WDRV uses HD Radio and broadcasts a classic rock format branded as "Deep Tracks" on its HD2 subchannel.
[16] Live classical hosts on WNIB over the years included Fred Heft, Jay Andres, Bruce Duffie, Carl Grapentine, Scott Thomas, and Obie Yadgar.
[24] Those Were the Days, a four-hour old-time radio program hosted by Chuck Schaden, aired on WNIB Saturdays from September 6, 1975, until February 10, 2001.
[25][26] WNIB's studios and transmitter were originally located at the Midwest Hotel, at Hamlin and Madison in West Garfield Park.
[1][27] Subsequent studio locations for WNIB included 108 N. State St., Riverside Plaza, 25 E. Chestnut St., 12 East Delaware Place, and finally 1140 W.
[30][31] The inclusion of the label and record number enabled listeners to purchase things they enjoyed hearing, and the subscription price helped keep the station going during the leaner times.
[17][1][8] In 1999, the media brokerage team of Bob Heymann and Jack Minkow began serious discussions with Bill and Sonia Florian regarding the possible value of WNIB (and WNIZ) in a sale to another Chicago radio station owner.
There was significant interest from a number of broadcasters with Bonneville International in November 2000 ultimately making the best offer of $165,000,000 cash for the FM licenses, the WNIB transmitter lease at the Standard Oil Building, the studio lease for WNIZ in Zion, Illinois, and the WNIZ transmitter site and tower in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
[1][33] With the proceeds of the sale, the Florians established the NIB Foundation, which awarded grants to music, dance, environmental, and animal rights causes.
[37][38][39] On March 15, 2001, the call sign was changed to WDRV, and the station adopted a classic hits format as "The Drive".
[45] On June 27, 2011, WDRV celebrated its 10th anniversary by organizing a free-entrance concert at the Rosemont Theatre by America and headliner Jethro Tull.
[46] Online streaming of the "Deep Tracks" programming broadcast on WDRV's HD2 subchannel was discontinued in October 2013, due to its popularity.
[48] On March 10, 2018, WDRV became Chicago's only classic rock station when former rival WLUP-FM was sold to Educational Media Foundation and became an affiliate of EMF's Christian AC network K-Love.
[50] The minimum distance between two Class B FM radio stations operating on adjacent channels according to current FCC rules is 105 miles.