Broadcast area Katoomba RA1 Frequency 96.1 MHz FM | Slogan Beats That Move You | |
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City Wentworth Falls, New South Wales, Australia First air date 7 September 1935 (1935-09-07) (as 2KA)
23 October 1992 (1992-10-23) (as One FM) Format Rhythmic CHR
Urban contemporary | ||
The Edge 96.ONE (call sign: 2ONE) is a music radio station based in outer Sydney, Australia, but licensed to Katoomba. It is operated by the Australian Radio Network.
Contents
History
Formerly AM station 2KA, previous Station ID'S since 1992 include One FM, and 9inety6ix.1one. The station played Top 40 mainstream CHR (1992–1997, 1999–2005) and Alternative Rock (1998) before its current "Hip hop and R&B" phase (2006-).
In 1997, the station was sold by Mike Walsh to ARN and now, ARN owns three Sydney radio stations: Edge 96.One, KIIS 106.5 and WSFM 101.7.
Since Australian Radio Network Owned OneFM, the station studio from Penrith was then moved to Seven Hills with WSFM 101.7. In 2002 the Edge 96.One was moved to its present home now North Ryde as did WSFM 101.7.
Although licensed to Katoomba/Blue Mountains/Penrith, its signal, at 5 kW located at Wentworth Falls, is enough to cover most of the Sydney basin subject to local interference. It can also be heard in some parts of Wollongong. The Edge 96.ONE was taken to court in the 1990s for excessive coverage overspill by 2Day FM and 2MMM. They lost and The Edge was able to continue broadcasting.
AC Nielsen choose not to include its figures in the Sydney Nielsen polls, with its figures forming part of the 'Other' stations in the survey. Because the station is not licensed to serve the Sydney market, ARN can own it as well as the Sydney licensed WSFM 101.7 and KIIS 106.5.
In January 2006, Australian Radio Network decided to launch the first pure urban format radio station in the country, on The Edge. The format change was due to the overwhelming response to the nightly urban count down, "Ksera & The Dirty Dozen", with Ksera and Kris Fade that culminated in being awarded Best Radio Show Australia and New Zealand at the 2006 Urban Music Awards. To coincide with the new look, The Edge unveiled a new brand and logo to emphasize its place as the Hip Hop and RnB radio station.
While The Edge has evolved into a more contemporary hits format with an urban influence, ARN have chosen to capitalise on the established ‘Ksera’ brand, and continue to service the confirmed urban audience in Australia on a national level by launching KseraRadio.com, streaming on-line now.
In 2009, The Edge 96.ONE launched a sister station of the same format on DAB+ in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney under the name of ''Edge Digital''. The station is a music format based on The EDGE 96.ONE, though not a direct simulcast of that station, but shares resources, including logo and promotions. Edge Digital is not available on Metro FM radio.
In April 2011, The Edge Breakfast welcomed back former announcers Mike E and Emma Chow
In August 2013, The Edge rebranded and presented their new music position. While the previous tagline of "Live Sexy" described the lifestyle associated with The Edge, the new philosophy of "Hits That Move You" was believed to direct listeners to what they will hear on the station.
“The Edge is unique in Australian radio as it is the only commercial station running an Urban format. ‘Hits that move you’ expresses our musical edge and better allows urban music fans to find us.”
The changes comes after an online poll where listeners were asked to choose a format. They wanted a hybrid of urban, pop, dance and R’N’B. This tag line would be short lived and broaden to not just 'hits' but all forms of urban 'beats'.
The Edge is also host of the famous Club Edge show playing Saturday evenings with resident DJs such as Nino Brown at night.
In March 2014, The Edge revealed an innovative new listener driven chart from iHeartRadio.