TNT (Australian TV station)

Last updated
TNT
Channels
BrandingSeven
Programming
Language(s)English
Affiliations Seven (O&O)
Ownership
Owner Seven West Media
History
First air date
26 May 1962 [1]
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 9 (VHF) (1962–2013)
Independent (1962–1994)
TasTV (1985–1989)
Southern Cross Network (1989–1994)
Network Ten (1994–2008)
Call sign meaning
Television
Northern
Tasmania
Technical information
Licensing authority
Australian Communications and Media Authority
ERP see table below
HAAT see table below
Transmitter coordinates see table below

TNT is an Australian TV station based in Launceston, Tasmania, now owned by Seven West Media. [2] Originally broadcasting to northern Tasmania, it has broadcast statewide since aggregation of the Tasmanian television market in 1994. [3]

Contents

History

TNT-9 was founded as Northern TV Ltd and broadcast in Launceston and Northern Tasmania on 26 May 1962. [4] [1] In 1965, TNT-9 became a part of ENT Ltd (Examiner-Northern TV Ltd). [1]

By 1980, TNT-9 adopted a customised version of the Nine Network's "Nine Dots" logo, with the dots replaced by stars. [5]

TNT-9's logo from 1980 to 1989, the dots are replaced by stars in the Nine Network logo. TNT-9 logo.svg
TNT-9's logo from 1980 to 1989, the dots are replaced by stars in the Nine Network logo.

ENT bought TVT-6 in Hobart in 1982 [1] and in 1985, TNT and TVT were relaunched under the TasTV brand, while retaining their original callsigns. [6]

On 30 March 1988, ENT sold TNT-9 to Tricom Corporation, then the second largest regional television broadcaster in Australia at the time, for $40 million after Tricom acquired a 19.9% shareholding. Under aggregation laws, ENT was required to divest one of its two stations by 1992. [7] Ahead of the separation, TNT opened relay station TNT-8 on King Island on 9 September 1988, [8] [4] Tricom was later rebranded Southern Cross Broadcasting, and TNT became known on-air as the Southern Cross Network from 1 January 1989. [1]

Following federal aggregation, Southern Cross Television began broadcasting in Hobart, while TasTV (later WIN Television) commenced transmission in Launceston. Both networks subsequently operated statewide, competing directly against each other. [1]

In 1999, Southern Cross Tasmania, still part of Southern Cross Broadcasting, introduced its own logo independent of mainland affiliates, featuring a stylised Tasmanian tiger. [8]

Southern Cross and WIN Television jointly launched Tasmanian Digital Television on 23 December 2003, a digital-only station based in Hobart that relayed Network Ten content. [9]

On 17 July 2005, Southern Cross Broadcasting adopted a uniform corporate logo across all its stations, and Southern Cross Tasmania retired its Tasmanian tiger branding. [8]

In June 2018, Southern Cross Tasmania was rebranded as Seven Tasmania, with local branding replaced by that of the Seven Network. [10]

In February 2025, owners Southern Cross Austero (SCA) announced the sale of its remaining television assets, including 7 Tasmania, to the conservative media company Australian Digital Holdings (ADH). [11] However, in May 2025 the deal collapsed, and Seven West Media announced it would acquire the stations from SCA for $3.75 million. The sale was finalised on 1 July 2025. [12] [2]

In May 2025, 7 Tasmania vacated its South Launceston studios, where it had operated since 1962. Production of the station's flagship evening news bulletin was temporarily relocated to existing facilities in Hobart while the main studio and sales team were moved into a building in the Launceston CBD. [13]

Local programming

TNT produces the market’s highest-rating daily news bulletin. [14]

Previous local programmes produced by TNT-9 include Sports Club (weekly sports review), Quiz Quest (children's game show), The Saturday Night Show (variety), Down the Line (morning talk/local events), The Saturday Morning Fun Show (kids), Tasmanian New Faces (talent) and annual coverage of Targa Tasmania and The Launceston Cup. [15]

News

The station produces its flagship news program, Nightly News (formerly Southern Cross News), which is broadcast live each night at 6:00 pm from studios in Launceston. The bulletin was produced from the station’s original Watchorn Street studios in South Launceston between 1962 and 2025. [13]

The station had originally planned to retitle the bulletin Seven News Tasmania on 1 July 2018, coinciding with its rebrand as 7 Tasmania. The relaunch, however, was postponed without notice. [16] When questioned by ABC's Media Watch , Southern Cross Austereo CEO Grant Blackley stated that the Seven Network did not want its brand used on output it did not directly control, and that SCA was developing an alternative identity. [17] On 3 December 2018, the bulletin changed its title to Nightly News, a brand the station formerly used from the 1990s up to the early 2000s. [18]

The main bulletin is consistently the highest rating television program in Tasmania. [19] [20] Short news updates are also produced and broadcast throughout the day.

