WOWE began as a mostly satellite-fed station, airing the syndicated urban-adult "Touch" format from ABC Radio Networks. In 1999, with the growing popularity of the Rhythmic Oldies format nationwide, WOWE switched to Westwood One's "Groovin' Oldies" format. WOWE stayed with the Rhythmic Oldies format for a time after the "Groovin' Oldies" format was discontinued, but has since evolved back to Urban AC.
On May 17, 2021, WOWE flipped to hip hop, branded as "98.9 The Beat".[3]
