ABS (TV station)

ABS

Adelaide, South Australia
Channels	Digital: 12 (VHF)
Affiliations	ABC Television
Owner	Australian Broadcasting Corporation
First air date	11 March 1960
Call letters' meaning	ABC South Australia
Former channel number(s)	2 (VHF)(analog)
Transmitter power	200 kW (analog) 50 kW (digital)
Height	496 m (analog) 517 m (digital)[1]
Transmitter coordinates	34°58′44″S 138°42′31″E / 34.97889°S 138.70861°E
Website	www.abc.net.au/tv

ABS is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television station in Adelaide, South Australia. It began broadcasting on 11 March 1960 from studios in the suburb of Collinswood. The station's transmitter is located at Mount Lofty, and is one of a series of relay transmitters located throughout the state.

ABS commenced digital television transmission in January 2001, broadcasting on VHF Channel 12 while maintaining analogue transmission on VHF Channel 2. The analogue signal for ABS was shut off at 9.00am CST, Tuesday, 2 April 2013.

Local programming

ABC News South Australia is presented by Jessica Harmsen on weeknights and Emma Rebellato on weekends. The weeknight bulletins also incorporate national finance segment is presented by Alan Kohler in Melbourne. Weekend bulletins feature local sport bulletins presented by Neil Cross.

The weekly local current affairs program, 7.30 South Australia is broadcast each Friday night at 7:30pm and presented by Simon Royal.

Networked programming

• Talking Heads
• Behind the News
• Poh's Kitchen
• News on 3

Past programming

• Couch Potato

Shutdown

In November 2014, current managing director Mark Scott announced at a meeting held at ABC's Unltimo Centre in Sydney that due to a cut of over $250 million from the ABC budget a major restructuring would occur.^[2] In an email to staff, Scott says

"[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."^[2]

Relay stations

The following stations relay ABS throughout South Australia:

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

• Television broadcasting in Australia

References

1. HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
2. Gothe-Snape, Jackson (24 November 2014). "ABC to close Adelaide production studio". The Advertiser. The Sunday Mail. Retrieved 24 November 2014.