Mid-America Broadcasting sold the station to the owners of the Kansas State Network and changed its call letters to KTVJ ("Television for Joplin") in 1975.

It stopped simulcasting KSNW completely after George Lilly (SJL Communications) acquired the KSN stations and, in a cost-cutting effort, cut the microwave links to KSNT and KSNF.

The "KSN" brand had become solidified in the market and continued to be used even though KSNF was no longer a part of the Kansas State Network nor made any references to it, although the KSN stations and KSNF were reunited under the same ownership in 2017 when Nexstar acquired the Kansas State Network stations.

On August 23, 1995, Price sold KSNF and fellow NBC affiliates KJAC-TV in Beaumont, Texas, and KFDX-TV in Wichita Falls, Texas, to Wakefield, Rhode Island–based upstart USA Broadcast Group for $42 million, retaining ABC affiliate WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as its sole television property (USA soon renamed itself to U.S. Broadcast Group after USA Network filed a trademark infringement complaint against the broadcasting company).

In 2002, it was announced KSNF and ABC affiliate KODE would merge, with building expansion planned at the KSN studios.

In June 2008, KSNF began broadcasting NBC high definition programming to digital cable and satellite customers in the Joplin market.

KSNF could not broadcast due to this tower collapse, so viewers could only receive NBC programming from stations airing on the fringes of the viewing area (KSNW, KJRH in Tulsa, and KYTV in Springfield, Missouri).

As part of the update (and with upcoming digital changes) the "16" was removed from KSN's logo, opens, and all other images, including station vehicles.