Valley Telecasting quickly applied for and opened KIVA on channel 11, becoming the city's first television station in October 1953.

Wrather-Alvarez Broadcasting, owners of KFMB-TV in San Diego, followed with a January 1956 application to build KYAT on channel 13, but failed, and in September 1958, the construction permit was dismissed.

New England Industries had filed a competing application for the same channel nearly a month earlier, but on July 23, 1962, the FCC granted the construction permit to Desert Telecasting, and KBLU came into existence, to be the market's CBS television affiliate.

[8][9][10] All of Merrill's petitions were denied, and on the evening of December 2, 1963, one hour after receiving notice of program test authority, KBLU-TV began broadcasting.

The TV station would keep its NBC affiliation, but was to be sold to Chapman Television of Tuscaloosa, effective January 1, 1978, pending FCC approval.

KSWT also included Telemundo programming during the overnight hours in the 1990s, until local affiliate KESE-LP began operations.

The deal required a failing station waiver, as Blackhawk concurrently acquired KYMA-DT from Intermountain West Communications Company.

[27][28] On July 2, 2014, News-Press & Gazette Company, owners of KECY-TV and KESE-LP, announced that it had agreed to form a resource sharing agreement with Blackhawk Broadcasting, giving NPG control of the big four television network affiliates in the Yuma–El Centro market.

[32] In 2019, Apollo Global Management acquired Northwest Broadcasting and Cox Media Group in acquisitions worth a combined $3.1 billion.

Additionally, KYMA's subchannels were added to the channel 13 multiplex; the station warned antenna viewers to rescan by January 17 to continue receiving all services.

[35] On March 29, 2022, Cox Media Group announced it would sell KYMA-DT and 17 other stations to Imagicomm Communications, an affiliate of the parent company of the INSP cable channel, for $488 million;[36] the sale was completed on August 1.

[37] Syndicated programming featured on KYMA-DT includes Entertainment Tonight, AgDay, Rachael Ray, and The Doctors.