Prior to WMSV, Mississippi State had a student-run radio station, WMSB, which went off the air permanently at the end of the spring semester of 1986.

The station's album oriented rock (AOR) format was augmented with an hourly ten-to-fifteen minute jazz block.

WMSB was started during the fall semester of 1971 in a freshman dorm room on the third floor of Critz Hall, utilizing an FM stereo transmitter that was designed and built as a high school science fair project by one of the station's founders.

With funding approved, the low-power RCA FM transmitter was ordered and the call letters WMSB were issued by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The station also broadcast many specialty shows such as blues, jazz, new age, urban and a number of public affairs programs.

[3] In the beginning, the station was run by more than 75 student volunteers with a paid general manager, Steve Ellis, on staff with the university.

Additionally, the station offered the Geosciences Department at MSU the opportunity to appoint student meteorologists within the Broadcast Meteorology Program to deliver weather updates.

The evening newscast was canceled to make room for the creation of "Bulldog Drive Time", which discussed Mississippi State sports and news.