It airs a Spanish language format as a simulcast of WSDS in Salem Township and is owned by the Birach Broadcasting Corporation.
Because AM 1090 is a clear channel frequency reserved for Class A stations in Little Rock, Baltimore, and Tijuana, Mexico, WCAR must broadcast at a lower power and with a directional antenna to avoid interference.
[2] It was co-owned with the now-defunct WBRB in Mount Clemens and aired a full service/middle of the road format aimed at the western suburbs of Wayne County.
In the 1964-1965 time frame, Gil Wuttke was the WERB radio station Chief Engineer and late afternoon/evening DJ, playing easy listening music.
The air staff included such Detroit radio notables as Tom Clay, Vic Caputo, and Paul Winter.
Following a sale to Wolpin Broadcasting in 1969, WTAK changed to WIID ("wide") in January 1970 and went back to a suburban-oriented MOR format.
By late 1973, polka musician Big Don Martin was serving as WIID's program director, with much Polish (and other ethnic) music airing on the station.
In the late 1990s, much of WCAR's programming had been simulcast on sister station WOAP 1080 AM in Owosso, focused on the Lansing radio market.
WCAR began locally produced sports talk programming in April 2012 with a one-hour Detroit Red Wings playoff show.