The station is owned and operated by Cameron Maxwell, through licensee Desert Mountain Broadcasting Licenses LLC, and airs an active rock format.
[2] Award of the permit came more than two years after a feasibility committee was formed to evaluate the possibility of an FM radio station on the Montana Tech campus.
[5] The original studios, used throughout its history, were located on the lower level of the Student Union Building on campus;[6] records were donated by stations in Butte and Great Falls.
[12] The frequency change had been approved by the FCC in 1994 at Montana Tech's request to reduce potential interference concerns with Butte's channel 6 television station, KTVM.
[16] After a poll in December 2019, the Associated Students of Montana Tech cut funding for KMSM-FM, forcing it off the air by February; the move came after the survey indicated low interest in the student-run outlet.