2HD Newcastle

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2HD Newcastle

2HD began broadcasting on 27 January 1925, a day after Sydney’s 2UE, making it Australia’s second oldest existing radio station.

The station’s call sign are the initials of the founder, Harry Douglas, not “Hunter District” as commonly believed.

29/07/2025

LOCAL NEWS: The ribbon has been cut on three new purpose built homes in Wyee bolstering social housing for locals living with disability.
More details: https://tinyurl.com/56thy5e8

28/07/2025

LOCAL NEWS: Police call for locals help to solve an alleged property and knife crime in Lake Macquarie earlier this year.
More details: https://tinyurl.com/3ymhdkmr

28/07/2025

LOCAL NEWS: A granny flat in Maitland has been destroyed by fire earlier this morning. A lithium ION battery is believed to be the cause.
More details: https://shorturl.at/aRPJ4

28/07/2025

LOCAL NEWS: Domestic flights the first to hit the tarmac of new Newcastle Airport International Terminal today.
More details: https://tinyurl.com/h72mvdw5

27/07/2025

LOCAL NEWS: A trail bike rider has died following a crash at Noraville, police urge anyone with footage to come forward.
More details: https://tinyurl.com/mk8mj28h

27/07/2025

Tonight on The Nightline, we speak with Ben Maguire of Remount the veteran rehabilitation charity at the heart of the growing outcry over a proposed 90-turbine wind farm in Yass, NSW.

Remount helps returned servicemen and women manage PTSD through connection with horses and the peace of open country. But now, co-founders Ben and Marina Maguire say the serenity veterans rely on is under serious threat.

“The turbines would industrialise this landscape and with it, the healing space we've created,” they say.

🎧 Hear Ben’s heartfelt words and why many in the community are saying enough is enough.

📞 Do you support wind farms in rural Australia, or should mental health sanctuaries and food-producing communities come first?

🕗 Tune in from 8 pm 2HD Newcastle
and across Australia on the 2SM Super Radio Network

27/07/2025

LOCAL NEWS: Hunter environmentalists are urging the state government to reconsider its proposal to turn the remaining Link Road Forest into more suburban sprawl.

The bushland along Newcastle Link Road in Wallsend and Glendale provides habitat connectivity across Newcastle to Mt Sugarloaf and Lake Macquarie

Link Road Forest Campaign spokesman Ian McKenzie says the case to protect the Link Road Forest is overwhelming.

He says at least 16 threatened species will be seriously affected if this high quality native forest is turned into housing lots.

27/07/2025

25/07/2025

LOCAL NEWS: An elderly women is in a serious condition in hospital following a significant fall at Wollombi.

The woman in her 70s fell between 8 and 10 metres on a rural property late yesterday morning.

She had to be secured into a stokes litter and carried by first responders to the Westpac rescue helicopter aircraft following the fall.

The helicopter's critical care medical team treated her for chest and back injuries after falling down a steep embankment, she was flown to John Hunter Hospital in serious condition.

25/07/2025

LOCAL NEWS: $76 million is set to be funneled into upgrading Mandalong Road at Morisset.
More details: https://tinyurl.com/bdb7b9rt

25/07/2025

LOCAL NEWS: Emergency services had their hands full this morning, a shop in Newcastle went up in flames and crews were called an operation in Thornton.
More details: https://tinyurl.com/yf2bycnd

25/07/2025

LOCAL NEWS: The expansion of MACH Energy's Mt Pleasant mine has been stopped in it's tracks.
More details: https://tinyurl.com/yc44y92a

Address

Opening Hours

Monday	08:30 - 17:00
Tuesday	08:30 - 17:00
Wednesday	08:30 - 17:00
Thursday	08:30 - 17:00
Friday	08:30 - 17:00

Telephone

+61249676111

Website

http://www.2hd.com.au/

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2HD: News and Talk for Newcastle

2HD began broadcasting on 27 January 1925, a day after Sydney’s 2UE began operations, making it Australia’s second oldest existing radio station. The station’s call sign are the initials of the founder, Harry Douglas, not “Hunter District” as commonly believed. Douglas was a keen amateur radio enthusiast, and an alderman on the Newcastle City Council from 1919 to 1922.

