The station was signed on November 4, 1945, under the corporate name Indiana Broadcasters, Inc. Paul Short served as company president and general manager.

The station operated at a full-time power of 250 watts from its transmitter site along Old Highway 422 and Twolick Road in neighboring White Township, Pennsylvania.

WDAD enjoyed a long history of success in its hometown, despite two aggressive competitors, WCCS in Homer City, and WLCY-FM in Blairsville, south of Indiana, both of which came on the air in the early 1980s.

In 1984, WDAD and sister station WQMU moved from its studios and offices along Oakland Avenue near the campus of Indiana University of Pennsylvania to a spacious new facility at 21 North Fifth Street.

RMS Media agreed in 2004 to sell WDAD and WQMU to Renda Broadcasting, doing business as St. Pier Group[3] for $3.25 million.