KRWG-TV
KRWG-TV is a PBS member television station owned by New Mexico State University and serving southern New Mexico and the El Paso, Texas, area.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
KRWG-TV is a noncommercial public television station based at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Operating on channel 22, it is a PBS member station and forms part of KRWG Public Media alongside NPR member station KRWG-FM. Both services share facilities at Milton Hall on the NMSU campus and serve as university-supported media outlets for southern New Mexico. The station was created to provide educational and public-affairs television to a region that had limited access to public broadcasting. NMSU began examining the possibility of a television station in the early 1960s, initially considering a channel allocation at Hatch. That proposal was found unsuitable for effectively serving Las Cruces because of transmitter-placement and coverage constraints associated with nearby El Paso television operations. A UHF channel 22 allocation was subsequently assigned to Las Cruces, and NMSU filed its application in November 1970. The university received a construction permit in April 1972, supported in part by a federal Office of Education grant of $467,513. Before the station went on air, NMSU used its local cable system and an earlier closed-circuit television operation to distribute limited university programming. KRWG-TV began broadcasting on June 29, 1973. Its launch included a local talent marathon and made it the first UHF station to operate between Tucson, Arizona, and Lubbock, Texas. The station quickly became an important public television resource for both southern New Mexico and viewers in the El Paso area, where cable systems carried its signal before a local PBS outlet was established. Its coverage has expanded through transmitters and translators, including facilities serving Alamogordo and Silver City, as well as transmitters in the El Paso region and remote parts of southern New Mexico. Education and local journalism are central to the station's identity. KRWG-TV works closely with NMSU's journalism and mass communication programs, giving students practical experience in reporting, production, editing, and broadcasting. Its student-produced News22 newscast airs during the fall and spring academic terms and focuses on regional issues. The station also airs Noticias22, a Spanish-language newscast, and Newsmakers, a weekly magazine program featuring longer-form interviews and regional reporting. Earlier local programming included the bilingual newscast Panavista and the long-running bilingual talk program Qué Pasa with Dolores. The station's public-service role has sometimes required community fundraising and operational adjustments. In 1997, budget pressures threatened News22, but students, faculty, alumni, and supporters helped preserve it through donations and a reduced production schedule. A later proposal to replace the live early-evening newscast with a taped late-night version also drew opposition from students and was not accepted without controversy. These episodes illustrate the importance of local news and student training to KRWG-TV's public identity. KRWG-TV completed its transition from analog to digital broadcasting in June 2009, retaining virtual channel 22 on its digital signal. A PBS Kids subchannel was added in 2017. The station operates a distributed transmission system centered on Tortugas Mountain east of Las Cruces, with additional transmission infrastructure in the Franklin Mountains near El Paso. In 2023, the Federal Communications Commission authorized translators serving Antelope Wells and Jacks Peak under a waiver supported by New Mexico state funding; these facilities also provide datacasting capacity for educational and law-enforcement uses. The station remains an active university-owned public broadcaster with a mission combining PBS programming, regional information, bilingual service, and journalism education.
History
New Mexico State University considered creating an educational television station as early as 1963, before its KRWG radio service began broadcasting. The initial concept involved channel 12 at Hatch, New Mexico, an allocation associated with earlier plans for a statewide educational network. NMSU concluded that Hatch was not a practical location for serving Las Cruces because a transmitter north of the city would have faced coverage and interference constraints involving KELP-TV in El Paso, while many receiving antennas in the area were oriented southward toward El Paso. A UHF channel 22 allocation was later assigned to Las Cruces. NMSU submitted its application on November 2, 1970, and received a construction permit on April 4, 1972. The project received a $467,513 grant from the United States Office of Education, principally for construction of the station's facilities. Before the television station was completed, the university had already been distributing approximately ninety minutes of programming each day through the Las Cruces cable system. That service grew out of an NMSU closed-circuit television operation established in 1965. Equipment support also came from KOB-TV in Albuquerque and the ABC network. Although the transmitter facility was completed by December 1972, shortages of engineers and delays in installing equipment postponed the launch. KRWG-TV finally began broadcasting on June 29, 1973. Its first weekend featured a locally produced talent marathon that formally introduced the station to the community. At launch, it was the first UHF station operating in the area between Tucson, Arizona, and Lubbock, Texas. It also became the principal public television outlet available to El Paso viewers until KCOS began service in 1978. El Paso cable systems continued to carry KRWG-TV after that point, although the arrival of KCOS changed the area's public television distribution. The station expanded its reach through translators. A translator serving Alamogordo was added in 1976, and Silver City followed in 1978. These additions helped KRWG-TV address the geographic challenges of southern New Mexico, where mountain ranges and long distances make full-power over-the-air coverage difficult. The original transmitter was replaced in 1991 after reliability problems increased. In 1985, control of KRWG-TV was transferred to NMSU's broadcast journalism department. The change reinforced the relationship between the station and the university's journalism curriculum. Local programming had long been designed around New Mexico issues. Harvey Jacobs, head of the NMSU Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, envisioned the station as a source of local news and public information for Las Cruces and the surrounding region. Early output included the bilingual student newscast Panavista. For approximately two decades, the station also broadcast Qué Pasa with Dolores, a bilingual talk program hosted by Dolores Lenko. Student journalism became particularly visible through News22, a newscast produced during the fall and spring semesters and broadcast three times weekly. The program concentrates on southern New Mexico news and gives NMSU students experience in reporting and television production. Its survival was challenged by budget reductions in 1997. Students and faculty offered to contribute time and money, and donations helped preserve the program after its schedule was reduced from forty-four weeks annually to twenty-eight. In 2005, a proposal to replace the live 6:30 p.m. broadcast with an edited program at 10:30 p.m. prompted student opposition. The station also produces Noticias22, a weekly Spanish-language newscast, and Newsmakers, a year-round weekly magazine focused on regional interviews and features. Alumni who worked on News22 include NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz. KRWG-TV ended analog broadcasting on June 10, 2009, two days before the federally mandated transition date for most full-power U.S. television stations. Its digital signal uses UHF channel 23 and virtual channel 22. In March 2017, PBS Kids was added to the station's digital multiplex. The station's principal transmitter is located on Tortugas Mountain in central Doña Ana County, east of Las Cruces. A second transmitter is located in the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas, creating a distributed transmission system. Additional translators extend service across southern New Mexico. In 2023, the FCC authorized translators at Antelope Wells and Jacks Peak through a waiver allowing the use of New Mexico state funds. Besides television coverage, those facilities support datacasting for educational and law-enforcement applications. The station continues to operate under the KRWG Public Media identity with public broadcasting, local journalism, bilingual service, and university education as its core functions.
