The station first signed on in December 1959 as KATY-FM, simulcasting then-sister station KATY.[2] It adopted the call sign KUNA in 1973.
In January 1976, KSLY Broadcasting Company sold KUNA and AM counterpart KSLY to a Chicago-based group for $535,000.[3] KUNA, which aired a beautiful music format, changed its call letters to KUNA-FM on January 15, 1979, then back to KUNA the following year.[4]
In February 1984, KUNA switched call signs and formats with KSLY, which aired a top 40 format.[5] The FM station, using new call letters KSLY-FM,[4] adopted the branding "SLY 96-FM".[6]
In September 2000, Mondosphere Broadcasting Inc. sold 11 stations throughout Central California, including KSLY-FM, plus a construction permit for a twelfth station, to Clear Channel Communications for $45 million.[7] KSLY-FM dropped its longtime top 40 format in October 2005, flipping to country music and rebranding as "Cat Country 96.1".[8]
In July 2007, KSLY-FM was one of 16 stations in California and Arizona that Clear Channel sold to El Dorado Broadcasters for $40 million.[9]
On April 20, 2012, KSLY-FM dropped its Cat Country moniker and began simulcasting sister station KSNI-FMinSanta Maria. Both stations co-branded as "Sunny Country 102.5 & 96.1".[10]
In May 2016, upon closing of KSNI-FM's sale to American General Media, KSLY-FM dropped its simulcast of Sunny Country and rebranded as "96.1 SLO Country".[11] This format lasted only two months as the station went silent at the end of June.[12]
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