WYIN is one of two PBS member stations in the Chicago television market, alongside Chicago-licensed WTTW (channel 11).

The station was closed when financial troubles prompted the school board to pull its subsidy, ceasing channel 50's operations.

The WCAE non-commercial license that was now reassigned to channel 56 was reconstructed by NIPB who signed the station on the air as WYIN on November 15, 1987.

In the face of continued objections from WTTW, WYIN opted instead to build a new transmitter tower in Cedar Lake, Indiana.

[3] On May 6, 2013, the station expanded its newscasts into two separate broadcasts, with an early evening edition added at 6:00 p.m. while the late evening broadcast was moved to 10:00 p.m.[4] On January 29, 2014, WYIN announced that it would discontinue Lakeshore News Tonight as a daily news program after the January 31 broadcast due to a reduction in the station's funding; WYIN management announced plans to possibly bring back the program in the spring in a retooled format as a weekly program.

[5] The program was relaunched as the half-hour week-in-review format Lakeshore Report in May of that year, airing weekly on Friday evenings.

In addition, the station also produces the weekly news and public affairs program Lakeshore Focus also on Friday evenings.