NTD

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NTD
Darwin, Northern Territory
Branding Nine
Slogan We Heart TV
Channels Analog: 8 (VHF)

Digital: 31 (UHF)

Affiliations Nine (O&O)
Network Nine
Owner PBL Media Holdings Pty Ltd
(Territory Television Pty Ltd)
First air date November 11, 1971
Call letters’ meaning Northern
Territory
Darwin
Former affiliations independent (1971-1998)
Transmitter Power 40 kW (analog)
85 kW (digital)
Height 80 m (analog)
147 m (digital)[1]
Transmitter Coordinates 12°26′55″S, 130°50′12″E (analog)
12°24′52″S, 130°58′9″E (digital)
Website www.ninemsn.com.au

NTD is an Australian television station, licensed to and serving Darwin, Palmerston and surrounds. The station is owned by PBL Media, and is an owned-and-operated station of the Nine Network, under the company name Territory Television Pty. Ltd..

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

NTD-8 was officially launched at 8 p.m. on November 11, 1971, with the opening lineup at 5:30 p.m. beginning with Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, followed by Bandstand at 6 p.m. and at 7 p.m. An Evening with Burt Bacharach.

The station was officially inaugurated by Northern Territory Administrator, Fred Chaney, followed by speeches from Sir Myles Wright, Fred Yates, John Hickman, and assistant executive John May.

The opening lineup was concluded with All the King's Men at 8:30 p.m. and Danger Man at 10:30 p.m. followed a station close.

The station was completely wiped out by Cyclone Tracy in December 1974 and was off air for 10 months while the station was rebuilt from the ground up

[edit] 1980s

In the late 1980s, NTD-8 was purchased by Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, the owners of the Nine Network at that time. Following the acquisition of the station by Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, NTD-8 adopted a similar on-air presentation to the Nine Network with an Eight logo. NTD-8's news service revamped and rebranded along with the station, to become Eight National News.

[edit] 1990s

NTD-8's first competitor was launched in 1998, owned by Telecasters Australia under the name Seven Darwin, now Southern Cross Television. The introduction of a second commercial television operator in the Darwin television market brought an end to NTD-8's solus commercial operations of the prior three decades.

The Nine Network's Darwin headquarters in The Gardens, Northern Territory.
The Nine Network's Darwin headquarters in The Gardens, Northern Territory.

Territory Television Pty. Ltd., attempted to gain Seven Network affiliation rights prior to Seven Darwin's launch, in a strategic move to dominate and force the incoming competitor to align with Network Ten. This would have seen NTD-8 broadcast both Nine Network and Seven Network programming, however after being rejected affiliation, the station gained Network Ten affiliation to supplement their parent company's Nine Network programming.

[edit] 2000s

On New Year's Day 2003, Eight Darwin became Nine Darwin, in line with the rest of Kerry Packer's Nine Network owned-and-operated stations. Following the rebrand to Nine Darwin, the station decreased Network Ten programming from their line-up, and in 2005, the Network Ten affiliation rights were officially relinquished, and were then taken by Southern Cross Television's TND.

In 2005, in the midst of the tug-of-war for the AFL television rights, PBL announced that National Rugby League games will take precedence on the station over AFL games, a sign that Nine may have be about to give up the race for the rights to a proposed Seven-Ten consortium, which they did, but not without putting in a $780 million dollar bid for the rights.[2]

In 2008, Nine Darwin (NTD) began broadcasting Nine HD[citation needed]. April 2008 Nine Network and Southern Cross Television joint owned station, TND began broadcasting Ten Network programs[citation needed].

[edit] News

Jonathan Uptin presenting National Nine News Darwin
Jonathan Uptin presenting National Nine News Darwin

The 6:00pm Darwin National Nine News presenters include:

  • Jonathan Uptin (Weeknight Presenter)
  • Lisa Andrews (Weeknight Sports Presenter, Weekend Presenter and Sports Reporter)
  • Tim Arvier (Fill-in and Reporter)

Other reporters include:

  • Camden Smith (Reporter and Chief of Staff)
  • Kyrrie Blenkinsop (Court reporter)
  • Justin O'Brien (Reporter)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 12°26′55″S, 130°50′11″E