WXTB-FM

In the early 1980's, due to very high ratings that came from album-oriented rock powerhouse WYNF-FM (which was on the air from 1979-1993-and for a time owned by CBS radio), WQXM-FM became Top 40 outlet WZNE-FM, which lasted until January 1986, and the former format then changed again due to constantly being behind in the ratings behind former contemporary hit radio champion WRBQ-FM (Q105) at the time.

In January 1986, WZNE-FM changed its call letters to WKRL-FM, relocated its studios to an office complex in Clearwater, Florida and reformatted itself as a classic rock station.

The format lasted for about four years until early January 1990 when it was relaunched as the first all Led Zeppelin format, profiling the material from the band, as well as its offshoot solo artists and other music-related projects. It would soon add bands like the Rolling Stones, the Who, and ZZ Top to its playlist while the stunt was ongoing. Following on-air comments that lasted on and off for about a couple of weeks, WKRL-FM changed its call letters to WXTB-FM and readapted the handle 98 Rock-which was initially carried over from its classic rock days, on the behast of its then owner Great American Broadcasting Corporation and launched the hard-sounding current-based format which would be known in later years as active rock on January 18, 1990 at 12 noon, premiering with AC/DC's 1980 classic "Hell's Bells".

The radio station was a ratings success, responsible for launching the Seattle bands in 1991 early on and the nu-metal bands of the mid to late 1990's before other stations across North America (besides such bands' home bases) caught on. Active rock's format and style would soon launch hundreds of stations across the United States and North America in the coming years and even affect the playlists of so-called modern rock stations that were becoming hugely popular in the mid-1990's.

WXTB-FM was also the flagship of the former regional radio host Bubba Clem, better known as Bubba the Love Sponge. He arrived on the air for the mornings at a time when the station was struggling to find a successful morning personality to battle against other successful morning radio shows in the Tampa Bay area market. Mr. Clem's blend of shock radio and out of the mainstream guests drew a slew of younger listeners to his show since its inception in the mid 1990's.

The station moved its studios from Clearwater, Florida to new owner Clear Channel's broadcast complex in southwest Tampa, Florida in 2000 in the owner's attempt to consolidate its overall operation of owned stations in the region.

Following a record fine assessed by the Federal Communications Commission in February 2004, due to then-alleged indecent content, Bubba Clem was fired as the morning host of WXTB-FM-which also ceased the program of Mr. Clem's carried by a number of affiliated stations
mainly throughout the Southeast.

Mr. Clem ran as the Democratic nominee for Pinellas County, Florida sheriff and lost the election race handily in 2004 to an apparent successor of then retiring Republican sheriff Everett Rice.

The station still continues its current active rock programming to this day and since December 1992 has hosted the Tampa Bay Children's Home auction and Pay for Play weekends (eventually taking over for the now-defunct WYNF-FM)-which auctions off rock memoribilia for donations and receives funds from donors in exchange for playing a wide variety of music requests (including those out of format).

The radio station's website is www.98rock.com.