NTD-8
Encyclopedia
NTD is an Australian television station
, licensed to and serving Darwin
, Palmerston
and surrounds. The station is owned by the Nine Entertainment Co., and is an owned-and-operated station
of the Nine Network
, under the company name Territory Television Pty. Ltd..
, followed by Bandstand
at 6:00p.m. and at 7:00p.m., An Evening with Burt Bacharach
.
The station was officially inaugurated at 8:00pm by Northern Territory Administrator, Fred Chaney
, followed by speeches from Sir Myles Wright, Fred Yates, John Hickman, and assistant executive John May.
The opening lineup continued with All the King's Men
at 8:30 p.m. and Danger Man
at 10:30 p.m., followed by a station close.
The station was completely wiped out by Cyclone Tracy
in December 1974 and was off air for 10 months while it was rebuilt from the ground up.
In the late 1980s, NTD-8 was purchased by Publishing and Broadcasting Limited
, the owners of the Nine Network
at that time. Following the acquisition of the station by Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, NTD-8 adopted a similar on-air presentation to the Nine Network with an Eight logo. NTD-8's news service revamped and rebranded along with the station, to become Eight National News.
under the name Seven Darwin
, now Southern Cross Television
. The introduction of a second commercial television operator in the Darwin television market brought an end to NTD-8's solus commercial operations of the prior three decades.
Territory Television Pty. Ltd. attempted to gain Seven Network
affiliation rights prior to Seven Darwin's launch, in a strategic move to dominate and force the incoming competitor to align with Network Ten
. This would have seen NTD-8 broadcast both Nine Network and Seven Network programming, however after being rejected affiliation, the station gained Network Ten affiliation to supplement their parent company's Nine Network programming.
's Nine Network owned-and-operated station
s. Following the name change to Channel Nine Darwin, the station defunct Network Ten
programming from their line-up, and in 2005, the Network Ten affiliation rights were officially relinquished, and were then taken by Southern Cross Television
's TND
in 2005.
In 2005, in the midst of the tug-of-war for the AFL
television rights, PBL
announced that National Rugby League
games will take precedence on the station over AFL
games, a sign that Nine may have be about to give up the race for the rights to a proposed Seven
-Ten
consortium, which they did, but not without putting in a $
780 million dollar bid for the rights.
In 2008, Nine Darwin (NTD) began broadcasting Nine HD
. In April 2008, Darwin Digital Television (DTD)
, a joint venture between the Nine Network
and Macquarie Southern Cross Media, began broadcasting on the digital terrestrial
platform as a full-time Ten Network affiliate.
The same year, it was speculated that Imparja Television
was planning to purchase the station from the Nine Network. The deal would have involved the sale of the station, as well as its facilities and license. Negotiations for the sale of the station fell through on September 29, when Imparja failed to secure federal government funding to help finance the takeover.
Darwin Nine News presenters and journalists include:
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
, licensed to and serving Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Palmerston
Palmerston, Northern Territory
Palmerston is a planned satellite city of Darwin, the capital and largest city in Australia's Northern Territory. Palmerston is situated near Darwin Harbour and has an urban population of 23,614 on the 2006 Census night and making it the second largest city in the territory...
and surrounds. The station is owned by the Nine Entertainment Co., and is an owned-and-operated station
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
of the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, under the company name Territory Television Pty. Ltd..
Origins
NTD-8 was officially launched at 8:00pm on 11 November 1971, with the opening lineup beginning at 5:30pm with Skippy the Bush KangarooSkippy the Bush Kangaroo
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo is an Australian television series for children created by John McCallum, produced from 1966–1968, telling the adventures of a young boy and his intelligent pet kangaroo, in the Waratah National Park in Duffys Forest, near Sydney, New South Wales.Ninety-one 30-minute...
, followed by Bandstand
Bandstand (Australia)
Bandstand was an Australian musical/variety television show which screened from November 1958 to 1972. It was produced at the studios of TCN-9 in Sydney and eventually became a national program as Nine Network expanded into other Australian cities in the early 1960s.Bandstand was created by Nine...
at 6:00p.m. and at 7:00p.m., An Evening with Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
.
The station was officially inaugurated at 8:00pm by Northern Territory Administrator, Fred Chaney
Fred Chaney
Frederick Michael Chaney, AO is a former Western Australian politician who, until April 2007, held the position of deputy chairman of the Australian Native Title Tribunal and is Chair of Desert Knowledge Australia and on the Board of Directors of Reconciliation Australia.Chaney was born in Perth,...
, followed by speeches from Sir Myles Wright, Fred Yates, John Hickman, and assistant executive John May.
The opening lineup continued with All the King's Men
All the King's Men (1949 film)
All the King's Men is a 1949 drama film based on the Robert Penn Warren novel of the same name. It was directed by Robert Rossen and starred Broderick Crawford in the role of Willie Stark.-Plot:...
at 8:30 p.m. and Danger Man
Danger Man
Danger Man is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the program and wrote many of the scripts...
at 10:30 p.m., followed by a station close.
The station was completely wiped out by Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974...
in December 1974 and was off air for 10 months while it was rebuilt from the ground up.
