KSWS-TV grew out of the earlier history of KSWS radio, which signed on at 1230 kHz with 250 watts day and night in 1947. This station is mentioned in many of the Roswell UFO incident stories as its newsroom was contacted during the events. It is not known if Barnett put KSWS radio on the air from scratch or whether he bought it prior to putting Channel 8 on the air. It is known that Paul M. McEvoy put KPBM (AM) on air in Carlsbad, NM and once owned 1230 KSWS. It is possible that Barnett came into the picture to provide the large amounts of capital needed to start a TV station in the fifties.