ABN (TV station)

ABN is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television station in Sydney. The station began broadcasting on 5 November 1956. Its original studios were located in Gore Hill, New South Wales and were in use up until March 2004, when they were co-located with ABC Radio, Radio Australia and Australia Network at the Corporation's headquarters in the inter-city suburb of Ultimo, New South Wales.^[2] Its main transmitter, however, remains at Gore Hill.^[3] The station can be received throughout the state through a number of relay transmitters, as well as satellite transmission on the Optus Aurora platform.

History

ABN-2 Sydney opened on 5 November 1956 with full-time colour broadcasting introduced in March 1975.

For more than 40 years, Gore Hill was best known as the location of the ABC's Sydney television studios, which were fully opened in 1958 and which operated until 2002, when the site was closed and sold off. Later, the ABC moved its television operations to its broadcasting centre in Ultimo.

ABN Sydney shares its digital broadcast centre facilities with Sydney's community television station TVS.^[4] The station has also previously carried a number of programs originally produced at other Channel 31 stations in other states (programs such as Aurora Community Channel & National Indigenous Television).

ABN commenced digital television transmission in January 2001, broadcasting on VHF Channel 12 while maintaining analogue transmission on VHF Channel 2.

The analogue signal for ABN was shut off at 9.00am AEDST, Tuesday, 3 December 2013.

Programming

Local programming

ABN's schedule is similar to the national ABC schedule, with the exception of some news, current affairs, sport and occasionally, election programming.

ABC News New South Wales is presented by Juanita Phillips (Sunday - Thursday) and Jeremy Fernandez (Friday & Saturday). The weeknight bulletins also incorporate NSW weather forecasts presented by Graham Creed as well as a national finance segment presented by Alan Kohler in Melbourne.

Nicole Chettle and Chris Bath are fill in presenters for the bulletin.

Networked programming

Past programming

Digital multiplex

Relay stations

The following stations relay ABN throughout New South Wales:

Notes:

• 1. HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
• 2. ABHN also broadcasts on analog UHF channel 48 with 1200 kW ERP at 441 m HAAT. ABHN was on VHF channel 5 from its 1963 sign-on until the late 1970s, moving to its current channel in order to accommodate FM radio.
• 3. ABQN was on VHF channel 5 from its 1966 sign-on until 1988, moving to its current channel in order to accommodate FM radio.
• 4. ABTN was on VHF channel 1 from its 1966 sign-on until 1990.
• 5. ABWN was on VHF channel 5A from its 1963 sign-on until 1988.
• 6. Analogue transmission ceased as of 15 December 2010 as part of the national shutdown of analogue television.
• 7. Analogue transmission ceased as of 5 June 2012 as part of the national shutdown of analogue television.
• 8. Analogue transmission ceased as of 27 November 2012 as part of the national shutdown of analogue television.

References