AMV (TV station)
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| AMV | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| regional Victoria | |
| Branding | Prime |
| Slogan | Bringing It Home |
| Channels | Analog: see table below |
| Affiliations | Seven |
| Network | Prime |
| Owner | Prime Television Ltd (Prime Television (Victoria) Pty Ltd) |
| First air date | September 7, 1964 |
| Call letters’ meaning | Albury Murray Victoria |
| Former affiliations | independent (1964-1989) |
| Transmitter Power | see table below |
| Height | see table below |
| Transmitter Coordinates | see table below |
| Website | www.primetv.com.au |
AMV is an Australian television station licensed to, and serving the regions surrounding Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga in south western New South Wales and north eastern Victoria. The station was, for many years, merged with RVN-2 as the Riverina and North East Victoria Television Service.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Origins
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It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article entitled CBN (TV station). (Discuss) |
AMV-4 commenced broadcasting on September 7, 1964.www.austvhistory.com It showed programming from the three major metropolitan television networks, in addition to local programming such as the Albury Gold Cup, the Ovens and Murray Grand Final and the 1988 Miss Australia pageant.[citation needed] The station also produced a half-hour news program, known today as Prime News.[citation needed]
Meanwhile, when the commercial television license for the Riverina area was being determined, a number of local groups submitted proposals. Young-based radio station 2LF, along with local councils and businesses in the Young-Cootamundra area, Wagga Wagga newspaper The Daily Advertiser and radio station 2WG, together with local Wagga Wagga businessmen, as well as a group of smaller newspapers and some licensed clubs.[citation needed]
2LF's proposal later joined forces with the Advertiser/2WG bid - 2LF would get 10% of the shares, 2WG got 20% and The Advertiser got 15%, with the remaining shares to be offered to local people.[citation needed] After issues at the ABCB enquiry for the license, the 2LF/2WG/Advertiser group (trading as Riverina Television) won the license.[citation needed]
The initial board was made up representavies from 2WG, 2LF, The Advertiser, and two local councils. A few days after the license was announced, the chairman and station manager had a disagreement, resulting in the resignation of both.[citation needed] They were replaced by Wal Hucker, who ran a film animation and sound company in Sydney, and was also the former chairman's brother-in-law.[citation needed] The former chairman's wife also joined the board, as the Control Board made it clear that 2WG had to remain involved in the station. Bill Marsden, of 2LF, became the station manager.[citation needed]
A disagreement with Wagga Wagga council over the location of a potential studio site, which would have provided direct line of sight transmission to the Mt. Ulandra transmitter, saw a new site rezoned from residential areas.[citation needed]
As with most stations launching at that time, the mast would be shared with the local transmitter of the ABC, but not the transmitting facilities, as chief engineer Stuart McDonald wanted to operate the facilities remotely. RVN would be first station to operate their transmitters in this way.[citation needed]
The building was finished in early 1964, with the station going to air on June 19 at 5pm. The opening night's programs including an announcement from the local Federal Member for the area at the time, film of the station's construction, an episode of I Love Lucy and the film The Dambusters.[citation needed] The station closed down for the night at 10pm.[citation needed]
As with most stations at the time, news was done by announcing over slides, or read to the camera, combined with the previous night's news film from ATN-7 Sydney. Local programming, including commercials, was broadcast live.[citation needed] RVN was the only station to have made a profit, albeit a small one, in its first year of operation.[citation needed]
[edit] RVN-AMV
By the early 1970s, many regional stations faced financial difficulties, and as a result RVN and AMV merted, forming the Riverina and North East Victoria Television Service Pty. Ltd., in 1971.[citation needed] The stations were known on-air as RVN-AMV. Both stations were programmed separately, until 1976 when transmission for both stations was centralized in Wagga.[citation needed]
In 1983, the stations faced a unique situation when New South Wales and Victoria ended daylight saving periods at different times. For three weeks, RVN's output was shown on AMV on a one hour delay.[citation needed] It was also unusual in thatit served audiences in two states, and had to program accordingly. New South Welsh viewers received Sydney news and sports, primarily rugby league, while viewers in Victoria were shown Melbourne news and sports (mainly VFL/AFL).[citation needed]
By the mid 1980s, 80 people were employed at Wagga, and a further 40 in Albury.[citation needed] RVN-AMV was purchased by Paul Ramsay's Ramcorp Ltd. in 1987, and merged with the Midstate Television 6-8-9 network, forming The Prime Network.[citation needed] The two stations split in 1989, when Southern New South Wales was aggregated - RVN joined with CBN, as the Seven Network affiliate in the area in competition with Ten Capital and WIN Television.[citation needed] AMV, meanwhile expanded into the rest of Victoria as the state's Seven Network affiliate, in competition with Vic TV and Southern Cross.[citation needed]
RVN's callsign ceased to exist in 1991, when the Wagga and Orange licenses were merged to become only CBN.[citation needed] At the same time, AMV moved from VHF channel 4 to VHF channel 11, in order to allow FM stations to be established without interference from existing television stations (using VHF channels 3, 4, 5 and 5A).[citation needed]
[edit] Main Transmitters
| Region served | City | Channels (Analog/ Digital) |
First air date | ERP (Analog/ Digital) |
HAAT (Analog/ Digital)1 |
Transmitter Coordinates | Transmitter Location |
| Ballarat | Ballarat | 33 (UHF) 46 (UHF) |
March 1992 | 2000 kW 500 kW |
663 m 713 m |
Lookout Hill | |
| Bendigo | Bendigo | 32 (UHF) 31 (UHF) |
March 1992 | 2000 kW 500 kW |
517 m 496 m |
(analog) (digital) |
Mount Alexander |
| Goulburn Valley | Shepparton | 43 (UHF) 45 (UHF) |
March 1992 | 1200 kW 300 kW |
377 m 378 m |
Mount Major | |
| Latrobe Valley | Traralgon | 46 (UHF) 33 (UHF) |
March 1992 | 1000 kW 400 kW |
515 m 487 m |
(analog) (digital) |
Mount Tassie |
| Murray Valley | Swan Hill | 47 (UHF) 62 (UHF) |
March 1992 | 400 kW 375 kW |
179 m 201 m |
Goschen | |
| Upper Murray | Albury | 11 (VHF)2 12 (VHF) |
September 7, 1964 | 250 kW 60 kW |
525 m 525 m |
Mount Baranduda | |
| Western Victoria | 34 (UHF) 12 (VHF) |
March 1992 | 200 kW 15 kW |
335 m 365 m |
(analog) (digital) |
Mount Dundas |
Notes:
- 1. HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
- 2. The Upper Murray station was on VHF channel 4 from its 1964 sign-on until sometime around 1990, moving to its current channel in order to accommodate FM radio.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Logos and clips of RVN and AMV at AusTVHistory.com
- RVN2 entry at the Australian Television Archive
- AMV4 entry at the Australian Television Archive
- A history of RVN-2
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