1980s
NTD-8 did not run any news and current affairs programming until October 18, 1982, after the station hired Rex Clark as a news director to launch a nightly bulletin at 7:00pm entitled News at Seven, alongside a current affairs programme entitled Spectrum.In the late 1980s, NTD-8 was purchased by Publishing and Broadcasting Limited
Publishing and Broadcasting Limited
Publishing and Broadcasting Limited was one of Australia's largest companies, with interests primarily in media and gaming. The company demerged in late 2007, spinning out its gaming interests into Crown Limited...
, the owners of the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
at that time. Following the acquisition of the station by Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, NTD-8 adopted a similar on-air presentation to the Nine Network with an Eight logo. NTD-8's news service revamped and rebranded along with the station, to become Eight National News.
1990s
NTD-8's first competitor was launched in 1998, owned by Telecasters AustraliaSouthern Cross Broadcasting
Southern Cross Broadcasting Limited was a diversified Australian media company, that owned and operated a variety of media businesses, primarily radio and television.-History:...
under the name Seven Darwin
TND-34
TND is the call-sign for the Southern Cross Television station in Darwin, Northern Territory. The station, launched in 1998 as Seven Darwin and broadcasting to the greater Darwin region, serving around 100,000 people, is owned by the Macquarie Media Group...
, now Southern Cross Television
Southern Cross Television
Southern Cross Television, or Southern Cross, is an Australian television network available in Tasmania, Darwin, Regional South Australia, and Central Australia. Although the programming varies from region to region, all areas are affiliated with the Seven Network and, in some areas, have a dual...
. The introduction of a second commercial television operator in the Darwin television market brought an end to NTD-8's solus commercial operations of the prior three decades.
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
affiliation rights prior to Seven Darwin's launch, in a strategic move to dominate and force the incoming competitor to align with Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
. This would have seen NTD-8 broadcast both Nine Network and Seven Network programming, however after being rejected affiliation, the station gained Network Ten affiliation to supplement their parent company's Nine Network programming.
2000s
On New Year's Day 2003, Eight Darwin became Nine Darwin, in line with the rest of Kerry PackerKerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
's Nine Network owned-and-operated station
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
s. Following the name change to Channel Nine Darwin, the station defunct Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
programming from their line-up, and in 2005, the Network Ten affiliation rights were officially relinquished, and were then taken by Southern Cross Television
Southern Cross Television
Southern Cross Television, or Southern Cross, is an Australian television network available in Tasmania, Darwin, Regional South Australia, and Central Australia. Although the programming varies from region to region, all areas are affiliated with the Seven Network and, in some areas, have a dual...
's TND
TND
TND can mean multiple things:* Tomorrow Never Dies, James Bond 007 movie* Tunisian dinar, the ISO 4217 code for the currency of Tunisia* Traditional Neighborhood Development , a form of development associated with New Urbanism...
in 2005.
In 2005, in the midst of the tug-of-war for the AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
television rights, PBL
Publishing and Broadcasting Limited
Publishing and Broadcasting Limited was one of Australia's largest companies, with interests primarily in media and gaming. The company demerged in late 2007, spinning out its gaming interests into Crown Limited...
announced that National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
games will take precedence on the station over AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
games, a sign that Nine may have be about to give up the race for the rights to a proposed Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
-Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
consortium, which they did, but not without putting in a $
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
780 million dollar bid for the rights.
In 2008, Nine Darwin (NTD) began broadcasting Nine HD
Nine HD
Nine HD was an Australian television channel, owned by Nine Entertainment Co., that launched on 17 March 2008. The channel was available to high definition digital television viewers in metropolitan and regional areas through a number of owned-and-operated and affiliate stations...
. In April 2008, Darwin Digital Television (DTD)
DTD (TV station)
Darwin Digital Television is a digital television station in Darwin, Northern Territory. It is jointly owned by Nine Entertainment and the Macquarie Media Group .-History:...
, a joint venture between the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
and Macquarie Southern Cross Media, began broadcasting on the digital terrestrial
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
platform as a full-time Ten Network affiliate.
The same year, it was speculated that Imparja Television
Imparja Television
Imparja Television is an Australian television network servicing remote eastern and central Australia, that began broadcasting on 2 January 1988. It is based in Alice Springs, where it has a studio and satellite uplink facility. Notably, it is controlled by Australian Aborigines through ownership...
was planning to purchase the station from the Nine Network. The deal would have involved the sale of the station, as well as its facilities and license. Negotiations for the sale of the station fell through on September 29, when Imparja failed to secure federal government funding to help finance the takeover.
News
Nine News is produced and broadcast live from the studios of NTD-8 in Darwin.Darwin Nine News presenters and journalists include:
Main anchors
- Jonathan UptinJonathan UptinJonathan Uptin is the presenter on Nine News Darwin.He has worked across Australia on a number of different platforms. After doing a communications degree at the University of Canberra, he began his media career at Channel Nine in Sydney as an assistant to the chief of staff, before working as a...
(Weeknights) - Michelle Buckworth (Sport and Weekend Presenter)
Reporters
- Leah Hannon (Court Reporter)
- Justin O'Brien (Police Reporter)
- Michelle Buckworth (Sports Reporter)
- Michelle Fraser (Chief of Staff and Politics Reporter)
Former Presenters
- Angelina Anictomatis (Sport and Weekend Presenter)
- Lisa Andrews (Sport and Weekend Presenter)
- Katrina Read (Room To Move Presenter/Producer)
External links
- Nine News Darwin Nine News Darwin Team