The station was founded on August 7, 1996, as translator K06MU in
Big Bear Lake. It was also available to area subscribers of
Charter Cable on channel 6. The station's programming at the time was similar to a
public-access televisioncable television channel, consisting primarily of news, public affairs and travel programs produced by local residents of the
Big Bear Valley.
In 2016, ownership was transferred from Bear Valley Broadcasting to Venture Technologies, which previously owned
KSFV-CA, which also operated on analog channel 6 as a radio station, which, as KSFV-CD, now shares transmitting facilities on Mount Harvard (a peak adjacent to
Mount Wilson) in Los Angeles County with
Ontario-licensed
KPOM-CD.
While operating as an analog TV station, KZNO-LP audio could be heard locally by radio receivers at 87.7 FM, since TV channel 6 is in the 82–88 MHz range. Because it was a low-power station, it was not obligated to switch to a digital signal on June 12, 2009, which was required of all full-power TV stations in the United States.
As of July 9, 2021, KZNO-LP had ceased its analog TV transmissions, prior to the July 13, 2021,
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deadline for LPTV stations to end analog TV transmissions.[2] The station was licensed for digital operation effective July 15, 2021, changing its call sign to KZNO-LD at the same time. Effective July 27, 2021, the station was granted a six-month
special temporary authority to resume audio transmissions receivable at 87.7 FM.[3] On July 20, 2023, an FCC "Report and Order" included this station as one of 13
"FM6" stations allowed to continue to operate an FM radio broadcast, as a "ancillary or supplementary" service.[4]