WXQR FM 105.5

An FM radio station broadcasting on 105.5 MHz, licensed to and originally headquartered in Jacksonville, North Carolina, later relocating its headquarters to New Bern. The station is among the longest-running rock-format stations in the United States, operating as "The Rock and Roll Animal" from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, building a loyal audience particularly among Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune due to its proximity and programming. For decades the station was owned by HVS Partners and operated from New Bridge Street near downtown Jacksonville, in the former Iwo Jima Theater. It initially broadcast at 3,000 watts, placing it at a power disadvantage relative to competing stations, but cultivated a durable listener base. In the mid-1990s, HVS Partners sold the station to Cumulus, which later sold it to NextMedia Group. From October 2010 to January 2012, the signal was simulcast on WQZL/101.1 to extend its inland reach. NextMedia sold WXQR-FM along with 32 other stations to Digity, LLC for $85 million, with the transaction completing on February 10, 2014. On February 25, 2016, Digity and its 124-station portfolio were acquired by Alpha Media for $264 million. In September 2017, Dick Broadcasting announced the purchase of 18 Alpha Media stations in three markets for $19.5 million, with the WXQR-FM acquisition completing on December 20, 2017. On August 2, 2021, after more than 40 years as a rock station under the Rock 105 brand, the station changed its format to Regional Mexican, rebranding as La Pantera 105.5.