Under the ownership of Stauffer Communications from 1980 to 1995, KCOY-TV remained the second-rated local news outlet on the southern Central Coast in the 1980s and 1990s; the present Santa Maria studio building was completed in 1988.

When Stauffer was purchased by Morris Communications in 1995, the combined firm immediately spun off its television holdings, mostly to Benedek Broadcasting; the station then changed hands three times in twelve years.

In 2013, the News-Press & Gazette Company assumed some of KCOY-TV's operations and acquired outright most of Cowles's Central Coast media holdings.

In July 1960, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered television station KFRE-TV in Fresno to move from channel 12 to channel 30 as part of a years-long debate over deintermixture—the conversion of markets with both very high frequency (VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) stations to all-UHF.

[6] In May 1962, Friedman withdrew from the contest, citing work; M & M had already withdrawn, leaving Santa Maria Telecasting and Central Coast Television competing for the channel.

[7] Central Coast Television was favored in the initial decision by FCC hearing examiner Herbert Sharfman, released in December 1962, on the grounds of its local ownership and their involvement in civic affairs.

[8] Santa Maria Telecasting appealed, but the commission affirmed Sharfman's decision and awarded the construction permit to Central Coast Television in September 1963.

[10] The station took the call sign KCOY-TV; two of the partners in Central Coast Television, James Ranger and Ed Zuchelli, owned KCOY radio.

[14]: 994  The next year, ownership in the company changed twice; Ed Zuchelli exited the operating partnership, while Helen Pedotti joined it.

Central Coast Television asked for expedited processing of the appeal and a bypass of the review board, saying that it had lost money for its entire existence and could be forced to go off the air soon.

[14] On January 12, 1969, KCOY-TV became a primary CBS affiliate, though it continued to carry some NBC shows; KSBY in San Luis Obispo did the opposite.

[25] This continued until January 1997, when a new low-power station in San Luis Obispo, KKFX-LP (channel 11), was launched by KEYT owner Smith Broadcasting.

For Benedek, the move made geographic sense, as the Santa Maria station was its only outlet in the Pacific Time Zone.

The sale was finalized on March 14, 2008;[35] however, Providence Equity Partners owned 19 percent of Univision and thus had to sell stations in multiple California markets.

KCOY–KKFX bore the brunt of the cutbacks; sports coverage was eliminated, the morning show was pared back to an hour in length, and the evening newscasts began to be presented from Salinas.