List of radio stations in Wellington
This is a list of radio stations in the Wellington Region of New Zealand.
Note: Several FM stations changed their frequency during October 2010, as broadcast licenses were renewed and spacing standardized to 0.8 MHz. AM stations were also moved in 1978 when New Zealand switched from 10 kHz frequency spacing to 9 kHz spacing.
As a general rule, full-power FM frequencies in Wellington are spaced 0.8 MHz apart, starting from 89.3 MHz
- Some Hutt Valley "infill" frequencies have been allocated to the 0.4 MHz "gap" in between other stations. (These are highlighted in gold.)
- Low-power FM stations are highlighted in blue.
| Frequency | Name | Format | Transmitter | Broadcasting on frequency since | Previous station(s) on frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87.6 | KIX FM Commercial Free Low-power FM station - Wellington Central |
Classic Rock and New Rock | 2010 | ||
| 87.9 | MUSE Radio Low-power FM station - Wellington Central |
Student Radio |
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| 87.9 | The Cheese Low-power FM station - Lower Hutt Centrall |
Adult Contemporary | |||
| 87.9 | Mix FM Low-powered FM Station - Northern Suburbs |
Adult Contemporary | 2003 | ||
| 88.1 | Human FM Low-power FM station - Wellington Central |
Student radio | 2005 | ||
| 88.1 | Upper Hutts River FM Low-powered - Upper Hutt | 60's - today | 2009 | ||
| 88.3 | The VBC Low-power FM station - Wellington Central |
Student radio | 2007 | ||
| 88.4 | The Cheese Low-power FM station - Wainuiomata/Hutt Valley |
80s, 90s & Today | July 2006 | ||
| 88.6 | Radio Active | Student radio | Tinakori Hill | 1981 on 89FM | |
| 89.3 | Newstalk ZB | Talk radio | Kaukau | ||
| 90.1 | The Hits 90.1 | Adult contemporary | Tinakori Hill Porirua Towai Haywards |
1993 | Broadcast on 90.0FM prior to 2010 1990–1991 2ZB 1991–1993 B90 FM (same station but rebranded) |
| 90.9 | 91ZM | Hit music | Kaukau Towai |
1985 | |
| 91.7 | The Edge | Pop music | Kaukau Fitzherbert |
2007 | 1990s - 1991 Fox FM 1993–1995 The Heat 91.7FM 1995–1997 The Box 91.7FM 1997–1998 92 Hitz FM 1998 99-100 More FM (temporary simulcast) 1998–2005 Channel Z 2005–2006 Kiwi FM 2006-2007 More FM Wellington (temporary simulcast) |
| 92.5 | Radio New Zealand Concert | Classical music | Kaukau | ||
| 93.3 | Radio Hauraki | Classic rock | Kaukau | 2010 | Broadcast on 93.1FM prior to 2010 |
| 93.7 | Mix (Hutt Valley transmitter) |
80s & 90s | Towai | 2016 | Broadcast on 93.5FM prior to 2010 1986 - 2007 91ZM 2008 - 2012 Easy Mix Radio Sport 2012 - 2016 |
| 94.1 | The Breeze (formally known as Radio Windy) | Easy listening | Kaukau | 1993 | 1992–1994 Radio Windy/Windy FM |
| 94.9 | Atiawa Toa FM (Porirua transmitter) |
Porirua | 1990s | ||
| 95.3 | More FM Wellington (Hutt Valley transmitter) |
Adult contemporary | Fitzherbert | 2010 | |
| 95.7 | Coast | Middle of the Road | Kaukau | 2011 | |
| 96.1 | Radio New Zealand Concert (Hutt Valley transmitter) |
Classical music | Towai | ||
| 96.5 | The Rock | Active rock | Kaukau Haywards |
1999 | Station broadcast on 96.3FM prior to 2010 1993-1998 Pirate FM |
| 97.3 | The Sound | Classic rock | Kaukau Haywards |
2012 | Stations broadcast on 97.5FM prior to 2010 1992 2XX Kapiti 1992–1993 Cadbury Moro FM 1994-1995 The Heat 91.7FM (temporary simulcast) 1995–1997 The Quake 97.5FM 1997–1999 Solid Gold 2000–2008 The Edge 2008-2011 Solid Gold |
| 98.1 | Life FM (Porirua) | Contemporary Christian music | Porirua | 1993 | 1992–1994 Radio Windy/Windy FM 1994–2010 The Breeze (New Zealand) |
