It carries programs from NPR and other public radio networks such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, 1A, Here and Now, Marketplace and Today, Explained.

WFAE produces a local hour-long weekday interview program, Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins, heard live at 9 a.m. and repeated at 8 p.m.

[6] It was the student radio service of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, playing classical music and jazz.

It succeeded a student-run carrier current station known as "WVFN" (Voice of the 49ers), which operated from the basement of the Cone University Center.

[citation needed] As of 1976, the station had reduced the amount of Top 40 music and increased jazz programming.

[11] In September 1978, WFAE secured Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval to move to 90.7 MHz with a full 100,000 watts.

[15] On that day, it became North Carolina's third full NPR member station, alongside WFDD in the Piedmont Triad and WUNC in the Triangle.

In addition to NPR programs, the new station aired jazz during the day with classical music at night and on Sundays.

In February 1986, WFAE began airing new-age music on a Sunday evening show emphasizing contemporary jazz, featuring such artists as George Winston and Kitaro.

UNC Charlotte was eventually forced to end support for the station due to a budget crunch.

On April 15, 1993, UNC Charlotte handed over control to a nonprofit community board, the University Radio Foundation, which still owns the station today.

WFAE also used to air a locally produced Sunday evening program of new-age music called Nightscapes, but replaced that with an expanded broadcast of Echoes.

On July 28, 2008, WFAE began airing jazz from JazzWorks on one of its HD channels to reach those disappointed by WNSC-FM joining SCETV's all-news network.