2HD

Last updated

2HD
Logo of radio 2HD Newcastle.jpg
Broadcast areaNewcastle RA1 [1]
Frequency 1143 kHz AM
Branding2HD
Programming
Language(s) English
Format News talk, classic hits
Affiliations Super Radio Network (AM Network)
Ownership
Owner
New FM
History
First air date
27 January 1925 (1925-01-27) [2]
Call sign meaning
2 – New South Wales
Hugh Douglas
Technical information
Power 2 kW
Translator(s) 97.5 FM Port Stephens
Links
Website www.2hd.com.au

2HD is an Australian radio station in New South Wales. Owned and operated as part of the Super Radio Network of stations, it currently broadcasts a news talk and classic hits format to Newcastle, New South Wales and the Hunter Valley. First broadcast on 27 January 1925, it was established by founder Harry Douglas – from which the station derives its name – and is based in studios in Sandgate alongside sister station New FM.

Contents

2HD is Australia's second oldest existing radio station, first going to air just hours after Sydney's 2UE.

History

1925–1945

2HD began broadcasting on 27 January 1925, a day after 2UE in Sydney began operations. The station's call sign was the initials of the founder, Hugh Alexander McKay Douglas (known as Harry), not "Hunter District" as is commonly believed. Douglas was a man ahead of his time. He had been a keen amateur radio enthusiast for some years prior to 1925, and an alderman on the Newcastle City Council from 1919 to 1922. He was also the first person to own a sulky and car tyre retreading business in Newcastle, as well as having the first petrol station in Newcastle with a bowser.

The radio station was originally situated in the Newcastle suburb of Hamilton, but soon after moved to the corner of Darby and King Streets (Douglas's tyre business address). Douglas sold the station to William Johnston in 1928, who sold the station to the "Airsales Broadcasting Company" in 1930. Airsales owned the company for 10 years, and was responsible for the move to its landmark studio building in Sandgate, which was the home of 2HD for nearly 50 years. Although the building is now very different, the middle section is still the 1931 building.

Under controversial circumstances during World War II, 2HD was closed in 1941, under the National Security Regulations. At the time, the station was owned by the Jehovah's Witnesses [3] and around 25 staff were employed. Stories circulated that the owners were sending covert messages to enemy agents, based on the names and times of the music being played. [3] 2HD remained silent until near the end of the war, when the Australian Labor Party and the Labor Council of New South Wales bought the station, resuming transmissions on 15 January 1945. [4]

One of 2HD's notable personalities in the 1930s was "Uncle" Rex Sinclair, who continued to perform on local radio and stage until shortly before his death in 2001.

1945–1977

The Labor Party and the NSW Labour Council owned 2HD from 1945 until 1999. For the first 29 years of its ownership, the station was under the management of Jim Storey, with his wife Twink acting as program director and on-air personality. [5] Other announcers during this time included Harry Randall, Stuart Dibbley and Tom Delaney.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, 2HD was one of the founding shareholders of local television station NBN Television.

2HD broadcast in the popular The Good Guys of Life format, also used by other stations, including 2SM Sydney. Presenters during this time included Harry Randall, Tom Delaney, Art Ryan, Haff Enegg, Mal Lamonte, John Hill, Allan McGirvan, Mike Jeffries, Malcolm Elliott, Keith Haerris, Graeme Gilbert, Don Mayo, Rob Maynard and Cliff Musgrave. Towards the end of this period, announcer Geoff Gregory joined the station, but was better known as a program director, and host of the Sunday night program Country Sounds.

After the Good Guys era ended, 2HD transmitted other formats including Easy Alternative and country. In 1977, the original office building on Maitland Road Sandgate was closed. Several years prior to that, the building was gradually being demolished, starting with the destruction of the original transmitter building to make way for a dual carriageway along Maitland Road in 1964. The increased traffic and the location of the road near the old building was taking its toll. A new administration building, nicknamed "the submarine" was built, and Premier Neville Wran opened the building in 1977.

