By the mid-1960s, channel 9 offered a standard independent schedule of movies, off-network reruns, children's shows like The Pancake Man hosted by Hal Smith (who showed educational shorts like The Space Explorers), first-run syndicated programs, and locally produced programs including local newscasts, sports events and public affairs programs.
In the early 1970s, KHJ-TV sought a similar programming strategy to that of crosstown competitor KTLA, which focused more on talk shows, game shows, sports, feature films and off-network drama series.