New FM
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Radio broadcasting |
| Founded | April 14, 1989 in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
| Founder | Mike Webb |
| Headquarters | Newcastle , Australia |
Area served | Newcastle and wider New South Wales region |
Key people | Guy Ashford (General and Sales Manager), Luke Hetherington (Director of Promotions & Marketing and Operations), Joel Thomson (Content Director), Michael Blaxland (Director of News), Nat Wilson (Lead of Music Team), Ross McClymont (Broadcast Engineer and Technology Specialist) |
| Products | Radio broadcasting |
| Owner | Bill Caralis's Broadcast Operations Group |
NEWFM (call sign: 2NEW) is a licensed Australian radio station based in Newcastle, New South Wales, under the ownership of Bill Caralis's Broadcast Operations Group. The station transmits on 105.3 megahertz FM from Sandgate, with its broadcast tower situated atop Great Mt Sugarloaf. The callsign 2NEW combines the New South Wales prefix (2) with a nod to Newcastle. Its affiliated station is 2HD. On 24 May 2005, NEWFM reinstated its original logo from 1989, which has since been updated.
A distinctive feature of NEWFM is that every program is produced locally, with no syndicated content—ensuring all broadcasts are entirely Newcastle-originated.
History
As Newcastle's inaugural commercial FM broadcaster, NEWFM was established by Mike Webb and commenced transmission on 14 April 1989, debuting with AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)." The formal launch event took place on 6 May at a prominent gathering on the Newcastle Foreshore. NEWFM secured a 24.7% audience share in its initial ratings survey.
In 1994, the Labour-owned station 2HD purchased the shares of NEWFM for $2.3 million. Subsequently, both stations were acquired by Bill Caralis's Broadcast Operations Group in March 1999 for $12.5 million.
By 2008, NEWFM had evolved into the central hub for the Super Network FM Stations (NEWFM Network), delivering programming from its Sandgate studios to a wide range of stations extending from the NSW/Victorian border up to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and Whitsundays, as well as westward reaching Broken Hill and Alice Springs.
On-Air Team
Monday through Friday
- 5 am – 9 am: Nic and Joel in the Morning (Nicole Somerville & Joel Gosper)
- 9 am – 10:45 am: 105 Minutes Commercial Free
- 11 am – 3 pm: Dave Wright
- 3 pm – 7 pm: The NOVOS (Ariana Gatti & Mark Krivo)
- 7 pm – 11 pm: NEWFM at Night (Matt Morris)
- 11 pm – Midnight: Homegrown with Rox (Paul Rothapfel)
- Friday 7 pm – Midnight: NEWFM Party Mix
Key Staff
- Guy Ashford – General and Sales Manager
- Luke Hetherington – Director of Promotions & Marketing and Operations
- Joel Thomson – Content Director at NEWFM
- Michael Blaxland – Director of News
- Nat Wilson – Lead of Music Team
- Ross McClymont – Broadcast Engineer and Technology Specialist