96.5 Wave FM

Last updated

96.5 Wave FM (2UUL)
Frequency 96.5 MHz FM
BrandingIllawarra's Best Music
Programming
Language(s) English
Format Hot adult contemporary
Ownership
Owner
  • ARN
  • (Wollongong Broadcasters Pty Ltd)
Hot Tomato
History
First air date
18 July 1931 (1931-07-18)
Former call signs
2WL
Former frequencies
1435 kHz AM (1931–1935), [1] 1430 kHz AM (1935–1978), [2] 1314 kHz AM (1978–1992)
Call sign meaning
Three-letter variation on former 2WL call sign
Technical information
Licensing authority
ACMA
ERP 40 kW
Links
Website wavefm.com.au

96.5 Wave FM (call sign 2UUL) is a commercial radio station broadcasting on the FM band to the Illawarra region [3] of New South Wales, Australia. It is owned by ARN after ARN's purchase of the Grant Broadcasters radio network. [4] 96.5 Wave FM competes with rival i98 at the top of the Illawarra's ratings for radio listenership. [5]

Contents

History

The station was born as 2WL and commenced broadcasting on 18 July 1931. The station was owned by Wollongong Broadcasting Pty Ltd. The station studio and offices were in Edward Street, Wollongong and were linked to a broadcasting antenna at Unanderra. [6] The station was officially opened by J. P. Caddy, president of the Illawarra Chamber of Commerce and Industry. [7]

In November 1980, 2WL went off air briefly after a tornado badly damaged 2WL's Port Kembla broadcast tower. [8] After 61 years of AM broadcasting, the station moved to the FM band in July 1992. [9]

In July 2021, it was announced that prominent i98 announcers Lyndal Rogers and Ryan Cram would be moving to the competition, joining Wave FM to host a new drive show. Their show replaced the nationally syndicated Nova program Kate, Tim & Joel. [10]

In November 2021, ARN announced the acquisition of Grant Broadcasters which included Wave FM. [4]

In September 2021, former Australian Idol winner Damien Leith joined the breakfast show as an announcer after a successful stint doing breakfast radio at sister station Power FM 98.1 in Muswellbrook. [11]

Presenters

Related Research Articles

The Breeze is a New Zealand radio station playing an adult contemporary music format owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. The Breeze is heard in 25 markets across New Zealand and each market shows a mix of local and network programmes.

2Day FM is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on a frequency of 104.1 MHz, and is part of Southern Cross Austereo's Hit Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KIIS 106.5</span> Radio station in Sydney, Australia

KIIS 1065 is a commercial FM radio station in Sydney, Australia, on a frequency of 106.5 MHz. KIIS 1065 is one of the flagship stations on ARN Media's KIIS Network. The station's headline show is The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

Triple M Perth is a commercial radio station owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo as part of the Triple M network. The station is broadcast to Perth, Western Australia from studios in Subiaco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C91.3</span> Radio station in New South Wales, Australia

C91.3FM is a commercial radio station broadcasting on the FM band at a frequency of 91.3 MHz to the Macarthur region of New South Wales in Australia. This area includes the major centres of Campbelltown and Camden. The station is owned by WIN Corporation, the parent company of WIN Television. Due to government regulations, it can only broadcast at 1 kW ERP so as to limit its broadcast area.

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

2ST is a commercial radio station that commenced broadcasting in 1972. It is owned by ARN. 2ST was an AM radio station serving the Shoalhaven and Southern Tablelands regions of New South Wales, Australia, broadcasting on the frequency 91.7 MHz. The "ST" suffix denotes the "South Coast and Tablelands" area that is the station's coverage area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star 101.9</span> Radio station in Queensland, Australia

Star 101.9 is a commercial radio station in Mackay, Queensland, Australia. Owned and operated by ARN, the station was previously owned by Prime Media Group, until Prime's radio assets were sold to Grant Broadcasters in 2013, and then were later acquired by ARN in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star 102.7</span> Radio station in Cairns, Queensland

Star 102.7 is an adult contemporary-formatted commercial radio station based in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, owned by ARN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">96FM (Perth radio station)</span> Radio station in Perth, Western Australia

96FM is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting in Perth, Western Australia owned by ARN since January 2015. It was formerly part of the Fairfax Media and Village Roadshow networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hits (radio station)</span> Radio station in markets

The Hits is a Hot adult contemporary music radio network, broadcasting to 26 markets across New Zealand. It was set up by Government broadcaster Radio New Zealand in 1993 by consolidating existing stations into a single brand and has been privately owned since 1996. The Hits has had the broadest broadcast reach of any radio network in the country since 1996, and is now available on 40 full-power FM frequencies and 18 iHeartRadio streams.

CADA is a music radio station based in outer Sydney, Australia, but licensed to Katoomba. It is operated by the Australian Radio Network.

<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">5AU</span> Radio station in Port Augusta, South Australia

Radio 5AU is a South Australian radio station broadcasting a classic hits format from its transmitter site at Mambray Creek into the Whyalla, Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Kadina, Moonta and Wallaroo area and north into the Flinders Ranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alive 90.5</span> Radio station in Baulkham Hills, Sydney, Australia

Alive 90.5FM is a community radio station based in Baulkham Hills in Sydney. The station broadcasts to the Hills District and parts of Greater Western Sydney. This includes the City of Parramatta, Cumberland City Council and The Hills Shire. The traditional custodians of this land are the Bidjigal people, a clan of the Darug nation.

i98FM is a commercial radio station broadcasting on the FM band to the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It is owned by WIN Corporation, the parent company of WIN Television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KIX Country</span> Radio station in Queensland, Australia

KIX Country is a radio network broadcasting in various towns across Australia. Its target demographic is all people who love country music. Kix Country Radio is part of ARN. It is transmitted primarily via narrowcast stations of varying power. All bar three stations operate on the FM band.

Hitz939 is a radio station operated by ARN in Bundaberg, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4MK</span> Radio station in Mackay, Queensland

4MK is a commercial radio station, licensed to broadcast in the Mackay region of Queensland. The station is currently owned by ARN and broadcasts on 1026 AM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagle FM (Australia)</span> Radio station in Goulburn, New South Wales

93.5 Eagle FM is a contemporary hit music station based in Goulburn, Australia and broadcasting to the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales on 93.5 FM. Eagle FM is a part of the Capital Radio Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bianca Dye</span> Australian radio presenter (born 1973)

Bianca Dye is an Australian radio presenter.

References

  1. "Australian and New Zealand Station List". The Listener In. The Herald and Weekly Times. 10 August 1935.
  2. "Australian and New Zealand Station List". The Listener In. The Herald and Weekly Times. 10 August 1935.
  3. "Wave FM 96.5". Radio Alive. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  4. 1 2 "ARN acquires Grant Broadcasters for $307 million". Radio Today. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  5. "Wollongong Ratings: i98 remains dominant in the 'gong". Radio Today. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  6. "Radio Station-2WL | Illawarra Museum & Historical Society". www.illawarramuseum.com. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  7. "Radio 2WL The South Coast Station". www.radioheritage.net. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  8. "The Vault: 2WL Wollongong". Radio Today. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  9. Andrew (20 June 2012). "2WL Studios 1970". The Radio Antenna. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 "Crammy and Lyndal Wave goodbye to i98FM". RadioInfo Australia. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Damien Leith heads to Wave FM Breakfast". Radio Today. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  12. "Matthew 'MJ' Brokenbrough". RadioInfo Australia. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.