Owned by Allen Media Broadcasting, KWWL maintains studios on East 5th Street in Waterloo, with news bureaus and advertising sales offices in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Iowa City.

When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened up bids for channel 7 in Waterloo, it was obvious that the license would either go to Sonderling Broadcasting, owner of KXEL (1540 AM), or R.J. McElroy and his Black Hawk Broadcasting Company, owner of KWWL (1330 AM, now KPTY).

After a long legal battle, Black Hawk won the license, and KWWL-TV signed on for the first time on November 26, 1953.

However, the FCC told Black Hawk and Forward that the combined company would have to sell either KWWL-AM-FM or channel 7.

KWWL shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 7, on February 17, 2009,[8] the original target date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009).

[1] The sale was completed on August 2 the same year, making KWWL a sister station to CBS affiliate KIMT in nearby Mason City.

Gray's decision to sell KWWL came as an ironic twist, given that they had acquired the station's previous owner Raycom in 2019.

In late 2014, the KWWL building underwent a major renovation project, which involved extensive interior and exterior work.

This included restoring original trim and detail work, as well as the large windows which surrounded half the building.

In July 2017, the remainder of KWWL's departments (Marketing, Sales and Administration) moved to their new location on the first floor.