WHLI first signed on the air on July 15, 1947, along with FM sister station WHNY,[3] licensed to Paul and Elias Godofsky, the owners of WLIB in New York City from 1942 to 1944.
[5] In 1960, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave permission for WHLI to raise its power to the current 10,000 watts, using a two-tower directional signal.
They are a popular landmark as signage touting the WHLI call letters and frequency have been mounted on the main tower for decades for passing motorists to see.
The station "looked to the local audience for talent and encouraged amateurs and professionals to audition, welcoming everyone from classical musicians to pop singers and comedians."
The station featured easy listening vocal artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Barbra Streisand and Dean Martin.
Also heard were handful of baby boomer popular artists like Ray Charles, Bobby Vinton, Connie Francis, Dionne Warwick and The Platters.
By the late 1980s more softer artists from the Top 40 were heard, including Neil Diamond, Anne Murray, Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, Simon & Garfunkel, Kenny Rogers, The Beatles, The 5th Dimension and The Carpenters.
Younger artists working with the "Great American Songbook" were included, such as Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Rod Stewart and Michael Bublé.
In September 2014, WHLI added a simulcast in Suffolk County on AM 1370 WALK, which Connoisseur had just acquired from Clear Channel Communications (through its Aloha Station Trust).