[1] It airs a news/talk radio format and is owned and operated by Mel Wheeler, Inc.[5][6] WFIR's studios and offices are on Electric Road in Roanoke.

Weekends feature shows on money, religion, technology, law, guns, home repair and gardening.

Syndicated weekend programs include The Kim Komando Show, Rich DeMuro on Tech, Somewhere in Time with Art Bell, Tom Gresham's Gun Talk and Bill Handel on the Law.

[17] A March 16, 1922 advertisement for Richardson-Wayland referred to the 3BIY broadcasts, stating that "Saturday nights we give a concert to which all are cordially invited".

The company sold radio receivers, but because people in the Roanoke area had no local stations to listen to, they could only pick up distant signals after sunset.

In 1929, WDBJ began broadcasting at 930 kHz at 500 watts power, and also became the Roanoke affiliate of CBS Radio—a link that would last for more than 70 years.

[21] In 1941, under the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement or NARBA, the station moved to its current dial position at AM 960.

In 1979, WFIR began carrying the syndicated Larry King Show overnight, and later, family financial adviser Bruce Williams in the evening.