The station began broadcasting on September 23, 1968, as one of the ten charter stations of the Kentucky Educational Television network, with Lexington's WKLE acting as the network flagship. All of the network's satellite stations were strategically located to serve as much of the state as possible. WKHA, along with fellow KET satellites WKPI-TV and WKSO-TV, were the first television stations to serve areas of the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield and Mountains region, which was one of the last remaining areas of the United States without a local television station. Together, the three satellites almost guaranteed that an over-the-air viewer in the region could receive a KET affiliated signal. The area did not get its first commercial television station until the October 1969 sign-on of NBC affiliate WKYH-TV. That station, which has since become CBS affiliateWYMT-TV in 1985, is the only full-power commercial station based in this region. Cable or satellite television service is necessary to receive all other networks since Lexington's commercial stations do not operate any low-poweredtranslators in the area. This area is highly penetrated with cable subscribers. Some areas southwest of Hazard, however, are close enough to the Knoxville, Tennessee area to pick up those signals over-the-air. The mountains curb the Bristol, Tennessee–Virginia television signals to come into the area. In the 1980s and as late as 1994–95, at least three low-powered translators were repeating the WKHA signal, including W09AX in Cowan Creek, W66AH in Whitesburg, and W67AN in Letcher, which broadcast over VHF channel 9 and UHF channels 66 and 67, respectively.
Digital television
The station's digital television companion signal, WKHA-DT, along with the digital companions of thirteen other KET stations signed on the air in May 2002.
Analog-to-digital conversion
On April 16, 2009, WKHA-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 35, as part of the mandatory analog-to-digital television transition of 2009. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 16. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 35.
Spectrum auction results
WKHA obtained a construction permit to move its signal to digital UHF channel 33, and to boost its effective radiated power from 38.2 kW to 55.9 kW. This was part of KET's involvement in the 2016–17 FCC Spectrum incentive auction. The station relocated its digital signal to the new elected allocation at some point in June 2019.
Availability
Over-the-air coverage
WKHA-TV's signal can cover an area from London to Pikeville, as far north as West Liberty, and as far south as Harrogate, Tennessee. The signal can also cover three counties and two independent cities in far southwestern Virginia. WKHA's over-the-air signal partially overlaps with those of other KET stations, including WKMR in Morehead, WKPI-TV in Pikeville, and WKSO-TV in Somerset. Signal coverage of all KET stations are subject to change as a result of the FCC spectrum auction.
Cable carriage
All cable systems in Kentucky carry at least the flagship KET service. A few also carry KET2 and the Kentucky Channel, especially in the areas served by bigger cable companies such as Charter Spectrum and Suddenlink Communications. Much of the area between London and Pikeville is served by locally owned cable companies, all of which carry at least the main KET service. The network is also available via Dish Network and DirecTV. However, network flagship WKLE is the only KET station uplinked to the Lexingtonmedia market.
