2CBA
Encyclopedia
2CBA is a Christian
radio station in Sydney
, Australia
, transmitting on the FM dial at 103.2 MHz. Founded by the Rev. Vernon Turner, it commenced broadcasting
on 5 March 1979 and cemented itself as Australia's first Christian FM
radio station
.
The station provides a mix of contemporary Christian
and mainstream music
. Its programming includes Sunday evening talk show, Open House, which explores life, faith and culture from a Christian perspective. Station programming also features Bible
readings, morning devotionals, short Christian spots, as well as broadcasts of church services each Sunday from St. Thomas' North Sydney and St. John's in Parramatta.
2CBA relocated from Five Dock to its current studios in Seven Hills
(the former home of WSFM
and Mix 106.5
) and was renamed FM103.2 in 2002, with the tag-line The Heart of Sydney. The station was re-named Heart 103.2 in December 2007, but this was challenged legally by Macquarie Regional Radioworks who were using the name Heart. It was decided to use "Sydney's 1032" as the interim on-air identifier for 2008.
On Monday, 15 December 2008 at Midnight the station was renamed as Hope 103.2. Listeners offered their suggestions for a new name for the station and Hope was judged the best and most popular.
. Open House is presently broadcast to nine Christian radio stations across Australia, including Sydney's Hope 103.2, Melbourne's Light FM
, Perth's Sonshine FM, Adelaide's Life FM
, Darwin's 97.7, Hobart's Ultra 106five, Canberra's 1WAY FM, Wollongong's NineFourOne and 100.7 Riverland Life FM, on Sunday nights from 8 to 11pm.
's music show for contemporary hits, The Hot 25 Countdown with Liam Renton (host of The Hot 25 Countdown and The Family Show)
. Inspire Digital is Australia's first Christian Digital Radio Station, providing Christian Music and teaching. There are plans to broadcast Inspire Digital programming to some other Australian capital cities via partnerships with existing Christian broadcasters in those cities.
2CBA originally identified as 2CBA under the promotional liner "Beautiful Music", similar to Melbourne commercial radio station 3AK
in the late 70s and throughout the 1980s.
A further change of approach in the 1990s led to the station appealing to an even wider and generally younger audience, for this it changed its music to closely match Mix 106.5 FM, and changed its identity to simply "FM 103.2".
Later, following the lead of Melbourne and Brisbane based Christian radio, 2CBA adopted an adult contemporary music playlist, and identified as "Heart 103.2".
This branding was contested by regional commercial radio giant Macquarie Regional Radio, the owners of the trademark "HEART" as used by its Tasmanian network stations.
Following a backdown by 2CBA, it re-branded again as "Hope 103.2", the current station identifier.
Channel Nine Sydney), airing weeknights (Monday-Friday) at 6pm.
, Casting Crowns
, Third Day
, tobyMac
, MercyMe
, Revive
& Third Day
. In more mainstream music, it plays many ballad hits from Leona Lewis
, Colbie Caillat
, Michael Bublé
, Paramore
, Switchfoot
, Celine Dion
, Alicia Keys
, Mariah Carey
, Guy Sebastian
, Delta Goodrem
, Stan Walker
& Coldplay
.
joined the station in 2000 from Magic 693 Melbourne.
2CBA is, however, not the only Christian broadcaster. There have been attempts by a national Christian broadcaster Vision Radio to gain a foothold in Sydney. This was attempted with limited success in 2007 with a twelve month operation on the upper AM band frequency 1701 kHz. Vision Radio Network had later discontinued its Sydney based broadcasts.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
radio station in 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...
, 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...
, transmitting on the FM dial at 103.2 MHz. Founded by the Rev. Vernon Turner, it commenced broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
on 5 March 1979 and cemented itself as Australia's first Christian FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
.
The station provides a mix of contemporary Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and mainstream music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
. Its programming includes Sunday evening talk show, Open House, which explores life, faith and culture from a Christian perspective. Station programming also features Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
readings, morning devotionals, short Christian spots, as well as broadcasts of church services each Sunday from St. Thomas' North Sydney and St. John's in Parramatta.
