In 1947, WGVA first signed on the air.[6] It was owned by the Star Broadcasting Company. WGVA was originally powered at only 250 watts; by the late 1970s, it got a construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission to increase its daytime power to 1,000 watts, while keeping 250 watts of power at night.
Prior to the talk radio format that is in effect today, WGVA was a upbeat Top 40 radio station. It had a full-time team of disc jockeys and newscasters. The station played the big hits of the 1960s and 1970s. By the 1980s, the station switched to full serviceadult contemporary. Talk shows were added and over time, the station made the transition to all-talk.