The station began in 1947 as a local station for the South Shore region, owned by Jim Asher (and later, his son, Jay Asher). For much of its history, WJDA provided talk programming and (in its last years) ABC Radio's Unforgettable Favorites satellite soft AC format. Among its on-air personalities were Herb Fontaine, Roy Lind, Joe Catalano, Win Bettinson and Mike Logan. Notable shows included Party Line, Breakfast with WJDA and the Wax Museum.
The station (and its North Shore sister station WESX) was sold in 2006 to Principle Broadcasting, which switched the station to the current format and closed the local studios. Its final day of operation under the old format was April 30, 2006.