KPHE-LD, the low-power station purchased by Gray to start Arizona's Family Sports, was on the air by the mid-1990s, originally on channel 19.

On March 17, 1992, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted an original construction permit to build low-power television station K19DD on UHF channel 19 to serve Phoenix and the East Valley.

[2] The Digital Data Services Act pilot project was effective from December 2000 through June 2002, during which time KPHE was unavailable as an over-the-air analog broadcast station.

In February 2007, KPHE announced that it would carry Spanish-language telecasts of Arizona Diamondbacks home baseball games, beginning with the 2007 season.

[12][13] In April 2013, the station became an affiliate of CNN Latino for eight hours a day, also continuing to air output from Telemax and local productions.

[15] On March 11, 2022, Gray Television (owner of CBS affiliate KPHO-TV and independent station KTVK) filed an application to acquire KPHE-LD for $1.75 million.

[17] Lotus had previously reached a deal to sell to Sovryn Holdings for $2 million, which was not consummated, as part of its exit from the few low-power TV stations it still owned.

It also announced a three-year deal with USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC; KPHE was set to air all 34 matches per season, with five simulcasts on KTVK and one on KPHO in 2023.

[22] The CEO of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, Josh Bartelstein, had previously cited a "goal of wide distribution" for the teams in the face of cord cutting affecting the availability of RSNs.

[23] Gray announced, in conjunction with the Suns deal, that Arizona's Family Sports and Entertainment Network would be broadcast on the 13.5 subchannel of Gray-owned KOLD-TV in Tucson.

[25][26] On July 14, the Suns announced that the Gray deal would go ahead as planned, as Diamond Sports Group declined to match the contract.

[31] In 2024, Gray became the official television partner of the Arizona Cardinals football team, taking over from previous rightsholder KPNX.