Among the youngest full-power major network affiliates in the United States, WMBF-TV began broadcasting in 2008 under Raycom Media, which had inherited the construction permit from Liberty Corporation.

Its construction gave the region its first in-market NBC affiliate, replacing cable and over-the-air broadcasts of two co-owned stations in adjacent markets, and a third source of local news coverage.

It also would allow Raycom to sell advertising in the rapidly growing Grand Strand area for the first time and give NBC its first in-market affiliate for Florence and Myrtle Beach.

A number of its early personalities had roots in the area; general manager Ted Fortenberry said that it was important to "find people who know the lay of the land".

[12] In the station's early years, managers elsewhere in the Raycom group were often instructed to seek advice from WMBF on technical issues related to HD news conversion.

[19] The station's digital signal is multiplexed: Download coordinates as: WMBF's transmitter does not reach much of the market's inland portion, including its second-largest city, Florence.

[21] On January 3, 2022, Jeffrey Winemiller's Lowcountry 34 Media reached a deal to sell W19FC-D, W35ED-D, and 21 other low-power TV stations to Gray Television for $3.75 million.