| 98.5 | The Breeze (New Zealand) (Hutt Valley transmitter) |
Easy listening | Towai | 1995–1996 Kix FM 1996–2004 Channel Z | |
| 98.9 | Radio Live | Talk radio | Kaukau Haywards |
Station broadcast on 98.7FM prior to 2010 1991–2004 More FM | |
| 99.7 | More FM Wellington | Adult contemporary | Kaukau Haywards |
1991 | Station broadcast on 100.0FM prior to 2010 1990-1991 Windy FM |
| 100.5 | Mai FM | Urban Contemporary | Kaukau | 2012 | |
| 100.9 | Atiawa Toa FM (Wellington & Hutt Valley transmitter) |
Towai | 2010 | ||
| 101.3 | Radio New Zealand National | Kaukau | |||
| 101.7 | Radio New Zealand National (Hutt Valley transmitter) |
Towai | |||
| 102.1 | Currently Unused | 2006-2015 Kiwi FM | |||
| 103.7 | Niu FM | Urban contemporary | Kaukau | 2002 | |
| 104.1 | Niu FM (Hutt Valley transmitter) |
Urban contemporary | Fitzherbert | 2010 | |
| 104.5 | George Fm | Dance | Kaukau | 2015 | Stations broadcast on 99.4FM prior to 2010 2005 Radio New Zealand National (Hutt Valley) 2005 - 2011 Coast 2011–2013 Radio Sport 2013 - 2015 Flava |
| 105.3 | Radio Tarana | Contemporary Indian Radio Station | Kaukau | 2011 | 2009–2010 Hit Radio X105 |
| 106.1 | Hutt Radio | Community/Access - Hutt Valley | Maungaraki Reservoir | 2009 | |
| 106.7 | Maranui Fm Low-power FM station - Lyall Bay |
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| 107.2 | Secret FM Low-power FM station - Lower Hutt Central |
Youth Radio | |||
| 107.5 | andHow.FM Low-power FM station - Porirua |
Indie Rock | Papakowhai | 2009 | |
| 107.5 | Triple X FM Low-power FM station - Kapiti |
Classic rock | Paraparaumu | 2016 | |
| 107.7 | Groove 107.7FM Low-power FM station - Wellington Central |
Cafe / Jazz | |||
| AM Stations | |||||
| 567 | Radio New Zealand National | Titahi Bay | 1978 | Broadcast on 570 kHz from 1927–1978 | |
| 657 | Southern Star and Parliament radio | Christian radio | Titahi Bay | 1999 | 1978–1986 Concert Radio (broadcasting on 660 kHz prior to 1978) |
| 711 | Radio Trackside | Horse Racing | Horokiwi | 2007 | 1992–2007 Radio Pacific and Radio Trackside |
| 783 | Samoan Capital Radio | Titahi Bay | |||
| 783 | Wellington Access Radio | Titahi Bay | 1981 | ||
| 891 | Magic | Oldies | Horokiwi | 2015 | 1978 – 1993 Radio Windy broadcasting on 1080 kHz between 1973 and 1976 and 890 kHz between 1976 and 1978 1993 - 2015 The Breeze |
| 972 | Radio Rhema | Christian radio | Horokiwi | 1992 | |
| 1035 | Newstalk ZB | Talk radio | Titahi Bay | 1993 | 1978–1993 2ZB (previously broadcasting on 980 kHz between 1937 and 1978) |
| 1161 | Te Upoko O Te Ika | Titahi Bay | 1986 | 1978–1986 2ZM (previously broadcasting on 1130 kHz between 1969 and 1978 and using callsign 2YD between 1937 and 1969) | |
| 1233 | Radio Live | Talk radio | Horokiwi | 2008 | 1990–1994 BBC World Service 1995–1996 Radio Liberty 1996–1997 BBC World Service 1997–1999 Southern Star 1999–2008 Solid Gold |
| 1323 | Currently Unused | 1988–1994 Aotearoa Radio | |||
| 1377 | Radio Sport (Kapiti Coast) | Sports talk | Te Horo | ||
| 1503 | Radio Sport | Sports talk | Horokiwi | 1998 | 1982–1992 Radio Rhema 1997–1998 Sports Round Up |
Note: There are a number of low-power FM stations that are operating in Wellington, whose broadcast range may be less than that of the full-power FM stations.
Generally low-power FM stations can be found in two parts of the FM band:
- between 87.5 MHz and 88.5 MHz
- between 106.6 MHz and 108 MHz.
