I think you meant ARN instead of Grant, as Wave is now owned by them. 
If ARN were to own both stations, I think they would move Wave back to targeting an older audience, leaving i98 to target a younger audience. I would imagine that Wave would be taking the River/Bay log.
Also they would need to keep the i98 log as the ratings for i98 would drop if it became the present Wave fm.
That could work; Nowra for better or worse is more working class than most of Wollongong these days. Similar to Townsville in a way. Not saying that rock is the exclusive province of the working class though 
(apologies for the Marxist tones!)
I agree too, 94.9 Power fm needs to be different from Wave fm.
Re your comments about Nowra being more working class than Wollongong. I would agree with that, but the other half of the Nowra licence area the Southern Highlands is certainly not working class⌠It is quite affluent,. I know they wonât change the licence areas, but would the Southern Highlands (Bowral) have more in common with Wollongong then Nowra?
AgreeâŚcashed up Boomers are the dominant demographic up there
As someone who lives in the Illawarra and travels up to the Highlands for work, I would say it has slightly more in common with Wollongong IMO.
A lot of Highlanders (mainly people from Moss Vale and Bowral) drive down the mountain to Wollongong/Shellharbour for certain shops and medical services. Thereâs also quite a few who travel down to Shellharbour for work. I personally havenât met anyone up there who goes to the Shoalhaven on a regular basis. Itâs a popular weekend getaway destination for Highlanders, but very few would choose to go there for work, shopping etc.
Overall though, the Southern Highlands is really itâs own distinct region. It doesnât have too much in common with any of itâs neighbouring areas.
Wollongong/Nowra would make more sense as a licence area, as thereâs actually quite a lot of overlap between the two areas.
Though if the Highlands was paired with the Wollongong licence area instead of Nowraâs, the Highlands would lose the localism they get (via 2ST and its own morning program).
Wave and i98 would change very little of its content to cater for Highlands listeners since Wollongong is a much larger licence area.
I would agree with that, but the Southern Highlands would most likely be unprofitable on its own to an operator like the old Katoomba licence area when 2KA existed on AM.Nowra was chosen over Wollongong, even though the largest population areas of the Highlands are closer to Wollongong and serviced by better roads then they are to Nowra.
Yes 2ST and Power fm would be Nowra / Shoalhaven stations only broadcasting from Cambewarra Mountain instead of Knights Hill.
I have heard the occasional weather for Nowra and Bowral on i98 mainly temperature forecasts.
On the very odd occasion when there is snow in the highlands, and when the Macquarie Pass and Jamberoo Passes are closed it will get coverage on i98 and Wave fm, but that is about it of the highlands coverage on i98 and Wave fm.
The Sydney fm stations would also provide coverage if the Hume was blocked by snow or a major accident as their reception is quite good in the Highlands too.
Southern Highlands snowfalls are mostly a thing of the past now, sadly. 2004 was the last substantial fall at Robertson.
I didnât take any pictures, but while I was down in Bomaderry today, I happened to spot an i98fm âstreet fleetâ car driving along the Princes Highway.
Theyâre really trying to expand their reach into the northern Shoalhaven.
From memory the reception is average to the north, South Nowra is reasonably good. Mono reception is good enough though. My memory is probably a bit out of date from the late 90s when I use to regularly holiday there.
From memory it is pretty good to around Berry.
Jervis Bay was pretty strong as LOS is good to Knights Hill.
Wave and i98 go OK down the coast despite the ERP restriction, often as far south as Narooma. Obviously not as strong as 94.9 Power FM though, and reception would be poorer the further inland you go (mostly non-existent at Batemans Bay and Moruya for example).
Here in Bungendore, Wave and i98 can still be heard on the higher hills around town.
I donât know if anyone else has noticed but ABC Illawarra has turned off their stereo pilot.
I know the program feed was mono underneath but it sounded much better with the stereo pilot on.
The station had a stereo pilot since it first went to air, I wonder why they have decided to turn it off now?
Thanks for the heads-up on that.
When did that change occur?
Must have been very recent.
No idea. First time Iâve ever noted an absence of a stereo pilot on 97.3 (2ILA)
Possibly a stereo encoder/audio processor taken away for repair?
Iâve never really noticed any stereo content on 97.3⌠Does their local breakfast or morning programs have music that might be in stereo?
First noticed it at the beginning of this week.
Music content is no more than any other ABC Local Radio outlet. There may have been a time when the local programming was in stereo, though possibly not since Austinmer was a minerâs town.
ABC Wollongong may still be using an AWA BAC1 mixer, CEI Cart machines and Rola reel to reels. I bet there are still some commercial radio studioâs with this kit still running too.
WaveFM have brought back Andy to workdays - now hosting 9am-11am with â22 Songs in a Rowâ.
Meanwhile, i98 still has just the one workday jock.