The station, which is run by New Mexico State University, signed on the air on June 29, 1973 and is licensed to the Regents of New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico. Its "News22" is one of the few student-produced broadcasts among United States journalism schools.

RWG in the call letters are the initials for Ralph Willis Goddard an educator and pioneer broadcaster in Las Cruces. Goddard was an instructor at the college and founded KOB AM the radio station that would later be KKOB Albuquerque, NM. The call letters KRWG were chosen for the FM station that started in 1964 and this TV station that began broadcasting on June 29, 1973.