50 years of TNT9 Launceston

Another half-century celebration for regional television this week with Launceston-based TNT9 having commenced official transmission on Saturday, 26 May 1962 for viewers across north and north-western Tasmania.  It was Tasmania’s second commercial television station, two years after TVT6 launched in Hobart.

The licence to operate the new channel was granted in 1960 to Northern Television Limited, a company owned by W. R. Rolph and Sons, owners of local newspaper The Examiner and radio station 7EX.

New studio premises were constructed at Watchorn Street, South Launceston that would ultimately house both TNT9 and 7EX, and TNT9’s transmitter was built atop Mount Barrow. 

TNT9 was officially opened by Governor Lord Rowallan (pictured) on the night of Saturday, 26 May 1962, accompanied by his wife Lady Rowallan, station general manager Arthur Evans and Edmund Rouse, the managing director of W. R. Rolph and Sons.

At the time of TNT9’s official opening the station employed around 30 staff.

TNT9, Saturday, 26 May 1962: 2pm Test Pattern 6pm The Mickey Mouse Club 6.45 TNT News 7pm Official Opening TNT9: Governor Lord Rowallan 7.30 The Flintstones 8pm BP Super Show 9pm The Dave Brubeck Show 9.30 Movie: Two Guys From Milwaukee 11pm News; Close Source: The Mercury, 26 May 1962

TNT9’s early line-up consisted largely of American imports but did include Australian shows from the mainland, including BP Pick A Box, Bandstand, The Mobil-Limb Show, Sunnyside Up, It Could Be You and Whiplash – while local programs included Hunter’s Tele-Quiz, Sports Club, Children’s Time, Easy Beat, Quiz Quest, Talk Of The Town and At Home With Nine as well as the nightly 15-minute news service produced in association with The Examiner.

Presenters at TNT9 during the 1960s included Rod Thurling, Joy Swain, newsreader Bruce Farrar, sports presenter David McQuestin and a young radio announcer from Victoria – Mal Walden.

During the 1970s local programs included the Logie-winning Saturday Night Show with Jim Cox and Graeme Goodings (now a newsreader for Seven News in Adelaide), talent quest New Faces and the Northern Lights telethon (pictured) which attracted stars from the mainland.  Ray James took over from David McQuestin as the main sports presenter and 7EX radio announcer Paul Murphy became TNT9’s newsreader and later news editor.  Some of Murphy’s successors at the news desk have included Tim Lester (now with Nine News), Diane Massey, Kaye Wilkinson, Steve Titmus, Kim Millar and current news presenter Jo Palmer.

The 1980s were a turbulent time in Tasmanian television, with TNT9’s parent company ENT Limited (formed in the 1960s with the merger of Northern Television Limited and Examiner Newspaper Pty Ltd) successfully taking over Hobart’s TVT6.  The takeover eventually led to TNT9 and TVT6 adopting a single on-air brand – TAS TV – and a uniform program schedule across the state.

By the end of the 1980s aggregation was on the horizon for Tasmania and Edmund Rouse, chairman of ENT Limited, told The Examiner in 1987 that competition would not be in the best interest of Tasmanian viewers:

“I do not necessarily believe that Tasmanian viewers will be better served under the proposed new system.  Firstly, we run 18 of the top 20 TV programs in Australia.  The two we don’t run have no relevance to Tasmania.  Secondly, inevitably the number of repeats will be substantially increased as any visitor to the mainland capitals would know occurs there.”

Nevertheless, ENT complied with the government’s aggregation policy and sold TNT9 to Tricom Corporation for $40 million in 1988 while retaining TVT6 (TAS TV), thus forming the basis for two statewide television networks, one based in Hobart and one in Launceston. 

Tricom (a predecessor to what is now Southern Cross Austereo) also owned Victorian regional stations BCV8 Bendigo and GLV8 Gippsland and in March 1989 branded all three channels as Southern Cross Network.

In April 1994 aggregation was implemented in Tasmania with Southern Cross Network (TNT) and TAS TV (TVT) now broadcasting in competition with each other across the whole of Tasmania.  TAS TV (now a branch of the WIN network) had an affiliation with the Nine Network for the supply of programs, while Southern Cross formed ties with both the Seven and Ten networks for its program schedule – and since 1998 Southern Cross has dominated the ratings across the Tasmanian market.

Digital television had arrived in the early 2000s and on 1 January 2004 Southern Cross and WIN launched a joint venture, a digital-only channel Tasmanian Digital Television (TDT) offering primarily a Network Ten schedule enabling Southern Cross to gradually move towards an exclusive Seven Network line-up.  The channel was the first of its kind in Australia, giving Tasmanian viewers a third commercial channel operated by the owners of the two existing networks – a concept that would later expand to Mildura and Darwin.  The introduction of the digital-only commercial channel led to the Tasmanian market having one of the fastest conversion rates to digital television in Australia.  According to the latest Digital Tracker survey, 86 per cent of Tasmanian households have converted at least their main television set to digital compared to the national average of 82 per cent.