Low-power FM station Fleet FM(107.3 MHz) that is now off-air. KIX FM (a Classic Rock station that broadcast on 88.7 MHz is now on 87.6 FM)
| Frequency | Name | Format | Transmitter location [1] | Broadcasting on frequency since |
Previous stations on frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89.5 | Newstalk ZB (Kapiti Coast) | Talk radio | Forest Heights | ||
| 90.3 | More FM (Kapiti Coast) | Adult contemporary | Forest Heights | ||
| 91.1 | 91ZM | Hit music | Forest Heights | 2004 | |
| 91.9 | The Rock | Active rock | Ngarara until Dec 2014 then Forest Heights | ||
| 92.7 | The Hits 92.7 (Kapiti Coast) | Adult contemporary | Forest Heights | 2004 | 2004 - 2014 Classic Hits 92.7 (Same station but rebranded) |
| 93.5 | BSport and Radio Trackside | Sports talk | Waikanae Downs then Forest Heights | ||
| 94.3 | The Sound | Classic rock | Forest Heights | 2012 | Solid Gold FM |
| 95.1 | Magic | Oldies | Forest Heights | 2015 | |
| 95.9 | Coast | Middle of the Road | Forest Heights | ||
| 96.7 | Life FM | Contemporary Christian Music | Forest Heights | ||
| 97.5 | The Edge | Pop music | Ngarara until Dec 2014 then Forest Heights | ||
| 98.3 | Radio New Zealand Concert | Forest Heights | |||
| 99.1 | Radio Live | Talk radio | Ngarara until Dec 2014 then Forest Heights | ||
| 100.7 | The Breeze (New Zealand) | Easy listening | Forest Heights | ||
| 101.5 | Radio New Zealand National | Forest Heights | |||
| 104.7 | Coast Access FM | Forest Heights | |||
| 106.3 | Beach FM | Local Radio | Forest Heights | ||
| 107.5 | Triple X FM | Classic Rock | "Paraparaumu" (and possibly elsewhere - see Facebook page) Low-power FM station. Also on internet radio: www.triplexfm.co.nz | 2016 |
The Following frequencies were previously used in the Wellington region, but were decommissioned in the clean-up of frequencies in October 2010.
It is unlikely that most of these will be used again, as many decommissioned frequencies do not fit the current spacing plan.
(Note: 96.9 MHz does fit into the Hutt Valley spacing plan, and is the only decommissioned frequency that might be re-used in future)
| Frequency | Status | Previous stations on frequency | Area served | Replacement frequency (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89.0 | Decommissioned | ?–2011 Radio Active | Wellington | 88.6 (Radio Active) |
| 89.4 | Decommissioned | ?–2010 Radio Sport | Upper Hutt / Hutt Valley | 93.7 (Radio Sport - Hutt Valley transmitter) |
| 90.0 | Decommissioned | 1990–1991 2ZB 1991–1993 B90 FM (same station but rebranded) 1993–2010 Classic Hits 90FM |
Greater Wellington | 90.1 Classic Hits 90FM |
| 93.1 | Decommissioned | 2004–2010 Radio Hauraki | Greater Wellington | 93.3 (Hauraki) |
| 93.5 | Decommissioned | 1986–2007 ZMFM/91ZM 2007–2010 Easy Mix |
Hutt Valley | Easy Mix moved to 93.7 MHz & closed June 2012, replaced by Radio Sport |
| 94.7 | Decommissioned | 1995–1996 Kix FM 1996–2004 Channel Z 2004–2010 More FM Wellington |
Hutt Valley | 95.3 (More FM - Hutt Valley) |
| 95.6 | Decommissioned | 1980s–2010 Radio New Zealand Concert | Hutt Valley | 96.1 (RNZ Concert - Hutt Valley) |
| 96.3 | Decommissioned | 1990s Pirate FM 1999–2010 The Rock |
Greater Wellington | 96.5 (The Rock) |
| 96.9 | Decommissioned | 1990s–2010 Atiawa Toa FM | Wellington & Hutt Valley (excluding Porirua) |
100.9 Atiawa Toa FM |
| 98.7 | Decommissioned | 2004–2005 More FM (moved from 98.9FM) 2005–2010 Radio Live |
Greater Wellington | 98.9 (Radio Live) |
| 99.2 | Decommissioned | 2006–2010 Life FM | Porirua | 98.1 (Life FM - Porirua) |
| 99.4 | Decommissioned | 2005–2010 Coast | Greater Wellington | 95.7 (Coast) |
| 100.0 | Decommissioned | 1991–2010 More FM Wellington | Wellington / Porirua | 99.7 (More FM) |
| 100.7 | Decommissioned | 2002–2010 Niu FM | Hutt Valley | 104.1 (Niu Fm - Hutt Valley) |
Other stations
Current stations
- andHow.FM
- Atiawa Toa FM
- KIX FM Commercial Free Classic Rock
- Groove 107.7FM
- Human FM
- Hutt Radio 106.1 FM Community and Access Station
- Mix FM
- MUNTfm
- Newstalk ZB - Runs local morning talk show.
