The original construction permit for the station was granted on October 16, 1990,[3] with the call sign WVBI assigned on November 30.

[7] WVBI initially had a limited programming schedule[8] mainly from the now-defunct Classic FM network.

[8] Charles River Broadcasting Company acquired WVBI in early 1999,[8] at which point it was renamed WCRI.

[11] Charles River Broadcasting announced on October 27, 2005, that it was exploring the sale of its properties,[12] with Judson Group, Inc. purchasing WCRI and sister station WCNX in 2006.

WCRI began to simulcast on 1180 AM on October 1, 2011, replacing WCNX;[14] to reflect this, the station added the "-FM" suffix on September 8, 2011.