KUWS was previously heard on translator station W275AF in the Ashland-Washburn-Bayfield area at 102.5 FM before September 12, 2011, when full-power WUWS (90.9) was launched from Ashland, replacing W275AF.

The original station call letters were WSSU, representing Wisconsin Superior State University.

The call letters KUWS were assigned on August 1, 1988, as part of the station's affiliation with Wisconsin Public Radio.

KUWS was permitted a "K" prefix, despite its location east of the Mississippi, due to Duluth-Superior's status as a "mixed" market, with several K-prefix stations already licensed to Superior.

The KUWS studios are in the Holden Fine Arts Center at 1805 Catlin Avenue in Superior.