NBN Television
Encyclopedia
NBN Television is a television station
based in Newcastle, New South Wales
, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in New South Wales
, and has since expanded to 39 transmitters throughout the northern half of New South Wales and parts of South East Queensland
, including Tamworth
, Tweed Heads
, Lismore
, Coffs Harbour
, Hunter Valley
and the Gold Coast
.
The station's name, NBN, stands for Newcastle Broadcasting New South Wales. NBN is the only regional station in Australia to produce a one-hour news bulletin seven days a week. On 9 May 2007, NBN Television was purchased for A$250 million by PBL Media
.
NBN's original owner, the Newcastle Broadcasting and Television Corporation (NBTC) was founded in May 1958 to begin preparations for the upcoming television licence allocations. The main shareholders in NBTC were United Broadcasting Company (owned by the Lamb family, owners of radio station 2KO), Airsales Broadcasting Company (owners of local radio station 2HD
), and the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners Advocate
(to be bought out by John Fairfax and Sons Ltd.). In accordance with the Australian Broadcasting Control Board
regulations, at least 50% of the company had to be locally owned. 750,000 shares were made available by the NBTC (at 10 shillings, equivalent to A$
1 each). Approximately 2000 people bought shares.
The Australian Broadcasting Control Board awarded the commercial television licence for the Newcastle and Hunter Valley area to the NBTC on 1 August 1961. NBN-3 would transmit on VHF channel 3, from a transmitter atop Mount Sugarloaf
near Newcastle. Council approval for the transmitter was issued on 17 July that year.
The call-letters, NBN, were derived from the company's name, Newcastle Broadcasting and Television Corporation, with the second N representing New South Wales, as required by law. Unofficially, it stood for Newcastle Broadcasting Network.
Construction began in November 1961, supervised by engineers from RCA
in the United States. It was a step backwards for RCA, building a new station transmitting in black and white while colour television was fast becoming the norm in the United States. Ninety per cent of the original equipment was imported from the United States, and held in bond until they were due to be installed. Equipment was purchased with colour production and transmission in mind, so that only 20% modification would be required when colour came to NBN. Studios were to be built on a 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) block at Mosbri Crescent, near the city centre.
Work on the 142-metre (466 ft) transmitter was delayed by a combination of weather, the conditions for the road leading to Mount Sugarloaf, and excited sightseers blocking work trucks during the weekends. During that time, the technical team stayed at the top of the mountain. The construction took 8 months at a cost of A$1.5 million dollars, and required staff to work seven days a week (except on Christmas Day) in order to make the deadline.
Test transmissions took place in early 1962, and could be seen as far away as Muswellbrook, Avalon
, Katoomba, Lithgow, Gloucester
and around Port Kembla.
NBN Television commenced transmission on 4 March 1962. The first programme on launch night began at 6pm, a taped welcome by the then-Postmaster General
Charles Davidson. Following that was a guided tour around the NBN studios by the original production manager, Matthew Tapp.
Murray Finlay began one of the longest newsreading careers in Australia with NBN's first news bulletin at 6.30pm. This was followed by The Phil Silvers Show
at 7pm, and the 1937 movie Green Light starring Errol Flynn
at 7.30; the George Sanders Theatre series followed at 9pm, with opening episode, The Man in the Elevator, followed by the first episode from the Halls of Ivy, then the first Mystery Theatre program, The Missing Head at 10 pm. Anglican Bishop James Housden gave the first evening meditation at 10.30pm, marking the end of the first night of transmission for NBN-3 in Newcastle. Commercials on the first night included Rothmans Cigarettes, Streets Ice Cream
, Ampol
, Commonwealth Bank, Shell
, and W.D. & H.O. Wills
, amongst others.
In the lead-up to the opening night, the station promised at least two movies a week, as well as men's interest programs each Saturday afternoon between 3pm and 4pm - a commitment successfully met, along with female-targeted programming in the early afternoon, and children's programming from 4.30pm to 6.30pm weekdays and mature programming thirty minutes before closedown each night. NBN Television broadcasted fifty-six hours in its first week of transmission, setting the Australian television record for the most time spent on air in a week for a new television station.
to Broken Bay
and as far west as Aberdeen
. The station only operated eight hours per day, however several programs were produced locally including Home at Three, Let's Cook With Gas, Tempo, Focus, as well as nightly news bulletins at 6.30pm.
In 1963, Australian Consolidated Press
and News Limited
bought 200,000 shares in the Newcastle Broadcasting and Television Corporation. Shortly after, United Broadcasting Company sold its shares to Neatherley Investments Limited in Adelaide
, and Australian United Investments in Melbourne
, with each company purchasing 100,000 shares. Time Enterprises, purchased Australian United Investments's shares in November 1967.
During the period between 1968 and 1969, NBN secured a relay from the Postmaster-General to enhance their news service. In 1970, NBN began upgrading its studios in preparation for the commencement of colour television at a cost of A$360,000. The improvements included an enlarged film department; a film editing and cleaning equipment; a larger master control with four video transfer machines; a new telecine
room with caption scanner and slide drums; as well as an expansion of the administration and staff offices which also included new offices and a boardroom.
In 1972, NBN was granted a license to operate a translator in the Upper Hunter
from Rossgole Lookout near Aberdeen, on VHF channel 10. Concurrently in April 1972, NBN expanded its nightly news service to one hour, becoming the first television station in Australia to have a one hour news bulletin. As a part of earlier preparations for colour production, between 1972 and 1973, orders were placed with Rank Cintel and the EMI Group
in the United Kingdom and Ampex
in the United States for new colour equipment, in time for colour transmission tests on 7 October 1974. On 1 March 1975, the station began regular colour transmissions, whilst transmission was expanded to Banderra Downs, Merriwa
, Mount Helen, and Murrurundi
at a cost of A$180,000. In 1978, the Newcastle Broadcasting and Television Corporation made a bid for local station (and former owner) 2HD, however was disallowed by the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal. Also during the same year more extensions were added to the studios, which included a new car park, and was officially opened on 17 November 1978.
On 22 November 1979 the Newcastle Broadcasting and Television Corporation officially became NBN Limited, and the station itself renamed from Channel Three to NBN Television. By the late 1970s, NBN was producing twenty hours a week of local and networked programming from its studios, which in turn led the station to purchase a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter for news coverage purposes.
19 million. During the same year, NBN began a teletext
service and also purchased the free local newspaper, the Newcastle Star. In 1981, Hadjoin Pty. Ltd., a subsidiary of Parry's Esplanade Limited (later Parry Corporation), purchased 19.88% of NBN Limited for A$6.7 million.
Parry had then attempted to buy Wansey's stake in NBN, but was blocked by the Supreme Court of New South Wales
. It was later revealed that the Lambs had opposed NBN's purchase of the Star newspaper and the attempt to buy 2HD. The company also faced possible suspension from the Australian Stock Exchange
if a decision wasn't made soon. In order to resolve the tension, NBN sold NWS-9 to the Lambs in exchange for the majority stake in NBN in 1982.
In 16 March 1983, Hadjoin finally completed the purchase of NBN, officially delisting the company. It had cost Parry A$6.76 per share for acquire 1,285,289 shares. Michael Wansey resigned from the board at the end of the year as a result. In 1984, plans for a second independent station in Newcastle had failed. During that time, NBN and ABC Newcastle were asked to leave the VHF band to accommodate FM
radio. NBN would have been on UHF
channel 51, and ABC on UHF channel 48, however this did not eventuate. A proposal to launch a radiated subscription television service with community broadcasting during the daytime hours had also failed that year.
In the late 1980s, NBN's Perth-based owner, Parry Corporation, spun off
NBN Limited into a new company, NBN Enterprises, and took a 40% stake in the new company, with Security Pacific Capital Corporation buying 60%. Parry sold their stake soon after, holding onto Papua New Guinea
television station NTN, which NBN had helped to set up. Fulcrum Media's move to later purchase the station was a source for confusion, as it was revealed that many companies, including the NSW State Superannuation Board and Westpac Banking Corporation, held substantial stakes in Fulcrum Media. Parry Corp's new owner CityWest
issued a court challenge in order to re-acquire NBN, but it was revealed that CityWest was held by Hong Kong
company Hung Lung Corporation, thereby violating foreign ownership laws. Following ownership changes, NBN Enterprises was sold to Washington H. Soul Pattinson
for A$36 million.
affiliation. Following aggregation, the station's coverage expanded to cover all of northern New South Wales, whilst concurrently programming extended to twenty-four hours in a day, in stereophonic sound. In 1994, NBN Television's logo was updated to a pseudo-Nine logo, similar to fellow affiliate WIN Television
.
Throughout the 2000s, NBN was regarded as one of the leaders in digital broadcasting, not only being the first to produce a nightly regional news bulletin in full digital format, using a digital friendly news set, but also Australia's first fully digital outside broadcast van.
In 2004, Washington H. Soul Pattinson began moves to transfer control of the station to its publicly listed subsidiary, Soul Pattinson Telecommunications, which became SP Telemedia as a result.
On 30 January 2006, NBN adopted a new logo and on air graphics, in line with Nine's new logo. However, the news department did not update its graphics until 15 March. During April 2007, SP Telemedia announced that it would consider selling NBN Television, and had received at least two bids, one each from WIN Corporation
and PBL Media
. On 9 May 2007, the PBL Media
A$250 million bid became final.
On 9 August 2009 NBN began transmission of the new digital channel GO!
on channel 88.
In 2010, it was announced that two of NBN's inner Newcastle retransmitter sites in Charlestown and Cooks Hill were selected to carry 3D broadcasts of the 2010 State of Origin series.
On 26 September 2010 NBN began transmission of the HD digital channel GEM
on channel 80.
, the American Broadcasting Company
and ITN; with local stories in all of its sub-markets. Throughout its history, NBN News produced Good Morning News, Good Evening News, News Night, NBN Evening News, and NBN Late Edition News and currently running NBN News.
NBN's local news is presented from the station's news studios at Mosbri Crescent in Newcastle
, by Paul Lobb and Natasha Beyersdorf on weekdays, with Jane Goldsmith on weekends. Mike Rabbitt and Gavin Morris present sport and weather respectively on weekdays, whilst weekend sport is presented by Mitchell Hughes.
NBN was the first to launch an hour-long news bulletin in April 1972, and from launch night until the 1980s, Murray Finlay was the face of NBN's news bulletins, and was one of Australia's longest serving newsreaders. In 1975, Finlay was joined by Ray Dinneen at the news desk, who remained in that position until retirement in December 2010. In 1979, the news service received an award for its coverage of the Star Hotel riot.
On 1 March 1985, Jim Sullivan began his career as news director for the service, which has ultimately led him to become Australia's longest serving news director.
NBN News' footage of the tragic events of the 1989 Newcastle earthquake
was beamed throughout the world, with NBN's reporters also being interviewed by international news services.
During the 1990s, the news service produced bulletins for the breakfast and late night timeslots, however this was later replaced by the Nine Network
's Nightline bulletin. Also, for a short period, the 4.30pm bulletin was broadcast coupled with introductions and weather reports produced by the station in Newcastle.
NBN was one of the first television stations in Australia to broadcast live video from New York City
as the 11 September 2001 attacks
on the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon
unfolded. Liasing with NBN News director Jim Sullivan, NBN Late Edition News producer, Matt Carden secured a live feed through the Nine Network
of ABC
America enabling first pictures to be aired of the New York attacks within minutes. When NBN Late Edition News opened a short time later, newsreader Jodi McKay handed over to ABC News America
's coverage of events, anchored by Peter Jennings
. The bulletin was extended until 1am when NBN handed over to TCN-9
for the start of almost five days of continuous national coverage.
NBN News is unique as it simulcasts live across all 6 markets. After the major national stories are presented, the program is split into six Local Window opt-outs, featuring pre-recorded local bulletins for each regional market and a live local news round-up for Newcastle. After the first break, the bulletin continues as a live simulcast across the network with further Local Window opt-outs for sport and weather. News, sport and weather presenters start early at NBN recording introductions to each of the local stories which will be inserted into the live broadcast at 6pm. Top Stories are produced by regional news bureaus at Port Macquarie
, Coffs Harbour
, Central Coast, Tamworth
, Lismore
and the Gold Coast
.
In 2006, NBN aired its 20,000th news bulletin during the week of 26 March; commemorating the event, NBN News produced five news specials that summarised the prior 44 years of news production.
NBN also broadcasts Nine Network's news content, including Nine's Early Morning News, Today, Nine's 4.30 Afternoon News, A Current Affair, Nine News First at Five.
Paul Lobb took over as the network's main male newsreader after Ray Dinneen retired on 17 December 2010.
.
In 1963, NBN won the Logie Award
for Enterprising Programming (which was only for country stations), and another Outstanding Contribution by a Regional Station award in 1978. NBN purchased the Romper Room
franchise from Fremantle International in 1967, which broadcast for over three decades. The original host was Miss Anne, followed by Miss Kim, aided by NBN's station mascot Big Dog. Local travel agency Jayes presented their own travel show, Travel Time with Jayes, broadcast on Sunday nights for over 20 years, starting in 1962. Also, every four years, NBN produces a live 24-hour telethon to raise money for local charities.
NBN premiered Today Extra in 1989. The lifestyle program was broadcast three days per week as part of NBN's day-time lineup. On 3 January 2007, it was announced that NBN would axe Today Extra, claiming it was no longer economically viable, with a drop in ratings and a shrinking advertising base. The program's axing ended the career for former weatherman Nat Jeffery, who presented the program for 18 years, and worked at the station for 28 years.
NRL rugby league team for most of the 1990s and the 2000s, with the NBN logo visible on the team's uniform. The former Hunter Pirates
NBL basketball team (and their predecessor, the Newcastle Falcons) as well as the Newcastle United Jets
soccer team (and their predecessor, the Newcastle Breakers), have also both received sponsorship from NBN Television.
near Newcastle. On 22 November 1979 the logo was updated with the letters NBN replacing the numeral three. The blue and green logo coincided with the renaming of the station from Channel Three to the current name, NBN Television, and its parent company renaming from the Newcastle Broadcasting and Television Corporation to NBN Limited.
Despite pressure from the Nine Network to adopt the nine dots, NBN Television retained its logo for a few years after aggregation. However in 1994, NBN added nine dots into a new logo designed similarly to the Nine Network
's, and also began using Nine's on-air promotion, with the NBN logo replacing Nine's. In 1998, the dots were changed to spheres.
Three-dimensions were added to the letters NBN in 2002, coinciding with a revamp of the station's on-air identity, concurrently with the Nine Network. On 30 January 2006, the station relaunched its logo to coincide with the Nine Network's fiftieth year of broadcasting. The new logo designed by Bruce Dunlop Associates saw the removal of the nine dots, with a blue square added to behind the letters NBN. However in 2008, the nine dots were reinstated into the logo and the dots are first 3D discs in 2008, then 2D dots in January 2009, then later spheres in September 2009.
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
based in Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in 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...
, and has since expanded to 39 transmitters throughout the northern half of New South Wales and parts of South East Queensland
South East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
, including Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
, Tweed Heads
Tweed Heads, New South Wales
Tweed Heads is a town located on the Tweed River in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia in Tweed Shire. Tweed Heads is located next to the border with Queensland, adjacent to the "Twin Town" of Coolangatta, a suburb of the Gold Coast...
, Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
, Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
-History:By the early 1900s, the Coffs Harbour area had become an important timber production centre. Before the opening of the North Coast Railway Line, the only way to transport large items of heavy but low value, such as timber, was by coastal shipping. This meant sawmillers on the North Coast...
, Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
and the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
.
The station's name, NBN, stands for Newcastle Broadcasting New South Wales. NBN is the only regional station in Australia to produce a one-hour news bulletin seven days a week. On 9 May 2007, NBN Television was purchased for A$250 million by PBL Media
PBL Media
Nine Entertainment Co. is a media company owned by CVC Asia Pacific.Originally a 50/50 joint venture with Consolidated Media Holdings, in June 2007 PBL announced that it would sell a further 25% to CVC for A$ 515 million...
.
The beginning
2HD
2HD is an Australian radio station, serving the lower Hunter Region. It operates at 1143 kHz on the AM band, from its studios along the Pacific Highway in the Newcastle suburb of Sandgate...
), and the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners Advocate
The Newcastle Herald
The Newcastle Herald is a local tabloid newspaper published daily, Monday to Saturday, in Newcastle, New South Wales, the largest non-capital city in Australia. It is the only local newspaper that serves the entire Hunter and Central Coast regions six days a week...
(to be bought out by John Fairfax and Sons Ltd.). In accordance with the Australian Broadcasting Control Board
Australian Broadcasting Control Board
The Australian Broadcasting Control Board was an Australian government agency whose main roles were to regulate broadcasting, radiocommunications and telecommunications...
regulations, at least 50% of the company had to be locally owned. 750,000 shares were made available by the NBTC (at 10 shillings, equivalent to A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
1 each). Approximately 2000 people bought shares.
The Australian Broadcasting Control Board awarded the commercial television licence for the Newcastle and Hunter Valley area to the NBTC on 1 August 1961. NBN-3 would transmit on VHF channel 3, from a transmitter atop Mount Sugarloaf
Mount Sugarloaf
Mount Sugarloaf, also known as Great Sugar Loaf, is a mountain in the lower Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, overlooking the cites of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock and Maitland. The summit of the mountain is in the Lake Macquarie suburb of West Wallsend and access to the summit is...
near Newcastle. Council approval for the transmitter was issued on 17 July that year.
The call-letters, NBN, were derived from the company's name, Newcastle Broadcasting and Television Corporation, with the second N representing New South Wales, as required by law. Unofficially, it stood for Newcastle Broadcasting Network.
Construction began in November 1961, supervised by engineers from RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
in the United States. It was a step backwards for RCA, building a new station transmitting in black and white while colour television was fast becoming the norm in the United States. Ninety per cent of the original equipment was imported from the United States, and held in bond until they were due to be installed. Equipment was purchased with colour production and transmission in mind, so that only 20% modification would be required when colour came to NBN. Studios were to be built on a 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) block at Mosbri Crescent, near the city centre.
Work on the 142-metre (466 ft) transmitter was delayed by a combination of weather, the conditions for the road leading to Mount Sugarloaf, and excited sightseers blocking work trucks during the weekends. During that time, the technical team stayed at the top of the mountain. The construction took 8 months at a cost of A$1.5 million dollars, and required staff to work seven days a week (except on Christmas Day) in order to make the deadline.
Test transmissions took place in early 1962, and could be seen as far away as Muswellbrook, Avalon
Avalon, New South Wales
Avalon is a northern beachside suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Avalon is located 35 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Pittwater Council, in the Northern Beaches region....
, Katoomba, Lithgow, Gloucester
Gloucester, New South Wales
Gloucester is a town in the dairy and beef cattle country of the Manning district on the Mid North Coast of the state of New South Wales, Australia in the Gloucester Shire....
and around Port Kembla.
Opening night
Postmaster-General's Department
The Postmaster-General's Department was created at Federation in 1901 to control all postal services within Australia. Its minister was the Postmaster-General. In mid-1975 it was disaggregated into the Australian Telecommunications Commission and the Australian Postal Commission...
Charles Davidson. Following that was a guided tour around the NBN studios by the original production manager, Matthew Tapp.
Murray Finlay began one of the longest newsreading careers in Australia with NBN's first news bulletin at 6.30pm. This was followed by The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show is a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G...
at 7pm, and the 1937 movie Green Light starring Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
at 7.30; the George Sanders Theatre series followed at 9pm, with opening episode, The Man in the Elevator, followed by the first episode from the Halls of Ivy, then the first Mystery Theatre program, The Missing Head at 10 pm. Anglican Bishop James Housden gave the first evening meditation at 10.30pm, marking the end of the first night of transmission for NBN-3 in Newcastle. Commercials on the first night included Rothmans Cigarettes, Streets Ice Cream
Streets (ice cream)
Streets Ice-cream is an Australian ice-cream brand owned by the multi-national company, Unilever.Streets was founded in Corrimal, New South Wales in the 1930s by Edwin 'Ted' Street and Gordon Rider and is now Australia's largest ice-cream manufacturer. Products were manufactured at a factory in the...
, Ampol
Ampol
Ampol, the Australian Motorists Petrol Company, was incorporated by Sir William Gaston Walkley in 1936 in New South Wales. This was in response to Australians' concerns about perceived inequitable petrol pricing, and allegations of transfer pricing by foreign oil companies to limit their tax...
, Commonwealth Bank, Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
, and W.D. & H.O. Wills
W.D. & H.O. Wills
W.D. & H.O. Wills was a British tobacco importer and cigarette manufacturer formed in Bristol, England. It was one of the founding companies of Imperial Tobacco.-History:...
, amongst others.
In the lead-up to the opening night, the station promised at least two movies a week, as well as men's interest programs each Saturday afternoon between 3pm and 4pm - a commitment successfully met, along with female-targeted programming in the early afternoon, and children's programming from 4.30pm to 6.30pm weekdays and mature programming thirty minutes before closedown each night. NBN Television broadcasted fifty-six hours in its first week of transmission, setting the Australian television record for the most time spent on air in a week for a new television station.
1960s to the 1970s
Soon after launch night, NBN extended television coverage from BungwahlBungwahl, New South Wales
Bungwahl is a small town in the Australian state of New South Wales, near Myall Lakes. It is close to lakes and beaches and contains the turnoff to Seal Rocks which gives access to the lakes such as Nerani, Stewarts Wharf, The Hearts and various camping sites around the lakes....
to Broken Bay
Broken Bay
Broken Bay is a large inlet of the Pacific Ocean located about 50 km north of Sydney on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, and is the first major bay north of Sydney's Port Jackson.- Geography :...
and as far west as Aberdeen
Aberdeen, New South Wales
Aberdeen is a small town in the upper Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia, in Upper Hunter Shire. It is located about 12 kilometres north of Muswellbrook on the New England Highway. Aberdeen is named after Aberdeen, Scotland. At the 2006 census, Aberdeen had a population of...
. The station only operated eight hours per day, however several programs were produced locally including Home at Three, Let's Cook With Gas, Tempo, Focus, as well as nightly news bulletins at 6.30pm.
In 1963, Australian Consolidated Press
Australian Consolidated Press
ACP Magazines , a subsidiary of the Nine Entertainment Co., is an Australian media company. It publishes the Australian Women's Weekly and the Australian edition of Woman's Day....
and News Limited
News Limited
News Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
bought 200,000 shares in the Newcastle Broadcasting and Television Corporation. Shortly after, United Broadcasting Company sold its shares to Neatherley Investments Limited in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, and Australian United Investments in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, with each company purchasing 100,000 shares. Time Enterprises, purchased Australian United Investments's shares in November 1967.
During the period between 1968 and 1969, NBN secured a relay from the Postmaster-General to enhance their news service. In 1970, NBN began upgrading its studios in preparation for the commencement of colour television at a cost of A$360,000. The improvements included an enlarged film department; a film editing and cleaning equipment; a larger master control with four video transfer machines; a new telecine
Telecine
Telecine is transferring motion picture film into video and is performed in a color suite. The term is also used to refer to the equipment used in the post-production process....
room with caption scanner and slide drums; as well as an expansion of the administration and staff offices which also included new offices and a boardroom.
In 1972, NBN was granted a license to operate a translator in the Upper Hunter
Upper Hunter
The Upper Hunter Shire is a Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It was formed in May 2004 from Scone Shire and parts of Murrurundi and Merriwa shires. The shire council's vision is "A Quality Rural Lifestyle - in a caring and thriving community"...
from Rossgole Lookout near Aberdeen, on VHF channel 10. Concurrently in April 1972, NBN expanded its nightly news service to one hour, becoming the first television station in Australia to have a one hour news bulletin. As a part of earlier preparations for colour production, between 1972 and 1973, orders were placed with Rank Cintel and the EMI Group
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in the United Kingdom and Ampex
Ampex
Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff. The name AMPEX is an acronym, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence...
in the United States for new colour equipment, in time for colour transmission tests on 7 October 1974. On 1 March 1975, the station began regular colour transmissions, whilst transmission was expanded to Banderra Downs, Merriwa
Merriwa, New South Wales
Merriwa is a town in the far west of the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia, in Upper Hunter Shire. It is located on the Golden Highway, 273 kilometres northwest of Sydney and about half way between Newcastle and Dubbo...
, Mount Helen, and Murrurundi
Murrurundi, New South Wales
Murrurundi is a rural town in Upper Hunter Shire, located in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Murrurundi, which is 193 km by road from Newcastle and 309 km from Sydney, has a population of 1,330 people...
at a cost of A$180,000. In 1978, the Newcastle Broadcasting and Television Corporation made a bid for local station (and former owner) 2HD, however was disallowed by the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal. Also during the same year more extensions were added to the studios, which included a new car park, and was officially opened on 17 November 1978.
On 22 November 1979 the Newcastle Broadcasting and Television Corporation officially became NBN Limited, and the station itself renamed from Channel Three to NBN Television. By the late 1970s, NBN was producing twenty hours a week of local and networked programming from its studios, which in turn led the station to purchase a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter for news coverage purposes.
1980s
In early 1980, NBN purchased Southern Television Corporation Limited, owners of NWS-9 in Adelaide, for A$Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
19 million. During the same year, NBN began a teletext
Teletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
service and also purchased the free local newspaper, the Newcastle Star. In 1981, Hadjoin Pty. Ltd., a subsidiary of Parry's Esplanade Limited (later Parry Corporation), purchased 19.88% of NBN Limited for A$6.7 million.
| Entity | Share |
|---|---|
| Lamb Family | 35.02% |
| Wansey Family | 30.14% |
| Hadjoin Pty Ltd | 19.88% |
| Others | 14.96% |
Parry had then attempted to buy Wansey's stake in NBN, but was blocked by the Supreme Court of New South Wales
Supreme Court of New South Wales
The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales...
. It was later revealed that the Lambs had opposed NBN's purchase of the Star newspaper and the attempt to buy 2HD. The company also faced possible suspension from the Australian Stock Exchange
Australian Stock Exchange
The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
if a decision wasn't made soon. In order to resolve the tension, NBN sold NWS-9 to the Lambs in exchange for the majority stake in NBN in 1982.
In 16 March 1983, Hadjoin finally completed the purchase of NBN, officially delisting the company. It had cost Parry A$6.76 per share for acquire 1,285,289 shares. Michael Wansey resigned from the board at the end of the year as a result. In 1984, plans for a second independent station in Newcastle had failed. During that time, NBN and ABC Newcastle were asked to leave the VHF band to accommodate FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
radio. NBN would have been on UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 51, and ABC on UHF channel 48, however this did not eventuate. A proposal to launch a radiated subscription television service with community broadcasting during the daytime hours had also failed that year.
Spin out
A spin-out, also known as a spin-off or a starburst, refers to a type of corporate action where a company "splits off" sections of itself as a separate business....
NBN Limited into a new company, NBN Enterprises, and took a 40% stake in the new company, with Security Pacific Capital Corporation buying 60%. Parry sold their stake soon after, holding onto Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
television station NTN, which NBN had helped to set up. Fulcrum Media's move to later purchase the station was a source for confusion, as it was revealed that many companies, including the NSW State Superannuation Board and Westpac Banking Corporation, held substantial stakes in Fulcrum Media. Parry Corp's new owner CityWest
CityWest
CityWest, formerly known as CityTel, is a city-owned corporation that provides wireline and cellular telephone and internet services in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. CityWest also purchased Monarch Cablesystems' assets, which were split between the former CityTel and Shaw Communications.It has...
issued a court challenge in order to re-acquire NBN, but it was revealed that CityWest was held by Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
company Hung Lung Corporation, thereby violating foreign ownership laws. Following ownership changes, NBN Enterprises was sold to Washington H. Soul Pattinson
Washington H. Soul Pattinson
Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited is an Australian investment company.-History:In 1872, Caleb Soul and his son Washington opened their first store at 177 Pitt Street, Sydney, trading as Washington H. Soul and Co...
for A$36 million.
1990s to the 2000s
NBN was one of many stations opposed to aggregation, and offered an alternative by opening up a second station which it would operate for a period of time before selling it. This proposal was however rejected, and aggregation occurred on 31 December 1991, with NBN acquiring Nine NetworkNine 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...
affiliation. Following aggregation, the station's coverage expanded to cover all of northern New South Wales, whilst concurrently programming extended to twenty-four hours in a day, in stereophonic sound. In 1994, NBN Television's logo was updated to a pseudo-Nine logo, similar to fellow affiliate 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...
.
Throughout the 2000s, NBN was regarded as one of the leaders in digital broadcasting, not only being the first to produce a nightly regional news bulletin in full digital format, using a digital friendly news set, but also Australia's first fully digital outside broadcast van.
In 2004, Washington H. Soul Pattinson began moves to transfer control of the station to its publicly listed subsidiary, Soul Pattinson Telecommunications, which became SP Telemedia as a result.
On 30 January 2006, NBN adopted a new logo and on air graphics, in line with Nine's new logo. However, the news department did not update its graphics until 15 March. During April 2007, SP Telemedia announced that it would consider selling NBN Television, and had received at least two bids, one each from WIN Corporation
WIN Corporation
The WIN Corporation is a Wollongong based media company, that owns the WIN Television network, NWS, and STW in Australia.It began broadcasting in Wollongong with one station in 1963. Bruce Gordon acquired control of the company in 1979 and initiated a period of growth which has seen the Network...
and PBL Media
PBL Media
Nine Entertainment Co. is a media company owned by CVC Asia Pacific.Originally a 50/50 joint venture with Consolidated Media Holdings, in June 2007 PBL announced that it would sell a further 25% to CVC for A$ 515 million...
. On 9 May 2007, the PBL Media
PBL Media
Nine Entertainment Co. is a media company owned by CVC Asia Pacific.Originally a 50/50 joint venture with Consolidated Media Holdings, in June 2007 PBL announced that it would sell a further 25% to CVC for A$ 515 million...
A$250 million bid became final.
On 9 August 2009 NBN began transmission of the new digital channel GO!
Go! (Australian TV channel)
GO! is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel launched by the Nine Network on Sunday 9 August 2009.-Origins:...
on channel 88.
In 2010, it was announced that two of NBN's inner Newcastle retransmitter sites in Charlestown and Cooks Hill were selected to carry 3D broadcasts of the 2010 State of Origin series.
On 26 September 2010 NBN began transmission of the HD digital channel GEM
GEM (Australian TV channel)
GEM is an Australian free-to-air high definition digital television channel, launched by the Nine Network on Sunday 26 September 2010 at 6am...
on channel 80.
News
NBN News is the only regional mainland news service to produce a nightly bulletin seven nights a week. The news service employs 60 staff and produces over 20,000 local news stories annually, of which is combined with news reports from the Nine NetworkNine 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...
, the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and ITN; with local stories in all of its sub-markets. Throughout its history, NBN News produced Good Morning News, Good Evening News, News Night, NBN Evening News, and NBN Late Edition News and currently running NBN News.
NBN's local news is presented from the station's news studios at Mosbri Crescent in Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, by Paul Lobb and Natasha Beyersdorf on weekdays, with Jane Goldsmith on weekends. Mike Rabbitt and Gavin Morris present sport and weather respectively on weekdays, whilst weekend sport is presented by Mitchell Hughes.
NBN was the first to launch an hour-long news bulletin in April 1972, and from launch night until the 1980s, Murray Finlay was the face of NBN's news bulletins, and was one of Australia's longest serving newsreaders. In 1975, Finlay was joined by Ray Dinneen at the news desk, who remained in that position until retirement in December 2010. In 1979, the news service received an award for its coverage of the Star Hotel riot.
On 1 March 1985, Jim Sullivan began his career as news director for the service, which has ultimately led him to become Australia's longest serving news director.
NBN News' footage of the tragic events of the 1989 Newcastle earthquake
1989 Newcastle earthquake
The 1989 Newcastle earthquake was a Richter magnitude 5.6 earthquake that occurred in Newcastle, New South Wales on Thursday, 28 December 1989, at 10:27 am. It was one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160...
was beamed throughout the world, with NBN's reporters also being interviewed by international news services.
During the 1990s, the news service produced bulletins for the breakfast and late night timeslots, however this was later replaced by 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...
's Nightline bulletin. Also, for a short period, the 4.30pm bulletin was broadcast coupled with introductions and weather reports produced by the station in Newcastle.
NBN was one of the first television stations in Australia to broadcast live video from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as the 11 September 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
and the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
unfolded. Liasing with NBN News director Jim Sullivan, NBN Late Edition News producer, Matt Carden secured a live feed through 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...
of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
America enabling first pictures to be aired of the New York attacks within minutes. When NBN Late Edition News opened a short time later, newsreader Jodi McKay handed over to ABC News America
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
's coverage of events, anchored by Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
. The bulletin was extended until 1am when NBN handed over to TCN-9
TCN-9
TCN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia and is located at Willoughby. The licence, issued to a company named Television Corporation Ltd headed by Frank Packer, was one of the first four licences to be issued for commercial television stations in...
for the start of almost five days of continuous national coverage.
NBN News is unique as it simulcasts live across all 6 markets. After the major national stories are presented, the program is split into six Local Window opt-outs, featuring pre-recorded local bulletins for each regional market and a live local news round-up for Newcastle. After the first break, the bulletin continues as a live simulcast across the network with further Local Window opt-outs for sport and weather. News, sport and weather presenters start early at NBN recording introductions to each of the local stories which will be inserted into the live broadcast at 6pm. Top Stories are produced by regional news bureaus at Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie, New South Wales
Port Macquarie is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The city is located on the coast, at the mouth of the Hastings River, and has an estimated population of 44,313....
, Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
-History:By the early 1900s, the Coffs Harbour area had become an important timber production centre. Before the opening of the North Coast Railway Line, the only way to transport large items of heavy but low value, such as timber, was by coastal shipping. This meant sawmillers on the North Coast...
, Central Coast, Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
, Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
and the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
.
In 2006, NBN aired its 20,000th news bulletin during the week of 26 March; commemorating the event, NBN News produced five news specials that summarised the prior 44 years of news production.
NBN also broadcasts Nine Network's news content, including Nine's Early Morning News, Today, Nine's 4.30 Afternoon News, A Current Affair, Nine News First at Five.
Paul Lobb took over as the network's main male newsreader after Ray Dinneen retired on 17 December 2010.
Local programming
NBN has always produced some local programming, and had set a record for most local programming and transmission hours in its first week of operation. It was also a member of Australian Television Facilities, and had a hand in the production of drama series Silent NumberSilent number
In telephony, a silent number, unlisted number , ex-directory number or private number is a telephone number that is intentionally not listed in telephone books....
.
In 1963, NBN won the Logie Award
Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
for Enterprising Programming (which was only for country stations), and another Outstanding Contribution by a Regional Station award in 1978. NBN purchased the Romper Room
Romper Room
Romper Room is a children's television series that ran in the United States from 1953 to 1994 as well as at various times in Australia, Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico, New Zealand and the United Kingdom...
franchise from Fremantle International in 1967, which broadcast for over three decades. The original host was Miss Anne, followed by Miss Kim, aided by NBN's station mascot Big Dog. Local travel agency Jayes presented their own travel show, Travel Time with Jayes, broadcast on Sunday nights for over 20 years, starting in 1962. Also, every four years, NBN produces a live 24-hour telethon to raise money for local charities.
NBN premiered Today Extra in 1989. The lifestyle program was broadcast three days per week as part of NBN's day-time lineup. On 3 January 2007, it was announced that NBN would axe Today Extra, claiming it was no longer economically viable, with a drop in ratings and a shrinking advertising base. The program's axing ended the career for former weatherman Nat Jeffery, who presented the program for 18 years, and worked at the station for 28 years.
Community support
NBN has long been a supporter of many local events and groups in the northern New South Wales region. The station has sponsored the Newcastle KnightsNewcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
NRL rugby league team for most of the 1990s and the 2000s, with the NBN logo visible on the team's uniform. The former Hunter Pirates
Hunter Pirates
The Hunter Pirates were an Australian basketball team, based in the city of Newcastle, that competed in the National Basketball League.-Team history:...
NBL basketball team (and their predecessor, the Newcastle Falcons) as well as the Newcastle United Jets
Newcastle United Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club is a professional football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The club competes in the A-League and plays its home games at Ausgrid Stadium . The Jets have won one A-League championship, defeating arch rivals the 1–0 in the 2007–08 Grand Final...
soccer team (and their predecessor, the Newcastle Breakers), have also both received sponsorship from NBN Television.
Logos
The original NBN logo was used by the station until 1979., featuring the numeral three inside a ring. The three was used due to the station's frequency allocation, being transmitted on VHF channel 3 from a transmitter atop Mount SugarloafMount Sugarloaf
Mount Sugarloaf, also known as Great Sugar Loaf, is a mountain in the lower Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, overlooking the cites of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock and Maitland. The summit of the mountain is in the Lake Macquarie suburb of West Wallsend and access to the summit is...
near Newcastle. On 22 November 1979 the logo was updated with the letters NBN replacing the numeral three. The blue and green logo coincided with the renaming of the station from Channel Three to the current name, NBN Television, and its parent company renaming from the Newcastle Broadcasting and Television Corporation to NBN Limited.
Despite pressure from the Nine Network to adopt the nine dots, NBN Television retained its logo for a few years after aggregation. However in 1994, NBN added nine dots into a new logo designed similarly to 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...
's, and also began using Nine's on-air promotion, with the NBN logo replacing Nine's. In 1998, the dots were changed to spheres.
Three-dimensions were added to the letters NBN in 2002, coinciding with a revamp of the station's on-air identity, concurrently with the Nine Network. On 30 January 2006, the station relaunched its logo to coincide with the Nine Network's fiftieth year of broadcasting. The new logo designed by Bruce Dunlop Associates saw the removal of the nine dots, with a blue square added to behind the letters NBN. However in 2008, the nine dots were reinstated into the logo and the dots are first 3D discs in 2008, then 2D dots in January 2009, then later spheres in September 2009.