Mount Maunganui's Kiss-FM is back to bring the sounds of rock and heavy metal to the airwaves.

The station has a new frequency, new mobile phone apps and new programmes for a fresh start for the New Year with founder Max Christoffersen saying radio has to change if it is to survive.

The sounds of Brilleaux (pictured), Swamp Thing, Enercia, Kokomo, Grant Haua, John Michaelz and Luke Thompson are back on the airwaves in Mount Maunganui.

'Kiss-FM has always delivered music in new ways other than traditional ‘me too' style radio. The station is new-media radio, which is designed for the emerging generation of music-lovers raised on Pandora and Spotify.

'Today's radio has to change formats to meet the changing culture of music listenership, so Kiss-FM is jock-free, ad-free, music-on-demand radio with all advertising on-line. And that is why so many listeners describe it as their music station of choice.”

Max describes the station's new broadcast as a gift for local music-lovers.

'It's been awhile between FM transmissions, but Kiss remained online in the years between and we've built a solid global following through the Tunein.com streaming network with listeners worldwide coming to Kiss-FM for their online rock music.”

And while off-air, the station continued to receive questions from locals asking if Kiss was ever going to broadcast on FM again.

'Kiss-FM always enjoyed local support, but we couldn't find a radio frequency that would allow us to broadcast without interference or range. 'We have got some ‘clearer air' right now on low power FM with less station clutter – so we're going to broadcast while the air is clear.”

In 2011 Kiss-FM applied to gain access to the full power 106.2 community frequency but lost the bid for the local airwaves, as Government ministries decided not to allocate the frequency to any local station.

Max says the station's choice was to remain online only or use another low power FM frequency 106.9FM that had become free earlier in the year.

'I decided to turn everything back on. I love sharing the music of our local musicians and recent feedback from listeners as far away as Brazil, Japan and Europe confirms that others love our bands too.

'Today, I believe that broadcasting local music from Brilleaux, Swamp Thing, Enercia, Kokomo, Grant Haua, John Michaelz and Luke Thompson on LPFM is better than not to broadcast at all.”

Kiss-FM returns with a new syndicated rock programme ‘Hard Rock Nights' from Texas rocker Brian Basher on Monday and Wednesday nights and ‘Guitar Hero' and ‘Music for Funerals' on Sunday nights.

Plus, the station retains all of its original specialist dedicated programming, ranging from progressive rock and death metal to acoustic music and country to women's rock and the blues.

Max says the same low power FM reception caveats still apply to Kiss-FM, which means listeners will be able to pick up the station in the car everywhere around Mount Maunganui and parts of Tauranga – but listeners at home will need a dedicated aerial for their FM tuner in the house. Mobile apps can be downloaded at: tunein.com

'I'm happy to be back delivering music to those who want another music choice in the car, their worksite or at home at The Mount. It's been a while between local rock on-air – but Kiss-FM is back.”

Check out Kiss-FM at: www.kissfm.co.nz