In 1981, Voice of The People, Inc., received a construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission to construct and operate a new FM broadcast station at Suffolk, Virginia, on the frequency 106.9 MHz. Voice of The People chose WTID for the call sign, which stood for the Tidewater region of Virginia. The station signed on the air in November 1982.[8] WTID aired a Christian radio format. In April 1985, the station was sold to Southern Starr Broadcasting Group, Inc., of Altamonte Springs, Florida.
In 1987, Downs Radio, Inc., acquired WTID. Its call letters were changed to WSKX and it aired a country music format. The KX in the call sign stood for "Kicks." The station struggled against the market's long-time country leader, 100.5 WCMS-FM (now urban adult contemporaryWVBW-FM). WSKX left the country format in 1989, becoming classic rock WAFX "The Fox."
Radio Ventures, Inc., acquired the station for $10 million in 1990.[9] In 1994, Saga Communications bought WAFX for $4 million.[10] Saga, which already owned album rockWNOR, continued WAFX's classic rock format, while moving WNOR-FM to a more current-based, harder-edged active rock format. As of today, WAFX's playlist has expanded to playing popular and historic 1990s alternative and grunge into their playlist, while WNOR has since moved all their classic and harder songs from the 1970s and 1980s to WAFX.
