KIMA signed on July 19, 1953 as the 200th television station in the United States and the first in central Washington. The station was originally owned by Cascade Broadcasting Company along with KIMA radio (AM 1460, now KUTI). It carried programming from all four networks (but was primarily a CBS affiliate) until KNDO signed on in 1959 as an ABC affiliate (but KNDO switched affiliations to NBC in 1965) and DuMont until its shut down in 1955. KIMA then shared ABC programming with KNDO until 1970, when KAPP signed on and took over ABC, leaving KIMA to become a full-time CBS affiliate.