WWEB's initial construction permit was applied for on November 20, 1965, and granted on November 10, 1966. The station was granted the callsign WWEB on February 14, 1967, and its license to cover was granted on April 10, 1968.[5] In the early days, the station was on the third floor north attic of the building called the Science building (now Humanities). They used a Bauer 5-pot slide board. The transmitter was on a cabinet right behind the turntables, made by Granger. The transmitter fed a 7⁄8” line up to the roof where a 2-bay horizontal V only antenna was mounted on a pole or small tower section.
WWEB was one of the first National Public Radio distribution stations, in 1971, when it operated at a maximum of 10 watts, as a Class D educational station, featuring weekly broadcasts of "Washington Week in Review" and "Firing Line" predating the later PBS television versions.
Its license was cancelled on April 4, 2022 for failing to file a renewal application.