[6][7] This deal was reached after failed attempts to sell the properties to Triangle Publications[8] and United Artists[9] among others; and after the Washington Post Company's Post-Newsweek Stations division disclosed it was not interested in acquiring full ownership.

As part of a sale announced in late 1970, KOGO-AM-FM-TV was sold to McGraw-Hill along with Time-Life's other radio/television combinations in Denver, Indianapolis and Grand Rapids, Michigan; and KERO-TV in upstate Bakersfield.

However, in order to comply with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s new restrictions on concentration of media ownership, McGraw-Hill was required to sell the radio stations in San Diego, Indianapolis, Denver, and Grand Rapids.

[11] KERO-TV, KLZ-TV (now KMGH-TV) in Denver, and WFBM-TV (now WRTV) in Indianapolis were retained by McGraw-Hill along with KOGO-TV, which changed to its current call letters KGTV on June 1 as a result of the sale due to FCC regulations in place at the time that prohibited TV and radio stations in the same market, but different ownership from sharing the same callsigns.

In San Diego, KCST-TV experienced a carryover effect and also rose to first place locally, knocking KGTV down to third behind CBS station KFMB-TV (channel 8).

[13] But ABC was never happy with having been forced onto the UHF dial in San Diego, and the unprecedented success gave the network the impetus to actively upgrade its affiliate roster nationwide.

[18][19] On October 3, 2011, McGraw-Hill announced it was selling its entire television station group, including KGTV and Azteca América affiliate KZSD-LP, to the Cincinnati-based E. W. Scripps Company for $212 million.

KGTV also made history by being the first station in San Diego with a female anchor team on its 11 p.m. newscast, featuring Carol LeBeau and Bree Walker.

During that time, LeBeau and Hunt would anchor alongside Tuck (who left for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles in 1990, only to return to San Diego nine years later on KFMB), Stephen Clark (later at sister station WXYZ-TV in Detroit but now retired), Steve Wolford (later at sister station KTNV-TV and now with KSNV in Las Vegas), and a returning Hal Clement (who had switched from sports to news duties in 1983 while working at KFMB).

Since the Scripps purchase of KGTV was completed at the end of 2011, the station has entered into a news and weather partnership with its former AM radio sister KOGO (now owned by iHeartMedia).