- Radio Active
- Samoan Capital Radio
- Te Upoko O Te Ika
- The Cheese 87.9 FM
- Up FM
- THE VBC 88.3FM Wellington Student and Community Radio Station.
- Wellington Access Radio INC
- World FM 88.2
- Groove FM 107.7 FM -Lounge, Swing and Jazz
- High-Fi FM - Wellington High School radio station.
Previous stations
- 2YB
- 2ZB - Rebranded as Newstalk ZB
- B90 FM - Rebranded as Classic Hits 90FM in the 1990s, rebranded as The Hits in 2014.
- Channel Z - Original home of Channel Z replaced with Auckland-based network product in 2001.
- Greater Wellington FM and later renamed to Fox FM
- Hit Radio X105
- Pirate FM
- Radio Kapiti, holiday broadcaster
- Radio Windy - Rebranded as The Breeze
- The Heat 91.7FM, later renamed to as The Box 91.7 followed by 92 Hitz FM
- The Quake 97.5
- ZMFM - Originally local 24/7, networked since the early 2000s. Nationwide breakfast from Wellington between 2001 and 2014.
Wairarapa stations
| Frequency | Name | Location | Format | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89.5 FM | More FM: Hitz 89FM (later known as Hitz 89.3FM), Today FM | Wairarapa Valley (Popoiti) | Adult contemporary | |
| 90.3 FM | The Hits: Classic Hits Wairarapa, Radio Wairarapa, 2ZD | Masterton (Otahoua) | ||
| 91.1 FM | TAB Trackside Radio: Live Sport, BSport, Radio Pacific-Trackside | Masterton (Otahoua) | ||
| 91.9 FM | Radio Sport | Masterton (Otahoua) | ||
| 92.7 FM | Arrow FM | Wairarapa Valley (Popoiti) | Access radio | |
| 93.5 FM | The Sound: Solid Gold FM | Wairarapa Valley (Popoiti) | ||
| 94.3 FM | ZM | Masterton (Otahoua) | ||
| 95.1 FM | The Rock | Wairarapa Valley (Popoiti) | ||
| 95.9 FM | The Edge | Wairarapa Valley (Popoiti) | ||
| 98.3 FM | Radio Live: Radio Pacific | Wairarapa Valley (Popoiti) | ||
| 99.1 FM | Radio New Zealand Concert | Masterton (Otahoua) | ||
| 99.9 FM | The Breeze | Wairarapa Valley (Popoiti) | ||
| 101.5 FM | Radio New Zealand National | Masterton (Otahoua) | ||
| 105.5 FM | Magic | Wairarapa Valley (Popoiti) | Adult contemporary | |
| 105.9 FM | More FM: Hitz 89FM (later known as Hitz 89.3FM), Today FM | Castlepoint | Adult contemporary | |
| 106.5 FM | Radio Eketahuna, 2ZE FM | Eketahuna (Mount Bowen) | ||
| 846 AM | Newstalk ZB, 2ZD | Masterton (Waingawa) | Talk radio | |
| 1071 AM | Radio New Zealand Concert | Masterton (Waingawa) |
Low power
Wellington
- The Wedge 88.1 FM, Newtown, weekday evenings
- Human FM, 88.1 stereo, eclectic music, poetry, Christian, broadcasting from Victoria University Anglican Chaplaincy (started May 2007)
- Tourist Information, 88.2, (near Duxton Hotel) plays an old tape loop with obsolete info
- The VBC 88.3FM Wellington's Student and Community Radio Station. Mono, 0.5 W output. Broadcasting in Central City Wellington from Kelburn and streaming at www.vbc.org.nz worldwide.
- Radio Melina 107.4 MHz FM, stereo 1W output, broadcasting from Seatoun, 41°19′29.36″S 174°50′14.17″E / 41.3248222°S 174.8372694°E.
