CBN (TV station)

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CBN
southern New South Wales & ACT
Branding Prime
Slogan Bringing It Home
Channels Analog: see table below

Digital: see table below

Affiliations Seven
Network Prime
Owner Prime Television Ltd
(Prime Television (Southern) Pty Ltd)
First air date March 17, 1962
Call letters’ meaning Country
Broadcasting
New South Wales
Former affiliations independent (1962-1989)
Transmitter Power see table below
Height see table below
Transmitter Coordinates see table below
Website www.primetv.com.au

CBN is an Australian television station licensed to, and serving the regions surrounding Orange and Dubbo in central western New South Wales.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

CBN-8 Orange commenced broadcasting on March 17, 1962, licensed to Country Broadcasting Services, owners of local radio station 2GZ. They soon changed their name to Country Television Services.[citation needed] CWN-6 Dubbo began transmission on December 1, 1965. Also owned by CTS, they became the first station to completely relay another station's programming, although some station identification, such as test patterns, remained separate.[citation needed]

In 1968, the stations acquired access to the Postmaster-General's microwave link, allowing viewers to see national news programs and other major events live and direct for the first time.[citation needed] By the early 1970s, the stations began to run into financial difficulties, and it was decided to enter into a joint programming agreement with MTN-9 of Griffith, creating the Television 6-8-9 network.[citation needed]

A 30-minute documentary on the 1978 National Rodeo Titles, called Goin' Down The Road, won the station the 'Outstanding Contribution by a Regional Station' Logie Award in 1979. Local programming in the 1980s included Focus, Rural Roundup, Early Shift, Weekend Report, Time to Live, Around The Schools, and coverage of local special events.

Local sports telecasts, especially tennis and rugby, were a major part of the schedule in the late 1970s and early 1980s. From 1979, the station sponsored, and telecast the United Permanent Tennis Tournament, the only tournament of its kind in Australia.

In the early 1980s, the network was renamed Midstate Television 6-8-9.[citation needed]

With aggregation looming, CBN and CWN were purchased by health care magnate Paul Ramsay's Ramcorp Ltd in 1987, and merged with RVN/AMV to form The Prime Network, in November 1988.[citation needed] Local programming was reduced, along with staff numbers - morale at the time was reported to be at "an all time low".[citation needed] The schedule began to look more like affiliation partner Seven's schedule, with new facilities built in Wollongong and Canberra to expand coverage.[citation needed]

[edit] Aggregation

When aggreation in southern New South Wales occurred in 1989, CBN and CWN were effectively merged into one station, CBN, branded as Prime Television.[citation needed] The station then moved into the rest of the new license area, competiting against WIN Television and 10 Capital. The introduction of the two new stations into Orange was delayed by technical problems, and did not start in the area until later in the year.[citation needed]

In 1991, the Wagga and Orange licenses were merged into the one license, with RVN taking on the CBN callsign.[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
Canberra Canberra 34 (UHF)
12 (VHF)
March 31, 1989 600 kW
50 kW
362 m
345 m
35°16′32″S, 149°5′52″E Black Mountain
Central Tablelands Orange 8 (VHF)
37 (UHF)
March 17, 1962 200 kW
570 kW
620 m
628 m
33°20′31″S, 148°58′59″E Mount Canobolas
Central Western Slopes2 Dubbo 6 (VHF)
NA
December 1, 1965 400 kW 638 m 31°20′32″S, 149°1′22″E Mount Cenn Cruaich
Illawarra Wollongong 65 (UHF)
38 (UHF)
March 31, 1989 950 kW
250 kW
619 m
600 m
34°37′23″S, 150°41′39″E (analog)
34°37′8″S, 150°41′49″E (digital)
Knights Hill
South Western Slopes and Eastern Riverina3 Wagga Wagga 2 (VHF)
47 (UHF)
June 19, 1964 200 kW
600 kW
528 m
540 m
34°49′13″S, 147°54′5″E Mount Ulandra

Notes:

  • 1. HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
  • 2. The Central Western Slopes station was a relay of CBN with the callsign CWN from its 1965 sign-on until aggregation in 1989.
  • 3. The South Western Slopes and Eastern Riverina station was an independent station with the callsign RVN from its 1964 sign-on until aggregation in 1989.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links