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]
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.
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]
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 from 2017 to 2025, featuring only local news and sport reports alongside weather forecasts.[21] Since August 2025, months after Seven's acquisition, new editions are now exclusively available on demand via Seven Network's streaming service 7plus.[22]
Nightly News was home to Australia’s longest serving commercial weather presenter, Peter “Murph” Murphy, who appeared on air for 41 years from 1984–2025.[23]
Outside of its local bulletin, Seven Tasmania broadcasts national news and current affairs programming from the Seven Network, including:
Seven News bulletins, including Sunrise Early News, National News at Noon, Afternoon News at 4, Weekend Afternoon News at 5, and The Latest.
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.[24]
Current presenters
Main anchors
Kim Millar (Weeknights & Fills)
Michael Maney (Weekends & Fills)
Sport presenter
Nick Kelly
Victoria Eastoe
Lily Thomson
Weather presenters
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 its YouTube Channel.[25]
Renovation Relief
Renovation Relief was 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
Previously 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 was 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 trained a group of people in a program sponsored by Seven Tasmania (then Southern Cross Television.) Weekly updates 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.
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, Trent Dann, Rob Fairs and Nick Duigan.
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]
↑ Martain, Tim (12 July 2018). "Delay in Southern Cross TV renaming". The Mercury. Hobart: News Corp Australia. ProQuest2068050391. THE planned renaming of Southern Cross Television to Seven Tasmania has been postponed, due to ongoing negotiations between Southern Cross Austereo and Channel 7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
