Founded in 1958 by P.N. Fortin and the Corette family (through the Midland Empire Broadcasting Company), the station that is now KULR came into being to bring television service to the Billings area. The idea sparked when the owners, who already ran a successful radio station called KGHL, decided they needed to expand into the new world of TV to better serve the "Midland Empire" region of Montana. Originally launched under the name KGHL-TV, the station was later sold and rebranded. Today, the station is owned and operated by the Cowles Company (specifically Cowles Montana Media). Today, KULR-8 is run by a dedicated team of reporters and meteorologists and is mainly focused on local news, severe weather, agriculture, and sports. They are based in Billings, Montana, and serve as a primary source of information for the largest city in the state and the vast surrounding rural areas. One interesting fact: A unique fact about KULR is the clever meaning behind its name. The call letters K-U-L-R are pronounced phonetically as "Color." The station chose this unique name in the 1960s to brag about being the very first station in Montana to broadcast local programs in full color, which was a major technological achievement at the time.