[5] On December 1, 1956, KGVO moved to the new site and concurrently changed its call letters to KMSO-TV, representing Missoula's airport code.

[1] Under Moore's ownership, KGVO-TV switched its primary affiliation to NBC in 1965, though it still carried some CBS and ABC programming.

[10] The transmitter was destroyed by fire in November 1966;[11] the FCC permitted the installation of two interim translators to get the station back on air until the TV Mountain facility could be reconstructed.

[15] Dale Moore's Western Broadcasting Company reached a deal to sell KGVO-TV, KCFW, and KTVM to Eagle Communications, Inc.—a company formed by former The Ed Sullivan Show producer Robert Precht and Advance Communications, owner of KFBB-TV in Great Falls—in 1977.

[16] Despite a protest from a citizens' group, Montanans for Quality Television, the deal received FCC approval in September 1978,[17] and on November 1, KGVO-TV became KECI-TV.

[18] The Eagle stations also aired Sesame Street for three years from 1978 to 1981, dropping the program due to a lack of underwriters.

[19] Eagle demonstrated an increased commitment to the Butte area, which had never been served by any specific local programming, even after the launch of KTVM.

After expressing interest in establishing a Butte office in 1978,[20] the station did so in 1982 and began producing local news reports for inclusion in KECI's newscasts.

While this allowed KECI to clear more ABC programs, it created further scheduling headaches and put its late news at a disadvantage.

[25] Viewers cited confusion over the availability of programs, and returning the late news to 10 p.m. allowed Eagle to restore The Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live to its lineup en route to becoming a sole NBC affiliate.

[39][40] While digital broadcasts had also begun in Bozeman by the June 12 deadline, the low-power K42BZ was not required to discontinue analog service and planned to remain on the air through the end of 2009.

Just 25 days later, citing costs and the fact that the Butte local operation had never made money, Eagle opted to shutter the Butte operation and originate news for both areas from Bozeman, firing the 15 news and production staffers it had in the Mining City.

[47][48] At the same time, KECI anchor Jill Valley defected to crosstown competitor KPAX, causing the station to plunge in the ratings—especially in Missoula itself.