About KSN 3

On November 28, 1959, KOMC-TV (for Oberlin-McCook) went on the air as a satellite of Great Bend's KCKT-TV, under the control of Central Kansas Television. Garden City's KCKT, KOMC, and KGLD-TV created the "Tri-Circle Network," the NBC affiliate for central and western Kansas. After the FCC united central and western Kansas into the Wichita market in 1962, Central Kansas Television acquired Wichita's KARD-TV and consolidated it with KOMC, KCKT, and KGLD. A few years later, the Tri-Circle Network was renamed the "Kansas State Network," with KARD acting as the flagship of the new four-station regional network.

On August 16, 1982, the station's call letters were changed to KSNK in an effort to let viewers conceive of the four stations as part of a larger network. Around this time, the station's city of license was changed from Oberlin to McCook, Kansas, however the studios remained in Oberlin. SJL Broadcast Management purchased the KSN stations in 1988. In 1995, Lee Enterprises purchased the stations. In the year 2000, Emmis Communications purchased the majority of Lee Enterprises' television businesses. On January 27, 2006, Montecito Broadcast Group, a newly created partnership between SJL and the private equity company Blackstone Group, purchased the KSN stations from Emmis.

On July 24, 2007, Montecito announced the sale of its five stations to New Vision Television (KSNW, KHON-TV in Honolulu, KOIN in Portland, Oregon, and KSNT in Topeka, as well as satellites of KSNW and KHON); the deal was completed on November 1, 2007. The LIN TV Corporation announced on May 7, 2012, that it will purchase the New Vision Television station group, comprising KSNW and its four satellite stations, for $330.4 million and the assumption of $12 million in debt; the acquisition was completed on May 8, 2012, which was approved by the FCC on October 2 and completed 112 weeks later on October 12 - marked LIN's return to Kansas. In 2000, LIN briefly owned the license of KLBY (channel 4), a satellite of Wichita ABC affiliate KAKE-TV (channel 10), before selling it to Benedek Broadcasting shortly after the purchase was completed.

On March 21, 2014, Media General announced a $1.6 billion merger with LIN Media and its stations, including KSNW, giving the station its sixth owner since 2000. This acquisition signified Media General's re-entry into the market, since it previously controlled KBSL-TV (channel 10), a satellite of KWCH-TV (channel 12), from 2000 until 2006. On December 19, the transaction was finalized. Nexstar Broadcasting Group stated on September 28, 2015, that it has made an offer to buy Media General and its stations, including KSNW and its satellites. Nexstar announced on January 27, 2016, that it has struck a deal to acquire Media General. Nexstar's purchase of KSNK and its other satellites reunited the stations with previous satellite KSNF, ownership of which was severed from the rest of the Kansas State Network in 1986. The FCC authorized the transaction on January 11, 2017, and it was finalized on January 17, 2017, marking Nexstar's first foray into the Wichita market.