Founded in 1954 as KULA-TV, the station was originally established by Iowa-based American Broadcasting Stations to serve as Honolulu's third television station and an ABC affiliate. A few years later, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, who founded a competing station, bought KULA-TV and merged the two together to create a stronger local network. The station eventually changed its name to KITV, which stands for "Island Television," in 1973 after being sold to a new company. Today, the station is owned by Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, which officially took over in 2021. Today, KITV Island News is based in Honolulu, Hawaii, with its main studios located on South King Street. They focus on being "More Local" by covering news that directly impacts the diverse multi-cultural communities across the islands, including local politics, government reporting, and sports. Their website, kitv.com, is a go-to spot for residents to find up-to-the-minute weather updates, interactive radar, and entertainment features like "Best of Hawaii" and local lifestyle stories. One interesting fact: A unique fact about KITV is that it was the very first television station in the entire United States to begin commercial digital broadcasts in January 1998. This move made them a pioneer in the technology that eventually changed how everyone in the country watches TV.