The station signed on in 1987 as KKQX, broadcasting a soft adult contemporary format. It changed to its present call signKKLI in 1988 when a Portland, Oregon station dropped those call letters and changed its format. KKLI used various forms of the 'Lite' moniker for its first two and a half decades on the air.
The station was owned by Colorado Springs radio veteran Henry Tippie (d/b/a Tippie Communications, Inc.) in the early 1990s. Following deregulation in 1996, Citadel Broadcasting in Colorado Springs (which also owned KKFM and KKMG) acquired the station.
In a multi-station swap deal, KKLI was sold in 1999 to Capstar Broadcasting, which merged with Chancellor Broadcasting to become AMFM Inc. Soon after, it was absorbed into Clear Channel Communications. Clear Channel Communications became iHeartMedia in 2014. On November 6, 2014, K-Lite rebranded as "Sunny 106.3".
