WIAA is the flagship station of the IPR Music Radio network, and began broadcasting in 1963 at 88.3 FM.
Interlochen Center founder Joe Maddy had long dreamed of bringing a fine arts station to Northern Michigan, in part as a way to increase exposure to performances at the National Music Camp (now Interlochen Arts Camp).
WIAA's signal covers a large portion of northwestern and west-central lower Michigan, from Howard City to Gaylord and beyond.
Interlochen Center for the Arts acquired and launched sister station WICA in 2000 to feature a news- and talk-oriented format, and since that time WIAA and its two satellites (WICV and WIAB) have devoted almost all of their broadcast schedule to classical music and have not aired NPR news shows such as "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered", although they do feature hourly news updates from NPR.
WIAA also formerly operated a translator station in Traverse City, W264AC (100.7 FM), meant to fill in dead spots in the main signal's coverage in Traverse City; this translator went off the air in 2000.