WHQR is the National Public Radio (NPR) member station for Southeastern North Carolina, broadcasting on the FM band 91.3 MHz.

WHQR's 100,000-watt signal not only covers Wilmington but much of southeastern North Carolina including Jacksonville, Surf City, Oak Island, Whiteville, Elizabethtown, Wallace, Warsaw and Lumberton.

[6] The translator expanded that signal to cover northeastern South Carolina, including Myrtle Beach, Conway, Dillion, and Marion Counties.

WHQR hosts local news on the 91.3 station and produces Coastline with Rachel Lewis Hiburn and the Newsroom with Ben Schachtman.

[5] WHQR also produces four podcasts including Cape Fear Rundown, Coastline, Port City Politics, and The Newsroom.

The MC Erny Art Gallery space at the WHQR studios in the historic Warwick building in downtown Wilmington also hosts community events.

On a Saturday in March 1979, avid listeners were disappointed when a local commercial radio station dropped its broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera without warning.

[10][17] Several listeners gathered together to figure out a way to bring opera broadcasts back, and held their first meeting on April 19 in the Kenan Hall Band Room on the UNC-Wilmington campus.

With some financial and fundraising help from Friends of Public Radio, WLOZ hosted the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts during the school year from December 12, 1979 until it was forced off the air in February 1981 due to a possible drug scandal.

[17][18][19] In early 1982, Friends of Public Radio applied to the FCC to secure the license for 91.3 MHz, WLOZ's old frequency.

Friends of Public Radio continued to fundraise with concerts and newsletters and received local city and county grants.

In July 1983, just as the station was about to start construction of their tower, local NBC affiliate WECT filed a complaint with the FCC, citing concerns about interference.

WHQR FM transmits on a frequency of 91.3 MHz at an Effective radiated power of 1500 watts from 1270 feet above sea level.

WHQR FM is licensed to and operated by the Friends of Public Radio, Inc with studios and offices at 1026 Greenfield Street.

Over the first five years, the station slowly increased and hit all of their semi-annual pledge-drive goals save for one where there was a problem with signal strength.

[21] In April 1994 the WHQR studios moved to a new downtown location on the third floor of the historic Warwick building at 254 N. Front Street, Wilmington.

In early 2013 the emPowering Our Future campaign started with a plan to raise $1.5 million[30] to expand service, improve technology and create a welcoming space.

[10] In August 2014, with money raised from the capital campaign, Friends of Public Radio bought the studios in the Warwick building outright.

[10] On April 23, 2016, the birthday of Shakespeare and the day after the station's 32nd anniversary, WHQR added W272CV 102.3 FM in Myrtle Beach for the classical format.