A shortened version of the day's bulletin was previously uploaded to the station's YouTube channel, featuring only local news and sport reports alongside weather forecasts. [21] Since August 2025, the bulletin has instead been uploaded to Seven Network's streaming service 7Plus. [22]

Outside of its local bulletin, Seven Tasmania broadcasts national news and current affairs programming from the Seven Network, including:

TNT also simulcasts the weekday edition of Seven News at 4 from HSV-7 in Melbourne, as well as Seven’s National News at Noon on weekdays and Seven News at 5 on weekends from ATN-7 in Sydney. [23]

Current presenters

Main anchors

  • Kim Millar (Weeknights & Fills)
  • Michael Maney (Weekends & Fills)

Sport presenter

  • Nick Kelly
  • Victoria Eastoe
  • Lily Thompson

Weather presenters

  • Peter Murphy
  • Kiah Wicks
  • Jackie Harvey

Non-news output

Hook, Line and Sinker

The fishing show Hook, Line and Sinker was the most popular Tasmanian-made program airing and broadcast Australia-wide. The program was hosted by former news journalists Andrew Hart and Nick Duigan. The show produced 300 episodes and 24 seasons between 2000 and 2025. Following the airing of the last episode in 2025, the programme continued its social media presence with regular updates on it's YouTube Channel. [24]

Renovation Relief

Renovation Relief is a DIY Program hosted by famous wood-chopper David Foster in which he and a team of people from sponsors (i.e. Gunns) renovate a house, most commonly for people who have done something for the community or have enabled children.

Targa Torque

Broadcast every night during Targa Tasmania fortnight, Andrew Hart and Nick Duigan report and review the events of the day.

Holiday at Home

Holiday at Home is a lifestyle program which promotes places to stay and things to do in Tasmania.

Burnie Ten – Ten Week Challenge

For the ten weeks leading up to the Burnie Ten, Mark Connelly trains a group of people in a program sponsored by Seven Tasmania. Weekly updates are broadcast during commercial breaks. In the early years of the program, people who took part were well known in Tasmania, however in 2006, a Launceston family were trained to run the event.

Sports coverage

Seven Tasmania airs sports coverage from Seven Network, which includes Australian Rules Football, Horse racing, cricket, tennis, golf and motorsport. In the 1990s, the station aired Network Ten's daily sports program Sports Tonight as part of its dual-affiliation, however this was eventually replaced by Seven's current affairs program, Today Tonight.

The station airs three AFL games per round courtesy of its affiliation with Seven. The station promotes extensive coverage of Tasmanian sports in its news coverage including cricket, athletics, netball and basketball. The station's previous sports reporters were Chris Rowbottom, Alicia Muling, and Trent Dann.

Local sport

Locally, coverage of the international road race Targa Tasmania is produced and aired each year. The station also produces live coverage of the Launceston and Hobart Cup. Regular updates on the annual Boxing Day Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race are broadcast during the duration of the race.

Affiliation

The station is affiliated with the metropolitan Seven Network and also broadcasts most of Seven's sub-channels (7two, 7mate, SBN, and Racing.com). Rival Tasmanian stations TVT-6 (WIN Television) is affiliated with the metropolitan Nine Network and the jointly owned TDT is affiliated with the metropolitan Network 10.

Following aggregation in 1994, the station was a combined Seven and Ten affiliate; however, the Ten content was gradually removed from the schedule in the late 2000s following the launch of digital-only station TDT in 2003. TDT is a joint-venture between Southern Cross Austereo and WIN.

