[2] The group—which received approval for the construction permit in a proceeding by FCC administrative law judge Joseph Stirmer on November 4, 1986, later issued by the FCC on July 7, 1987[3][4]—was granted the license over three other groups: Magnolia Communications (owned by Pine Bluff–based businessman U. S. McPherson);[5] Capitol Communications Corp. (led by Little Rock-based corporate communications director Steve Stephens, minority owner of then-independent station KLRT-TV [channel 16]); and Maumelle TV Inc.[6] (Magnolia and Maumelle TV's respective cases contesting Leininger-Geddes' application, both concerning management integration and issues with antenna height and possible adjacent channel interference with KJTM-TV [channel 38, now CW affiliate KASN], were dismissed with prejudice by Stirmer on June 26 and 30, 1986.

The station originally maintained studio facilities located on South Shackleford Road (near I-430 and West 36th Street) in southwestern Little Rock.

The station subsequently relocated its operations into Equity's Shackleford Drive headquarters (near North Shackelford Road and West Markham Street) in northwestern Little Rock.

[13][14][15] In order to provide the network broader signal coverage within the Little Rock market, on January 29, 2001, Equity transferred KKYK's WB network and syndicated programming to channel 42; the intellectual unit of KYPX—which changed its calls accordingly to KLRA-TV, in reference to its city of license—concurrently moved to channel 49 (which adopted the KYPX call letters).

)[20][21] KWBF joined MyNetworkTV upon the network's launch on September 5, two weeks before The WB formally ceased operations; at that time, the station began branding itself as "My 42".

(The base logo design and radio-inspired naming scheme adopted by KARZ on that date would later be applied to other Nexstar-run MyNetworkTV affiliates, including nearby sister stations KOZL/Springfield, Missouri and KSHV/Shreveport.

)[24][25] On July 19, 2012, Nexstar reached an agreement to acquire 12 stations owned by Kansas City–based Newport Television, including the duopoly of KLRT and KASN, for $285.5 million.

The sale of KLRT/KASN to Mission received FCC approval on December 10, 2012, and was completed on January 3, 2013;[28][29] Nexstar took over the operations of KLRT and KASN, which were relocated to KARK/KARZ's Victory Building studios, under a local marketing agreement on February 2, 2013.

(Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of WEAR-TV and WFGX in that market, concurrently acquired Newport's Mobile–Pensacola duopoly of WPMI and WJTC in a similar arrangement through Deerfield Media.

)[30] KARZ may occasionally take on the responsibility of running NBC network shows in place of regular programming in the event that extended breaking news or severe weather coverage is carried on KARK-TV.

In January 2006, three years before it was purchased by Nexstar, the station made headlines when it decided to air the NBC comedy-drama series The Book of Daniel after KARK-TV station management declined to carry it amid complaints about controversial material revolving around the vices of the Episcopalian minister lead and his dysfunctional family, its depiction of Jesus (with which the lead conversed) as tolerant of perceived sinful behaviors, and openly gay characters that some conservative Christian groups found objectionable.

)[37] On February 1, 2009, as Nexstar assumed management responsibilities for channel 42, KARK-TV began producing an hour-long weeknight 7 p.m. newscast for KARZ.