On August 6, 1984, the station signed on as KLAL.[3] It was originally on 97.7 MHz, broadcasting at only 1,300 watts, a fraction of its current power. Dwaine F. Meyer was the owner, with KLAL playing adult contemporary music.
Around 1997, the station went off the air for a time to rebuild and move one notch up the dial to 97.9 MHz. That was coupled with a boost in power to 50,000 watts. When it returned to the airwaves, it was KIIC, owned by Continental Broadcasting of Iowa and playing classic country music.[4]
In 2004, Iowa Public Radio paid $450,000 to buy the station.[5] It became a non-commercial public station. The following year, the call sign was changed to KOWI. The call sign was switched to KNSL in 2012 to indicate the station is an affiliate of IPR's "News" and "Studio One" networks in Lamoni.
