Knox LaRue and Lester E. Chenault applied for the new channel 36 in July 1952,[2] and after refiling as a corporation known as San Joaquin Telecasters in December,[3] the commission granted the application on January 8, 1953.
[11] A July 1954 reorganization saw original owners LaRue and Chenault exit their stakes, with the former devoting time to his radio ventures including Stockton radio station KSTN, and KTVU become fully owned by Browen Industries, owned by Warren Brown, Jr., and Leo Owens.
Its general manager told the Stockton Record newspaper, "It is economically impractical to continue daily scheduling of programs for the present.
[16] In April 1956, Browen sued the two men that had bought San Joaquin Telecasters's capital stock and assets with the intention of restoring KTVU to service with KCCC; by this time, regional utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company had obtained a writ on the land because of an unpaid $12,000 electricity bill.
While it was stated that the call sign had no specific meaning at the time,[24] a 1985 newspaper article posits that engineers for the new Oakland station, having worked for Stockton's KTVU, named it in tribute.