WMRC targeted local textile communities through southern gospel, World Transcription Library programs, and live country through Mutual.

WMRC's popularity began to increase via morning man Sid Tear, news reporter Martin Agronski, and Meeting House in Dixie, one of its first religious programs.

Local university football games, Saturday afternoon's "The Metropolitan Opera," and the weekday special "The Breakfast Club" with Don McNeill were huge hits.

[7] At that time, station WAKE, which had started up in 1950 after WMRC's frequency change, moved its operation from 1490 to 1440 (and a new licensee took over 1490 as WMRB), upgrading from 250 to 5,000 watts in the process.

The station quickly became number one in the market with an endless stream of "rock and roll" as well as "rhythm and blues" music broadcast from the "Four Towers Of Power" on White Horse Road.

Personalities such as Ken Dee (Dockins), Lake Cely, John Hudson, Sonny Epps, Bo Sanders, Carl Stubbs, Mal Harrison, Lee Sims, Paul Gold, Wayne Seal (later to become Governor Robert McNair's press secretary), Rick Fight, Dan Ellis, Charlie "Byrd" Lindsey, "Wild" Bill West, Noel Belue, Andy Rector, Mike Jones, Jack Kirby (aka Milton Bagby), Teddy Vee (aka Ted Vigodsky), Don "Happy Hearts" Bagwell, Little Davey Dee (aka Dave Dannheisser), Jim McAlister, Pete Dawley, Dave Wild (aka Dave Scott at other stations and Scott Studios) and Eston Johnson.

Among the former announcers at the station prior to its demise are: Lee Nolan, Gary Jackson, Lee Alexander, Russ Cassell, Steve Chris, Dan Stevens, Kenny Bridwell, Jay (Weekend) Michaels, Teddy "Vee" Vigodsky, Davey "Dee" Dannheisser, Chris Scott, John Foster (Dr. John) Brother Bill, Lisa Rollins and Kirby Stevens (who broadcast for 60 hours for the Heart Association).

1440 WQOK turned off its transmitters after playing American Pie by Don McLean for a brief while and was sold to Key Market Broadcasting, owner of WSSL-FM, and Kirby Confer in 1982.

The styles of music ranged from "hot Latin pop" such as Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez to salsa, merengue, Colombian tropical, Mexican and vallenato, with ballads, boleros and tangos at night.

Weekday afternoons, 4 p.m.-6 p.m., WGVL aired The Score Radio Show, featuring local sports personalities Will Merritt, George Rogers, Will Bouton, and others.

In late 2011, the LMA with Greenville Radio Group ended due to unknown reasons, and Clear Channel took control of the station once again.

On June 29, 2020, fifteen iHeart stations in markets with large African American populations, including WGVL, began stunting with African American speeches, interspersed with messages such as "Our Voices Will Be Heard" and "Our side of the story is about to be told," with a new format slated to launch on June 30.