, which the network was renamed in 1987). In the late 1960s, KMEX broadcast "Escuela", an educational program that aired four times a week, which taught basic English to viewers of all nationalities. The program was hosted by Ginger Cory, a teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Students mailed written exercises to Cory for grading. Many in Southern California's non-English speaking community came to consider Cory as a friend and counselor.