The station started in Thomasville, North Carolina as WTNC-FM. During its history, its call letters have included WEYE. At one point, the station played country music during the day and urban contemporary music at night. During the 80s, 98.3, with the call sign WTHP, was one of the first oldies stations in the area.
Buddy Poole, one of several partners who bought the station along with WTNC in 1984, was general manager from 1984 until 2002, when he bought WSAT in Salisbury.[2]
During most of 2004, the former WTNC was WIST-AM, airing most of the FM station's programming. In 2005, WIST-AM became sports talkWBLO "790 The Ball". WAAA (now WTOB) in Winston-Salem began airing the station's programming at that time, but that station was not able to broadcast at full power[citation needed] and later changed to sports talk.[4]
The FM station changed to classic country as "Country Legends 98.3" in October 2005.[5]
On June 4, 2010, Norberto Sanchez of Norsan Multimedia said that his company would lease WIST-FM and WBLO, with an option to buy. WIST-FM would have a Spanish language format, including broadcasts of the NFLCarolina Panthers Radio, serving the Triad area.[6] The change on the FM station took place at 6 P.M. June 30, after George Jones' "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" played.