Southern Cross Television in Tasmania has since expanded into the multi-channel environment with the network relaying the Seven Network’s digital channels 7TWO and 7mate to the Tasmanian market.  But the advent of competition, digital television and multi-channels have largely come at the cost of local production, although Southern Cross does continue to produce its own news service, Southern Cross News, seven nights a week.  Local production also includes a fishing program, Hook Line And Sinker, which is shown across Australia via 7mate, and coverage of the annual Targa Tasmania event.

Southern Cross Television won the 2011 ratings year in Tasmania with a prime-time market share of 39.8 per cent (comprised of 30.3% for Southern Cross, 6.7% for 7TWO and 2.7% for 7mate), well ahead of WIN (23.0%), ABC (18.5%), TDT (13.5%) and SBS (5.2%).

Source: The Mercury, 26 May 1962.  The Examiner, 26 May 1987. The Rise and Fall of Edmund Rouse, Stephen Tanner.  Regional TAM.  The Good Innings, Graeme Goodings.  University Of Tasmania.

SBS scores jackpot in federal budget

SBS might not have had a ticket in last night’s OzLotto $70 million jackpot but it has won an even greater prize… more than $158 million over the next five years, as announced in the Federal Budget.

The funding boost is in contrast to the 2009 round of triennial funding which saw SBS denied funds intended for improving its digital broadcasting initiatives.

The increased funding for Australia’s second national broadcaster includes $63 million over the next four years to facilitate the network’s launching of a national free-to-air Indigenous channel by the end of 2012.

The new channel will largely incorporate the existing NITV, which launched in 2007 but has had limited capacity for market reach.  NITV is currently available via terrestrial broadcast only in remote and outback communities with access in larger, more populated areas limited to pay-TV platforms.  The new channel will be available via SBS digital television across Australia, through terrestrial broadcast as well as the VAST satellite system.

In a statement issued by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy said the increased funding will help SBS maintain its relevance in an increasingly competitive and changing media landscape:

“The Australian Government recognises SBS as one of Australia’s most important institutions.  This represents the most significant funding boost SBS has ever had, and will ensure SBS can continue to provide a unique broadcasting service that includes comprehensive television, radio and online services.”

“This additional funding will allow SBS to address its immediate financial pressures, adapt to the changing media environment and build or upgrade its technology capabilities.”

“The creation of a truly national free-to-air Indigenous television service, built on the foundations of the existing NITV service, will greatly expand the availability of Indigenous broadcast content for all Australians.”

The Budget has also allowed additional funding for ABC, in particular to allow Australians in regional and remote areas better access to ABC radio coverage.  The funding will also enable ABC to migrate distribution of its radio networks from the Optus Aurora satellite, which will cease at the end of 2013, to the Government-funded VAST system.

Australians who have direct satellite-to-home access to VAST will also gain access to ABC’s digital-only radio stations as a result of the transition. 

Source: DBCDE, SBS

WIN goes for Gold

Today – 1 May – sees regional broadcaster WIN launch its own digital datacast channel, following from the recent launches of TV4ME (via the Seven and Prime7 networks) and Extra (broadcasting via Nine in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and NBN in Northern NSW).

WIN Gold promises much the same sort of limited-appeal content as its Seven and Nine network predecessors – with the datacast channels largely confined to niche formats such as home shopping, education, lifestyle and community programs.

WIN Gold is to be broadcast on the digital signal of WIN’s regional network (on digital channel 84) and on WIN’s capital city stations, NWS9 Adelaide and STW9 Perth (via digital channel 94).

Now for something Extra

Inevitably when one starts the other one follows.

Last year the Seven and Prime7 networks launched datacast channel TV4 – now TV4ME – featuring predominantly a mix of infomercials and niche programming.

Now it appears Nine is set to follow suit with the launch of Extra.

The new channel is now broadcasting a test signal on Nine’s digital channel 94 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.  It is not clear if the channel will be expanded to include affiliate WIN – covering various regional areas as well as Perth and Adelaide – and the Nine-owned stations NBN and Nine Darwin.

Extra so far promises “the very best in home shopping and so much more of what you’re looking for”.

News of the Nine Network’s new cash-driven venture comes after reports that the three commercial networks are again handed financial concessions from the Gillard government in the form of more licence rebates worth tens of millions of dollars.

Extra starts 6.00am on Monday (AEDST).

Source: The Australian
YouTube: MCProductionsAU

Northern NSW going digital in November

Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy has announced 27 November 2012 as the date for the switch-off of analogue television services in the Northern NSW coverage area (pictured).

The switch-off will affect local transmissions of ABC, Prime7 (NEN), NBN, Southern Cross Ten (NRN) and SBS in the Northern NSW regions of Newcastle/Hunter Valley, Tamworth/New England, Taree/Manning River, Richmond/Tweed Heads and Northern Rivers.

