It is owned by Gray Media alongside KHNL and CBS affiliate KGMB (channel 5).

The stations share studios on Waiakamilo Road in Honolulu's Kapālama neighborhood; KFVE's transmitter is located near Kalaoa, Hawaii.

The station went on the air in 1988[1] as KVHF, a satellite of Mauna Kea Broadcasting's KMGT channel 26, and changed its call letters to KLEI on March 9, 1992.

Shortly after assuming the Telemundo affiliation, KLEI became available on all cable systems in Hawaii for the first time.

On July 8, 2020, Gray Television, owner of Honolulu-based stations KGMB and KHNL and their satellites, agreed to purchase KSIX-TV for $1 million, pending approval of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).