WINA was granted its license to broadcast on October 10, 1949; the station signed on soon afterwards as a 1,000-watt daytimer on 1280 kHz with a full service format.

In 1954, it moved to 1450 kHz and gained permission to commence night operation at 250 watts, reducing daytime power to match.

[12] As late as 1991, WINA's full service format (with the music having evolved to modern adult contemporary) was still the top rated station in Charlottesville, despite having multiple FM competitors.

[15] Charlottesville Broadcasting concluded a merger deal with Eure Communications, owners of ratings rival WWWV (97.5 MHz) and WCHV (1260 kHz), in 1997.

The sale proceeded after the new company was forced to spin off the two least-valuable properties, WCHV and WKAV (1400 kHz), to Clear Channel.

[18] The translator augments WINA's reception in the city, as AM signals become increasingly difficult to receive due to electrical interference.

In order to encourage unique FM programming, the FCC limited simulcasting on a co-owned AM-FM pair to twelve hours per day in 1964.

[19] WINA-FM was initially exempt because the rule only applied to large markets, but the FCC made programming separation a condition of Richardson's purchase of Charlottesville Broadcasting.

The FM station began airing a separate day (except for a morning drive simulcast) in 1971, followed quickly by a callsign change to WQMC.

In 1961, Charlottesville Broadcasting attempted to add a channel 11 television allocation to Staunton, with a proposed 3,000-foot tower on Little North Mountain near the Augusta-Rockbridge county line.

The allocation request was denied after the Naval Research Laboratory insisted on continued protection for its under-construction Sugar Grove Station.

Syndicated hosts heard on weekdays are Mike Gallagher, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, and John Batchelor.