This station's sign on in 1981 as WCLQ-TV marked the return of broadcasting over channel 61 in Cleveland, a frequency unused since the closure of WKBF-TV six years earlier.

Despite some innovative local programming and an inventory of some popular off-network shows, WKBF struggled for the majority of its existence due to poor revenue growth.

[4] A construction permit was awarded by the FCC in 1978, and WCLQ-TV began broadcasting on March 3, 1981, with a special prime time airing of the movie The Deer Hunter as its marquee program on launch day.

[10] Ultimately, Preview lost nearly half of their subscription base to cable television systems in the market's affluent suburbs, along with piracy from different decoder boxes[11] and a struggling area economy.

[10] In addition to Preview's struggles, WCLQ-TV faced low ratings and a lack of media exposure, with general manager Gary Brandt publicly musing about The Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria listing the station as "WQLC".

[12] The shutdown announcement caught station executives off guard, as syndicated programming for the coming television season had largely been committed to months earlier.

[16] WCLQ-TV filled the loss of Preview with a traditional mixture of off-network reruns, movies and Independent Network News (anchored by former Cleveland newscaster Bill Jorgensen); it also picked up CBS Late Night, which WJKW declined.

[18] The Ghoul was cancelled in the spring of 1984, attributed to low ratings,[19] but it was later suggested that Brandt dropped it after an on-air skit involving a shed being set on fire outside of the studios.

[21] NASCO, which primarily handled National Football League merchandise,[22] established Channel as a diversification move, purchasing WCLQ-TV along with two small-market network affiliates—KAIT in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and KPLC in Lake Charles, Louisiana—for a combined $48.8 million.

[31] The aggressive approach Channel Communications took with WCLQ-TV failed to yield a positive return on investment, with the station losing "a few million dollars" annually.

[22] In January 1986, Channel president Brian Byrnes initiated a study with Shearson Lehman Brothers on possible options for the company, involving the sale of WCLQ-TV.

[33] General manager Jack White claimed Shearson Lehman contacted Channel on behalf of an investor, fueling the possibility of Rupert Murdoch buying WCLQ-TV for his nascent Fox Broadcasting Company.

[37] Lowell "Bud" Paxson, co-founder of HSN and co-owner of Silver King, previously announced plans to create a nationwide chain of stations supported by 14 owned-and-operated outlets (twelve owned outright and two with minority interest, as per FCC regulations) and a network of full-time and part-time affiliates.

[36] The remaining six hours of programming—meant to fulfill advertising contracts and provide temporary cash flow[1]—included a block of children's programming, Honeymooners reruns, and a feature movie.

[35] Embassy Television also filed a petition with the FCC against the deal, claiming a loss of over $3 million in broken contracts by WCLQ-TV for the production company's situation comedies and movies.

[1] Mark Dawidziak of the Akron Beacon Journal later referred to WCLQ-TV's demise as the station falling victim to the end of the "indy boom" within the television industry.

The first such newscasts in Spanish in the Cleveland market debuted in January 2022 when Gray Television, owner of WOIO and WUAB, launched Telemundo outlet WTCL-LD (channel 6).