Some towns within the above regions may be identified for analogue switch-off before the November date, however a list of towns affected is yet to be finalised.

Excluded from the November switch-off will be the Gold Coast and Gosford/Central Coast areas which both fall within the Northern NSW market but overlap with the Brisbane and Sydney television licence areas respectively.  Those areas will have analogue services terminated in late 2013.

According to the latest Digital Tracker survey – covering the period October to December 2011 – 84 per cent of households in the Northern NSW market have already converted at least their main TV set to digital, compared to the national average of 82 per cent.

In preparation for the analogue switch-off, broadcasters are establishing seven new transmission sites to improve areas of poor digital reception, but viewers within the coverage area that are unable to receive an adequate digital signal by 27 May may be eligible for transition to the satellite-based VAST system which will provide access to all free-to-air networks and their digital multi-channels.

Households requiring practical or financial assistance in making the transition to digital television may be eligible for government support and are advised to consult the Digital Ready website or telephone 1800 20 10 13.

The Northern NSW analogue switch-off will follow that of the Southern NSW, Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and ACT markets which are due to switch to digital-only transmission on 5 June this year.

Source: DBCDE

C31 joins early analogue switch-off

C31, Melbourne’s community television channel, is soon to join its Sydney counterpart TVS in an early shutdown of its analogue signal – well ahead of the scheduled shutdown of other analogue services in their respective cities.

On their website, C31 advises that it will cease analogue transmission (from UHF 31 and from UHF 64 in South Yarra) on Thursday 1 March, even though the analogue shutdown is not scheduled for Melbourne until late 2013.

From 1 March, viewers will only be able to access C31 on digital television channel 44 (UHF 32 from Mount Dandenong, or UHF 66 from the South Yarra translator).

The shutdown of the analogue signal marks an end to over 17 years of transmission from UHF Channel 31, dating back to when the channel first launched in October 1994.  Back then, Channel 31 was broadcasting a program schedule only on Monday to Thursday evenings and on Saturday nights broadcast live coverage of races from Harness Racing Victoria, then a sponsor of the channel.

C31 now broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and also has some programs available via a catch-up facility on their website.

TVS will also be closing its analogue signal from 1 March, while Brisbane’s 31 Digital and Perth’s WTV are already broadcasting solely in digital.

Source: C31

Aussie TV classics on 7TWO – including an ABC favourite

Although the Seven Network’s digital channel 7TWO tends to feature a line-up heavy in classic British fare of drama, comedy and lifestyle shows, the channel manages to squeeze in some classic Australian content.

With its coverage of the minor tennis tournaments now out of the way – and the Australian Open about to start on the main Seven channel – 7TWO from Monday will resume screening classic soap Sons And Daughters and early episodes of Home And Away in their morning timeslots.

From Monday afternoon, 16 January, 7TWO will also roll-out two more vintage classics.  Young Ramsay, a family drama that ran from 1977 to 1980 starring John Hargreaves (pictured with co-star Barbara Llewellyn) as a country vet, and Five Mile Creek, a period drama set in the early gold rush days of Australia that featured Liz Burch, Gus Mercurio, Michael Caton and a young Nicole Kidman.

Although Young Ramsay is being played out from episode one, Five Mile Creek is being resumed from season three as it had a brief run of episodes on 7TWO last month.

Both dramas were originally screened on Seven and produced by Crawford Productions, though Five Mile Creek was a co-production with the American Disney Channel in the early-‘80s and gained a loyal following in the US.

From Friday, 20 January, 7TWO begins a re-run of one of the most popular dramas to come from the ABC – Seachange.

Seachange told the story of city lawyer Laura Gibson (Sigrid Thornton) who after a string of personal crises adopts a change of lifestyle and moves her family to the fictional seaside town of Pearl Bay, hoping for a more peaceful and less dramatic existence as a local magistrate but finding herself immersed in a town of somewhat eccentric characters.

Although Thornton played the central character in Seachange, the series featured a strong supporting cast of veteran performers and new talent, including John Howard, Kerry Armstrong, David Wenham (pictured with Thornton), William McInnes, Jill Forster, Kevin Harrington, Fiona Corke, Tom Long, Alan Cassell, Shaun Micallef and Mark Mitchell.

The series, produced by Artist Services (best known for producing Fast Forward), delivered high ratings for ABC in the competitive 7.30pm Sunday timeslot and its popularity led to the initial batch of thirteen episodes in 1998 being followed by another in 1999 and a third in 2000. 

Over its three-year run Seachange collected nine TV Week Logies – including three for Most Outstanding Drama Series – and three AFI awards.

The series has been repeated on a number of occasions on ABC but this is its first airing on a commercial channel.

Other ABC titles to have featured on 7TWO since its inception are Mother And Son and Barry Humphries’ Flashbacks.

Young Ramsay and Five Mile Creek, weekdays from 12.00pm, starting 16 January.  Seachange, Fridays 7.30pm, starting 20 January.  7TWO.

