The station signed on the air on August 19, 1986; 38 years ago (1986-08-19). The original call sign was WGSF. Its city of license was Arlington, Tennessee.[5] WGSF was owned by the Arlington Broadcasting Company. In the 1980s, Fred Flinn became the general manager of the station and would later acquire the station as part of his Flinn Broadcasting Corporation. In the late 1980s, WGSF's city of license was switched to Bartlett, Tennessee, and its call letters changed to WMPS.
WMPS originally carried the "Music of Your Life" syndicatedadult standards format.[6] It later switching to adult contemporary music.[7] Under Flinn Broadcasting ownership, the station returned to a standards format mixed with soft oldies, primarily from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. It is programmed in-house.