1977–today

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the station was the subject of a takeover bid from NBN, which resulted in a shake-up in ownership at the television station, and the bid was eventually rejected.

For decades after the end of the "Good Guys" era, the station's ratings were in the doldrums, but it accomplished its first number-one ratings success in 1987, after adopting a strong news and talk format. Factors in the success were the recruitment of 2KO's Pat Barton to present the breakfast program, along with Warwick Teece, whose Openline program was a huge success. General Manager David Baldwin was a key part of the station's revival, guiding the team to the top of the ratings. The coverage of the 1989 Newcastle earthquake by the news team, led by Tony Briscoe, won the station a National Radio Award. The 1990s saw 2HD confirm its place as the top-rating station in Newcastle, led by the breakfast team of David Collins and Tanya Wilks, who notched up over eight consecutive years of survey wins, supported by Geoff Jay and Richard King.

The station expanded following the purchase of local FM station New FM in 1995, which resulted in internal remodelling of the building. In 1999, the NSW Labor Party and NSW Labour Council sold the station to Bill Caralis.

In 1997, the station had added the John Laws Morning Show to its line-up, which remained until Laws' departure from 2UE in 2007. He was replaced by Steve Price and, later, Steve Liebmann, until Laws moved to network station 2SM in 2011, and was syndicated to rest of the Super Radio Network.

Until 2006, the station broadcast coverage of Newcastle Knights National Rugby League (NRL) games, then syndicated from the Macquarie Radio Network. However, a dispute between BOG, the Macquarie Radio Network and the NRL saw both the Continuous Call Team and the coverage of Knights games go to rival 102.9 KOFM.

In 2018, A-League, Super Rugby, NRL and AFL returned to 2HD, with various games called live through the network partnership with Crocmedia.

On 14 May 2021, 2HD recorded its lowest ratings result in its history, recording a percentage of 6.6.

Programming

Monday to Friday

Saturday


Sunday


Key Staff

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic 1278</span> Radio station in Melbourne, Australia

Magic 1278 is a commercial radio station in Melbourne, Australia owned by Nine Entertainment, and run under a lease agreement by Ace Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2UE</span> Commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia

2UE is an all-music radio station in Sydney owned by Nine Entertainment Co and run under a lease agreement by Ace Radio. It currently broadcasts from its studios in Pyrmont, New South Wales.

Broadcast Operations Group is an Australian media company, operating radio stations across various centres across regional New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. Branded as the Super Radio Network, stations carry one of two formats – a news talk and classic hits format based at 2SM Sydney; and a hot adult contemporary format based at New FM Newcastle.

NBN is an Australian television station based in Newcastle, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in New South Wales, and has since expanded to 39 transmitters throughout Northern New South Wales, including the Gold Coast, Queensland, Lismore, Tweed Heads, Tamworth, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, and Central Coast. It is owned and operated by the Nine Network, with regional sales and newsroom located at 28 Honeysuckle Drive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Laws</span> Australian radio presenter

Richard John Sinclair Laws CBE is an Australian radio announcer. For 50 years, until 2007, he was the host of an Australian morning radio program combining music with interviews, opinion, live advertising readings and listener talkback. His distinctive voice earned him the nickname "the Golden Tonsils". Although officially retired between 2007 and 2011, he returned in February 2011 to host a morning program on 2SM and the Super Radio Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2GB</span> Radio station in Sydney, Australia

2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia, owned by parent company Nine Radio, a division of Nine Entertainment Co., who also own sister station 2UE.

2NM is a local radio station in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia. It is based in Muswellbrook and serves listeners in Muswellbrook, Singleton, Scone, Aberdeen, Merriwa, Murrurundi and surrounding areas.

