Public broadcasting in Oaxaca began in the early 1980s under Governor Pedro Vásquez Colmenares, with the insertion of local opt-outs into the programming of the Canal 7 network of Imevisión.

Original output consisted entirely of plays staged for television by the Compañía Teatral Palo Bravo, as the state lacked production resources.

On March 21, 1989, under the direction of Virgilio Caballero Pedraza, IORTV was reorganized as Radio y Televisión de Oaxaca (RTO).

[4] The takeover was ended on August 20 when the transmitters on Cerro del Fortín were shot at, damaging them and taking CORTV radio and television off the air.

[5] In 2022, its concessions for television service were consolidated into one: XHCPBR-TDT (primary RF channel 36), which can have transmitters throughout the state.