2NM
Encyclopedia
2NM is a local radio station in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales
, Australia
. It is based in Muswellbrook
and serves listeners in Muswellbrook, Singleton
, Scone
, Aberdeen
, Merriwa
, Murrurundi
and surrounding areas.
The station transmits on 981 kHz on the AM band from a transmitter site located along Bengalla Road near Muswellbrook, near the Bengalla coal mine. Its studios, shared with sister stations 98.1 Power FM and low powered narrowcast station 94.5 Hot Country
, are located at 100 Bridge Street Muswellbrook. The station is licensed to Radio Hunter Valley Pty. Ltd., which itself is owned by Grant Broadcasters
.
2NM broadcasts an adult contemporary music format, typically covering music from the 1960s through to today, aimed at an older audience. This is supplemented by local, rural and national news bulletins, a daily local affairs program, and programs sourced from Sydney
stations 2UE
, 2GB
and from program syndicators. All programs from 5.30am to 6pm weekdays and 6am to 12pm weekends are broadcast from the Muswellbrook studios, with longer hours of automated music during the summer months and public holidays.
as 2CZ, owned by Coalfields Broadcasting Co. Pty. Ltd., but the station's call letters were changed to 2CK prior to its launch on 9 January 1937. The station operated on 1460 kHz, with a power output of 300 watts, and was managed by Albert Ryan.
The station catered for the mining community of Cessnock and surrounding areas, and was the official station of Australian Coal & Shale Employees Federation. A feature of their programme was a mining news bulletin, transmitted at 5.34am, 6.15pm and 9.00pm, relying on information from mine officials and managements. Because of the working hours of the local industry, the station commenced operations at 5.30am, with the first national news program in the country for the day transmitted at 5.45am, using the resources of Newcastle Herald
.
This was complemented with local and district news, racing programs from 2UW, the Daily Telegraph Sports Parade program (exclusive to 2CK in the region) and other programs of local interest. The station transmitted between the hours of 5.30am and 11am and from 5.30pm to 10pm weekdays, 5.30am to 11pm Saturdays and 9.00am to 10.00pm Sundays.
2CK was closed down after a fire burnt the studios down late one night after the announcer had finished the station's transmission for the night at 10pm, and left in a rush for his bus back to Maitland
, leaving the electric heater on.
, near Maitland
.
market. 2HR was given a new callsign, 2NX
. The 2CK license and frequency was moved to Muswellbrook, and also received a new callsign, 2NM.
The callsigns were devised by station manager Ken Robinson, who had served in the Australian Army. His army identification number included the letters NX. Therefore, the Newcastle station was given the 2NX name. 2NM's callsign was created only after trying out other combinations that could smoothly follow 2NX. 2NM could also represent 2 Newcastle Muswellbrook.
2NM was launched on 14 January 1954, from facilities located along the McCully's Gap road just outside Muswellbrook.
Sometime between the 1950s and the 1970s, Hunter Broadcasters were taken over by Catholic Broadcasting Company
, a division of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney. During this time, while during the day 2NX and 2NM were operated separately, from 6pm overnight, 2NM relayed 2NX's programming, and was identified as 2NXNM and as Upper Hunter 2NX.
In 1978, the station moved from 1460 to 1458 kHz, as part of a nationwide radio frequency adjustment. Two years later, on 2 August 1980, 2NM changed its frequency again from 1458 kHz to 981 kHz to improve reception in parts of the Upper Hunter. A new 5000 watt transmitter site was commissioned on Begalla Road, next to the Bengalla coal mine. The old 2NM tower on McCullys Gap Road was not torn down until 2009. The old transmitter building still stands to this day. 1458 kHz was reassigned as the Newcastle frequency for ABC NewsRadio
.
The overnight simulcast of 2NX came to an end in July 1989, due to the opening of Newcastle's first FM station, New FM
, which was taking listeners away from 2NX, and as a result, 2NX changed formats to compete.
, and moved to new studios in Muswellbrook. It is a breeding ground for young radio talent, names to come out of 2nm include: Brendan Jones 4MMM, 2MMM, and breakfast "Jonesy and Amanda" WSFM, Jamie Angel 2MMM Content director and Paul "The bull" Stanley. In the mid 1990s, the station opened a supplementary FM station, Power FM, on 98.1 kHz (coincidentally sharing the same numbers in its frequency as 2NM), which lead to 2NM focusing on an older demographic.
In 2009, the station began an online stream of its programming, along with sister station Power FM.
