On weekdays, it carries NPR News and Information shows in morning and afternoon drive time, with jazz programs heard the rest of the day.

In 1976, the station moved to King Hall, and in February 1977, WEMU began to feature a primarily jazz format.

According to a 2017 tour of WEMU, the station holds one of the largest jazz broadcast libraries in the United States, with nearly 100,000 records and CDs in its collection.

Starting on Friday nights, weekend programming includes a mix of news and music shows, both local and national.

Weekend local shows include From Memphis to Motown, The Roots Music Project, Cuban Fantasy, Sunday Best, Grooveyard, The In Crowd, and Big City Blues Cruise.