STW
| Perth, Western Australia | |
|---|---|
| Branding | Nine |
| Channels | Digital: 8 (VHF) |
| Affiliations | Nine (O&O) |
| Owner |
Nine Entertainment Co. (Swan Television & Radio Broadcasters Pty Ltd) |
| First air date | 12 June 1965 |
| Call letters' meaning |
Swan Television Western Australia |
| Former affiliations | independent (1965–88) |
| Transmitter power | 50 kW (digital) |
| Height | 327 m (digital) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 31°59′53″S 116°4′20″E / 31.99806°S 116.07222°E |
| Website | 9now.com.au |
STW is an Australian television station owned by the Nine Network that is based in Perth, Australia. STW broadcasts with a transmitter mast located in Walliston. The station callsign, STW, is an acronym of Swan Television, Western Australia.
STW-9 commenced broadcasting on 12 June 1965 and was the second commercial television station in Perth. It became the first station in Perth to broadcast 24 hours a day on 17 April 1984. In 1983, the station came under the ownership of Bond Media, owned by businessman Alan Bond, and became a Nine Network owned and operated station when Bond purchased the network. In 1989, Bond Media sold the station to Sunraysia Television for A$95 million. The deal also involved Bond Media purchasing the Sunraysia owned STV-8 for A$18 million. Bond Media was forced to sell due to the Federal cross-media ownership laws, which restricted the level of national reach for media owners.
In January 2007, Sunraysia Television posted a profit warning, from an expected 12% drop in revenue over the previous six months, citing a weak local advertising market and low ratings, despite a strong state economy. The profit warning lead to speculation of a potential takeover of STW-9, with PBL and regional network WIN Television indicated as potential bidders.PBL Media announced in February 2007 that it would purchase STW-9 for A$136.4 million, with the deal to be completed in late March or early April subject to shareholder approval. After PBL Media bid for the station, 45% shareholder WIN Corporation wanted to buy out the station itself. WIN lodged two bids. In June 2007, shareholders approved the revised WIN bid. In 2013 Nine Entertainment Co. purchased STW from WIN Corporation and gained control of the station from the 30th September 2013. This returned STW to being a Nine owned-and-operated station for the first time since 1989, with Nine now owning all five Nine-branded metropolitan stations.
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