CADA
| Company type | Radio station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Predecessor | The Edge 96.ONE |
| Founded | September 7, 1935 in Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia |
| Headquarters | North Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Blue Mountains, Penrith, Sydney, parts of Canberra, Wollongong, Newcastle, Bathurst |
| Owner | ARN Media |
| Website | cada |
CADA (call sign: 2ONE) operates as a music-focused radio station situated near Sydney, Australia, holding its licence in Katoomba and managed by ARN Media.
History
Previously known as The Edge, CADA holds its licence in Katoomba, New South Wales and caters to the Blue Mountains region located to the west of Sydney. The station commenced broadcasting on 7 September 1935 under the call sign 2KA. In December 1937, 2KA altered its frequency from 1160 to 780 kHz. A repeater transmitting on 1480 kHz was introduced in 1978, and from November that year, broadcasts occurred on 783 kHz AM with an additional translator at 1476 kHz serving Emu Plains.
Initially targeting solely the Blue Mountains audience, the addition of the Emu Plains translator extended coverage into Penrith, thereby creating fresh commercial prospects with local enterprises. To safeguard their Sydney market share, several stations based in Sydney acquired this licence and experimented with automated programming formats; however, none achieved substantial success.
In 1983, Australian television figure Mike Walsh acquired the licence from The Lamb Family—owners of 2UE—with the goal of developing a thriving entertainment venture. The station relocated its studios from Borec House in Penrith to new premises adjacent to a cinema complex owned by Walsh at the corner of Henry and Lawson Streets, Penrith.
The Edge 96.ONE
On 26 October 1992, the station transitioned to the FM band, initially branded as One FM and later known as 96.1FM. This FM licence was secured for only $46,000 and covered a substantial portion of Sydney at a notably low cost compared to other AM-to-FM conversions. Owned by Hayden Nepean Broadcasting, the station adhered to local content requirements and emphasized community involvement. Its programming format evolved from Top 40 CHR (1990–1997, 1999–2005) to Alternative Rock (1998), followed by Dance, Hip Hop, and R'n'B genres (2006–2022).
In 1997, Mike Walsh sold the station to Australian Radio Network, which also controls Sydney stations CADA, Gold 101.7, and KIIS 106.5. Post-acquisition, studio operations moved from Penrith to Seven Hills alongside WSFM 101.7 before relocating again to North Ryde in 2002.
Although licensed for Katoomba/Blue Mountains/Penrith, its 5 kW transmitter located at Wentworth Falls provides coverage across much of Sydney as well as parts of Canberra, Wollongong, Newcastle, and Bathurst. Despite legal disputes over signal overspill initiated by competitors 2Day FM and Triple M Sydney during the 1990s, The Edge maintained its broadcasting rights.
Since it was not specifically licensed for Sydney, audience metrics were categorized under 'Other' in Nielsen ratings, enabling ARN to own The Edge alongside Sydney-licensed stations WSFM 101.7 and KIIS 106.5.
In January 2006, ARN repositioned The Edge as Australia's inaugural pure urban format station. This shift was influenced by the popularity of the "K-Sera & The Dirty Dozen" urban countdown program, which earned Best Radio Show at the 2006 Urban Music Awards. The rebranding highlighted Hip Hop and R'n'B music styles before evolving into a contemporary hits format with an urban flair. ARN leveraged the K-Sera brand by launching KseraRadio.com for nationwide online streaming.
By 2009, The Edge broadened its digital footprint with Edge Digital on DAB+ platforms in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney—sharing branding but not simulcasting live content from the primary station.
In April 2011, former hosts Mike E and Emma Chow returned to present The Edge Breakfast show.
A rebrand occurred in August 2013 introducing a fresh musical direction under the slogan "Hits That Move You," featuring a blend of urban-pop-dance-R'n'B styles selected through listener voting. This tagline was subsequently expanded to include all urban music genres.
The Edge also aired Club Edge on Saturday evenings featuring resident DJs such as Nino Brown.
March 2014 marked the launch of an innovative listener-driven chart powered by iHeartRadio.
In December 2021, after a decade hosting breakfast shows in Western Sydney, Mike E and Emma departed from their roles.
On 31 March 2022 at 16:00 hrs, after nearly two decades on air as The Edge 96.ONE, the station underwent rebranding to adopt the CADA format.
CADA
On 31 March 2022, The Edge 96.ONE was rebranded as CADA, positioning itself as Australia's premier destination for Hip Hop and R'n'B. The station delivers distinctive, inclusive, and exclusive programming, acting as a platform to promote both domestic and international Hip Hop and R'n'B talent through its extensive national multi-platform presence.
In April 2025, it was disclosed that the presenter of Weekdays with Thy was generated by artificial intelligence, demonstrating a pioneering approach to AI integration in broadcasting.
Studios
- Meadlow Bath, Katoomba: Before 1976
- Penrith: Borec House at the corner of Station & Henry Streets (1976–1987)
- Penrith: Intersection of Henry & Lawson Streets (1987–1997)
- Seven Hills: Leabons Lane location (1997–2002)
- North Ryde: Byfield Street facility (2002–2024)
- North Sydney: Mount Street within The Coca Cola Building (2024–Present)