GTS/BKN
GTS/BKN are Australian regional television stations serving the Spencer Gulf of South Australia and the Broken Hill area of New South Wales. Based in Port Pirie, South Australia with satellite offices in Broken Hill, Port Augusta, Whyalla and Port Lincoln, and studio and playout facilities based in Hobart, the station's name originates from the Port Pirie and Broken Hill stations' callsigns, GTS Port Pirie and BKN Broken Hill.
| GTS: Spencer Gulf BKN: Broken Hill, New South Wales | |
|---|---|
| Channels | Digital: GTS: 44 (UHF) GDS: 42 (UHF) BKN: 9 (VHF) BDN: 7 (VHF) |
| Branding | Seven GTS/BKN |
| Slogan | Only on 7 (GTS/BKN) We Are the One (GDS/BDN) |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | GTS/BKN: Seven GDS/BDN: Nine |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Southern Cross Austereo (GTS: Spencer Gulf Telecasters Pty Ltd) (BKN: Broken Hill Television Pty Ltd) |
| SGS/SCN | |
| History | |
First air date | GTS: 1 March 1968 BKN: 16 August 1968 |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: GTS: 4 (VHF) BKN: 7 (VHF)[1] |
| independent (1968-2006) | |
Call sign meaning | GTS: Spencer Gulf Telecasters South Australia BKN: BroKen Hill New South Wales |
| Technical information | |
| ERP | GTS:240 kW BKN:4 kW |
| HAAT | GTS:627 m (digital) BKN:104 m[2] |
| Transmitter coordinates | GTS: 33°6′14″S 138°9′51″E BKN: 31°57′5″S 141°26′25″E |
History
GTS signed on for the first time on 1 March 1968. BKN followed soon afterward, on 16 August. In 1974, the stations (and their repeaters) merged to form Spencer Gulf Telecasters and broadcast under the name GTS/BKN Television. The company was bought by Southern Cross Broadcasting (SCB) in 2001, though it retained the Central name until the end of 2005.
Due to their areas' sparse populations, after aggregation they remained among the few stations in Australia that continued to cherry-pick programming from all three networks, though from 2001 onward it began favouring Seven through its affiliation with Southern Cross Television. In 2003, Spencer Gulf Telecasters won the right to broadcast a second station in the same area, and in January 2004 started broadcasting SGS/SCN as a Ten affiliate. Since 31 October 2010, GTS/BKN has also operated a third station relaying Nine Network programs from Sydney and Adelaide (callsign GDS in Port Pirie and BDN in Broken Hill).
In January 2006, Central GTS/BKN was renamed Southern Cross GTS/BKN, changing its logo to the star logo used by TNT Tasmania and TND Darwin.
In July 2018, Southern Cross GTS/BKN was renamed Seven GTS/BKN, changing its logo to the Seven logo as currently used by the other SCTV stations.
Digital channels
On 31 October 2010, GTS/BKN launched GDS/BDN, a Channel Nine affiliate rebroadcasting TCN Sydney.
On 11 January 2011, GTS/BKN launched Ten's SD multichannel Eleven.
Starting from 7 November 2011, GTS/BKN slowly rolled out GEM, GO!, 7TWO, 7mate and ONE as digital channels across the GTS/BKN areas.[3]
On 7 December 2013, GDS/BDN switched to a feed of NWS Adelaide.[4]
On 30 September 2018, GDS/BDN launched 9Life.
Programming
The main GTS/BKN service carries programming from the Seven Network, including the Adelaide edition of Seven News' nightly 6pm bulletin. GDS/BDN broadcasts programs from the Nine Network and the state bulletin from NWS from Adelaide.
GTS/BKN during the late 1970s & mid 1980s produced their own local commercials and TV shows like Panel Probe, Woman's World, Cue and local documentaries.
News
GTS/BKN produces a half-hour regional news program titled Nightly News (formerly Southern Cross News until 14 December 2018), airing at 6:30pm on weeknights, following Seven News Adelaide. The bulletin is presented from Southern Cross Austereo's studio in Hobart, with reporters and video journalists based at news bureaus in Port Pirie, Broken Hill, Port Augusta, Port Lincoln and Whyalla. Since 2019, it is presented by Ruby Commane or John Hunt, with Britt Aylen presenting the weather. The bulletin adopted the current title on 14 January 2019.
The day's bulletin is later uploaded by the station's YouTube channel.
Previous presenters of the program during its tenure as Southern Cross News include Virginia Langeberg, Tim Hatfield, Fraser Goldsworthy and Julie Snook, while Will McDonald, and Rosanna Mangiarelli presented under the Central News title.
The current team of Nightly News video journalists consists of: Shari Hams (Port Pirie), Laura Milovanovic (Port Augusta), Sophia Kontogonis (Whyalla), Nathan Regter (Port Lincoln) and Patrick Reincke (Broken Hill).
In 2019, Southern Cross Austereo shifted the bulletin to 7TWO at 7:00 pm rather than airing on the main channel.
See also
References
- "ACMA Stations Book Electronic Edition" (PDF). Australian Communications and Media Authority. July 2008. Archived from the original on 31 May 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
- "New TV Channels - Southern Cross GTS/BKN Television". Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- "PRESS RELEASE: Southern Cross Austereo... - Southern Cross GTS/BKN". 5 December 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2018 – via Facebook.