Source: Five Mile Creek, Seachange, Australian Television Information Archive

TVS to do early analogue switch-off

Sydney’s community television station TVS has announced it will be switching off its analogue transmission from Channel 31 next year, well ahead of the planned shutdown of analogue signals in Sydney.

From 1 March next year TVS will be broadcasting solely in digital – on channel number 44 (UHF Channel 29) – two years after it commenced simulcast with the analogue signal.

It is currently estimated that 74 per cent of Sydney households have access to at least one digital TV receiver.

TVS will be the third community TV station in Australia to be broadcasting in digital-only mode.  Brisbane’s 31 Digital ceased analogue transmission in May this year, and Perth’s WTV has been broadcasting exclusively in digital since its launch in 2010.

Melbourne’s C31 and Adelaide’s 44 continue to simulcast on both analogue and digital platforms.

All other analogue transmissions in the Sydney market are scheduled to be shutdown in the second half of 2013.

Source: TVS, 31 Digital.

GLV: Australia’s first regional channel

It is 50 years today since Australia’s first regional television station was officially opened.

GLV10, covering Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley in eastern Victoria, was opened on Saturday, 9 December 1961.  The launch was the culmination of seven years of planning, starting when a group of influential Gippsland individuals formed Gippsland Telecasters.  The group also had the support of the local print media who were keen to contribute to the proposed channel’s local news coverage.

Gippsland Telecasters then joined with other local businesses – including  newspapers, theatres and drive-ins – and local churches to become shareholders in Eastern Victorian Television, the company that would submit the application for a television broadcasting licence for Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley.

The successful application then saw the appointment of the channel’s first General Manager, Gordon Lewis, who began working from temporary offices in the former Traralgon Town Hall.  Construction then began on the station’s premises located on the Princes Highway just outside of Traralgon.

Launching five years after the advent of television in Sydney and Melbourne, GLV promised a modern and well-designed production facility – in a building designed specifically for a television station, unlike Melbourne channels GTV9 and HSV7 whose studios were converted from pre-existing buildings. 

GLV10’s opening night’s programs started at 5.45pm with a 15-minute film, Touring Gippsland, to be followed by an introduction to the station by radio 3TR announcer Don Ewart (pictured).  Unfortunately, Ewart’s opening words were never heard by anyone outside the studio as his microphone was not switched on.

Programs to follow included imports Jungle Jim, Whirlybirds and I Love Lucy before the formalities of the official opening of the station by the Chairman of the Broadcasting Control Board, Mr R. G. Osborne, accompanied by General Manager Gordon Lewis.  Opening night was also attended by a number of ‘national’ personalities including Horrie Dargie, Bobby Limb, Happy Hammond and Johnny Chester. 

Later in the evening GLV10 crossed to Melbourne’s ABV2 for a one-hour live coverage of the day’s Federal Election results before presenting a 15-minute local news bulletin and then signing off for the night.

The new channel had a staff of 35 and was planning to broadcast initially for around 30 hours a week.

Two weeks after GLV10’s debut came the launch of regional stations GMV6 Shepparton and BCV8 Bendigo.

Like many regional channels in the early days GLV maintained a number of local productions.  The channel’s first news service was a daily 15-minute bulletin presented by Don Ewart, including local news and day-old national news footage that had been sent overnight by train from Melbourne.  Early local programs included children’s program GLV Teleclub, pop music program Teen Time, talent quest Battle Of The Towns, variety program Showtime, documentary series Gippsland’s Pathway Of Time, local sports coverage and Sunday afternoon programs Spotlight On Sport and Farming Today.

By 1963, GLV10 had begun the direct relay of the main evening news bulletin from GTV9 in Melbourne to supplement its own ten-minute local news bulletin.  The channel was also using the relay facility for the broadcasting of programs like In Melbourne Tonight, Homicide, Sunnyside Up, daytime game shows and VFL coverage, enabling local viewers the chance to see these programs as they were going to air in Melbourne or at least shortly after.

By the mid-1970s GLV10 had partnered with Bendigo channel BCV8 with both channels providing a common schedule across their respective areas.  Mildura channel STV8 then affiliated with the two channels and adopted their schedule and branding. 

In 1979, GLV10 had agreed to convert its call-sign and frequency to GLV8 in January 1980 in order to allow Melbourne channel ATV0 access to convert to the channel 10 frequency.

And like many regional television stations GLV provided a training ground for some that went on to careers in the wider media industry.  Journalist Malcolm Gray went on to Melbourne channels ATV0 and HSV7.  A former Miss Victoria, Simone Semmens, was a local newsreader before joining the Seven Network.  Keith McGowan, who went on to a 50-year career in broadcasting, hosted Teen Time in the 1960s.  Richard Zachariah was a local presenter at GLV before going to the Seven Network to present Seven National News and Eleven AM, and co-host ABC’s The Home Show with then partner Maggie Tabberer.  Award-winning journalist and Four Corners reporter Sally Neighbour also came from GLV8.

