MTN (TV station)
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| MTN | |
|---|---|
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| Griffith, New South Wales | |
| Branding | WIN |
| Slogan | We Heart TV |
| Channels | Analog: 9 (VHF) |
| Affiliations | Nine |
| Network | WIN |
| Owner | WIN Corporation Pty Ltd (Murrumbidgee Television Ltd) |
| First air date | December 15, 1965 |
| Call letters’ meaning | Murrumbidgee Television New South Wales |
| Sister station(s) | AMN |
| Former affiliations | independent (1965-1973) Midstate Television (1973-1989) |
| Transmitter Power | 200 kW (analog) 50 kW (digital) |
| Height | 413 m (analog) 418 m (digital)[1] |
| Transmitter Coordinates | |
| Website | www.wintv.com.au |
MTN-9 and AMN-31 are television stations that are licensed to, and serves Griffith and the surrounding Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA). MTN-9 is a primary Nine Network affiliate, and AMN-31 is a primary Seven Network affiliate. Both are owned by WIN Television.
The stations are effectively a twinstick operation, with the broadcasting authorities considering Griffith and the MIA too small for three television companies, however, it is considered big enough for a single company with two stations.
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[edit] History
MTN9, owned by Murrumbidgee Television Limited, began transmission on December 15, 1965.[1] At its launch, MTN9 was owned by Murrumbidgee Television Limited, a publicly listed company. Shareholders at the time included local radio station 2RG.
The costs of operating a television station in such a small market led MTN to join with CBN8/CWN6 in forming the Television 6-8-9 network, in 1973.[citation needed] While the majority of the programming and identification came from the network, MTN9 did run its own news service as well as some programs of local interest and popularity, separate to the rest of the network. In the early 1980s, the network was rebranded as Midstate Television 6-8-9.[citation needed]
MTN was delisted in 1979 when Henry Jones Investments (Henry Jones IXL) purchased the station. Other owners since have included The Linter Group, Broadcast Operations Group, Broadcast and Communications Limited, and Associated Media Investments Pty Limited (later part of DMG Radio Australia).
The network expanded further in the 1980s, when RVN2/AMV4 became a part of the newly-renamed The Prime Network.[citation needed] When aggregation occurred in 1989, it was determined that Griffith was too small to accommodate three television stations and thus split from the network, having always been independently owned.[citation needed] It took up an affiliation with WIN Television, the Nine Network affiliate at the time in southern New South Wales.[citation needed] While the majority of the programming was the same as WIN's, it retained its news service and aired some Seven Network programming, such as its coverage of the Australian Football League, in preference to Nine's rugby league.[citation needed]
The Australian Broadcasting Authority relaxed the rules regarding station ownership in solus markets in the mid 1990s.[citation needed] The changes allowed for one company to operate two stations without competition, provided no opposition was faced to the application for one. MTN applied for a Section 38A license in 1995, and after being refused once, challenged the Authority, and was successful on appeal.[citation needed]
The second channel launched on October 5, 1997, on UHF channel 31 using the callsign AMN (a variation of Victorian station AMV). It was a direct feed from Prime Television, with the exception of its local news - Network Ten programs such as The Simpsons and Seinfeld are shown at 6pm, in place of Prime News.[citation needed] Ray Gamble, the stations' owner, sold them to WIN in 1998, staying on as a day-to-day consultant for a year before his retirement in 2002.[citation needed] Following the sale of the station, minor changes occurred, including the name officially changed to WIN, and the news service renamed WIN News.[citation needed]
Despite assurances made by the network, WIN News Griffith was axed in September, 2006 as part of a rationalisation of services in the region. It was replaced by a merged Riverina bulletin, produced from WIN's Wollongong studios.[2][3] The Griffith City Council is presently lobbying Prime Television to produce a local news bulletin.
[edit] References
- ^ HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
- ^ Griffith - No WIN News. Media Watch. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
- ^ Griffith disappointed at loss of local WIN service. ABC News Online. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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