About i98FM

i98FM

i98FM (call sign 2WIN) is a commercial radio station broadcasting on 98.1 MHz FM to the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. Branded "Illawarra's #1 radio station," it plays a hot adult contemporary format from studios on Television Avenue, Mount Saint Thomas, Wollongong. It is owned by WIN Corporation — the Wollongong-based private media company that also owns the WIN Television network — and has been the region's top-rated station since 1995.

Overview

i98FM's dominance of the Illawarra radio market is one of regional radio's most durable stories: the station has held the top ratings position for more than three decades, and its October 2026 Xtra Insights survey — 26.5% of the most-listened-to audience, and the #1 breakfast team at 28% — extended the reign. The station's formula is localism: the breakfast team of Christian McEwan and Bella Leone, Nath on workdays, Maje on drive, and the big community events — above all the i98FM Illawarra Convoy, the annual charity convoy that is one of regional Australia's great radio fundraisers.

The station's call sign — 2WIN — is the Wollongong radio expression of the WIN brand: 2 for New South Wales, WIN for the Wollongong Illawarra New South Wales identity that began with television station WIN-4 in 1962. As part of WIN Corporation, i98FM is the radio sibling of the WIN Television network and C91.3FM — the Wollongong-based media group's voice on the FM dial.

History

i98FM's history begins on 1 January 1979, when the station went to air as 2OO ("2 Double 0") — broadcasting on 1575 kHz on the AM band. The new station entered a market dominated by the established 2WL (now Wave FM), which had been broadcasting in the region since 1931 — and for its first decade, 2OO often rated well behind its older rival. The 1980s were the station's apprenticeship: the newcomer learning the Illawarra, building its identity, finding its audience.

The transformation came on 25 June 1992, when 2OO converted to FM broadcasting and was relaunched as i98FM — broadcasting on 98.1 MHz FM with the new call sign 2WIN. The FM relaunch gave the station a modern identity, a better signal, and the WIN brand — the Wollongong media name that the television station had carried since 1962. The i98FM brand — the "i" for Illawarra — was a fresh start for the FM age.

The new identity worked. i98FM's ratings climbed through the 1990s, and by 1995 the station was the Illawarra's top-rated commercial station — a position it has held, survey after survey, for more than three decades. The station's localism — the breakfast team, the community events, the Illawarra Convoy — built a loyalty that the rival Wave FM, despite its 1931 heritage and ARN backing, has never quite matched. The October 2026 survey told the story: i98FM 26.5%, ahead of Wave FM and ABC Illawarra — "the station most listened to," still, after 30 years.

Programming

i98FM's format is hot adult contemporary — a feel-good mix of hits, local news and entertainment, branded "Illawarra's #1 radio station." The line-up is the station's competitive edge:

• Breakfast: Christian McEwan and Bella Leone — weekdays 6–9 am. The duo extended their lead as the Illawarra's #1 breakfast team in the October 2026 survey, surging 3.4 to a commanding 28%, and boosted their cumulative audience by 9,200 listeners. McEwan also fronts "The Dragons Den" podcast — tying the station to the St George Illawarra Dragons, the region's NRL club.
• Nath for Workdays — Monday to Friday, 9 am–2 pm; steady at 25.6% in mornings in the latest survey.
• Maje for Drive (Maje Saba) — Monday to Friday, 2–7 pm; the long-standing drive show, steady at 26.5%.
• Nights with Carrie & Tommy — weekdays 7–9 pm; Ned & Josh also feature at night.

The station's programming includes music, news, interviews, competitions, sport, weather forecasts and traffic information — the full-service commercial mix. The Street Fleet — the "fun guys" from the Illawarra handing out gifts — takes the station to the streets. And the station's signature event is the i98FM Illawarra Convoy: the annual charity convoy — trucks, bikes and cars rolling through the Illawarra for charity — that the station covers every year, and that has become one of the region's great community institutions.

WIN Radio general manager Tia Davis summed up the formula after the October 2026 survey: "These numbers prove that placing the local community first truly works. Our team brings unmatched energy and heart to the station every single day, striving to represent the Illawarra both on and off the air. To see our listeners repay that commitment by keeping i98FM at the top for over two decades is an honour we never take for granted."

Coverage & Audience

i98FM broadcasts on 98.1 MHz FM, covering Wollongong RA1 — the Illawarra region: Wollongong, the northern and southern suburbs, the Lake Illawarra catchment, Kiama and the surrounding districts. The station's studios are at Television Avenue, Mount Saint Thomas NSW 2500 — the WIN Corporation broadcast centre, shared with the television operation.

The audience numbers are the station's legend: top-rated in the Illawarra since 1995, and still the most-listened-to station in the October 2026 Xtra Insights survey at 26.5% — ahead of Wave FM and ABC Illawarra. The breakfast team's 28% — the Illawarra's #1 breakfast — and the 9,200-listener cumulative gain tell the story of a station that has grown its audience while holding its position. The station's slogan — "Illawarra's #1 radio station!" — is a ratings claim the surveys have backed for three decades.

Ownership

i98FM is owned by WIN Corporation (WIN Radio Pty Ltd) — the private Australian media company based in Wollongong, owned by Birketu Pty Ltd. WIN Corporation's assets include the WIN Television network — Australia's largest regional television broadcaster — Crawford Productions, and several local radio stations.

The WIN story began with television: Television Wollongong Transmission Limited (TWT) was incorporated on 4 October 1955 by local businessmen, and in 1960 was awarded the licence to broadcast to the Illawarra and South Coast — the new station WIN-4, the call sign standing for Wollongong Illawarra New South Wales, commencing transmissions on 18 March 1962. In 1979, Rupert Murdoch sold his 76% controlling interest in TWT to Oberon Broadcasters — a private investment group including Paramount Television executive Bruce Gordon — to fund his purchase of Sydney's TEN-10. TWT was floated on the Sydney Stock Exchange in 1985 as TWT Holdings Limited, with Gordon retaining 70%; he privatised the business in 1992 as WIN Corporation.

The radio stations — i98FM (2WIN) and sister station C91.3FM — are the Wollongong radio arm of the group: the WIN brand on the FM dial, alongside the television network that covers much of regional Australia. The 2WIN call sign is the radio expression of the 1962 television identity — Wollongong Illawarra New South Wales, on 98.1 FM.

Digital Presence

i98FM's digital home is i98fm.com.au — the station's website, carrying the live stream, show pages, the Street Fleet, competitions and local content. The station streams online, reaching the Illawarra diaspora and listeners beyond the FM footprint. Contact: reception (02) 4223 4198, competition line (02) 4226 9898, newsroom (02) 4223 4170; email win@i98fm.com.au.

On social media, the station is @i98fm (Facebook, Instagram, X) and @feelgoodi98fm — promoting the breakfast team, the Convoy, the giveaways and the Dragons Den podcast. The station has iOS and Android apps — the "feel good" brand in the pocket. The digital presence supports the on-air dominance: the #1 station, the #1 breakfast team, and the community events — the Convoy above all — that have kept i98FM at the top of the Illawarra for more than three decades.

As i98FM, the Illawarra's commercial hot adult contemporary station carries the WIN brand into the streaming era: 2OO's 1979 beginnings, the 1992 FM relaunch, 2WIN's call sign — and the localism, the breakfast team and the Convoy that have made it the region's #1 for 30 years.