What's New
BY Sarah Patterson June 29, 2026
What's New February 5, 2025
ARN launches new TVC for GOLD101.7
Reporter
ARN has launched a new TV commercial in Sydney to mark the transformation of WSFM into GOLD101.7, reinforcing the station’s refreshed identity as part of the unified GOLD brand.
Featuring Jonesy & Amanda, the TVC brings the tagline “New Look, New Sound, New Faces” to life, reassuring loyal listeners that while the station has a fresh name, look, and sound, it remains home to the familiar voices they know and love.
Lauren Joyce, ARN’s Chief Audience & Content Officer, says the campaign reflects the evolution of the station while staying true to its heritage.
“Sydney listeners have loved WSFM for decades, and GOLD101.7 builds on that legacy with a fresh, dynamic energy while keeping the music and personalities they know and trust. This campaign brings the GOLD brand to life, uniting Sydney and Melbourne under a shared passion for great songs and real connection.”
The GOLD101.7 TVC launched this week on broadcast television and is being supported across all mediums – out-of-home, transit, TV, social, digital, print, and radio.
ARN announced the rebrand of WSFM to GOLD101.7 in late 2024,
The TVC is part of a broader marketing campaign designed to strengthen GOLD101.7’s presence in Sydney.
In Melbourne, GOLD104.3 has also launched a new marketing campaign positioning the station as the home of great songs that refuse to age.
As part of the campaign, Christian O’Connell invited listeners to share their own creative slogans for the station’s marketing. The best submissions are now showcased on digital outdoor sites across Melbourne, bringing the audience’s voice to the heart of the campaign.
With lines like ‘Less Stress, More INXS’ and ‘Less Traffic Jam, More Pearl Jam,’ the slogans reinforce GOLD104.3’s core promise – JUST GREAT SONGS.
Jonesy & Amanda can be heard on GOLD101.7 and Christian O’Connell on GOLD104.3, both from 6–9am or via the free iHeart app.
I will be really interested to see how the “new sound” goes.
I think many are noticing all the 90’s as well as Lady Gaga and Pink, at the expense of much loved 70’s artists.
Will Smooth and UE benefit?
I reckon they might but I could be wrong!
@Field Geoff: While the frequency of newer tracks at the expense of older ones may have increased recently, it’d be fair to say that 1990s/2000s tracks have been played on 101.7 for *many* years though.
And heaven knows Smooth 95.3 has moved significantly away from its original Easy Listening playlist post-2020, yet that has somehow escaped scrutiny or any significant ratings pain. Anyway…
The latest marketing campaign for Gold 101.7 is IMO, an attempt to fix what wasn’t broken. Visual branding wise, WSFM had something good going for them with the Jonesy & Amanda dolls which sadly, appear to have all but vanished from their 2025 strategy. It’s also not difficult to imagine a spoof of the new ads, where J&A hear they’re being replaced by Christian O’Connell!
Regardless of all that, I’d like to know if ACE plan on lifting their promotional efforts for their recently relaunched Classic Hits 2UE. The combination of the WSFM > Gold relaunch and 2UE’s recent 100th birthday would have to be the biggest marketing opportunities any Sydney AM music station has had in ages, yet it so far neither has been used to its fullest potential IMO.
This ad is all about ensuring current listeners understand that “WS” is now spelt as “Gold”.
It does nothing to attract new listeners by explaining what the station is all about.
Don’t forget ACE radio is only a caretaker of 2UE. It runs it for the Nine Network. Same with 4BH. I’m pretty sure Nine Network heads won’t be splashing out money for AM music stations. In fact they might even be a burden as it concentrates on talk radio 2GB, 3AW and 4BC. Don’t hold your breath.
Joneses and Amanda look amazing!
2WS DESERTED WESTERN SYDNEY once new owners took over. They moved to North Ryde and became americanised and sounded like just another station. THEY LOST the COMMUNITY FEEL once HANS TORV AND PETE GRAHAME LEFT. NO MORE JUKEBOX SAT NIGHT, NO MORE XMAS CAROLS AT PARRAMATTA STADIUM. NO OUTSIDE BROADCASTS, NO MORE FREE BREAKFASTS AT RAILWAY STATIONS. 2WS WERE ALL ABOUT SYDNEYS WEST.
THEY KNEW HOW THE COMMUNITY STUCK WITH THEM.
NOW ITS LOST FOREVER.
@Neil: From this distance, Nine Radio seem to be very “hands off” when it comes to the day-to-day operations of 2UE, 4BH, etc. Obviously, Nine are responsible for AM/DAB+ transmission and the hourly news with ACE likely being in charge of most other things.
Nonetheless, I still stand by my view about ACE/2UE (so far at least) missing major opportunities to win disgruntled WS listeners. Hopefully if/when ARN let go of more familiar voices from 101.7 in favour of networking from Melbourne, ACE will be smart enough to find an opportunity for said talent on Classic Hits 2UE.
@Bob g: While pre-relaunch WSFM was never the same as 2WS during the 80s and 90s, I’d say the listener base of 101.7 in recent years, has probably still been somewhere out West.
Conversely, it wouldn’t surprise me if a particularly strong preference for Smooth 95.3 over WSFM in Sydney’s more affluent Eastern suburbs, North Shore & Northern Beaches regions where rates of disposable income are generally higher than those out West, helped triggered the Gold rebrand. Which of course, isn’t to say I agree with that decision!
Same old station
Just a new name.
Not what the station used to be for ” westies”
Out of the West 2ws
Then moved to FM band and now another ” re launch”
Give me community radio any day
@ City of Sydney TV
That’s why I’ve moved away from commercial radio
And community radio is far more better no BS and definitely no ego’s on community radio
@ Bon G
You’ve got in in one
So true and now they are all about them selves.
Community radio ( SWR 99.9 and 2MCR 100.3 ) is the way to go.
I wonder if Gold 101.7 will eventually change it’s studio line number from 13 9736 (13WSFM)
@Mick c: I think it’d be reasonable to say that SWR-FM (who surely, must be longing for the day ARN’s trademarks for WS expire!) may not have become what it is now, had WS not moved away from its roots in the Late ’90s/Early 2000s.
Other commercial stations encroaching into Western Sydney with promotional efforts of their own though, is something that likely was eventually going to happen regardless due to the significant population increase + demography changes in recent decades.
@Richard: Not difficult for me to imagine 13 GOLD (4653) eventually being used as a network number. But if they’ve still got the rights to 13 9736, they may as well use them. The legacy 9611 1000 number remained in use by WS long after moving to Byfield St!
More redundancies on the way no doubt to pay for the TV advertising