KRVU/KZVU was founded by Sainte Partners II, L.P., owned by country-western singer Chester Smith and hit the air in 1993, seven years after the founding of KCVU. It became an affiliate of the fledgling new UPN network in 1997 and would change affiliations to MyNetworkTV following the creation of The CW in 2006. Smith remained owner until his death in 2008.
On April 27, 2009, KRVU/KZVU merged its operations with sister station KEMY in Eureka, California, and both stations were rebranded "Northern California's My TV".
KRVU and its sister stations were sold to Bonten Media Group in 2012. The station was formerly known as MyTV Northern California, but reverted to its original call letters upon the station's purchase in 2012.
Sale to Sinclair
On April 21, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its intent to purchase the Bonten stations for $240 million. The deal came immediately following the re-instatement of the "UHF discount", which reduces the calculated "reach" of a station for the purposes of national ownership limits if it broadcasts on a UHF channel. The sale was completed September 1.
Digital television
Digital channel
Early switch
KCVU, along with KHSL-TV and KNVN ceased analog operations on December 22, 2008. KCVU ceased analog operations early because the post-transition tower is complete and has been up and running for at least seven months; same case with KHSL. In the case of KBVU and its sister stations, the transition for some was much later as KUCO-LP, KXVU-LP, KKTF-LD, and both KBVU and MyTV's analog translators remained analog through late 2009/early 2010 when the Sainte Television Group ended all of its analog operations. KVIQ and KBVU already made the switch on November 28, 2008.
KRVU began airing reruns of The Moriss Taylor Show, claimed to be the longest-running locally produced television program in television history, in 1997 after the show's parent station KHSL-TV cancelled it following that station's purchase by Catamount Broadcasting. Shows from the late 1980s through 1995, produced and taped at the KHSL-TV studios, aired on Saturday mornings at 10:00am on My 21, but was cancelled by new owners Bonten Media Group a few years after their purchase of the station in 2015. Reasoning for the cancellation was that the show had been produced by KHSL-TV and Bonten's ownership of KRCR prevents ANY programs from the rival competitor to air. The show also aired Saturday afternoons at 1:30pm on sister station KFBI-LD My 48 in Medford before being replaced by Celebrate Jesus with Arbee Freeman. Taylor and fellow Oklahoman Chester Smith had similar paths and backgrounds, thus it was a natural choice to air Taylor's program in reruns on Smith's station.
KRVU debuted a new local version of American Idol called So You Want To Be A Star, hosted by actress/singer Linda Regan, in 2005. The show was an instant smash with Redding resident Kim Walker winning the competition and getting a chance to sing the Star-Spangled Banner at a Sacramento KingsNBA game at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California in February 2005. She was interviewed by Kings broadcaster Jim Kozimor during halftime for the UPN 21 audience only. However, commentators Grant Napear and Jerry Reynolds plugged the show and the station during the broadcast which also aired on KXTV in Sacramento. A second season of So You Want To Be A Star was planned, but the primary sponsors backed out and the project was abandoned. .
CA Shotguns (2011)
A hunting show in Northern CA. originally produced by Corbett Productions of Redding CA. With local, Dan Corbett no longer in business, in 2012 the former Crew members went to form the successful video production Company "".