2CBA relocated from Five Dock to its current studios in Seven Hills
Seven hills
-Places that have seven hills:1.the Seven hills of Istanbul 2.the Seven hills of Rome 3.the Seven hills of Moscow 4.the Seven hills of San Francisco 5.the Seven hills of Seattle 6.the Seven hills of Iaşi...
(the former home of WSFM
2WS
101.7 WSFM is a FM band radio station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia. Its main content is commercial music, in particular classic hits from the 1960s to the Early 2000s, with a greater focus on the 70's, 80's and 90's...
and Mix 106.5
Mix 106.5
Mix 106.5 is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia and is owned by the Australian Radio Network...
) and was renamed FM103.2 in 2002, with the tag-line The Heart of Sydney. The station was re-named Heart 103.2 in December 2007, but this was challenged legally by Macquarie Regional Radioworks who were using the name Heart. It was decided to use "Sydney's 1032" as the interim on-air identifier for 2008.
On Monday, 15 December 2008 at Midnight the station was renamed as Hope 103.2. Listeners offered their suggestions for a new name for the station and Hope was judged the best and most popular.
Programming
The format of Hope 103.2 is described as "Contemporary Christian Radio", which is Christian-infused mainstream light contemporary radio. The program format is designed to reach out to non-committed Christians, rather than preach to the converted. This is achieved with "family friendly" and accessible music with a positive statement, whether performed by Christian or non-Christian artists and regardless of whether or not the music is intentionally carrying a Christian message.Open House
Open House is a Sunday evening live talk show exploring life, faith and culture from a Christian perspective. Since the shows beginnings in April 2006 to March 2011, the show was hosted by Sheridan Voysey. Since April 2011, Open House has been hosted by TV and Radio Broadcaster Leigh HatcherLeigh Hatcher
Leigh Hatcher is an Australian journalist and currently works as a news presenter for Sky News Australia.Hatcher's career highlights include working as the bureau chief for the Macquarie Radio Network in the Canberra Press Gallery...
. Open House is presently broadcast to nine Christian radio stations across Australia, including Sydney's Hope 103.2, Melbourne's Light FM
Light FM
LightFM is an employment and voluntary based Christian community radio station in Melbourne, Australia. It broadcasts on 89.9 FM from studios at 333 Mitcham Road, in Mitcham and a transmitter on Mount Dandenong.-History:...
, Perth's Sonshine FM, Adelaide's Life FM
Life FM (Adelaide)
Life FM is a Christian radio station in Adelaide, South Australia that has been operating full time from October 1993 . It broadcasts on 107.9 MHz. The station's motto is More Music. According to the radio station's own website, the length of time it took to acquire a "broadcast licence for...
, Darwin's 97.7, Hobart's Ultra 106five, Canberra's 1WAY FM, Wollongong's NineFourOne and 100.7 Riverland Life FM, on Sunday nights from 8 to 11pm.
Other programming
Hope 103.2 also broadcasts FRESH with Erin La Macchia, alongside overnight music, other helpful programs such as Time with God with John North, Focus on the Family and more, in addition to 96five96five Family FM
96five is a community broadcast radio station operated by Family Radio Ltd in Brisbane, Australia. The radio stations continued operation is supported by sponsorship, fundraising and pledges.-Programming:...
's music show for contemporary hits, The Hot 25 Countdown with Liam Renton (host of The Hot 25 Countdown and The Family Show)
Digital Radio (Inspire Digital)
In November 2010, Hope Media commenced broadcasting of Inspire Digital on Sydney DAB+ RadioDigital radio in Australia
Digital radio in Australia uses the DAB+ standard and is currently available in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Darwin. The national government owned networks, the ABC and SBS, provide their current services and a few digital-only services on the new platform, while the...
. Inspire Digital is Australia's first Christian Digital Radio Station, providing Christian Music and teaching. There are plans to broadcast Inspire Digital programming to some other Australian capital cities via partnerships with existing Christian broadcasters in those cities.
Changes to On-Air Sound and Identity
In common with the Christian Radio method to appeal to a wide cross section of the community, it has broadcast under a number of different aliases over time.2CBA originally identified as 2CBA under the promotional liner "Beautiful Music", similar to Melbourne commercial radio station 3AK
3AK
3AK is the call sign of SEN 1116 and earlier the on-air name of a former Melbourne talk-back radio and music station, which, in 2003, leased its licence to sports network SEN 1116...
in the late 70s and throughout the 1980s.
