WQXM FM 97.9 1980 Pin

WQXM 97.9 was a 56,000-watt FM stereo radio station that went on the air in December 1967 from studios at the tower site at 8320 Starkey Road in Seminole. The station was owned by FM Enterprises. Inc., and initially aired a classical music format, which was dropped in 1969 to make way for an elevator music format promoted as Stereo 98. A new transmitter boosted power to 100,000 watts in 1973. Plough Broadcasting acquired WQXM in 1975 and a few years later, the elevator music format was out, an AOR format was in, and the station was rebranded as 98 Rock. This design comes from the 1980 brand update, which was a common sight throughout the Clearwater/Tampa area on billboards and bumper stickers.