The station changed its call letters to KGMQ on September 1, 1973, shortly after future Hawaiian congressman Cecil Heftel bought the KGMB-AM-FM-TV cluster.

It became an album rock station in 1976, & changed its call letters to KQMQ after it was spun off from Heftel to the Aloha Broadcasting Company.

The station sent out a decoy media release that KQMQ would switch to a new format that would be Traditional Hawaiian "Nā Mele 93.1", a brand that is used at parent company Ohana Broadcasting's other outlets in Hawaii.

According to Program Director Rick Thomas, "Pa’ina’s mission to is to have fun and play the reggae and island jams people really want to hear".

[5] With this move, KQMQ competes with two other Hawaiian contemporary outlets that also feature reggae music in their presentation, KDNN and KCCN.

[7] KQMQ has been the home of several noted radio personalities including Chris Hughes, Augie Tulba (Da Augie Radio Show), Kimo Leahi, Austin Vali, Tony Taylor, Scotty B, Bridgette Sarchino, Sam The Man, Hawaiian Ryan, Leikia, Dan Cooke, Michael Qseng and Danielle Tucker (Morning Madness), Jeff Kino and Lois Miyashiro and Shawn Ho (The Morning Zoo), Justin Cruz, Wili Moku with Wild Kyle the traffic guy, Laurie Ann Solomon, Cliff Richards, Erika Engle, and Kari Steele.

Some other popular radio personalities that worked on KQMQ include: Brad Barrett, who also served as sister station KKUA Program Director, later moving to cross street competition KSSK-FM, Kimo Akane, Kriss Hart, Kevin "Bish" Bishop, Myk Powell, Lou Richards, Michael W. Perry, Mark "Mars Frehley" Marolt, Jon Kealoha, Shawn Ho, Jon E. Blaze, Candace Cruise, Kurt Williams, Kathy With A "K", Timster, Bruddah Bryan, Roro, Lisa D. and Steve Kelly, Wayne Dines as "Young Bobby Young" and Mark Morgann as the weekend SegueGuy.