The Wave is an Independent Local Radio station based in Swansea, Wales, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and East Carmarthenshire. As of December 2022, the station has a weekly audience of 99,000 listeners according to RAJAR. History Early years Initially broadcasting as 257 Swansea Sound on 1169 AM and 95.1 FM on 30 September 1974, the AM frequency was later adjusted to 1170 and FM changed to 96.4. The station split into two separate services on 30 September 1995, creating a new music-led station called 96.4 Sound Wave, while Swansea Sound continued to broadcast on 1170 AM. The separate stations are based at studios in Gowerton, from where Swansea Sound began broadcasting. In 1998, the FM station changed its name to 96.4 The Wave. 2000s The Wave continued providing a local service to the Swansea area. In 2002, The Radio Authority announced plans for a Swansea DAB multiplex to form, allowing The Wave to broadcast on a digital platform under the format of contemporary hit radio. 2003 saw the station adding the South Wales' Hit Music tagline as their slogan as well as a highly popular competition called A Week on Wheels, which returned the following year as a promotion. In January 2004, The Wave was officially launched on the new DAB multiplex. The Wave came under management of UTV Radio in 2005, when the company acquired The Wireless Group, the owner of the station in the early 2000s. The station also ran Party in the Park concerts in Singleton Park, Swansea for many years, but due to the financial cost, the event ended in 2006. Instead, The Wave began a partnership with Escape into the Park, a similar music event involving mostly contemporary dance music. In 2008, The Wave began using the marketing brand You Love It, We Play It, which was processed by then-owners UTV Radio. The following year, the station switched to the Today's Best Mix strapline. 2010s The Wave and Swansea Sound were involved in UTV Media's Wales Live scheme, an aborted attempt to provide a service designed to support local news through radio, television and online services. The project was set to launch by October 2010, but ultimately failed. The Wave received an updated logo design which was made into a car sticker, with the inclusion of "DAB and Online" displayed