A further change of approach in the 1990s led to the station appealing to an even wider and generally younger audience, for this it changed its music to closely match Mix 106.5 FM, and changed its identity to simply "FM 103.2".
Later, following the lead of Melbourne and Brisbane based Christian radio, 2CBA adopted an adult contemporary music playlist, and identified as "Heart 103.2".
This branding was contested by regional commercial radio giant Macquarie Regional Radio, the owners of the trademark "HEART" as used by its Tasmanian network stations.
Following a backdown by 2CBA, it re-branded again as "Hope 103.2", the current station identifier.
Nine News
On 7 July 2008, Hope 103.2 announced that it will commence broadcasting simulcasts of Nine News (via TCNTCN
TCN stands for:* Take Care Now, a private company providing out-of-hours medical cover in England* TanenbaumCHAT North Campus, a private Hebrew high school in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada* TCN-9, a Sydney television station...
Channel Nine Sydney), airing weeknights (Monday-Friday) at 6pm.
Album Playlist
Hope 103.2 plays hits from Christian artists such as Francesca BattistelliFrancesca Battistelli
Francesca Battistelli is an American Christian musician from New York City, New York. She was originally an independent artist and had released an independent album, Just a Breath, in 2004. Her first studio album on Fervent Records, My Paper Heart, was released on July 22, 2008...
, Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns is a Grammy Award and Dove Award winning Contemporary Christian/Christian Rock band. Casting Crowns was started in 1999 by youth pastor Mark Hall at First Baptist Church in Downtown Daytona Beach, Florida as part of a youth group. He now serves as a lead vocalist...
, Third Day
Third Day
Third Day is a Grammy award-winning Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee and former member Billy Wilkins. The other band members are bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr...
, tobyMac
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
, MercyMe
MercyMe
MercyMe is an American Christian rock band founded in Greenville, Texas. The band consists of vocalist Bart Millard, keyboardist James Bryson, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul....
, Revive
Revive
Revive may refer to:*Revive *Revive *Revive Energy Mints, a brand of caffeinated energy candy*Revive , the Australian gospel band*Revival, bringing back to life...
& Third Day
Third Day
Third Day is a Grammy award-winning Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee and former member Billy Wilkins. The other band members are bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr...
. In more mainstream music, it plays many ballad hits from Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
, Colbie Caillat
Colbie Caillat
Colbie Marie Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California. She debuted in 2007 with Coco, which included hit singles "Bubbly", "Realize", and "The Little Things". In 2008, she recorded a duet with Jason Mraz, "Lucky", which won a Grammy. Caillat released her...
, Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
, Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
, Switchfoot
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
, Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, Guy Sebastian
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and...
, Delta Goodrem
Delta Goodrem
Delta Lea Goodrem is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress. Signed to Sony at the age of 15, Goodrem rose to prominence in 2002, starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Nina Tucker. Goodrem has achieved eight number-one singles and three number-one albums in her home...
, Stan Walker
Stan Walker
Stan Walker , is an Australian recording artist and actor. In 2009, Walker was the winner on the seventh season of Australian Idol. He subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia....
& Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
.
Management
Phillip Randall, previously CEO of Sonshine FM, is the CEO of Hope Media Ltd. Group Music Director John O'DonnellJohn O'Donnell (radio personality)
John O'Donnell was born on February 4, 1947 in Warrnambool, Victoria.-Radio career:John's career as an started in Warnambool at 3YB and since then has worked at 7HO, 4IP, 7EX, 6PR, 2HD, 3XY, 2SM, 3DB, 3UZ, 2Day FM, New FM, 3MP, Magic 693, and Hope 1032 fm Sydney previously known as 2CBA.-TV...
joined the station in 2000 from Magic 693 Melbourne.
2CBA and other Christian radio
2CBA is one of Australia's longest established FM radio services, and the longest established full time Christian radio service.2CBA is, however, not the only Christian broadcaster. There have been attempts by a national Christian broadcaster Vision Radio to gain a foothold in Sydney. This was attempted with limited success in 2007 with a twelve month operation on the upper AM band frequency 1701 kHz. Vision Radio Network had later discontinued its Sydney based broadcasts.