That relationship ended on July 31, 2020, when the CBS affiliation in Anchorage was moved to KYES-TV (channel 5, now KAUU) as that station's parent company, Gray Television, acquired KTVA's non-license assets.

He received FCC approval for construction permits in July 1953, and KTVA signed on the air on December 11, 1953 (broadcasting initially from 6 to 11:30 p.m.).

[5] The studio and office were originally housed on the first floor and the transmitter on top of the pink 14-story McKinley Tower,[6] with an analog signal on VHF channel 11.

On January 3, 1971, KTVA aired Anchorage's first-ever live satellite broadcast from the lower 48 states, the 1970 NFC Championship Game.

[10] On November 9, 2012, GCI, through subsidiary Denali Media Holdings, announced plans to purchase KTVA, as well as KATH-LD and KSCT-LP in Southeast Alaska.

On December 2, 2013, KTVA moved to a new high definition-capable studio on the second floor of the headquarters of the Anchorage Daily News, and unveiled a new set and logo.

[14] In 2017, KTVA was received a prestigious James Beard Award for its Harvesting Alaska series, beating out CBS This Morning and WLS-TV in Chicago.

Channel 11's studios were severely damaged following major earthquakes that hit Anchorage on the morning of November 30, 2018, which also temporarily knocked the station off the air.

Atlanta-based Gray Television, which already owned KTUU-TV and KYES-TV (channel 5) in Anchorage, and NBC affiliate KTVF in Fairbanks, purchased KATH-LD and KSCT-LP in May.

[17] On July 31, Gray and GCI/Denali announced that the former company had acquired KTVA's non-license assets, including its news department and CBS affiliation, and would move that programming to KYES-TV; the on-air transfer took place that same day.

[20] After the final newscast for the KTVA news operation aired on August 30, 2020, the station notified the FCC it would go dark as of September 3, as it searched for a buyer.

Management cited GCI's plans to shut down its cable television systems in 2025, potentially increasing dependence on broadcast TV in the area.