It is a translator of Harlingen-licensed Fox affiliate KFXV (channel 38) which is owned by Santa Monica, California–based Entravision Communications.

From 2012 to 2020, this station was KFXV-LD; the call letters were moved when Entravision bought and relaunched full-power KMBH as KFXV in May 2020.

KSFE began broadcasting a digital signal on sister station KNVO's subchannel 48.4 around the same time, enabling much of the Rio Grande Valley to receive The CW over-the-air.

It was also announced that The CW would henceforth be referred to as KCWT, also a low-power station owned by Entravision, located on analog channel 30.

Around that time, it was announced that a new Spanish-language network by Fox called MundoFox would be coming to the Rio Grande Valley when it launched in August 2012; reports indicated that a full-power station owned by Entravision would assume the affiliation.

When XHRIO debuted in 1979, the station produced hourly bilingual news briefs with KRIO newscasters Fred Cantu and Rod Santa Ana during evening programming.