Showbiz veteran Denise Drysdale, a resident of the local area, presented a morning show on GLV8 during the 1980s.

GLV has endured many on-air name changes over the last few decades – from Southern Cross TV8 (1982) to Southern Cross Network (1989), SCN (1993), Ten Victoria (1994) and Southern Cross Ten (2001).

From 1992, the aggregation of regional markets in Victoria saw the Southern Cross Network of GLV and BCV expand its signal into the regions of Ballarat, Shepparton and Albury, while the incumbents from these regions in turn expanded into the areas covered by GLV and BCV.

With aggregation the Southern Cross Network affiliated with the Ten Network for the supply of programs supplemented by locally-produced programming such as maintaining local news in the Bendigo and Gippsland markets, a statewide edition of Eyewitness News with Rob Gaylard, and children’s program Surprise Surprise.

Some changes in the news format and presentation followed but the change to Ten Victoria in May 1994 saw all local production ceased and the network essentially becoming a straight relay of Network Ten’s schedule.

In 2000, GLV was forced to shutdown its Channel 8 signal in Gippsland and move to UHF Channel 37.  This was to accommodate the launch of the digital signal from GTV9 in Melbourne which was to use the 8 frequency.

From its modest beginnings with two regional channels in Victoria, Southern Cross Ten as it is now covers regional markets from Portland in western Victoria right up to Cairns in the far north of Queensland and across to Broken Hill and the Spencer Gulf region in South Australia.  Much of its on-air presentation is co-ordinated from centralised facilities in Canberra.

With the advent of digital television and multi-channels Southern Cross Ten has also adopted the Ten Network’s digital channels Eleven and One across its coverage areas.

And in Gippsland, as with the rest of regional Victoria, it was the end of an era in May this year with the shutdown of all analogue television transmissions from all local broadcasters – just a few months short of today’s 50 year milestone.

Source: TV Week, 7 December 1961.  The Age, 9 December 1961.  The Latrobe Valley Express, 9 December 1986.  Morwell Historical Society.

Regional Qld ready for digital… almost?

At around 9.00am (EST) today, analogue television transmissions in the Regional Queensland aggregated market will be switched off.

The switch-off will affect local transmissions for ABC, Seven Queensland (STQ), WIN (RTQ), Southern Cross Ten (TNQ) and SBS in the markets of Cairns/Far North Queensland, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Maryborough/Wide Bay and Toowoomba/Darling Downs/Southern Downs – covering a total market population of around 1,764,000 viewers, making it the largest analogue shutdown in Australia to date.

According to the latest Digital Tracker survey, covering the period July to September 2011, around 85 per cent of households in the Regional Queensland market have converted at least their main TV set to digital.  While retailers have experienced the expected last minute rush for digital set top boxes and TVs, it is estimated that two per cent of viewers in the affected market may still be unaware of the switch to digital-only transmission.

Today’s switch-off will mark the end of almost fifty years of analogue television transmission in regional Queensland.  The first regional channel to sign-on was DDQ10 Toowoomba in July 1962, followed later in the year by TNQ7 in Townsville.

RTQ7 Rockhampton followed in 1963, then WBQ8 Maryborough/Wide Bay (1965), FNQ10 Cairns (1966), SDQ4 Southern Downs (1966), MVQ6 Mackay (1968) and ITQ8 Mount Isa (1971).

ABC began rolling out television services in regional Queensland with the launch of ABRQ3 Rockhampton and ABDQ3 in December 1963.

In 1986 the ABC began broadcasting radio and television services to remote and outback regions via the new domestic satellite AUSSAT.  This was joined by commercial station QSTV, operated by Telecasters North Queensland (TNQ7/FNQ10), in 1988.

Also in 1988, the Toowoomba channel DDQ10 changed its call-sign and frequency to DDQ0 to allow Brisbane channel TVQ0 to change to the Ten frequency.

Aggregation of the regional markets of Townsville/Cairns, Rockhampton/Darling Downs/Southern Downs and Wide Bay/Mackay took place on 31 December 1990, giving local viewers a choice of three commercial channels – Sunshine Television (now Seven Queensland), WIN and QTV (now Southern Cross Ten).  

In 1999, Alice Springs-based Imparja Television expanded its remote area service to Mount Isa and the remote Queensland market in competition with Seven Central (previously ITQ8 and QSTV, now Southern Cross Television).  The region is now also covered by Ten Central, a joint venture between Imparja and Southern Cross as a digital-only service providing a dedicated Network Ten schedule.

Viewers in the remote market covered by analogue terrestrial transmissions of Imparja and Southern Cross Television will still have access to analogue until 2013.  Today’s switch-off only affects the regional Queensland aggregated market.  Brisbane and the Gold Coast will continue to receive analogue television until 2013.

