WCBD originally signed onto the airwaves in 1954 as WUSN-TV in what was then a very remote portion of Mount Pleasant.

In 1983 Media General purchased WCBD from the State Record Company. In the years that followed, WCBD moved from last place in the market, to a contender for first place. The station went from producing one hour of local news, to producing three and one half hours of news weekdays. WCBD became an NBC affiliate in 1996.

WCBD celebrated it 50th Anniversary in 2004.

WCBD's call letters stand for: C=Charleston, B=Berkeley, D=Dorchester for the three main counties it serves.