The station, Idaho's oldest, signed on July 12, 1953 as KIDO-TV, owned by Georgia Davidson along with KIDO-AM. Davidson was one of only two female station owners in the NBC network. The other was Dorothy Bullitt, who founded future sister station KING-TV. Davidson sold KIDO-AM in 1959 but kept KIDO-TV, which she renamed KTVB.Philo Farnsworth, the father of television — and an Idaho native — was present as the station signed on the air. During KTVB's fiftieth year celebration, the tag line "the first television station in the state where TV was invented" was used in some promotional announcements.In 1979, KTVB was sold to KING Broadcasting Company, joining stations KREM-TV in Spokane, KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon and KING-TV in Seattle. KING Broadcasting was sold to the Providence Journal Company in 1992, which was later sold to current owner Belo in 1997.
