On December 5, 1971, KMIZ debuted on the air as the ABC affiliate KCBJ-TV for the first time. Previously, ABC had been relegated to secondary clearances on NBC station KOMU-TV (channel 8) and CBS affiliate KRCG in the Central Missouri area (channel 13). KCBJ was founded by brothers Richard and Robert Koenig under the moniker Channel 17 Inc. The original studios of the station were located on South 7th Street in Columbia.