Its call letters have no meaning, being sequentially assigned. They had previously been authorized for use by the ship SS California, owned by the Orient Lines.

The station broadcasts from studios in the Tribeca district of Manhattan at the former AT&T Building, with transmitter in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

WOR began broadcasting on February 22, 1922, using a 500-watt transmitter on 360 meters (833 kc.) from Bamberger's Department Store in Newark, New Jersey. The station's first broadcast was made with a home made microphone which was a megaphone attached to a telephone transmitter, while Al Jolson's "April Showers" was played. Louis Bamberger's sale of radio sets to consumers explained their affiliation with the station. The WOR call sign was reissued from the U.S. maritime radio service. The station initially operated limited hours, sharing time with two other stations, WDT and WJY, which also operated on 833 kc. WOR changed frequency to 740 kc. in June 1923 and shared time with WJY until July 1926, when WJY signed off for good and WOR received full use of the frequency. In December 1924, WOR acquired a studio in Manhattan. On June 17, 1927, as a result of General Order 40, WOR moved to 710 kc., the channel it currently occupies (unlike most stations, it was not affected by NARBA). Later in 1926, WOR moved from its New York City studio on the 9th floor of Chickering Hall at 27 West 57th Street to 1440 Broadway, two blocks from Times Square.

WOR was first a charter member of the CBS Radio Network, being one of the 16 stations that aired the first CBS network program on September 18, 1927. In partnership with Chicago radio station WGN and Cincinnati radio station WLW, WOR formed the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1934 and became its New York flagship station. Mutual was one of the "Big Four" national radio networks in the United States during the 1930s–1980s. In 1941, the station changed its city of license from Newark to New York City. However, for all intents and purposes it had been a New York City station since it signed on, and had actually moved its studios across the Hudson two years after signing on.

In 1957, WOR ended its relationship with Mutual and became an independent station and Mutual's New York outlet became WAAT in Newark for a brief period, but WOR continued to carry Mutual's "Top of the News" with Fulton Lewis for 15 minutes each evening Monday to Friday at 7:00 p.m. for several more years after it had briefly shifted to WMGM (WHN) where the program, from WOL Mutual in Washington, had debuted in New York City in the 1930s. For a few years in the late-1950s, WOR aired selected St. Louis Cardinals games sponsored by Budweiser due to the departures of the Dodgers and Giants to California.

In 1949, WOR started a sister TV station, WOR-TV, on channel 9. This station became WWOR-TV after it and WOR were sold to separate companies in 1987.

From the 1930s to the early 1980s, WOR was a free-flowing full-service station. There was an emphasis on news reports and talk programs, but music was played also, usually a blend of pop standards and adult contemporary tunes. WOR played several songs per hour weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and again afternoons from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. They also played about a dozen songs per hour on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. On ratings books, WOR was classified as a MOR/Talk station rather than a News/Talk station until 1984. From 1983 to about 1985, WOR gradually stopped playing music altogether, evolving into its current talk format. Past notable hosts were Ed and Pegeen Fitzgerald, Arlene Francis, Patricia McCann, Long John Nebel, Bernard Meltzer, Barry Farber, Jean Shepherd, Bob and Ray, Jack O'Brian, Bob Grant and Gene Klavan. WOR introduced live, on-air, helicopter traffic reports with pilot reporters "Fearless" Fred Feldman and later George Meade. From April 15,1945, to March 21, 1963, Dorothy Kilgallen and her husband Dick Kollmar (1910-1971) co-hosted WOR morning show Breakfast With Dorothy and Dick.

The station was known for its detailed, 15-minute news reports on the hour. Noted newsmen such as Henry Gladstone, Harry Hennessey, John Wingate, Lyle Vann, Peter Roberts, and Roger Skibenes were the backbone of the news department.

WOR's most renowned program was morning show Rambling with Gambling, which aired continuously from March 1925 to September 2000 across three generations of hosts: John B. Gambling, John A. Gambling, and John R. Gambling. After John R. Gambling's edition of the show was dropped, he moved to WABC, where he hosted a late-morning show until January 2008; he returned to WOR mornings in May 2008. Although never a favorite of young listeners, WOR was this group's radio station of record in the New York metropolitan area during bad winter weather. Students of all ages dialed up 710AM on their radios as John A. Gambling dutifully announced a comprehensive list of school closings for New York City, northern New Jersey, and southern Connecticut, in strict alphabetical order.

Today, WOR is a news and talk radio station. It broadcasts 24 hours each day with 50,000 watts using a three-tower directional antenna with slightly different radiation patterns day and night. Its transmitter is located in Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the only New York City AM station to have retained its original three-letter call sign, which are the oldest continually used ones in the New York City area.

On April 30, 2005, WOR moved its offices and studios from 1440 Broadway at 40th Street in Midtown Manhattan where it had been based for 79 years to a new facility at 111 Broadway near Wall Street in Downtown Manhattan.

On June 28, 2010, they announced the launch of an online country-music-only station, worcountry.com. The stream was branded as "The Elephant;" it has since been discontinued. On January 17, 2011, WOR announced that it would be dropping Glenn Beck in favor of Mike Gallagher.

On August 13, 2012, it was announced that WOR was to be purchased by Clear Channel Communications, pending FCC approval. A local marketing agreement began on August 15, 2012. On December 20, 2012, the day Clear Channel officially took ownership of the station, the Dr. Joy Browne Show, The Gov. David Patterson Show, and Mike Huckabee were removed from the WOR program schedule.

On January 2, 2013, WOR added former WABC weekend host Mark Simone and John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou. Simone takes over the 10 a.m. to Noon slot previously held by Mike Gallagher. Kobylt and Chiampou, who host a local show on Los Angeles' KFI AM 640, also host a program on WOR from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. (The John and Ken Show that is carried on WOR originates from the KFI studios in Burbank, California.) The first hour is simulcast to both markets and the second hour is New York-only. The 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. time slot has been filled by Inside Edition anchor Rita Cosby. WOR now offers thirteen hours of live and local programming. Along with the in programming came the slogan "New York's Only Live and Local News and Conversation."

WOR's previous logo used until December, 2013

On August 23, 2013 Rush Limbaugh announced during his show that, in the New York Market, The Rush Limbaugh Show will be moving from WABC to WOR as of January 1, 2014. There has been speculation that The Sean Hannity Show, which will be leaving WABC at the same time, will also be joining the WOR lineup as well. This can now be said to be true. As of December 2013, there have been billboards going up in the New York area announcing that as of January 1, 2014 the afternoon lineup on WOR 710 Radio will be The Rush Limbaugh Show at noon followed by The Sean Hannity Show at 3PM. To make room for the change, John R. Gambling announced his retirement at the end of 2013. After initially announcing that the Washington, DC-based Elliot in the Morning, a hot talk show that would have clashed with the rest of WOR's lineup, would be the morning show, WOR instead canceled those plans and used guest hosts for the morning show for several months after Gambling's retirement, before Len Berman and Tampa Bay radio host Todd Schnitt were hired as the station's morning hosts in late 2014.

On November 4, 2013, WOR and the New York Mets announced all 2014 season games will be broadcast on 710 AM, as well as advertised on all local Clear Channel radio stations.

WOR Radio Network