The Federal Government has made allowances for financial assistance to eligible households in converting either to digital television or, where digital television reception is not possible, to gain access to the satellite-based VAST system.

Viewers in locations where locally-based “self-help” transmission facilities are not being upgraded to digital may also need to convert to VAST.

For details on the digital conversion, assistance options or access to VAST, refer to the Digital Ready website or telephone 1800 20 10 13.

After the Regional Queensland market the next region to lose analogue transmissions will be Southern NSW and the ACT in June 2012.

TV4 coming to the Seven Network

The Seven Network has announced that it will be broadcasting the datacast channel TV4 on its digital signal from early December.

TV4, operated by marketing and production company Brand New Media, has been broadcast on the digital signal of Seven’s regional affiliate Prime7 since 18 September.

The channel promises “information rich content around lifestyle, finances, community, education and shopping”.

If online discussion about Prime7’s broadcast of TV4 is any indication, Seven Network viewers can expect the channel to largely consist of infomercials – low-rent programming that is normally reserved for mid-dawn timeslots.

Datacast services are intended for the transmission of information or niche format content and are precluded from providing general entertainment or mainstream programming.  An extended trial of datacasting was conducted in Sydney via Digital Forty Four, providing access to shopping and religious programming, government information and parliamentary broadcasts as well as an electronic program guide (EPG) for all free-to-air channels.  The trial also provided a free-to-air outlet for National Indigenous Television (NITV), whose access in most areas is otherwise limited to pay-TV platforms.  The trial concluded in 2010.

Seven will be broadcasting TV4 on digital channel 74 in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and regional Queensland.  TV4 is currently available on digital channel 64 via Prime7 in regional NSW, Victoria and the ACT.

Analogue shutdown rolls out to NSW, ACT

The phasing out of analogue television transmissions continues with the announcement by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy that regions in Southern and Central NSW and the Australian Capital Territory are scheduled to have analogue transmissions switched off on 5 June 2012.

The switch-off will affect local transmissions of ABC, Prime (CBN), WIN, Southern Cross Ten (CTC) and SBS in the Southern NSW markets of Central Tablelands (Orange), Central Western Slopes (Dubbo), South West Slopes and Eastern Riverina (Wagga Wagga), Illawarra and the South Coast (Wollongong) and Canberra.  The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (Griffith) which is separate to the Southern NSW aggregated market and is served by ABC, WIN (MTN/AMN) and SBS, will also be affected.

The total area covers a population of around 1,436,800 viewers.

With Canberra included in this stage of the switch-off, it becomes the first capital city in Australia to lose analogue television broadcasts.

According to the latest Digital Tracker survey 83 per cent of households in the affected areas have already converted at least their main television set to digital, while 97 per cent of households are aware of the pending full conversion to digital television.

Viewers in the affected areas that do not have a digital signal equivalent to their existing analogue service six months before the analogue shutdown may be eligible for access to the VAST satellite system which will provide access to the full range of digital channels.

The Government also has other measures in place to assist eligible households in making the transition – details can be obtained from the Digital Ready website.

Meanwhile, viewers in regional Queensland are now approaching their analogue switch-off date – 6 December.

Analogue transmissions have already been switched off in regional Victoria (including Mildura/Sunraysia) and regional South Australia (including Broken Hill, NSW). 

Source: DBCDE

South West WA ready to go digital

Regional WA’s two commercial networks, GWN7 and WIN, have announced the date that their respective networks will be switching on digital transmission in Bunbury and the South West region of the state.

The switch on, scheduled for 28 July, will not only see the launch of digital transmission of the primary channels GWN7 and WIN but will also include Ten West and multi-channels 7TWO, 7mate, GO!, GEM, One and Eleven.

The commercial channels will join the existing local digital broadcasts of ABC and SBS.

Although GWN7, WIN and Ten West launched digital broadcasts in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Mawson, Mingenew and Karratha a year ago, their transmissions included only the primary channels.

Bunbury will be the first market in Regional WA to receive the extra commercial multi-channels, with the rollout expected to be completed across the state by early 2012.

GWN7 Chief Executive Officer Doug Edwards welcomed the new digital era for local viewers:

“Regional WA viewers will now be able to enjoy the whole digital experience. Put simply – this means more choice of free-to-air television with superior quality picture and sound. With the addition of 7TWO and 7mate, we are now offering greater choice for our audience”.

WIN’s manager of Legal, Regulatory & Network Affairs Shirley Brown said the digital launch brings some equality to viewers when compared to their city cousins:

“The roll out of the full suite of digital channels has been a long wait for the viewers of regional WA, we are pleased that the wait is nearly over and viewers will receive the same services as viewers in Perth have received for some time.”

Regional Western Australia is one of the last markets in Australia to receive digital broadcasts of commercial television – more than a decade after the first digital television broadcasts were launched in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.  As a result, Regional WA currently has the lowest conversion rate to digital television – with only 58 per cent of households currently converted to digital television, well below the national average of 79 per cent.