Weekend programming includes local breakfast, sports panel and real estate shows, as well as a week in review program. Syndicated programming aired over the weekend includes 2GB
's Continuous Call Team
during the National Rugby League
season, Sharina's Psychic Encounters on Sunday nights, and two music-based syndicated programs, My Generation
and Cover 2 Cover.
Network news and national rural news are taken on relay from 2UE Sydney, although 2NM takes Macquarie National News
during its NRL coverage.
dropped the Continuous Call Team program in 2006. Even a local resident, "Elsie", had her transistor radio hooked up to receive 2NM by 2GB technical staff in a stunt run that year.
Those involved in distance reception of radio signals often note the ability of 2NM's signal to travel long distances in favourable conditions, with reports of reception in New Zealand
(blocking out state radio services on occasion), as well as many parts of New South Wales
and beyond.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is based in Muswellbrook
Muswellbrook, New South Wales
Muswellbrook, a corruption of 'Muscle Brook', is a town and Local Government Area in New South Wales, Australia. The original spelling and etymology of the town's name is a matter of some debate...
and serves listeners in Muswellbrook, Singleton
Singleton, New South Wales
-Industry & Commerce:Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, energy generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined....
, Scone
Scone, New South Wales
Scone is a town in the Upper Hunter Shire in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Scone had a population of 4,624 people. It is located on the New England Highway north of Muswellbrook about 270 kilometres north of Sydney, and is part of the Hunter and Upper...
, Aberdeen
Aberdeen, New South Wales
Aberdeen is a small town in the upper Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia, in Upper Hunter Shire. It is located about 12 kilometres north of Muswellbrook on the New England Highway. Aberdeen is named after Aberdeen, Scotland. At the 2006 census, Aberdeen had a population of...
, Merriwa
Merriwa, New South Wales
Merriwa is a town in the far west of the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia, in Upper Hunter Shire. It is located on the Golden Highway, 273 kilometres northwest of Sydney and about half way between Newcastle and Dubbo...
, Murrurundi
Murrurundi, New South Wales
Murrurundi is a rural town in Upper Hunter Shire, located in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Murrurundi, which is 193 km by road from Newcastle and 309 km from Sydney, has a population of 1,330 people...
and surrounding areas.
The station transmits on 981 kHz on the AM band from a transmitter site located along Bengalla Road near Muswellbrook, near the Bengalla coal mine. Its studios, shared with sister stations 98.1 Power FM and low powered narrowcast station 94.5 Hot Country
Hot Country Radio
Hot Country Radio is a radio network broadcasting in various towns across Australia. Its target demographic is all people who love country music. Hot Country Radio is part of Grant Broadcasters. It is transmitted primarily via narrowcast stations of varying power...
, are located at 100 Bridge Street Muswellbrook. The station is licensed to Radio Hunter Valley Pty. Ltd., which itself is owned by Grant Broadcasters
Grant Broadcasters
Grant Broadcasters is an Australian regional radio network that also includes a small number of metropolitan radio stations. It is a privately owned company, held by Janet Cameron and her family. The company was started by Cameron's father, Walter Grant in the 1970s.-CHR/Rock:*Hot 100 100.1 FM and...
.
2NM broadcasts an adult contemporary music format, typically covering music from the 1960s through to today, aimed at an older audience. This is supplemented by local, rural and national news bulletins, a daily local affairs program, and programs sourced from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
stations 2UE
2UE
2UE is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by Fairfax Media. It is Sydney's and Australia's oldest commercial radio station, first broadcasting on 26 January 1925 on 1025 kHz AM before moving to 950 kHz in 1935 when virtually all Australian radio stations were assigned new...
, 2GB
2GB
2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia broadcasting on 873 kHz, AM. It is one of Australia's most popular talk-back radio stations, and is the number one station in Sydney.-History:The station commenced broadcasting in August 1926...
and from program syndicators. All programs from 5.30am to 6pm weekdays and 6am to 12pm weekends are broadcast from the Muswellbrook studios, with longer hours of automated music during the summer months and public holidays.
1937-1950s - 2CK Cessnock
2NM was originally licensed to CessnockCessnock, New South Wales
Cessnock is a city in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, about by road west of Newcastle. It is the administrative centre of the Cessnock City Council LGA and was named after an 1826 grant of land called Cessnock Estate, which was owned by John Campbell...
as 2CZ, owned by Coalfields Broadcasting Co. Pty. Ltd., but the station's call letters were changed to 2CK prior to its launch on 9 January 1937. The station operated on 1460 kHz, with a power output of 300 watts, and was managed by Albert Ryan.
