2CA streams classic hits and oldies from the 1960s through the 1990s live on 1053 AM from Canberra, Australia's capital, under its current Forever Classic format. It is free to listen right now, anywhere in the world, no account required.
Built From the Back of an Electrical Shop
2CA was Canberra's first commercial radio station, launched on 14 November 1931 by Albert John "Jack" Ryan, a First World War signaller who built the station's original 50-watt transmitter in the back of his own electrical repair shop in Kingston, according to a history of the station on Wikipedia. By 1933 the station had grown to 500 watts and moved into a purpose-built studio on a small hill near the Queanbeyan-Canberra road, a site that became known locally as Radio Hill.
Growing With the Capital
As Canberra itself grew, so did 2CA, moving its studios to Mort Street in Canberra City by the late 1930s and lifting its transmitter power to 2,000 watts from a new site at Gungahlin. The station later shifted frequency from 1050 to 1053 kHz in 1978, added AM stereo broadcasting in 1986, and became the first Canberra radio station to launch a website in 1995.
Held Its Ground Against a Younger Rival
2CA's long run atop Canberra radio was interrupted when 2CC signed on in 1975 as the city's second commercial station and quickly took over the ratings lead, holding that advantage through most of the late 1970s and 1980s. 2CA eventually found its footing again by settling into a classic hits identity rather than chasing a younger, more contemporary audience.
A Trip From the 60s to the 90s
That identity now runs under the banner Forever Classic, with 2CA playing a run of hits spanning the 1960s through the 1990s rather than locking into a single decade. The approach gives Canberra listeners a station built around music many of them grew up with, jointly owned today by the Capital Radio Network and Grant Broadcasters.
Listen to 2CA Free on Radio Shuffle
2CA streams around the clock, and Radio Shuffle carries the feed live with nothing to install and no subscription required. Press play above for the station that has broadcast to Canberra since 1931.