Regional WA is set to complete the transition to digital television with the shutdown of all existing analogue signals in the second half of 2013.

Video Hits suffers in Ten cutbacks

The new management at the Ten Network, led by acting CEO Lachlan Murdoch, have this week made their move towards cutting costs as it continues to dismantle some of the strategies laid down by the previous management and re-establish the network’s low-cost business model.

The network is looking to cut around 60 staff through voluntary redundancies – including 22 editorial positions – in what Murdoch told staff in an internal email is “a necessary but inevitably painful restructure”.  If the required number of voluntary redundancies are not met then the network may look at forced redundancies.

Another 40 non-contract positions have reportedly already been cut as the network shuts down its publicity and marketing arms in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and abolishes its separate sales teams for Ten and digital channels One and Eleven.

Ten is also believed to be reviewing its program and on-air presenting line-up, with particular attention to its news and current affairs portfolio, as it looks to rein in some of the costs incurred by the recent investment in current affairs program 6.30 With George Negus and the launch of additional news bulletins.

The advent of digital channel Eleven is also said to have put financial pressures on the business.

High-profile names such as George Negus and Sandra Sully are believed to be safe, for now.

Late night stalwart Sports Tonight, which began back in 1993, is believed to have been axed as the network walks away from its role as joint broadcaster of AFL after ten years.  The network is also expected to allow some of its other sporting contracts to lapse, affecting coverage of sports such as basketball and netball, as high-definition channel One is strategically moving away from being a purely sports-oriented format.

But so far the only program to have been formally announced as being cancelled is a somewhat surprising one – Video Hits, currently hosted by Dylan Lewis and Faustina Agolley (pictured).

The weekend music program, which debuted on TEN10 Sydney in February 1987 (Melbourne’s ATV10 didn’t take up the program until almost a year later), is set to wind up with a retrospective of its marathon run on Saturday, 6 August.

In a press release issued today, programming chief David Mott acknowledged the contribution and longevity of the program:

"Video Hits' contribution to the network and the music industry over the past 24 years has been outstanding. Music and how people listen to it, watch it and enjoy it has changed dramatically in last few years and now is the perfect time for the institution that is Video Hits to sign off. The show will always hold a special place in Ten's history.”

Video Hits began purely as a compilation of music video clips at a time when a generational change was occurring in television, as studio productions like Countdown and Sounds were making way for dedicated music clip programs – with Rage, MTV, Night Shift and Video Hits all launching during 1987.

Video Hits later expanded its format to include interviews and live performances.  The show has helped establish the careers of various Australian artists, including Missy Higgins, Angus and Julia Stone and Art Vs Science.

The cancellation of Video Hits now leaves ABC1’s Rage as the only significant program on free-to-air television dedicated to music – and it is largely buried in an overnight timeslot – and with few variety programs on free-to-air television there are even fewer TV opportunities for the promotion of Australian recording artists and music industry in general.

Ten’s newly-appointed CEO, former Seven Network executive James Warburton, takes over the reigns from Murdoch in January.

Source: ABC, The Australian, Network Ten

Network stars unite for Freeview

Personalities from all the free-to-air networks have gathered for a new advertising campaign to promote the Freeview digital television platform.

More than 40 on-air personalities have taken part in the campaign, including Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Les Murray, Gary Mehigan, Tom Williams (pictured, right), Scott Cam, Chrissie Swan (pictured, below) and Kayne Tremills.

The new campaign - ‘Everyone loves Freeview’ – is designed to highlight the range of content available on digital television and to celebrate the success of the new channels that have appeared.

So far around 79 per cent of Australian households have converted to digital television and, since the advent of Freeview and the expanded choice of channels on free-to-air, people are spending more time per day watching free-to-air television – and almost a quarter of all prime-time free-to-air viewing is now via the new multi-channels.

Freeview CEO Robin Parkes acknowledged the networks’ collaboration in putting the campaign together:

“We are so excited to have pulled off such a complex shoot with all our on-air talent and the end result looks fantastic. This is testament to the success of the partnership between the free-to-air networks, having all the talent come together to support the campaign. The celebrities from all the networks had a huge amount of fun on the sets in Melbourne and Sydney which you can see in the commercial!”

The ad campaign kicks off with a ‘roadblock’-style launch, a 60-second commercial to air across multiple networks at approximately 6.27pm this Sunday.

Three commercials have been produced for the campaign and will air across all Freeview channels, including Community TV channels, over six weeks.

Freeview was launched in 2008 as a joint initiative of the free-to-air networks to promote a single branding for the digital television platform and to promote the features and channels that it provides.

Source: Digital Tracker, Think TV, Freeview, OzTAM

Regional Victoria enters digital TV era

The largest shutdown of analogue television transmission in Australia to date takes place today as Regional Victoria becomes the next region to go entirely digital.