The station catered for the mining community of Cessnock and surrounding areas, and was the official station of Australian Coal & Shale Employees Federation. A feature of their programme was a mining news bulletin, transmitted at 5.34am, 6.15pm and 9.00pm, relying on information from mine officials and managements. Because of the working hours of the local industry, the station commenced operations at 5.30am, with the first national news program in the country for the day transmitted at 5.45am, using the resources of Newcastle Herald
The Newcastle Herald
The Newcastle Herald is a local tabloid newspaper published daily, Monday to Saturday, in Newcastle, New South Wales, the largest non-capital city in Australia. It is the only local newspaper that serves the entire Hunter and Central Coast regions six days a week...
.
This was complemented with local and district news, racing programs from 2UW, the Daily Telegraph Sports Parade program (exclusive to 2CK in the region) and other programs of local interest. The station transmitted between the hours of 5.30am and 11am and from 5.30pm to 10pm weekdays, 5.30am to 11pm Saturdays and 9.00am to 10.00pm Sundays.
2CK was closed down after a fire burnt the studios down late one night after the announcer had finished the station's transmission for the night at 10pm, and left in a rush for his bus back to Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
, leaving the electric heater on.
1937-1950s - 2HR Singleton/Maitland
The Upper Hunter had its own station based in Singleton, 2HR, owned by Hunter River Broadcasters Pty. Ltd. The station launched on 30 August 1937. The owners included the Singleton Argus and the Robinson family. Three years later, they moved to LochinvarLochinvar, New South Wales
Lochinvar is a small town in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia in Maitland City Council. It is named after Lochinvar, a loch in southern Scotland....
, near Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
.
1954-1980s - 2NM Muswellbrook / 2NX Newcastle
Hunter Broadcasters had purchased the two stations during the early to mid 1950s, and decided to move both stations away from their existing locations. The 2HR license and transmitter was moved to Bolwarra, in order to serve the NewcastleNewcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
market. 2HR was given a new callsign, 2NX
NXFM
NXFM is an Australian radio station, licensed to, and serving Newcastle, New South Wales and surrounding areas. It broadcasts at 106.9 MHz on the FM band from its studios in Charlestown...
. The 2CK license and frequency was moved to Muswellbrook, and also received a new callsign, 2NM.
The callsigns were devised by station manager Ken Robinson, who had served in the Australian Army. His army identification number included the letters NX. Therefore, the Newcastle station was given the 2NX name. 2NM's callsign was created only after trying out other combinations that could smoothly follow 2NX. 2NM could also represent 2 Newcastle Muswellbrook.
2NM was launched on 14 January 1954, from facilities located along the McCully's Gap road just outside Muswellbrook.
Sometime between the 1950s and the 1970s, Hunter Broadcasters were taken over by Catholic Broadcasting Company
Catholic Broadcasting Company
Catholic Broadcasting Company was an Australian company which owned various radio stations between the 1930s and the 1990s.It was a part of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, of which its flagship station, 2SM, was named after St Mark's Church....
, a division of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney. During this time, while during the day 2NX and 2NM were operated separately, from 6pm overnight, 2NM relayed 2NX's programming, and was identified as 2NXNM and as Upper Hunter 2NX.
In 1978, the station moved from 1460 to 1458 kHz, as part of a nationwide radio frequency adjustment. Two years later, on 2 August 1980, 2NM changed its frequency again from 1458 kHz to 981 kHz to improve reception in parts of the Upper Hunter. A new 5000 watt transmitter site was commissioned on Begalla Road, next to the Bengalla coal mine. The old 2NM tower on McCullys Gap Road was not torn down until 2009. The old transmitter building still stands to this day. 1458 kHz was reassigned as the Newcastle frequency for ABC NewsRadio
ABC NewsRadio
ABC NewsRadio is an Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio service devoted to delivering live and 24-hour news updates and information. The service is available on a number of broadcasts right around Australia, including AM/FM radio, some pay-TV platforms and online via the Internet.Originally...
.
The overnight simulcast of 2NX came to an end in July 1989, due to the opening of Newcastle's first FM station, New FM
New FM
NEWFM is an Australian radio station, licensed to, and serving Newcastle and its surrounding area. It is owned by Broadcast Operations Group, and operates at 105.3 megahertz on the FM band. Its callsign is 2NEW, the 2 being a standard prefix for stations in New South Wales, and NEW short for...
, which was taking listeners away from 2NX, and as a result, 2NX changed formats to compete.
