New FM

{{Infobox radio station

| name = NEW FM

| logo = NewFM 1053 logo.png

| city = Newcastle

| area =

| branding =

| frequency = {{Frequency|105.3|MHz}}

| translator =

| repeater =

| airdate = {{Start date and age|1989|4|14|df=y}}

| format = Hot Adult Contemporary

| language =

| power = 20kw

| erp =

| haat =

| coordinates = -32.8911° latitude and 151.53812° longitude

| callsign_meaning = 2 NEWcastle

| former_callsigns =

| former_frequencies =

| affiliations =

| owner = Broadcast Operations Group

| licensee = Newcastle FM Pty Ltd

| sister_stations = 2HD

| webcast =

| website = {{URL|newfm.com.au}}

}}

NEWFM (call sign: 2NEW) 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.

A key point of difference between NEWFM and the other Newcastle radio stations is that all shows originate and are broadcast from the local region, there is no networking, the station is 100% Newcastle made.

History

NEWFM was the first commercial FM radio station in Newcastle, founded by Mike Webb. It commenced broadcasting on 14 April 1989, with the AC/DC song It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll).{{cite news |last=Connell |first=Tim |date=30 August 2012 |title=today's topics - Rock classic makes its sound mark |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AUNB&req_dat=2FC64405CDC9450D8CE0F660AE4E730F&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F140FCA0C2ED34A18 |access-date=15 September 2024 |newspaper=Newcastle Herald |publisher=Fairfax Media |location=Newcastle |page=13 |via=NewsBank}} The station officially launched on 6 May of that year, accompanied by pyrotechnics and laser technology on the Newcastle Foreshore, the event dubbed 'Skynova'. {{cite news |last=Sadlier |first=Kevin |date=7 May 1989 |title=Radio |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AUNB&req_dat=2FC64405CDC9450D8CE0F660AE4E730F&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F11BC5BDBF52B4848 |access-date=16 April 2010 |newspaper=The Sun-Herald |department=Television |publisher=John Fairfax Holdings |location=Sydney |page=116 |via=NewsBank}}

In its first ratings survey, the station achieved a ratings share of 24.7%.{{cite news |last=Sadlier |first=Kevin |date=26 November 1989 |title=FM Stations Eat Away at Ratings |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AUNB&req_dat=2FC64405CDC9450D8CE0F660AE4E730F&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F11BC5B755FBD6978 |access-date=17 April 2010 |newspaper=The Sun-Herald |department=News and Features |publisher=John Fairfax Holdings |location=Sydney |page=134 |via=NewsBank}}

In 1994, Labour–owned 2HD bought out the station's shareholders for $2.3 million.{{cite news |last=Joyce |first=James |date=14 May 1999 |title=Birthday blowout for NEW-FM |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AUNB&req_dat=2FC64405CDC9450D8CE0F660AE4E730F&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F11BBFC90642762E8 |access-date=15 September 2024 |newspaper=Newcastle Herald |department=News |publisher=Newcastle Newspapers Pty Limited |location=Newcastle |page=63 |via=NewsBank}} In March 1999, both radio stations (2HD and NEW-FM) were sold to Bill Caralis's Broadcast Operations Group, for $12.5 million.{{cite news |last=Joyce |first=James |date=22 March 1999 |title=NSW Labor signs off with 2HD |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AUNB&req_dat=2FC64405CDC9450D8CE0F660AE4E730F&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F11BBFCE312AE8820 |access-date=15 September 2024 |newspaper=Newcastle Herald |department=News |publisher=Newcastle Newspapers Pty Limited |location=Newcastle |page=12 |via=NewsBank}}{{cite news |last=Day |first=Mark |date=10 February 2000 |title=Mystery mogul of radio |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AUNB&req_dat=2FC64405CDC9450D8CE0F660AE4E730F&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0FC9F44B8D5D3580 |access-date=15 September 2024 |newspaper=The Australian |department=News |publisher=News Limited |location=Sydney |page=M12 |via=NewsBank}}

In 2008 NEWFM became the Hub of the Super Network FM Stations (NEWFM Network) supplying programming from its Sandgate based studios to stations from the New South Wales/Victorian border in the south, north to the Sunshine Coast and Whitsundays in Queensland and West to Broken Hill and Alice Springs.