[2] At least as far back as March 1941, Bowdoin students and faculty have sporadically hosted programs recorded on campus and later broadcast through Portland's WCSH, Lewiston's WCOU, Augusta's WRDO, and Bangor's WLBZ.

These programs usually consisted of play readings, faculty interviews, and live vocal music from the college Glee Club and the Meddiebempsters.

In 1947, due to the popularity of BOTA, President Kenneth Sills formed a committee to look into the possibility of building an AM radio station on campus.

After a $4,000 gift from the Class of 1924 is secured, the Bowdoin Orient offices on the second floor of Moulton Union (above the Lancaster lounge) are transformed into a radio station.

At 10:15 pm on February 16, 1949, BOTA broadcasts a pre-recorded interview with Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky on WGAN.

The following fall, programming is expanded to half an hour, with an additional “experimental” four-hour evening show featuring news, sports, interviews, dramatic skits, classical “music to study by,” and jazz “music not to study by.” At 7 pm on May 9, 1951, BOTA began officially broadcasting at 820 AM.

Over the summer of 1995, WBOR moved into a newly renovated space in the basement of the Dudley Coe Health Center.

In the fall of 2006, WBOR comes under heavy fire from the FCC when attempting to renew its license due to missing information from quarterly station reports.