The AP national newswire covered one such protest in November 1980 when a DJ on the station began playing Lesley Gore's "It's My Party (and I'll Cry if I Want To)" continuously for hours when President Ronald Reagan was first elected.

In early 1971, the U-M Board of Regents approved a proposal to seek a full license for WCBN on the FM band.

Accordingly, WCBN received a stipend from Eastern Michigan University to change its operating frequency to 88.3 MHz, where it remains today.

The first fundraiser was organized by then-General Manager Ann Rebentisch and lasted for 88.3 hours, with a goal of raising $8,830, nearly doubling the station's funding.

WCBN's transmitter was upgraded to 200 watts in 1987, an FCC action that was delayed for several years after some disgruntled former station volunteers filed an extensive complaint letter which turned out to contain mostly erroneous information.

The power increase had been deemed necessary after the FCC began threatening to reassign frequency positions of 10-watt Class D (Educational) stations like WCBN.

In addition to on-air studio productions, WCBN also has a rich history of local concert sponsorship, recently hosting performances by Jad Fair, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Mount Eerie, The Books, and Jandek.

They sponsored an outdoor concert featuring bouncy houses called "Bouncevember" with bands Luna Pier, Atomic Sauce, and Joe and the Ruckus.

It is expected to be operational at the end of December 2017, at which time the station will switch over to the new transmitter and antenna and utilize an extended broadcast range.