About New FM

New FM

New FM is a commercial FM radio station serving Newcastle and the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Broadcasting on 105.3 MHz under the ACMA call sign 2NEW, the station airs a hot adult contemporary format and is owned by Broadcast Operations Group as part of the Super Radio Network. It operates from studios in Sandgate alongside its AM sister station 2HD, and proudly positions itself as "100% Newcastle made" — with all shows originating and broadcast from the local region, without networking.

Overview

The station transmits on 105.3 MHz FM to the Newcastle RA1 licence area, with programming in English. Its format is hot adult contemporary — current and recent hit music aimed at the 25–54 demographic. The station's studios are located at 173–175 Maitland Road, Sandgate, shared with 2HD, with contact phone (02) 4968 0105 publicly listed.

A key point of difference, emphasised by the station itself, is that all of its shows originate in Newcastle: there is no networked programming, making it the only fully locally produced commercial FM station in the market. In 2008, New FM additionally became the hub of the Super Radio Network's FM stations — the NEWFM Network — supplying programming from its Sandgate studios to Super Radio Network FM stations stretching 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.

The web address newfm.com.au is listed as the station's website in directory entries. It is presented here as an attributed candidate rather than a load-verified official address, in line with this profile's sourcing policy.

History

New FM 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)" as its first track — a defiantly local choice from Australia's most famous rock export. The station officially launched on 6 May 1989, accompanied by pyrotechnics and laser technology on the Newcastle Foreshore in an event dubbed "Skynova."

The launch was an immediate ratings success: in its first ratings survey, the station achieved a 24.7 per cent share — a remarkable debut that announced FM radio's arrival in a market long dominated by the AM stations 2HD, 2KO and 2NX, and a figure that remains one of the great launch stories in Australian regional radio.

Ownership changed in the 1990s. In 1994, the Labor-owned 2HD bought out the station's shareholders for $2.3 million, bringing Newcastle's first commercial FM station under the same ownership as the city's oldest AM station. In March 1999, both stations — 2HD and New FM — were sold to Bill Caralis's Broadcast Operations Group for $12.5 million, placing them in the company that would become the Super Radio Network.

In 2008, New FM's Sandgate studios became the programming hub for the Super Radio Network's FM stations, with the station supplying shows to FM services across eastern Australia — from the Victorian border to Queensland's Sunshine Coast and Whitsundays, and west to Broken Hill and Alice Springs. This hub role gave the Newcastle station a network production function unusual for a regional operation, while its own Newcastle output remained fully locally produced.

The station's on-air team, as documented, includes Nic and Joel in the Morning on breakfast, Dave Wright in middays, Ari and Krivo on drive, and Matt Morris at night — with features such as "105 Minutes Commercial Free" and the "NEWFM Party Mix" on Friday nights, plus the "Homegrown" local music show. Behind the scenes, the key staff include general and sales manager Guy Ashford, news director Michael Blaxland, content director Joel Thomson and broadcast engineer Ross McClymont — a full local team reflecting the station's commitment to Newcastle-made radio.

The "100% Newcastle made" positioning is more than a slogan. In an era when regional commercial radio is increasingly networked — with breakfast shows and daytime programmes piped in from capital cities — New FM's fully local schedule is a genuine point of difference, and one the station has maintained since its 1989 launch. The irony is that while the station's own Newcastle output carries no networking, its Sandgate studios simultaneously serve as the production hub feeding programmes to Super Radio Network FM stations across three states and territories.

Programming and Content

New FM airs a hot adult contemporary format — current chart hits and recent favourites — aimed at the 25–54 demographic. Its defining characteristic is localism: every show originates in Newcastle, with no networked programming on the local schedule. This stands in contrast to its competitors, whose schedules blend local and networked content.

The weekday lineup centres on local personalities: breakfast with Nic and Joel, middays with Dave Wright, drive with Ari and Krivo, and nights with Matt Morris. The station runs commercial-free music blocks, a Friday night party mix, and "Homegrown," a showcase for local Newcastle and Hunter music.

Local news is produced by the station's own newsroom, and the station's community engagement reflects its Newcastle identity — the "100% Newcastle made" positioning is both a programming statement and a marketing one in a market where listeners value local voices.

Coverage and Audience

New FM broadcasts on 105.3 MHz FM to Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and the surrounding Hunter region. Newcastle is Australia's seventh-largest city, and the commercial FM market is one of the most competitive in regional Australia, with New FM contesting the 25–54 audience against Southern Cross Austereo's Triple M Newcastle and Hit 106.9.

Audience survey data illustrates the station's position: in the 2013 Newcastle survey, New FM recorded a 9.9 per cent share among people 10+, level with 2HD, with increases across all shifts and strong gains in the 18–24, 25–39, 40–54 and 55–64 demographics — the broad adult appeal that the hot adult contemporary format is designed to deliver. In the 2021 Newcastle survey, the station reached a cumulative audience of 113,000 listeners. These published figures confirm New FM as a solid third commercial FM force in the market behind the two SCA stations, and the leading locally programmed commercial alternative.

Ownership

New FM is owned by Broadcast Operations Group — the Super Radio Network company founded by the late Bill Caralis — and licensed to 2HD Broadcasters Pty Ltd. It operates from the Sandgate studios alongside 2HD, the AM station whose owners bought New FM in 1994 and sold both to Caralis in 1999.

Following the death of founder Bill Caralis in July 2024, the group announced in September 2026 that the Super Radio Network was up for sale, including all stations and owned studio buildings — placing the future ownership of New FM in transition.

Digital Presence

The station's listed web address is newfm.com.au, and it streams live online through radio aggregators. Its social media channels promote its local personalities and Newcastle-focused content, reinforcing the "100% Newcastle made" identity in the digital space.

As New FM, the Newcastle station has been a local institution since April 1989: launched with AC/DC and fireworks on the Foreshore, a 24.7 per cent debut survey, Labor and then Caralis ownership, the hub of a multi-state FM network — and still, by its own proud claim, every show made in Newcastle, on 105.3 FM.