WQSM hit the airwaves in 1947 as WFNC-FM, the sister station of WFNC 1390 AM (now 640 AM), the city's oldest AM station. Both stations were owned by the Dawson family's Cape Fear Broadcasting Company. WFNC-FM became WQSM in the 1969 with a country format. In 1974, WQSM became a Top 40 outlet as "Q-98," airing the format until 1989, when the station became adult contemporary "Magic 98," only to shift back to CHR as "Q98" in the 1992. In 1999, the Dawsons sold WQSM, along with WFNC and a new WFNC-FM (the former WJSK 102.3, a Lumberton station Cape Fear purchased in 1997 to rebroadcast the programming of WFNC to areas which can't receive the 640 AM signal clearly when it cuts back to 1,000 watts at night.) to Cumulus Media, which would later pick up local rock station WRCQ and WKQB in Southern Pines. In May 2003, they repositioned themselves as hot adult contemporary, changing their slogan from "Today's Best Music" to Today's Best Variety". "Q98" is also known as the station that "owns the '80s--totally" with music from the Reagan era every Friday night from 5pm until midnight.