According to legend, WFBA broadcast "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones to inaugurate their new studio because the other rock stations in Greenville had deemed the song too obscene for the air.
In the following years, WFRN became increasingly popular among students because the larger rock station in Greenville turned its antennas towards downtown at night, making it impossible to listen from campus.
Had the university abstained any longer, WFRN could have been effectively forced off the air by virtually any full-power station that wanted access to Furman's broadcasting frequency.
The station found new success in the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in the purchase of a new antenna in the early 1990s that increased its broadcasting range to 15 miles, permitting WPLS programs to reach the greater Greenville community.
WPLS took a hit in 2002 when Clear Channel Radio's WPEK-FM, which broadcast at the same frequency, moved from Greenwood, SC to Greenville and temporarily forced the station off the air.