KOFM

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KOFM (2KKO)
City of license	Newcastle, New South Wales
Broadcast area	Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and surrounds
Branding	KOFM
Slogan	You'll Never Know What We'll Play Next
First air date	August 1, 1931 (as 2KO) January 22, 1992 (as 2KKO)
Frequency	102.9 mHz (was 1413 kHz prior to 1992)
Format	Adult variety
Power	20,000 watts
Callsign meaning	derived from former callsign 2KO 2KO: KOtara.
Former callsigns	2KO (1931-1992)
Affiliations	Triple M (partial) 2GB/Macquarie Radio Network (football season only)
Owner	Radio Newcastle Pty. Ltd. 50% Austereo 50% Macquarie Regional RadioWorks
Website	KOFM.com.au

KOFM is an Australian radio station, licensed to, and serving Newcastle and surrounds. It broadcasts at 102.9 megahertz on the FM band from its studios in Charlestown. It is owned by Radio Newcastle, a joint venture of Austereo and Macquarie Regional RadioWorks, following Macquarie Bank's purchase of stations owned by RG Capital in 2004. Its sister station is NXFM.

[edit] History

The station commenced operations as 2KO, based in the Newcastle suburb of Kotara on August 1, 1931. The station operated on 1415 kHz with a transmission strength of 25 watts. The station launched from the backyard of a resident's home, with the licensee's dining room being the only studio the station had at the time. Programs ran from 7 to 10pm, later moving into daytime programming. Ten minutes of ad time was sold during the week, selling around 15 pounds ($30 dollars today) of revenue for the station.

Two years later, the station moved its AM transmitter to Sandgate, and was operated from several locations until January 1937, when new studios and offices in the heart of Newcastle in the CML Building at 110 Hunter Street, Newcastle. In its time on the AM band, the station had its power increased twice, first to 2,000 watts, and then to 5,000 watts, using a directional aerial system.

In the days before television, peak listening time was around 8pm, but with television arriving in the country in the late 1950s, the station had to change formats to survive the new medium. This was even more the case when 2KO's owners at the time, United Broadcasting Company (who also owned Sydney's 2UE), itself owned by the local Lamb family, was part of the consortium that brought television to Newcastle, launching NBN Television on channel 3 in 1962.

These changes led to 2KO becoming one of the first, if not the first, Top 40 music radio stations in Australia. This took the audience by storm, and helped re-established radio as the personal medium.

In 1978, as part of a nationwide realignment of radio station frequencies, 2KO moved to 1413 kHz.

In May 1988, 2KO moved to its current facilities at 252 Pacific Highway Charlestown.

On October 12, 1992, 2KO converted to the FM band, changing its callsign to 2KKO, and branding itself as KOFM 102.9. 4 years later, on January 22, 1996, the parent company of KOFM (and of NXFM), Radio Newcastle Pty. Ltd., was purchased by Austereo. A few more years later, Austereo sold 50% to RG Capital, whose stake in the station then transferred in 2004 to Macquarie Regional RadioWorks, upon the purchase of RG Capital's stations.

[edit] Rugby League Coverage

Following Broadcast Operations Group's decision not to carry the Continuous Call Team from 2GB in Sydney, and therefore, ruling that rival 2HD could not carry Newcastle Knights games, KOFM picked up the program (and rights to Knights games), beginning 2006. They also poached long time 2HD commentator Garry Harley to continue his role as commentator on Knights games. They do not carry 2GB's coverage on Sundays (but will broadcast Knights games should be played on a Sunday), however, listeners can tune to Muswellbrook station 2NM for their footy fix.

It has been rumoured that KOFM will be taking all of 2GB's rugby league programming from 2007 onwards.