KUTV's programming is relayed on KMYU's second digital subchannel (VHF digital channel 12.2, also mapped to 2.1) in high definition to serve the southern portion of the Salt Lake City market not covered by the KUTV broadcast signal; the station also has a large network of broadcast translators that extend its over-the-air coverage throughout Utah as well as portions of Nevada and Wyoming.

The station originally broadcast from studios located on Social Hall Avenue in downtown Salt Lake City.

CBS traded its longtime O&O in Philadelphia, WCAU-TV, to NBC in exchange for KCNC-TV in Denver, with KUTV added to the deal as compensation.

CBS then sold controlling interest in KUTV to Group W. NBC initially wanted to return to KTVX, but ultimately signed with KSL-TV (channel 5); the deal officially took effect on September 10, 1995.

The move was financed in part by the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency, in the form of $1.2 million in interest free loans.

On February 7, 2007, CBS Corporation sold seven of its smaller-market O&O stations, including KUTV and KUSG (now KMYU), to private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management for $185 million.

Cerberus then formed a new holding company for the stations, Four Points Media Group, which took over their operations under local marketing agreements in late June 2007.

On November 26, 2007, KUTV began hubbing master control operations for its then-sister station, CW affiliate WLWC in Providence, which was also sold as part of the Four Points deal.

On February 25, 2008, KUTV added three stations in West Palm Beach, Florida (WTVX, WTCN-CA and WWHB-CA), to this operation.

Following its sign-on, KUTV became the leading news station in Utah, in part owing to its roots with the Salt Lake Tribune.

The program was anchored by members of KUTV's on-air staff and was broadcast from a separate studio; WTVX added material from two local reporters.

[24] On September 20, 2010, both KMYU and KUTV-DT2 added programming from MyNetworkTV, which brought over-the-air programming from that service back to Salt Lake City proper for the first time since KJZZ-TV (channel 14) became an independent station in 2008 (former MyNetworkTV affiliate KCSG (channel 14)'s over-the-air signal does not reach Salt Lake City, and thus that station has been carried only on cable).