1990s-present - Independence and expansion
In the early 1990s, the station was sold to Grant BroadcastersGrant Broadcasters
Grant Broadcasters is an Australian regional radio network that also includes a small number of metropolitan radio stations. It is a privately owned company, held by Janet Cameron and her family. The company was started by Cameron's father, Walter Grant in the 1970s.-CHR/Rock:*Hot 100 100.1 FM and...
, and moved to new studios in Muswellbrook. It is a breeding ground for young radio talent, names to come out of 2nm include: Brendan Jones 4MMM, 2MMM, and breakfast "Jonesy and Amanda" WSFM, Jamie Angel 2MMM Content director and Paul "The bull" Stanley. In the mid 1990s, the station opened a supplementary FM station, Power FM, on 98.1 kHz (coincidentally sharing the same numbers in its frequency as 2NM), which lead to 2NM focusing on an older demographic.
In 2009, the station began an online stream of its programming, along with sister station Power FM.
Programming
| Time | Show |
|---|---|
| 5.30am-10.00am | Breakfast with Max |
| 10.00am-2.00pm | Hunter Valley Life with Cathy Niven |
| 3.00pm-6.00pm | The Cruze with Brett |
| 6.00pm-8.00pm | Sports Today (relayed from 2UE) |
| 8.00pm-12.00am | Stuart Bocking (relayed from 2UE) |
| 12.00am-5.30am | New Day Australia (relayed from 2UE) (all week) |
Weekend programming includes local breakfast, sports panel and real estate shows, as well as a week in review program. Syndicated programming aired over the weekend includes 2GB
2GB
2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia broadcasting on 873 kHz, AM. It is one of Australia's most popular talk-back radio stations, and is the number one station in Sydney.-History:The station commenced broadcasting in August 1926...
's Continuous Call Team
Continuous Call Team
The Continuous Call Team is an Australian radio sports program, covering the news and live games of the National Rugby League. It is produced and broadcast by 2GB Sydney, and is relayed to stations in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and Papua New Guinea.The team have...
during the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
season, Sharina's Psychic Encounters on Sunday nights, and two music-based syndicated programs, My Generation
My Generation
My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom in December 1965. In the United States it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track...
and Cover 2 Cover.
Network news and national rural news are taken on relay from 2UE Sydney, although 2NM takes Macquarie National News
Macquarie National News
Macquarie National News is the name of the news service provided by Macquarie Radio Network Pty Ltd. It reaches both Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, through the radio stations 2GB, 2CH, MTR 1377 and SEN 1116. However, it also has broader reach through LIVENEWS.com.au, the websites of the...
during its NRL coverage.
Coverage Area
2NM's primary coverage area is the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales, with its 5 kilowatt transmitter serving the shires of Muswellbrook, Singleton and the Upper Hunter Shire and surrounding areas. The signal reaches as far east as Maitland, and was even promoted as an alternative source of rugby league coverage by 2GB when former affiliate 2HD2HD
2HD is an Australian radio station, serving the lower Hunter Region. It operates at 1143 kHz on the AM band, from its studios along the Pacific Highway in the Newcastle suburb of Sandgate...
dropped the Continuous Call Team program in 2006. Even a local resident, "Elsie", had her transistor radio hooked up to receive 2NM by 2GB technical staff in a stunt run that year.
Those involved in distance reception of radio signals often note the ability of 2NM's signal to travel long distances in favourable conditions, with reports of reception in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
(blocking out state radio services on occasion), as well as many parts of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and beyond.
Former jingles and slogans
- In the Hunter, north to TamworthTamworth, New South WalesTamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
, east to the Barringtons and west to CassilisCassilis, New South WalesCassilis is a village in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. Its population in the 2006 census was 346. It was formerly known as Dalkeith.-References:...
, this is 981 2NM - used at the time of the 1980 frequency switch - Upper Hunter 2NX - used during 2NX simulcast periods
- 2NXNM - used during 2NX simulcast periods
See also
- NXFMNXFMNXFM is an Australian radio station, licensed to, and serving Newcastle, New South Wales and surrounding areas. It broadcasts at 106.9 MHz on the FM band from its studios in Charlestown...
- 2NM's former sister station - Power FM 98.1 FMPower FM 98.1 FMPower FM 98.1 is a local radio station in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia. It is based in Muswellbrook, and serves listeners in Muswellbrook, Singleton, Scone, Aberdeen, Merriwa, Murrurundi and surrounding areas....
- Current sister station - List of Australian radio stations
External links
- http://www.2nm.com.au 2NM AM981 Online
- http://www.countrywideradio.com.au/station2nm.htm Countrywide Radio Sales profile
- http://www.radioheritage.net/Story95.asp History of 2CK