The station first signed on the air in 1989 as WAVW. The call sign stood for "The Wave."
On January 25, 2008, it was announced that WCZR was one of several Clear Channel Communications radio stations to be sold, in order to remain under the ownership caps following the sale of Clear Channel to private investors. WCZR and the other stations to be sold were placed into the Aloha Station Trust, LLC. The main station, WZZR, remained under Clear Channel ownership. Clear Channel later became today's iHeartMedia, Inc.
From January to November 1987, the WCZR call letters were used for 107.3 FM in the Clevelandmedia market. Since November 1987, that station has been known as WNWV.
Effective April 27, 2015, the station was transferred back to Capstar TX LLC, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, Inc.[2] That moved it out of the Aloha Station Trust and once again in iHeartMedia ownership.