The analogue shutdown is set to affect approximately 1.171 million viewers across the markets of Ballarat/Western Victoria, Bendigo/Central Victoria, Shepparton/Goulburn Valley, Gippsland/La Trobe Valley and Albury/Upper Murray.

The Mildura/Sunraysia market farewelled analogue television transmission in June last year, and some small towns in Regional Victoria have already been changed over to digital-only transmission.

In the latest Digital Tracker survey, covering up to the end of March this year, approximately 85 per cent of Regional Victoria households had converted to digital television.  Local retailers were expecting a last-minute rush for digital TVs and set top boxes as the changeover was finally approaching.

Today’s shutdown brings to an end almost fifty years of analogue television transmission in Regional Victoria – which started with the launch of Gippsland channel GLV10 on Saturday, 9 December 1961.  It was the first regional television station to commence transmission in Australia.

GMV6, Shepparton, and BCV8, Bendigo, followed on 23 December 1961, and Ballarat’s BTV6 in April 1962.

AMV4, based in Albury but licensed as a Victorian station, followed in September 1964 and STV8, Mildura, completed the rollout of commercial television across the state in November 1965.

Meanwhile, national broadcaster ABC had expanded throughout the state during the mid-1960s, starting with ABEV1, Bendigo, in April 1963.

For much of the next thirty years, viewers across Regional Victoria had access only to their local commercial channel and ABC.  The advent of aggregation in January 1992 led to viewers across Regional Victoria (excluding Mildura) having a choice of commercial channels equal to that of the capital cities.  SBS had also been expanded across the state during the early 1990s.

The Federal Government has made allowances for financial assistance to eligible households in converting either to digital television or, where digital television reception is not possible, to gain access to the satellite-based VAST system.

Viewers in locations where locally-based “self-help” transmission facilities are not being upgraded to digital may also need to convert to VAST.

For details on the digital conversion, assistance options or access to VAST, refer to the Digital Ready website or telephone 1800 20 10 13.

Regional Queensland gets digital deadline

Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy has announced the date that Regional Queensland viewers will lose all analogue  television transmission and will only be able to access free-to-air television via digital.

On 6 December 2011 all local analogue transmissions for ABC, SBS, Seven Queensland (STQ), WIN (RTQ) and Southern Cross Ten (TNQ) will be closed down.

In the latest Digital Tracker survey, covering the period January to March this year, around 83 per cent of households in the Regional Queensland market have already made the transition to digital television.

The Regional Queensland market stretches from Cairns and Far North Queensland down to Toowoomba and the Darling Downs and Southern Downs regions – representing a population of around 1,764,000.

Viewers in the Regional Queensland market who are unable to receive digital television via normal terrestrial broadcast may be eligible to access the satellite-based VAST platform, which will be available to Regional Queensland from June 2011, and some households may qualify for government assistance in making that conversion.

Queensland viewers in more remote parts that receive commercial television from Imparja and Southern Cross Television will still have until the second half of 2013 to make the switch from analogue television, and Brisbane and Gold Coast viewers will have until the first half of 2013.

Source: Digital Ready, DBCDE

Alice Springs and Mt Isa ready for digital

Viewers in the capital cities may take for granted that their main commercial channels have been broadcasting in digital for over a decade, and that a range of other channels have since sprung up to offer some more viewing alternatives – but for viewers in the more remote parts of Australia those options are only just appearing.

Although ABC and SBS and their respective multi-channels have been broadcast in digital for some time, tomorrow (Monday) will mark the commencement of digital transmission in the remote towns of Alice Springs and Mount Isa for commercial channels Imparja Television and Southern Cross Television.

Up until now viewers have still only had the option to see those networks via analogue transmission.

The day will also mark the commencement of the new third commercial channel operated by Central Digital Television Pty Ltd, a joint venture between both Imparja and Southern Cross to offer viewers with a regular Network Ten signal.  The channel will broadcast exclusively in digital and marks the return of regular Network Ten programming to these areas since Imparja dropped its Ten affiliation in 2008.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) advises that the commercial networks will be offering the full suite of digital channels as are currently available via the VAST satellite platform.

Alice Springs viewers will find their channels on the following frequencies:

	Analogue	Digital
ABC	VHF7	VHF8
Southern Cross	UHF31	UHF38
Imparja	VHF9	UHF30
Central Digital (Ten)	n/a	UHF40
SBS	UHF28	VHF6

And Mount Isa:

	Analogue	Digital
ABC	VHF6	VHF7
Southern Cross	VHF8	UHF37
Imparja	UHF32	UHF39
Central Digital (Ten)	n/a	UHF31
SBS	UHF29	VHF9A

ACMA advises that a further 26 transmission sites within the Remote Central and Eastern television region will be upgraded for digital transmission of the above networks according to an implementation schedule to be submitted by the broadcasters.

The Remote Central and Eastern television regions are scheduled to lose all analogue transmission in the second half of 2013. 

Source: ACMA