The station was built by Dennis Baldridge and Richard Shelton, engineers at 89.7 WONU, and originally held the call sign WKVF.[2][3] As the station was coming on the air, it was sold to Rollings Communications for $90,000.[6] Its call sign was changed to WZZP by the time it began broadcasting in October 1992.[2][1][7] The station aired a classic rock format, and was part of a simulcast with 95.3 WZNF in Rantoul, Illinois and 107.9 WZNX in Arcola, Illinois.[2][1][7] In 1995, the station was sold to Milner Broadcasting, headed by Tim Milner, for $425,000.[8]
In March 1995, the station adopted an oldies format, branded "The Valley", and the station's call sign was changed to WVLI.[9][3] The station was simulcast on WFAV 103.7 from the station's sign-on in 2007 until 2011.[10][11][12][13] WFAV 103.7 would end the simulcast and begin airing a CHR format.[14] In August 2012, the station began simulcasting on 92.7 WKIF.[15]
On December 27, 2012, 95.1 began simulcasting the CHR format of 103.7, and "The Valley" oldies format was moved to 92.7. The two stations became known as 95.1 & 103.7 Hit Radio for the Kankakee River Valley.[16] On December 29, 2012, the WKIF calls moved from 92.7 to 95.1 and the WVLI calls moved from 95.1 to 92.7.[3][17] On February 20, 2013, the station's call sign was changed to WFAV (which moved from 103.7)[3] and its simulcast with 103.7 ended, as 103.7 adopted a country format as WYUR, which is a simulcast of 101.7 WIVR.[18] In 2018, Milner Broadcasting was sold to the newly formed Milner Media Partners.[19]