The station was originally in the suburb of Hamilton, but moved to the corner of Darby and King Streets soon after. Douglas sold the station to William Johnston in 1928, who sold the station to the Airsales Broadcasting Company two years later in 1930. Airsales owned the company for 10 years, and was responsible for the move to its landmark studio building in Sandgate, which was 2HD’s home for nearly 50 years. Although the building itself is very different, the middle section of the building is still the 1931 building.

Under controversial circumstances during World War II, 2HD was closed in 1941, under the National Security Regulations. At the time, around 25 staff were employed by the station, and stories claimed that the station’s owners were sending covert messages, based on the timing of the music being played etc. 2HD remained silent until near the end of the war when the Australian Labor Party and the Labor Council of New South Wales bought the station, and resumed transmissions on 15 January 1945.[1] One of 2HD’s notable personalities of the 1930s was Uncle Rex Sinclair, who continued to perform on local radio and stage until shortly before his death in 2001.

1945-1977

The Labor Party and the NSW Labour Council owned 2HD from 1945 until 1999. For the first 29 years of its ownership, the station was under the management of Jim Storey, with his wife T***k acting as program director and on-air personality. Other announcers during this time included Harry Randall, Stuart Dibbley and Tom Delaney.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, 2HD was one of the founding shareholders of local television station NBN Television.

2HD broadcast in the popular The Good Guys of Life format, also used by other stations, including 2SM Sydney. Presenters during this time included Harry Randall, Tom Delaney, Art Ryan, Haff Enegg, Mal Lamonte, John Hill, Allan McGirvan, Mike Jeffries, Malcolm Elliott, Keith Haerris, Graeme Gilbert, Don Mayo, Rob Maynard and Cliff Musgrave. Towards the end of this period, announcer Geoff Gregory joined the station, but was better known as a program director, and host of the Sunday night program Country Sounds.

After the Good Guys era ended, 2HD transmitted other formats including Easy Alternative and country. In 1977, the original office building on Maitland Road Sandgate was closed. Several years prior to that, the building was gradually being demolished, starting with the destruction of the original transmitter building to make way for a dual carriageway along Maitland Road in 1964. The increased traffic and the location of the road near the old building was taking its toll. A new administration building, nicknamed “the submarine” was built, and NSW Premier Neville Wran opened the building in 1977.

1977-today

In the late 1970s-early 1980s, the station was the subject of a takeover bid from NBN, which resulted in a shake-up in ownership at the television station, and the bid was eventually rejected.

For decades after the end of the “Good Guys” era, the station’s ratings were in the doldrums, however, the station accomplished its first number one ratings success in 1987, after adopting a strong news and talk format. Factors in this success were the recruitment of 2KO’s Pat Barton to present their breakfast program, and Warwick Teece, whose Openline program was a huge success. Program Director Peter Butler was a key part of the station’s success, guiding the team to the top of the ratings. The coverage of the Newcastle Earthquake in 1989 by the news team, led by Tony Briscoe, won the station a National Radio Award. The 90’s saw 2HD confirm its place as the top rating station in Newcastle, led by the breakfast team of David Collins and Tanya Wilks who notched up over 8 years of consecutive survey wins, and supported by Geoff Jay and Richard King.

The station expanded, following the purchase of local FM station NEW FM in 1995, which resulted in internal remodelling of the building. In 1999, the NSW Labor Party and NSW Labour Council sold the station to Bill Caralis and his Broadcast Operations Group.

In 1997, the station added the John Laws morning program to its lineup, becoming a ratings success. After Laws retired, Steve Price took on the morning shift, then in 2010, Steve Libermann. The station lineup in 2014 consists of Richard King for Breakfast, John Laws (returned 31 January 2011), Brent Bultitude in the Afternoons from 12-4pm, Talkin’ Sport from 4 – 7pm, Graeme Gilbert with Talk Tonight and Gary Stewart Overnight.

2UE changed its name and format in 2017, making Newcastle’s 2HD the oldest radio brand in Australia.

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2HD: News and Talk for Newcastle

1977-today