The history of KHWG dates back to 1991, when Caballero Radio West purchased two construction permits for this station, then known as KKNK in Carson City, Nevada, and KKNC in Sun Valley, California, at a price of $37,500, according to the 1993 Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook.

KKNK was granted a permit to operate at 10,000 watts unlimited time, with different directional antenna patterns for day and night.

The construction permit for KHWG (not yet assigned call letters) later ended up in the hands of Kidd Communications, a company based in South Lake Tahoe, California, and headed by Chris Kidd, who at the time also owned KTHO in South Lake Tahoe.

The construction permit was then transferred to another company owned by Chris Kidd, known as Eastern Sierra Broadcasting, and also located in South Lake Tahoe.

Miller at the time owned another radio station in Quincy, California bearing the call letters of KHWG.