Under current U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) limits for Class B stations, WRIF, if newly licensed today, would be allowed to broadcast an effective radiated power (ERP) of at most 16,000 watts using an antenna 268 meters high.

[5] The station transmitter is in the Detroit suburb of Southfield near the intersection of 10 Mile Road and Northwestern Highway, and transmits its signal from the same tower as WXYZ-TV.

That changed in 1966, when the FCC decreed separate programming for at least half of the broadcast day on FM stations that had been simulcasts of their AM sisters.

WXYZ-FM separated programming and aired first a MOR/adult standards format, then later went to a rock-based Top 40 approach called "Boss 101," which featured mostly harder rock hits with little to no pop or soul product.

WRIF was not a pure rocker in its early years - you could hear such artists as KC & The Sunshine Band and the Bee Gees alongside Alice Cooper, Traffic, and the Allman Brothers.

Other nominees included WIYY in Baltimore, WAAF in Boston, KBPI in Denver, WMMR in Philadelphia, and KISW in Seattle.

WRIF's HD Radio multicast signals are called: From the mid-1970s to 1979, the morning show had been hosted by Michael Collins.

In their prime, they were well known with doing news, weather, playing rock, and creating parody songs with their own versions of timeless rock hits such as Question Mark and the Mysterians' "96 Tears" with "96 Beers", The J. Geils Band's "Freeze Frame" with "Beer Frame", Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 55" with "I Can't Drive (point) 2-5", and their own version of Gary Numan's "Cars" with "Bars".

In November 1985, Joe Nipote (an actor, children's author and Detroit native) became WRIF's new morning show host.

In September 2007, Drew Lane left WRIF for an indefinite length of time to take care of his girlfriend who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The show was then renamed "Mike In The Morning" and was hosted by Clark and Marc Fellhauer, and features Trudi Daniels with the "WRIF Rock & Roll Radio News," and Jamie Samuelsen[13] on sports reports.

and Trudi Morning Show which made its debut on WCSX that summer, while Drew Lane moved to afternoons on sister station WMGC-FM in August 2013.

Stickers have been made for bands including: Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and OZZFEST, Mötley Crüe, ZZ Top, Alice Cooper, Kid Rock, Disturbed, YES, Journey, KISS, Santana, REO Speedwagon, Triumph, U2, Huey Lewis and the News, Loverboy, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Korn, Linkin Park, Velvet Revolver, The Romantics and David Bowie.

WRIF has also made stickers for appearances by comedians George Carlin & Rodney Dangerfield and the rock festival Lollapalooza.

Stickers have also been made for non-concert events such as the Drew and Mike radio show, Harleyfest, legendary WRIF alum Arthur Penhallow and his famous saying "Baby!