MTN-9
Encyclopedia
MTN-9 and AMN-31 are television stations that are licensed to, and serve Griffith
and the surrounding Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area
(MIA). MTN-9 is a primary Nine Network
affiliate via WIN Television and AMN-31 is a primary Seven Network
affiliate via Prime Television. Both stations are owned and operated by WIN Television
.
Previously, the stations were effectively a twinstick
operation, with the broadcasting authorities considering Griffith and the MIA too small for three television companies but large enough for a single company running two stations. As of 1 December 2010, Network Ten began broadcasting in the region following an agreement between WIN Television and the Federal Government to allow all digital channels to air in the MIA.
.
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. 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.
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. 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. It took up an affiliation with WIN Television
, the Nine Network
affiliate at the time in southern New South Wales
. 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
.
The Australian Broadcasting Authority
relaxed the rules regarding station ownership in solus markets in the mid 1990s. 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.
The second channel launched on 5 October 1997, on UHF channel 31 using the callsign AMN (a variation of Victorian station AMV). It was a direct feed from Prime Television
from Wollongong, with the exception of its local news. 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. Following the sale of the station, minor changes occurred, including the name officially changed to WIN, and the news service renamed WIN News.
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, presented from WIN's Wollongong studios and compiled from a newsroom in Wagga Wagga, although a news bureau in Griffith has been maintained. Griffith City Council is presently lobbying Prime Television
to produce a local news bulletin.
In 2010, WIN Television announced plans to broadcast a Network Ten
service for the region on digital services with the main networks' sister digital channels following a year later. A relay of TEN-10
from Sydney began broadcasting to the Griffith and Hay areas at 6am on 1 December 2010. In mid-May, WIN Griffith announced that it would start bradcasting the full suite of commercial channels (7Two, 7Mate, GO!, Gem, ONE, and Eleven) in full digital (with 7Mate, GEM, and ONE being in High Definition) by December 2011.
Griffith, New South Wales
Griffith is a city in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the...
and the surrounding Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area
Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area
The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area is geographically located within the Riverina area of New South Wales was created to control and divert the flow of local river and creek systems for the purpose of food production...
(MIA). MTN-9 is a primary Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
affiliate via WIN Television and AMN-31 is a primary Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
affiliate via Prime Television. Both stations are owned and operated by WIN Television
WIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single Wollongong-only station, and has since expanded to 24 owned-and-operated stations with transmissions covering a...
.
Previously, the stations were effectively a twinstick
Twinstick
A twinstick, in Canadian broadcasting, is a term for two television stations, broadcasting in the same market, which are owned by the same company...
operation, with the broadcasting authorities considering Griffith and the MIA too small for three television companies but large enough for a single company running two stations. As of 1 December 2010, Network Ten began broadcasting in the region following an agreement between WIN Television and the Federal Government to allow all digital channels to air in the MIA.
History
MTN9, owned by Murrumbidgee Television Limited, began transmission on 15 December 1965.http://www.austvhistory.com/prime/preaggregation.htm#sthnsw At its launch, MTN9 was owned by Murrumbidgee Television Limited, a publicly listed company. Shareholders at the time included local radio station 2RG2RG
2RG is an Australian radio station on 963 kHz serving the Griffith, NSW region. It was opened in September 1936....
.
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. 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.
MTN was delisted in 1979 when Henry Jones Investments (Henry Jones IXL
Henry Jones IXL
Henry Jones IXL is a company primarily known as a manufacturer of jams, conserves and sauces in Australia.-History:The company was first established by Henry Jones in Hobart in 1891 as H. Jones & Company. The company derived from Jones' employment with George Peacock's jam factory from 1874...
) purchased the station. Other owners since have included The Linter Group, Broadcast Operations Group
Broadcast Operations Group
Owned by Bill Caralis, Broadcast Operations Group operates a number of radio stations in northern New South Wales & southern Queensland, Australia. These are collectively known as the "Super Radio Network"...
, Broadcast and Communications Limited, and Associated Media Investments Pty Limited (later part of DMG Radio Australia
DMG Radio Australia
DMG Radio Australia operates commercial radio networks in metropolitan and regional areas of Australia. The company is 50% owned by United Kingdom company, Daily Mail and General Trust Group. Lachlan Murdoch's Illyria Pty Ltd bought 50% of the company in November 2009.DMG Radio Australia was formed...
).
The network expanded further in the 1980s, when RVN2/AMV4
RVN-2/AMV-4
AMV is an Australian television station licensed to, and serving the regions surrounding Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga in south western New South Wales and north eastern Victoria. The station was, for many years, merged with RVN-2 as the Riverina and North East Victoria Television...
became a part of the newly-renamed The Prime Network. 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. It took up an affiliation with WIN Television
WIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single Wollongong-only station, and has since expanded to 24 owned-and-operated stations with transmissions covering a...
, the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
affiliate at the time in southern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. While the majority of the programming was the same as WIN's, it retained its news service and aired some Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
programming, such as its coverage of the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
, in preference to Nine's rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
.
The Australian Broadcasting Authority
Australian Broadcasting Authority
The Australian Broadcasting Authority was an Australian government agency whose main roles were to regulate broadcasting, radiocommunications and telecommunications....
relaxed the rules regarding station ownership in solus markets in the mid 1990s. 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.
The second channel launched on 5 October 1997, on UHF channel 31 using the callsign AMN (a variation of Victorian station AMV). It was a direct feed from Prime Television
Prime Television
PRIME7 is an Australian television network owned by Prime Media Group Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network...
from Wollongong, with the exception of its local news. 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. Following the sale of the station, minor changes occurred, including the name officially changed to WIN, and the news service renamed WIN News.
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, presented from WIN's Wollongong studios and compiled from a newsroom in Wagga Wagga, although a news bureau in Griffith has been maintained. Griffith City Council is presently lobbying Prime Television
Prime Television
PRIME7 is an Australian television network owned by Prime Media Group Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network...
to produce a local news bulletin.
In 2010, WIN Television announced plans to broadcast a Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
service for the region on digital services with the main networks' sister digital channels following a year later. A relay of TEN-10
TEN-10
TEN is the callsign of Network Ten's flagship Sydney television station. It was originally owned and operated by United Telecasters Sydney Limited , and began transmission on 5 April 1965 with the highlight of the opening night being the variety special TV Spells Magic.-History:TEN often lagged in...
from Sydney began broadcasting to the Griffith and Hay areas at 6am on 1 December 2010. In mid-May, WIN Griffith announced that it would start bradcasting the full suite of commercial channels (7Two, 7Mate, GO!, Gem, ONE, and Eleven) in full digital (with 7Mate, GEM, and ONE being in High Definition) by December 2011.
See also
- CBN
- Prime7
- WIN TelevisionWIN TelevisionWIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single Wollongong-only station, and has since expanded to 24 owned-and-operated stations with transmissions covering a...
- Network TenNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...