- MUNTfm, 88.5 stereo, broadcasting from old Museum, now Massey University, music mix incl. NZ music (monitored to have played Half a Bat Cat), http://www.muntfm.co.nz 41°17′59.54″S 174°46′37.13″E / 41.2998722°S 174.7769806°E
- Kix FM 87.6 stereo, CBD, Capital Rock
- Mix FM 87.9 MHz stereo, Grenada Village, Churton Park, Johnsonville, northern suburbs, Pop/rock music ranging from the 80s to today's hottest tracks.
- George FM, 106.7, stereo, lots of adverts, feeding audio and adverts from Auckland
- Groove FM, 106.8, mono, located at Trades Hall, used for uplink to 107.7 transmitter 41°17′42.61″S 174°46′35.25″E / 41.2951694°S 174.7764583°E
- Calvary Chapel Radio, 106.9 stereo, near Newtown, Christian Radio http://www.calvarywellington.org
- Family Radio - Karori, 106.9 FM, Stereo, Bible centred and God glorifying broadcast. Bible readings, music, studies, and talkback discussion
- Radio Brooklyn, 106.9 mono, 0.5 Watts but superior location, opened 12. Feb 2008, plays copyright free speeches and university lectures, at 7pm relays Radio Netherlands Newsdesk and Democracy Now.
- Live Wire Radio - Wellington High School, 107.1, stereo,
- Critical Analysis Broadcasting 107.1 FM, broadcasting to Kilbirnie, Melrose and Miramar, was on 107.5 til march 08 Talks of left-green persuasion.
- only around Oriental Bay, 107.3, nice jazz, low power
- Kool FM, 107.3 stereo, adverts, NZ Radio School, Cuba Street
- Matrix 107.5 FM mono, music and educational material
- Radio Island Bay 107.5 FM mono, broadcasting from Island Bay
- Radio Karori, 107.5 mono, political talks
- Groove FM, 107.7, mono, some adverts, broadcasting from the CBD area
- TLC Radio TLC Radio Windy FM 88.4, country with special bluegrass hour each night 8-9pm, broadcasting for Wellington CBD, Mt Vic & inner hill suburbs
- Tawa College FM, 97.0, Tawa only, plays rock songs apart from 1:20 - 2:15 on weekdays when there is a talk show.
- The Sound FM,88.7, Plays all your hit music and your favorite jams from the 70s to today with shows that cater for everyone.
Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt and Petone
- The Cheese FM, 87.9, Stereo, Lower Hutt. Broadcasting to Central Lower Hutt and the CBD Area. Hits of the 80's 90s and Today!. Also available on TelstraClear Digital TV Channel 511
- Upper Hutts River FM 88.1 Upper Hutt, The station has been broadcasting since Feb 2009. We are a community station broadcasting live morning shows Mon-Fri with community & up to date commuter information as well as a wide range of music. Totally local Upper Hutts Best Music River FM 88.1 and also on shoutcast.com
- KIX-FM was a fully commercial rock radio station with studios in central Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. First going to air in 1993, it filled a gap in Wellington for a rock station when the former Radio Windy reformatted to an easy listening format as The Breeze in 1993. All the on-air staff on KIX FM were volunteers and new to radio. After the station went off-air in 1996 many of the original staff went on to work at some of the New Zealand's biggest radio stations including Mike Currie (Thrasher) on Radio Hauraki & The Sound, Spiros Foundoulakis went to More FM Wellington, Kris Miller worked for The Breeze in Wellington and David Cunningham (deceased) moved to Port FM in Timaru. After going off-air it was resurrected in 2001 as a low power FM radio station and is completely commercial free. Originally on 106.7FM, then 88.7 FM and now 87.6FM since 2010. The station now streams on the internet and is completely automated.[2]
- Supernova, 107.0, mellower music mix + NZ
- Calvary Chapel Radio, 106.9, Christian Radio
- Boom FM, 88.7, Electronica interspersed with classics and kiwi sounds
- Robot FM, 107.5 mono, Lower Hutt, broadcasting political talks (started May 2006)
Porirua
- andHow.FM"' 107.5, Stereo, Porirua, Indie Rock
- Genesis FM, 88.1, mono, Porirua, Bible preachings
- World FM, 88.2, stereo, Tawa, World Music plus relays of WRN & Radio Six International
- S-FM, 88.3, stereo, Broadcasting from Pak'nSave, Porirua, Top 40, Urban