The station was initially licensed, as KGEA, on December 3, 1926, to the Puget Sound Radio Broadcasting Co. at 5811 Fifth Avenue, Northeast, in Seattle.

[7] It remained on the air in Longview during 1928 and 1929, and at some point was leased to the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), which began operating the station.

Wasmer divested from the station in June 1934,[13] selling it to H. E. (Herbert) Studebaker, who also co-owned KRLC in Lewiston, Idaho.

[15] In September 1940, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorized the station to move to 1390 kHz, with a power of 1,000 watts.

[16] In March 1941, the FCC, with the implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement, moved several radio stations to new frequencies, and KUJ was assigned to 1420 kHz.

Conservative radio hosts Glenn Beck and Bob Larson, now a reporter at KIRO-FM in Seattle, did stints at KUJ.