KNDO debuted on the air on October 15, 1959. It was owned by Hugh Davis and his Columbia Empire Broadcasting Corporation. Previously, all three networks had been shoehorned on primary
CBS affiliate
KIMA-TV (channel 29). Although conventional wisdom suggested that KNDO should have signed on as an NBC affiliate, it instead took on the
ABC affiliation. This was very unusual for a two-station market, especially one as small as Yakima. During this time, it carried a secondary affiliation with NBC, and also aired a few CBS programs turned down by KIMA-TV, including
The Andy Griffith Show. On August 16, 1960, CEBC filed to build a new TV station on channel 25 in Richland. The company was composed of employees of KNDO and
KTNT-TV in
Tacoma and had also filed to buy KNDO. The
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the permit on May 24, 1961, and the station was announced to be a satellite of KNDO. Programming began August 10, 1961. A major increase in power was made in 1966. In 1965, KNDO and KNDU became primary NBC affiliates, but shared ABC with KIMA-TV until
KAPP (channel 35) and
KVEW (channel 42) debuted in 1970 to take the ABC affiliation; since then, KNDO and KNDU have been exclusive NBC affiliates. Davis sold the two stations to Farragut Communications in 1988. Federal Enterprises acquired KNDO and KNDU in 1995. Federal was bought out by
Raycom Media in 1997.
Cowles Company purchased the two stations from Raycom in July 1999. On October 15, 2009, KNDO celebrated 50 years of broadcasting to the Yakima Valley. Leading up to that date, KNDO aired stories of local businesses and organizations that have also been around for 50 years or longer. ==Programming==