The WNYY call letters were put in place after Saga's purchase in 2005, and it was initially launched as a sports station.

WNYY also carried programming from the now-defunct Air America network, which filed for bankruptcy in January 2010.

After its iteration as a sports station, WNYY ran an all-syndicated lineup consisting mostly of progressive hosts, with some exceptions (The Dave Ramsey Show being the most prominent, airing in afternoon drive).

From March 2010 through January 2017, WNYY was one of several progressive talk stations in Saga Communications' portfolio, others including WHMP and its two simulcast partners in western Massachusetts, and WKVT in southeastern Vermont.

WNYY's return to the FM airwaves coincided with the launch of sister station WQNY's Progressive Talk on its HD2 channel.