ABS (TV station)
 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | ABC Television |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
| History | |
First air date | 11 March 1960 |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 2 (VHF) (1960–2013) |
Call sign meaning | ABC South Australia |
| Technical information | |
| ERP | 50 kW (digital) |
| HAAT | 517 m (digital)[1] |
| Transmitter coordinates | 34°58′44″S 138°42′31″E / 34.97889°S 138.70861°E |
ABC Television in South Australia comprises national and local programming on the ABC television network in the Australian state of South Australia, headquartered in Adelaide.
ABS or ABS-2 was the historic call sign and name of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television station in Adelaide, with the "S" standing for South Australia.
History
[edit]
ABS began broadcasting on 11 March 1960 from studios in the suburb of Collinswood. The station's transmitter is located at Mount Lofty, and is augmented by a series of relay transmitters located throughout the state.[citation needed]
ABS commenced digital television transmission in January 2001, broadcasting on VHF Channel 12 while maintaining analogue transmission on VHF Channel 2.[citation needed] The analogue signal for ABS was shut off at 9am on Tuesday, 2 April 2013, making Adelaide the first state capital to make the permanent switch, with Canberra being the first city to do so in 2012.[2][3]
In November 2014, current managing director Mark Scott announced at a meeting held at ABC's Ultimo headquarters in Sydney that due to a cut of over A$254 million from the ABC budget a major restructuring would occur.[4] In an email to staff, Scott said:[5]
"[We will] close our Adelaide television production studio and wind down remaining television production in smaller states. The economics of the television sector make it difficult to maintain small-scale operations. It is more economically efficient to base production (outside news and current affairs) in Sydney and Melbourne. TV’s aim is to work with the independent sector on programming that better reflects local diversity. To demonstrate accountability, the ABC will deliver detailed annual reports on its local production, including dollars invested and programs made."
Programs produced in the Adelaide studios
[edit]The following programs were produced in the Adelaide studios of ABC Television:[citation needed]
ABC Television in South Australia today
[edit]As of 2021[update] there is a large number of transmitters broadcasting a number of ABC channels.[6]
Local programming
[edit]Only the local edition of ABC News continues to be broadcast from Adelaide. ABC News South Australia is presented by Jessica Harmsen from Monday to Thursday. and Richard Davies or Candice Prosser from Friday to Sunday[7] The weeknight bulletins also incorporate a national finance segment presented by Alan Kohler in Melbourne. Weekend bulletins feature local sport bulletins presented by Neil Cross.[citation needed]
Relay stations
[edit]The following stations relayed ABS throughout South Australia:[citation needed]
| Call | Region served | City | Channels (Analog/ digital) |
First air date | 3rd letter's meaning |
ERP (Analog/ digital) |
HAAT (Analog/ digital)1 |
Transmitter coordinates | Transmitter location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABCS | Ceduna | Ceduna | 9 (VHF)2 39 (UHF) |
16 July 1973 | Ceduna | 1.6 kW | 92 m | 32°8′20″S 133°47′22″E / 32.13889°S 133.78944°E | Kongwirra Hill |
| ABGS | South East South Australia | Mount Gambier | 1 (VHF)3 39 (UHF) |
3 December 1965 | Mount Gambier | 210 kW 225 kW |
276 m 379 m |
37°36′8″S 140°28′58″E / 37.60222°S 140.48278°E | Mount Burr |
| ABLCS | Leigh Creek | Leigh Creek | 9 (VHF) 8 (VHF) |
28 April 1977 | Leigh Creek | 0.032 kW 0.01 kW |
3 m 3 m |
30°35′59″S 138°24′13″E / 30.59972°S 138.40361°E | Leigh Creek |
| ABNS | Spencer Gulf North | Port Pirie | 1 (VHF)3 38 (UHF) |
10 April 1965 | Spencer Gulf North | 200 kW 240 kW |
576 m 627 m |
33°6′14″S 138°9′51″E / 33.10389°S 138.16417°E | The Bluff |
| ABRS | Riverland | Renmark/Loxton | 3 (VHF)3 39 (UHF) |
20 January 1971 | Riverland | 240 kW 240 kW |
166 m 180 m |
34°27′52″S 140°32′1″E / 34.46444°S 140.53361°E | Loxton |
| ABWS | Woomera | Woomera | 7 (VHF) NA |
30 November 1973 | Woomera | 0.02 kW | 48 m | 31°11′31″S 136°48′53″E / 31.19194°S 136.81472°E | Woomera |
Notes:
- 1. HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
- 2. ABCS was on VHF channel 7 from its 1973 sign-on until sometime in the 1980s.
- 3. Analogue transmissions ceased as of 15 December 2010 as part of the national shutdown of analogue television.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
- ^ "TV viewers say adieu to analogue". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 2 April 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "Analogue TV Gets An Official Switch-Off Date". Lifehacker Australia. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "ABC Adelaide television studios to close after 55 years and state 7.30 edition axed". ABC News. 24 November 2014. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ Gothe-Snape, Jackson (24 November 2014). "ABC to close Adelaide production studio". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ Australian Communications and Media Authority (April 2021). "Section 7: Television Callsign order (by state)" (PDF). Radio and television broadcasting stations: Internet edition (PDF). ACMA. pp. 204–205. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
- ^ "ABC News SA". ABC iView. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
