Wave FM

What Wave FM does

Wave FM (branded on-air as Wave 96.5) is a regional commercial FM radio station licensed to serve the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia — including Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama, and surrounding communities — operating on the 96.5 MHz frequency. The station is operated by Wollongong Broadcasters Pty. Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Australian Radio Network (ARN), one of Australia's largest commercial radio broadcasters. Programming is locally produced and segmented across breakfast, mid-morning, drive, and evening dayparts, anchored by recognizable on-air personalities.

The core technology stack is conventional broadcast radio: an FM transmitter covering the Illawarra license area, supplemented by digital extensions including the iHeartRadio streaming platform (via ARN integration), the station's owned website, and social channels on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Native product surfaces include a "What's On Illawarra" community events listing and a "Support Local Business" feature that surfaces SME advertisers alongside station content.

Wave FM's revenue model is advertising-led. Monetization spans on-air spot inventory, digital display on the station's owned web properties, sponsored content, and event activations. Commercial go-to-market is dominated by long-tail local SMB advertisers, packaged for larger commitments through the Wave Community Partnerships program, which bundles on-air, online, and event sponsorship slots. With a stated 11–50 employee headcount, Wave FM operates as a single-market regional station within ARN's broader portfolio rather than as a standalone growth-stage entity.

Name

Wave FM

Legal name

Wollongong Broadcasters Pty. Limited

Website

https://wavefm.com.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wave FM (Wave 96.5) is a regional commercial FM radio station serving the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, operated under Australian Radio Network (ARN) ownership and monetized through local advertising across broadcast, iHeartRadio streaming, social, and event channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM) (MPAIAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial Radio Networks (National/Regional) (MPABABAA), Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAC)

Keywords

• Regional radio broadcasting
• FM radio station
• Digital audio streaming
• Radio advertising sales
• Local news content

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrawong

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Wave FM generates revenue primarily through advertising. The station offers various advertising options including radio commercials, online content, and sponsorship opportunities. ARN Advertising Terms and Conditions govern all advertising arrangements for ARN-owned regional stations including Wave FM.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wave FM (Wave 96.5) is a regional commercial radio station broadcasting on 96.5 MHz to the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It produces and broadcasts music, local news, weather updates, community event information, and entertainment programming, and extends its reach via digital streaming on the iHeartRadio platform. The station also runs the 'What's On Illawarra' events platform and a community partnerships program supporting local businesses.

Product overview

Wave FM (Wave 96.5) is a regional commercial radio station operated by Wollongong Broadcasters Pty Limited (ARN). The station operates a traditional broadcast radio format combined with digital streaming via iHeartRadio, and offers a portfolio of scheduled radio programs including '22 Songs in a Row with Beau' (weekday mornings), 'Workdays with Deano' (weekday afternoons), 'iHeart Countdown' (Saturday), and 'Lyndal & Crammy's Legends Club'. The station complements its core radio broadcasting with digital content services including local news coverage, the 'What's On Illawarra' events platform, community partnership programs, and competition/prize promotions. The offering combines linear radio with online streaming and community engagement features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wave 96.5 FM Radio Broadcast Regional commercial radio broadcast service delivering music, entertainment, local news, weather, community event listings, and competitions to listeners across the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
• Wave FM iHeartRadio Streaming Digital live streaming of Wave FM broadcast content via the iHeartRadio platform, extending listener access beyond the regional FM broadcast footprint to a global online audience.
• Wave FM News Local news content service providing Illawarra regional news coverage, local weather forecasts, and trending stories via the Wave FM website and on-air bulletins.
• What's On Illawarra Community events listing and submission platform promoting local events across the Illawarra region, integrated with the Wave FM website and on-air promotions.
• Wave Community Partnerships Community partnership program that supports Illawarra-based local businesses and organisations through advertising features, on-air promotion, and editorial coverage.

Named customers20 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Australian Radio Network (ARN)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWave 96.5 is owned and operated by Australian Radio Network Pty Ltd. ARN is the parent company providing operational infrastructure, advertising sales, programming guidance, and corporate governance for the regional radio station. The station is published by the licensee of Wave 96.5.
• iHeartRadiocoreTechnology or IntegrationARN is the exclusive authorised licensee of iHeartRadio in Australia. Wave FM content is available for live streaming via the iHeartRadio platform, extending the station's reach beyond traditional FM broadcast to digital listeners.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• iHeartRadio Australia: ARN's exclusive Australian licensee streaming platform. Comparable as the digital distribution and monetization layer Wave FM relies on for non-terrestrial reach; an enabling technology partner rather than a competing station.

Direct peers

• 2GB (Nine Radio): Sydney-based commercial talk radio station owned by Nine Entertainment. Comparable as a competing Australian commercial radio operator with regional/metro advertising, local news content, and digital streaming distribution.
• KIIS 1065 (ARN Sydney): ARN-owned contemporary hit radio station in Sydney. Direct peer sharing parent network, programming format, advertising infrastructure, and digital streaming via iHeartRadio.
• Hit Network (ARN): ARN's contemporary hit radio network across Australian regional and metro markets. Sibling network to Wave FM with shared parent, shared iHeartRadio streaming, and shared advertiser base.
• Smooth FM (ARN): ARN's easy-listening/adult contemporary radio network across Australian metros. Sibling ARN network with shared parent infrastructure, iHeartRadio streaming, and overlapping SMB/local advertiser mix with Wave FM.
• Gold 104.3 (ARN Melbourne): ARN-owned classic hits commercial radio station in Melbourne. Comparable as a sibling ARN regional/metro station with identical advertising sales infrastructure, iHeartRadio streaming, and local SMB advertiser mix.
• 3AW (Nine Radio Melbourne): Melbourne's leading commercial talk radio station owned by Nine Entertainment. Comparable commercial radio broadcaster with similar local-news + advertising + digital streaming business model competing with ARN stations including Wave FM.
• Triple M (ARN network): ARN's heritage rock/sport/commercial radio network across Australian metros and regions. Directly comparable as a sibling ARN network station competing in the same commercial radio ad market with shared digital streaming distribution.
• Nova 96.9 (Sydney): Sydney contemporary hit radio station operated by NOVA Entertainment. Comparable as a major Australian commercial music radio competitor to Wave FM, targeting similar demographics and competing for the same advertising budgets.
• 97.3 FM (ARN Brisbane): ARN-owned music-focused regional/commercial radio station in Brisbane. Direct peer given shared parent (ARN), shared iHeartRadio streaming integration, and shared local-advertising + hyperlocal newsroom business model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/965wave
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCujrZYnVCdP8jJwxaZENojA
• Facebookfacebook.com/wavefm
• Instagraminstagram.com/wavefm965
• TikToktiktok.com/@wavefm965
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wave-fm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wave FM