A dispute among stockholders restricted cash and led to a filing for bankruptcy reorganization; in March 1984, one of the worst ice storms in Kansas history felled its tower, leading to major layoffs and financial difficulties as well as the cancellation of all newscasts.

Larry D. Hudson, the original majority owner and namesake, acquired the station out of bankruptcy in 1985 and sold it to the Brechner family in 1986.

Topeka Television, Inc., had applied for channel 43 and sold a stake to Starr Broadcasting,[2] but its application was denied by a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hearing examiner on financial grounds in October 1967.

[5] Capcom, a limited partnership containing about 20 investors mostly from Kansas including Gale Sayers, applied in late 1979 to the FCC for channel 49.

The lead investor was Gerald Paul Smeyak, whose interest had been piqued by a prior application for channel 43 and by the ability of Topeka to support a third commercial station.

[6] On May 14, 1980, a second application for channel 49 was filed at the FCC by Mid America Broadcasting of Topeka, a consortium of five Kansas investors including former state senator Cale Hudson and his brother Larry, a cable system owner.

[8][9] The investors made substantial progress toward constructing the station in late 1982, including obtaining industrial revenue bonds from the city of Topeka,[10] receiving approval for their tower site in Shawnee County,[11] and leasing a building at 1st and Monroe streets.

In state court in Chanute, the four minority stockholders—including Cale Hudson—sued Larry D. Hudson and the secretary-treasurer in the firm in an effort to prevent them from issuing more stock and thus diluting their interests.

On March 19, 1984, Topeka was hit with what was described as one of its worst ice storms in recent years; a later ranking by the National Weather Service in Wichita placed it fourth-worst all time behind three events in the 2000s.

[22] David Segal, a retired broadcast executive, was authorized by the bankruptcy court to take offers for KLDH and received at least five bids.

Ron Loewen, KAKE's general manager, believed the $6 million valuation being sought was too high given KLDH's indebtedness and competitive standing.

Citing a lack of attachment by the community to the KLDH designation, the station changed its call sign to KTKA-TV, for Topeka, on August 13, 1986.

[32] 49 Eyewitness News began airing at 10 p.m. nightly on January 5, 1987,[33][34] An early newscast at 5 p.m. debuted on June 1,[35] moving to 6 p.m. and then back to 5 p.m. in 1991.

[40] Brechner expanded his Topeka media holdings by purchasing radio station KTPK (106.9 FM) from Twenty-First Century Broadcasting in 1997.

[41] By then, planning was under way for new studio facilities on 21st Street and Chelsea Drive on Topeka's southwest side; the $4.5 million building opened in 1998 and provided the station with new, digital-ready equipment.

[42] While KTKA-TV had slowly increased its newscast ratings since restarting local news production in 1987, the station had remained in third place behind WIBW-TV and KSNT.

With declining advertising sales, digital equipment costs, and reduced affiliate compensation from the ABC network, the Brechner family opted to discontinue KTKA's newscasts on April 19, 2002, causing the layoffs of nine full-time and 17 part-time staffers.

On February 5, 2006, following ABC's telecast of Super Bowl XL and a post-game episode of Grey's Anatomy, KTKA debuted 49 News with a half-hour nightly late-evening newscast at 10 p.m.

[55] The next month, KTKA-TV canceled its weekday morning and midday newscasts as part of budget cuts that resulted in the layoffs of nine employees.

Weekday evening anchor Ben Bauman and chief meteorologist Matt Miller were among the KTKA staffers that joined the new joint operation.