The station signed-on October 18, 1981, airing an analog signal on VHF channel 12. It was the first independent station in Idaho, and featured programming offerings consisting primarily of syndicated talk and children's shows in the day and movies in the evenings. It was originally owned by Peyton Broadcasting. Peyton sold the station to Block Communications in 1985. The station became a Fox affiliate when the network launched in 1986. It added the -TV suffix to its calls on July 10, 2006. On February 6, 2009, KTRV added MyNetworkTV and This TV to a new second and third digital subchannels. Until this point, there were no affiliates of either network in Boise. KTRV-DT2 was not added to Cable One systems until almost a year later on January 11, 2010. On September 1, 2011, KTRV's affiliation agreement with Fox expired after which the network moved to CW outlet KNIN-TV, channel 9. On September 12 of the same year, The CW Plus moved to low-poweredRetro Television Network affiliate KYUU-LP that can also seen on a second digital subchannel of CBS affiliateKBOI-TV, channel 2. As a result of these changes, KTRV reverted to independent status. With the switch, Boise became one of the only few television markets in the United States with only four out of the six broadcast networks having primary affiliations in a market containing five full-power commercial stations and the remaining two as digital multicast channels. Its weeknight prime time programming lineup as an independent began on September 19 with a double run of 30 Rock at 7 p.m. and at 8 p.m. KTRV maintained a schedule similar to other stations not affiliated with a big three network or Fox. In an attempt to keep programming options fresh, KTRV planned to rotate its lineup every five or six months as do networks. In addition, KTRV became heavily involved in the airing of live local sports to cover the Treasure Valley's three minor league franchises. KTRV-DT2's MyNetworkTV affiliation initially remained on 12.2, which also added MeTV programming. By October 2011, This TV moved to a new third digital subchannel of KTRV and presumably a new channel location on Cable One systems. The last Fox program to air on this station was Buried Treasure. KTRV moved MyNetworkTV to its primary channel on January 23, 2012, leaving 12.2 as a full MeTV affiliate. This left Boise as one of the only markets where five of the six largest networks are carried as primary affiliations plus a sixth on a digital subchannel in a market with five commercially licensed full-service television stations—a situation similar to what had existed in the Boise market prior to Fox switching its affiliation from KTRV to KNIN less than five months earlier. On September 6, 2014, KTRV-TV discontinued the This TV affiliation on 12.3 and replaced it with Movies! becoming the first TV station in the area to broadcast that network. On September 1, 2016, KTRV joined Ion Television as an affiliate. The station had announced on August 31 that it would become an Ion affiliate by October 1; in the announcement, Block Communications chairman Allan Block said that "the timing was right to move to a more immersive network." While MyNetworkTV programming initially continued to air in prime time as a secondary affiliation, it was removed in early 2017. On March 2, 2017, the MeTV affiliation moved to KNIN-TV digital subchannel 9.2, replacing Heroes & Icons On June 20, 2017, Ion Media Networks announced that it would purchase KTRV-TV from Block Communications for an undisclosed amount. The sale was completed on October 24, 2017. With the purchase, KTRV became the first full-power Ion Media-owned station to hold a VHF channel number.
Digital television
Upon completing its sale to Ion Media on October 24, 2017, the station added HSN and QVC to its 12.5 and 12.6 subchannels.
Analog-to-digital conversion
KTRV-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 12, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 13. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 12.
Newscasts
In May 1999, the station established a news department and began airing a nightly newscast called Fox 12 News at 9. The success of that broadcast prompted KTRV to launch a weekday morning show under the name This Morning in April 2007. This was originally seen for two hours from 6 until 8 and simulcasted on KTRV-DT2. On January 11, 2010, the station added a weeknight newscast called News Edge at 10. The show competes with local news seen on Boise's big three affiliates and prior to September 5, 2011, was also simulcasted on KTRV-DT2. With the change back to independent status, KTRV added an hour to 12 News This Morning. Accordingly, with those additions, the station's eighteen member news department was planned to expand by six people. On December 5, 2011, KTRV announced it was dissolving its news department, due to Block's reorganization of the station.
