WXQR-FM (105.5 MHz) is a
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
broadcasting a
Regional Mexican
Regional Mexican is a Latin music radio format encompassing the musical genres from the different parts of rural Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Genres include banda, country en español, Duranguense, grupero, mariachi, New Mexico ...
format. Originally based in
Jacksonville, North Carolina
Jacksonville is a city in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,723, which makes Jacksonville the 14th-largest city in North Carolina. Jacksonville is the county seat and most populous commun ...
, the station is headquartered in
New Bern
New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
.
History
WXQR-FM is one of the oldest rock stations in America. It was known as "The Rock and Roll Animal" from the 1970s until the mid-1990s. The station was once owned by Sidney Popkin, a member of one of the most prominent families in Jacksonville. During the 1980s and 1990s, the station was headquartered on New Bridge Street near downtown Jacksonville, in what was once the Iwo Jima Theater. Because of its location, it was a favorite for decades among Marines stationed at
Camp Lejeune. The station operated with 3,000 watts of power, which put them at a competitive disadvantage against its Newport-based rival Z-103, but WXQR had a solid following of loyal listeners. When Z-103 finally switched to
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
(
WMGV
WMGV (103.3 FM, "Magic 103.3/95.5") is an adult contemporary music formatted radio station licensed to serve Newport, North Carolina. The station serves Eastern North Carolina with a mix of music from the 1980s, 1990s and today.
History
WMGV has ...
), New Bern's
WSFL-FM
WSFL-FM (106.5 MHz) is a classic rock radio station located in New Bern, North Carolina that broadcasts to the entire eastern region of North Carolina. It has been around for several decades and is considered a fixture in the local community.
Hi ...
became WXQR's main competition; however, WXQR-FM wasn't competitive with WSFL until its power was increased in the mid-1990s. HVS Partners, WXQR-FM's longtime owners, sold the station in the mid-1990s to Cumulus, who then sold it to
NextMedia Group a few years later. From October 2010 to January 2012, it simulcast to inland areas on
WQZL
WQZL (101.1 FM), also known as "The River", is a radio station licensed to serve Belhaven, North Carolina. It has a format of variety hits as "92.3 & 101.1 The River". The station's antenna is in Washington, but the signal reaches New Bern, Gre ...
/101.1.
NextMedia sold WXQR-FM and their 32 other radio stations to Digity, LLC for $85 million; the transaction was consummated on February 10, 2014.
Effective February 25, 2016, Digity, LLC and its 124 radio stations were acquired by
Alpha Media for $264 million.
In September 2017, Dick Broadcasting announced the purchase of
Alpha Media stations in three markets — 18 stations and two translators in total, at a purchase price of $19.5 million. The acquisition of WXQR-FM by Dick Broadcasting was consummated on December 20, 2017.
On August 2, 2021, WXQR-FM changed their format from active rock to Regional Mexican, branded as "La Pantera 105.5". “Rock 105" had broadcast for more than 40 years and was the "original rock station" for the Carolina Coast. The previous Rock format continues to be available in streaming form online.
Your Carolinas Pure Rock
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References
External links
La Pantera 105.5 official website
*
XQR-FM
Regional Mexican radio stations in the United States
Spanish-language radio stations in North Carolina
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