The station first went on the air in 1958 as WPAC-FM, but gained fame in the 1970s under their new call letter "The New 106 WBLI". BLI jocks from the 1970s & 1980s included Barry Neal, Randi Taylor, Bruce Michaels, Nick O'Neil, Chris Tyler, Bill Terry (was PD in the 1980s), Jeff Thomas (also the PD), Scott Taylor, Don Nelson, Rick Sommers, Keith Allen (now of B-103 Long Island), Rob McLean, Mary "J.J. Kennedy" Ann of WPLJ and WLTW/New York City, Carl Dayton, TK Townsend, Brooke Daniels, Larry Adams, Ken Rhodes-Rosato, former WBLI news director and now WABC-TV/Channel 7 news anchor, with Scott Miller and Kelly Hart. WBLI had a Saturday Night dance show called "Club 106" during the disco days, hosted by Long Island club DJ Rory J. Thompson, and a Sunday Night Oldies show known as "Only Gold" during the 1970s through the mid-1980s hosted by Bruce Michaels, Jerry St. James and then Don Nelson. Although technically a CHR/Top 40, WBLI had a more adult contemporary sound in certain dayparts and avoided such harder-rocking CHR hits, such as "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, during their initial chart runs.

Its most recent incarnation of CHR began in September 1996 when the station, under its then-owners Chancellor Broadcasting and PD Doc Medek flipped from Hot AC, an evolution that had begun in May 1996. Under Doc Medek and Al Levine as MD and night jock, the station redeveloped its CHR sound on Long Island, voiced by Billy Moore, and a new jingle package by TM Century, playing the current records, and had night show features like the "Fresh 5 at 9", and the "New Music Challenge" return. By 1997 'BLI was one of the more rhythmic mainstream CHR's on the air featuring "Classic Dance Weekends".

When Cox Radio took over 'BLI they evolved into a more mainstream CHR with less dance product (though still more than most other CHR's) and a tighter playlist voiced by Kurt Flood, Mark Driscoll, with Jennifer Vaughn, and Brian James. On March 29, 2006 Beau Weaver took over as voice of 106.1 BLI, a new jingle package debuted at this time as well- the package that is still used today.