The Continuous Call Team is an Australian radio sports program, covering the news and live games of the National Rugby League. It is produced and broadcast by 2GB Sydney, and is relayed to stations in New South Wales, the ACT, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and Papua New Guinea. The team have exclusive commercial radio rights to the National Rugby League until the end of the games are broadcast on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays, with a talkback/humour programme broadcast on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

102.9 Triple M Newcastle is an Australian radio station, licensed to, and serving Newcastle and surrounds. It broadcasts at 102.9 megahertz on the FM band from its studios in Newcastle. It is owned by Southern Cross Austereo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New FM</span> Radio station in Newcastle, Australia

NEWFM is an Australian radio station, licensed to, and serving Newcastle and its surrounding area. It is owned by Bill Caralis's Broadcast Operations Group, and operates at 105.3 megahertz on the FM band from Radio Centre at Sandgate. Great Mt Sugarloaf houses the transmitter site. Its callsign is 2NEW, the 2 being a standard prefix for stations in New South Wales, and NEW short for Newcastle. Its sister station is 2HD. On 24 May 2005, NEWFM reverted to its original 1989 logo which has since been modernised.

2RE is a commercial radio station that broadcasts to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia from its studios at Taree.

Steve Liebmann is an Australian retired television presenter, journalist and radio broadcaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2SM</span> Radio station in Sydney, New South Wales

2SM is an Australian radio station, licensed to and serving Sydney, broadcasting on 1269 kilohertz on the AM band. It is owned and operated by Broadcast Operations Group. The SM call sign is taken from the initials of Saint Mary's.

Clive Robertson is an Australian radio and television personality in Sydney who has been heard on both the AM and FM bands for over forty years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4BH</span> Radio station in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

4BH 1116 is the on-air identifier of a radio station in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It broadcasts on a frequency is 1116 kHz in the AM radio band and is simulcasted in DAB+ on channel 9B. It is owned by Nine Entertainment Co and run under a lease agreement by Ace Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm T. Elliott</span> Australian radio personality (1946–2019)

Malcolm T. Elliott was an Australian radio personality, television host and journalist.

Angela Catterns, is an Australian media personality and broadcaster. Mostly known for her work on Australian radio, she has presented Mornings on Triple J, the National Evening Show on ABC Local Radio, and Breakfast on 702 ABC Sydney. She is also a podcaster, writer, interviewer, MC, facilitator, narrator & voice over artist. She presented with Australian humourist and broadcaster Wendy Harmer a holiday season version of the Breakfast Show on 702 ABC Sydney.

Graeme Gilbert is an Australian radio presenter. He is the host of nightly radio program Talk Tonight with Graeme Gilbert on Sydney radio station 2SM and the Super Radio Network. He has hosted the show for over a decade and has interviewed notable people including John Howard, the former Prime Minister of Australia. Gilbert has received a B&T Award for Best News Presenter and a RAWARD for Best Current Affairs Commentator. Gilbert ran as a Liberal Party candidate for the division of Franklin, Tasmania in the 1993 Australian federal election. He lost with 9.86% swing against him.

Bob Rogers OAM is an Australian disc jockey and radio broadcaster. He is noted for introducing Top 40 radio programming to Australia in 1958, on 2UE.

Macquarie Sports Radio was a short-lived Australian commercial radio network broadcasting to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Owned and operated by Macquarie Media, the network launched on 4 April 2018, replacing Talking Lifestyle. Following the acquisition of Macquarie Media by Nine Entertainment Co., programs outside of live sports commentary were suspended in October 2019, and on 1 February 2020 the network ultimately ceased broadcasting.

References

  1. "Outline of Newcastle RA1" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  2. "Commercial Radio Broadcasting Licences" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Radio is History". Radioinfo. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  4. "Labour Takes Over 2HD". Sydney Morning Herald . 16 January 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  5. Conway, Jude (2020). "Story, Edwina Lovett Willis (Twink) (1913–1992)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 28 May 2021.

32°53′16″S151°43′25″E / 32.88786°S 151.723616°E / -32.88786; 151.723616