SAS (TV station)

SAS is a television station in Adelaide, South Australia. It is part of the Australian Seven Network.

SAS-7 was originally known as SAS-10, an affiliate of what became Network Ten. It commenced broadcasting on 26 July 1965, under the same owners as TVW-7 Perth. On 27 December 1987, SAS-10 and ADS-7 switched broadcast channels, ADS moving to channel 10, SAS moving to channel 7. As the television industry was consolidating in Australia, these channels had each become associated by ownership with interstate stations bearing the opposite channel numbers, so to simplify network interaction, they agreed to swap channel assignments and network affiliations in Adelaide. ADS was owned by Kerry Stokes who also owned NEW-10 and Capital Television.^[2][3] SAS was owned by TVW-7 starting from 1974 and thus, in 2 occasions, shared the same image campaigns as TVWs.

The station celebrated 40 years in 2005 with a special television program "Made in Adelaide 40 Years of Television".

Television shows made during the SAS-10 era include children's shows Fat Cat and Friends, The Early Birds, Crackerjack and Romper Room. Music shows included In Time, Trax and Simulrock. Variety talent shows included Adelaide's New Faces and Pot Luck. There was also the long running daytime show Touch of Elegance. SAS 10 employed actor Hedley Cullen as horror host Deadly Earnest, who was also seen in WA. From 1973 to 1989 the Christmas Appeal telethon was held each year.

The game show Wheel of Fortune originally commenced recordings in ADS-7 studios in July 1981 on the Seven Network. It moved to SAS with the 1987 switch, and continued there until July 1996 when the show moved to ATN-7 Sydney where it lasted to its cancellation in 2006.

Other shows after the change over included Fat Cat and Friends until 1992 and Trax until 1990.

Currently the station produces Discover, Seven News and local editions of Today Tonight, which outrates the national A Current Affair.

The last edition of Seven News and Today Tonight was broadcast from the Gilberton studios in North Adelaide on 14 December 2007. The station then moved to new premises at Hindmarsh on the corner of Port Road and Adam Street, from where Adelaide versions of Seven News and Today Tonight are produced

Programming

Current in-house productions

• Seven News (Adelaide edition)
• Today Tonight

Previous in-house productions

• The Book Place (1991–2003)
• Wheel of Fortune (1987–1996)
• Fat Cat and Friends (1972–1987 on SAS-10, 1987–1991 on SAS-7)

1987 affiliation swap quote

On 27 December 1987, Seven National News reporter Alan Murrell reported the following on then-ADS-7, hours before the switch of channels:

"Tonight will mark the end of the callsigns ADS-7 and SAS-10. Tomorrow, it'll be ADS-10 and SAS-7. It's the first time such a change has been made. The switch follows a media shake-up earlier this year, which left ADS in the hands of the owners of the Ten Network. Already, the cosmetic changes are being made at Strangways Terrace and Gilberton. But viewers will notice little difference. They'll still turn the knob to Ten for Channel Ten programs, and to Seven for Seven programs.

"The only difference will be that the local personalities will be seen on different channels. So if you want to watch Steve Whitham and Caroline Ainslie reading the news tomorrow night, you simply turn the dial three positions, from Seven-to ADS-10. And it's as easy as that."

As a result, from the last days of 1987 up to 1988 the new SAS-7 adopted the On the Move slogan to mark the change, with a music video made for this purpose.

AFL season

During the AFL season, Seven News does not air at its regular time on Saturdays or Sundays if there is a twilight match involving Adelaide and/or Port Adelaide, in which case, the bulletin is aired at half-time of the telecast, replacing match analysis.

News and current affairs

Seven News is presented by Jane Doyle and John Riddell, with Bruce Abernethy (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) and Mark Soderstrom (weekends) presenting sport and Amelia Mulcahy as weather presenter. On weekends Jessica Adamson presents the news.

Previously, Graeme Goodings had been weeknight presenter and John Riddell the weekend reader, until it was found that Goodings had bowel cancer. Goodings and Riddell agreed to swap roles in 2004; both Goodings and Doyle had been presenting Seven News together since 1989, which had proven a success.

Prior to 27 December 1987, the presenters and crew behind Seven News broadcast as Ten News Adelaide. However, as the television industry was consolidating in Australia, these news services had each become associated by ownership with interstate news services being broadcast on opposite frequencies; therefore, to simplify network interaction, their respective networks agreed to swap channel assignments and network affiliations in Adelaide.

Local News updates for Adelaide are typically presented by reporters in the early afternoon, followed by news presenters Jane Doyle, John Riddell or Jessica Adamson in the late afternoon and evening. National News updates are presented from Sydney with Mark Ferguson (weeknights) and Melissa Doyle (extended updates on weekends) on Seven, 7TWO and 7mate.

7 News Anchors

7 News Sports

See also

• Television broadcasting in Australia

References