The station first signed on the air on August 20, 2009,[2] becoming the first (and so far only) full-power
Spanish-language television station to sign on in the state of Kansas;[3][4] because it signed on after the June 12
digital television transition that year, KDCU was also the first full-power television station in the Wichita–Hutchinson Plus market to sign-on without a companion
analog signal.
Prior to the station's sign-on, on February 15, 2008, Entravision entered into a
joint sales agreement with
Schurz Communications (then-owner of
KWCH-DT and
KSCW-DT), in which Schurz would provide advertising, production and promotional responsibilities as well as back office and master control services for KDCU. Schurz also leased a transmission tower located near
Colwich to house the station's transmitter facilities; KSCW, which previously used the tower, moved its transmitter facilities to a tower east of Hutchinson in
Reno County, which is known as the
KWCH 12 Tower. Since KDCU is licensed as a full-power station, it is able to mandate carriage on cable and
satellite providers in the Wichita–Hutchinson Plus market.
Schurz announced on September 14, 2015, that it would exit broadcasting and sell its television and radio stations, including KWCH-DT, KSCW-DT, and the JSA/SSA with KDCU-DT, to
Gray Television for $442.5 million.[5][6] The FCC approved the sale on February 12, 2016.[7]
As of 2021, Entravision now both owns and operates KDCU-DT, as Gray sold its operation stake in the station.[8]
KDCU-DT presently broadcasts 2+1⁄2 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with a half-hour each weekday); the station does not air newscasts on Saturdays or Sundays. In April 2011, KWCH produced a half-hour nightly Spanish-language newscast for KDCU, Noticias Univision Kansas, airing at 10 p.m. each weeknight (which competed against KWCH's own local newscast in that timeslot).[9] Since Entravision acquired full shares of KDCU, the newscasts are now self-produced.