Gold 101.7
| Company type | Commercial radio broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Industry | Radio broadcasting |
| Predecessor | WSFM (formerly 2WS) |
| Founded | 1978-11-23 |
| Founder | Liverpool Broadcasting and Transmitting Co Pty Ltd |
| Fate | Rebranded from WSFM to GOLD101.7 in January 2025 |
| Headquarters | North Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Sydney metropolitan area, Macarthur, Richmond and Hawkesbury |
| Products | Classic hits radio programming |
| Owner | ARN (Australian Radio Network) |
| Parent | ARN |
GOLD101.7 (call sign: 2UUS) operates as a commercial radio broadcaster based in Sydney, Australia, featuring a playlist of classic hits spanning from the 1980s through to current tracks. The station is a component of the GOLD Network, under the ownership of ARN.
The primary broadcast frequency for GOLD is 101.7 MHz FM, supplemented by repeater signals at 88.3 MHz serving the Macarthur area and 99.1 MHz covering Richmond and Hawkesbury. Previously, the station transmitted on 1224 kHz AM, a frequency now allocated to the print-handicapped service 2RPH. The station adopted the GOLD101.7 branding on 2 January 2025.
Music
Before becoming GOLD, the station was known as WSFM and employed various slogans over time: from “Sydney's Classic Hits” (1999–2002), to “Good Times and Great Classic Hits” (2002–2014), followed by “Real music, real variety / Pure Gold” (2014–2017), and then “Better Music and More of It” (2017–2025). Starting January 2025, the new slogan “Just Great Songs” highlights a focus on classic hits from the 1970s onwards alongside contemporary popular music.
History
Liverpool Broadcasting and Transmitting Co Pty Ltd was granted an AM licence in the late 1970s to serve Sydney’s Western Suburbs. The station, initially called 2WS, commenced transmission at 12:24 am on 23 November 1978 from temporary studios located in Seven Hills, utilizing a 5 kW transmitter positioned at Prospect.
By October 1979, operations shifted to a custom-built facility adjacent to the original site. In the early 1990s, the station obtained an FM licence for metropolitan Sydney coverage. The FM transmitter was first installed at Willoughby on the Channel 9 TV Tower before relocating to Artarmon alongside sister station MIX106.5 (currently KIIS). Although the callsign changed to 2UUS, the station continued to identify as 2WS until it rebranded as WSFM in 2001.
The transition from AM to FM took place on 1 June 1993 at the frequency of 101.7 MHz.
By 2002, WSFM’s studios were situated in North Ryde; in 2024 they moved into new premises at Coca-Cola Place in North Sydney, which are shared with ARN’s KIIS 106.5 and CADA stations. The original Seven Hills studios have since been repurposed for Christian/Adult Contemporary broadcaster Hope 103.2.
In November 2024, ARN revealed plans for WSFM to rebrand as GOLD101.7 starting January 2025, aligning its identity with Melbourne’s GOLD104.3. This rebranding aims to attract a younger audience aged 25–54 while maintaining its existing loyal listener base.