- 2026
El Paso transmitter scheduled to open
[1]Reference material states that KRWG-TV opened an El Paso transmitter in July 2026.
- 2023
Antelope Wells and Jacks Peak translators authorized
[1]The FCC authorizes new translator facilities under a state-funded waiver, extending public television and datacasting services.
- 2017
PBS Kids joins the digital lineup
[1]The station adds PBS Kids to its digital multicast services.
- 2009
Analog broadcasting ends
[1]KRWG-TV ends analog transmission on June 10 and continues digitally on channel 23 using virtual channel 22.
- 1997
News22 survives proposed cuts
[1]Community donations and a reduced production calendar preserve the student newscast after budget reductions threaten it.
- 1991
Original transmitter replaced
[1]The station replaces its original transmitter after reliability problems become more frequent.
- 1985
Broadcast journalism department assumes control
[1]Control of KRWG-TV passes to the broadcast journalism department at New Mexico State University.
- 1978
Silver City translator added
[1]A translator serving Silver City expands the station's regional reach.
- 1976
Alamogordo translator added
[1]KRWG-TV extends its southern New Mexico coverage with a translator serving Alamogordo.
- 1973
KRWG-TV launches
[1]The station begins broadcasting on June 29 from Las Cruces.
Products and positioning
A university-owned public television service focused on PBS programming, regional journalism, bilingual coverage, education, and hands-on training for New Mexico State University students.
Public television programming · 1973
PBS programming
KRWG-TV's main service carries programming supplied through the PBS system, combining national educational, cultural, documentary, news, and public-affairs content with locally produced material. The service is distributed over the station's primary digital signal and through regional translators and cable systems.
Local television news
News22
News22 is a student-produced newscast created through New Mexico State University's journalism programs. Produced during the fall and spring academic terms, it airs three times each week and emphasizes local and regional issues in southern New Mexico. The program combines public-service reporting with practical training in television journalism.
Spanish-language television news
Noticias22
Noticias22 is KRWG-TV's Spanish-language news offering. It provides a Spanish-language route into the station's regional information mission and complements the broader bilingual orientation of KRWG's local programming.
Public-affairs magazine
Newsmakers
Newsmakers is a weekly magazine program featuring in-depth regional stories, interviews, and discussions. It extends KRWG-TV's local-service role beyond short-form news and provides additional context on issues affecting southern New Mexico.
Children's television · 2017
PBS Kids
PBS Kids is carried as a digital subchannel, offering educational children's programming within KRWG-TV's over-the-air public television service.
Brand decisions
2017
Add PBS Kids digital subchannelProduct launchBackground
KRWG-TV expanded its digital television multiplex.
Action taken
The station added PBS Kids programming as a digital subchannel.
Aftermath
The addition broadened the station's children's and educational programming offer.
2009
Complete digital television transitionOtherBackground
U.S. full-power television stations were moving from analog to digital transmission under a federal mandate.
Action taken
KRWG-TV ended its analog channel 22 signal on June 10 and continued digital transmission on UHF channel 23 with virtual channel 22.
Aftermath
The station continued as a digital public television service with expanded multicast and translator capabilities.
2005
Proposal to move News22 from live evening broadcastStrategyBackground
The station considered replacing the live 6:30 p.m. student newscast with a taped and edited program at 10:30 p.m.
Action taken
The proposed schedule and format change met with opposition from NMSU students.
Aftermath
The proposal became a notable point of debate over the balance between production efficiency, live local news, and student training.
1997
Reduce News22 production schedule to preserve the programStrategyBackground
Budget cuts placed the student-produced News22 newscast at risk.
Action taken
Supporters raised donations and accepted a reduction in the program's annual production period from forty-four weeks to twenty-eight weeks.
Aftermath
News22 remained on the air and continued its role in student journalism training and regional news coverage.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/krwg-tv · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled