This station, for decades the flagship of the Columbia Broadcasting System, got its start in 1924 as WAHG, placed on the air by Richmond Hill, Queens, radio manufacturer Alfred H. Grebe.  Grebe, whose first experimental broadcasts dated back to 1921, formed the Atlantic Broadcasting Company in 1926 and renamed the station WABC at that time.  In 1928, CBS bought out WABC and its parent company, creating its first radio station, operating at a frequency of 860kc and featuring stars such as Bing Crosby, Burns & Allen, and Kate Smith.

  The station moved to its current frequency, 880kc, in 1941, and finally adopted the name of its owner, WCBS, on November 3, 1946.  CBS debuted "Newsradio 88" in 1967 and became 100% all-news by 1970. -CBS Radio merged with radio group Entercom in 2017, which was rebranded as Audacy in March, 2021.

  Audacy announced on August 12, 2024 that the station`s all-news format would be discontinued as of August 26th, to be replaced by ESPN sports programming moving from WEPN (98.7 FM) pursuant to a LMA with Good Karma Brands. Effective August 26th, the station`s call sign was changed to WHSQ.