KID-TV amended its call sign to KIDK on December 18, 1984, when the radio stations were sold due to an FCC rule in place at the time that prohibited TV and radio stations in the same market, but with different ownership from sharing the same call letters.

[7] Shortly beforehand, a deal was reached to sell KIDK and KXPI to VistaWest Media, LLC, a company based in St. Joseph, Missouri (where NPG is also based); the stations would remain operated by NPG under a shared services agreement.

KIDK's operations remained largely unchanged, though over-the-air viewers were asked to rescan their sets in order to continue watching CBS.

KIDK modified its local news schedule in order to reduce opportunities for direct competition with KIFI.

In order to maintain individual on-air identities and branding, KIDK and KIFI have separate graphic schemes and news music packages.

The two television outlets simulcast together at 10 although the broadcast can be delayed or preempted on one channel due to network obligations.

It competed with another local newscast seen weeknights at 9 on KFXP (that was produced by rival NBC affiliate KPVI-DT, channel 6).

[citation needed] The station's signal is multiplexed: KIDK shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 3, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate.