CBN (Australian TV station)
| Southern New South Wales & ACT | |
|---|---|
| Branding | Prime7 |
| Channels |
Analog: see table below Digital: see table below |
| Affiliations | Seven |
| Owner |
Prime Television Ltd (Prime Television (Southern) Pty Ltd) |
| First air date | 17 March 1962 |
| Call letters' meaning |
Country Broadcasting New South Wales |
| Former affiliations | independent (1962-1989) Mid State Television (1973-1989) |
| Transmitter power | see table below |
| Height | see table below |
| Transmitter coordinates | see table below |
| Website | www |
CBN is an Australian television station licensed to, and serving the regions surrounding Orange and Dubbo in central western New South Wales.
CBN-8 Orange commenced broadcasting on 17 March 1962, licensed to Country Broadcasting Services, owners of local radio station 2GZ. They soon changed their name to Country Television Services. CWN-6 Dubbo began transmission on 1 December 1965. Also owned by CTS, they became the first station to completely relay another station's programming, although some station identification, such as test patterns, remained separate.
In 1968, the stations acquired access to the Postmaster-General's microwave link, allowing viewers to see national news programs and other major events live for the first time. By the early 1970s, the stations began' to run into financial difficulties, and it was decided to enter into a joint programming agreement with MTN-9 of Griffith, resulting in the formation of the Television 6-8-9 network (later Mid State Television 6-8-9).
A 30-minute documentary on the 1978 National Rodeo Titles, called Goin' Down The Road, won the station the 'Outstanding Contribution by a Regional Station' Logie Award in 1979. Local programming in the 1980s included Focus, Rural Roundup, Early Shift, Weekend Report, Time to Live, Around The Schools, and coverage of local special events.
Local sports coverage, especially of tennis and rugby, former a major part of the schedule in the late 1970s and early 1980s. From 1979, the station sponsored, and telecast the United Permanent Tennis Tournament, the only tournament of its kind in Australia.
With aggregation looming, CBN and CWN were purchased by health care magnate Paul Ramsay's Ramcorp Ltd in 1987, and merged with RVN/AMV to form The Prime Network, in November 1988. Local programming and staff levels were reduced - morale at the time was reported to be at an all time low. Programming schedules began to resemble those of affiliation partner Seven, with new facilities built in Wollongong and Canberra in preparation for the expansion in coverage area.
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Wikipedia