In July 2025, Seven West Media, owner of the Seven Network purchased TNT for $3.75 Million, making TNT directly controlled by its affiliates owners. [12]

Channels

Current channels broadcast by TNT
Channel NameLCNRegions broadcastContent Type
Channel 7/HD6 (HD), 60 (HD), 61 (SD)State-wideGeneral entertainment * Australian * Sport * Reality
7two62State-wideAdult programming • General entertainment
7mate63State-wideMen's programming • Sport
SBN International64State-wideReligious programming
TVSN65State-wideHome shopping
you.tv66State-wideHome shopping
gecko67State-wideHome shopping
Racing.com68State-wideRacing

(*) – yet to be confirmed by Seven West Media [25]

Channels pending announcement by Seven West Media
Channel NameLCNContent Type
7flixReplacing (you.tv) on 66*Movies • General entertainment
7BravoReplacing (TVSN) on 65American television

Main transmitters

Region servedCity Channels
(Analog/
Digital)
First air date ERP
(Analog/
Digital)
HAAT
(Analog/
Digital)
1
Transmitter CoordinatesTransmitter Location
Hobart Hobart 31 (UHF)
10 (VHF)
30 April 19941300 kW
50 kW
1061 m
1030 m
42°53′51″S147°14′10″E / 42.89750°S 147.23611°E / -42.89750; 147.23611 (TNT) (analog)
42°53′42″S147°14′10″E / 42.89500°S 147.23611°E / -42.89500; 147.23611 (TNT) (digital)
Mount Wellington
North Eastern Tasmania Launceston 9 (VHF)
45 (UHF)
26 May 1962300 kW
600 kW
809 m
839 m
41°23′27″S147°25′29″E / 41.39083°S 147.42472°E / -41.39083; 147.42472 (TNT) (analog)
41°23′27″S147°25′28″E / 41.39083°S 147.42444°E / -41.39083; 147.42444 (TNT) (digital)
Mount Barrow

Notes:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Burch, Nigel (22 May 2022). "TNT9 helped north of state find its voice ... and it was loud". The Examiner . Launceston: Australian Community Media. p. 31. ProQuest   2667266019.
  2. 1 2 Knox, David (1 July 2025). "WIN TV switches off Seven in Riverland, Griffith, and Mount Gambier". TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  3. "Aggregation – Television.AU". televisionau.com. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  4. 1 2 Burgess, Julilan (19 May 2012). "Fear and excitement as television begins". The Examiner . Launceston: Fairfax Media. p. 38. ProQuest   1014176776.
  5. "TNT-9". Audiovisual Identity Database. 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  6. "Tassie TV's half century". Forty South. 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  7. Darby, Andrew (30 March 1988). "ENT sells TNT9 to Tricom for $40m". The Age . Melbourne. p. 25. Retrieved 1 April 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 3 Ross-Hulands, Brooklyn. "Southern Cross Television History". AusTVHistory. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  9. "TV network sticks with Ten". The Mercury . Hobart: News Corp Australia. 23 December 2003. p. 11. ProQuest   353237919.
  10. Kinniburgh, Chanel (9 June 2018). "Rebadge for Southern Cross" . The Mercury . Hobart: News Corp Australia. p. 21. ProQuest   2051772469 . Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  11. Knox, David (27 February 2025). "Southern Cross sells more regional TV assets". TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  12. 1 2 "ADH deal off the table as Seven West Media swoops on Tasmanian TV assets". Pulse Tasmania. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  13. 1 2 "7 Tasmania News broadcasts final bulletin from historic Launceston studio". Pulse Tasmania. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  14. "Seven West Media to buy Tasmania's Channel 7 after ADH media deal falls over". ABC News. 2025-05-06. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  15. "50 years of TNT9 Launceston – Television.AU". televisionau.com. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  16. Martain, Tim (12 July 2018). "Delay in Southern Cross TV renaming". The Mercury . Hobart: News Corp Australia. ProQuest   2068050391. THE planned renaming of Southern Cross Television to Seven Tasmania has been postponed, due to ongoing negotiations between Southern Cross Austereo and Channel 7.
  17. "Not Seven news". Media Watch. 9 July 2018. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  18. "Oops. Not Seven News (yet) | TV Tonight". https://tvtonight.com.au . 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2025-08-26.{{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  19. "Conservative news operator takes over 7 Tasmania, other television assets". ABC News. 2025-02-28. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  20. Martain, Tim (10 March 2018). "Set for future". The Mercury . Hobart: News Corp Australia. p. 12. ProQuest   2012190447.
  21. "7 News Tasmania". YouTube. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  22. "7 News Tasmania - Watch Channel Seven News Tasmania". 7plus.com.au. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  23. "Launceston TV Guide - All TV Show times, All Channels - 9Entertainment". www.yourtv.com.au. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  24. "'End of an era' as Tasmanian fishing show Hook, Line and Sinker wraps up". Pulse Tasmania. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  25. "Seven West Media", Wikipedia, 2025-07-01, retrieved 2025-07-01