QQQ
| ITQ: Mount Isa, Queensland QQQ: Remote Eastern, Southern and Central Australia |
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|---|---|
| Branding | Southern Cross |
| Slogan | Your favorites, Your station |
| Channels | Analog: ITQ: 8 (VHF) QQQ: various Digital: switch on digital, 2010-2013 various |
| Affiliations | Seven |
| Network | Southern Cross |
| Owner | Southern Cross Austereo (Regional Television Pty Ltd) |
| First air date |
ITQ: 11 September 1971 |
| Call letters' meaning | ITQ: Mount Isa Telecasters Queensland QQQ: Queensland Queensland Queensland |
| Former affiliations | independent (1971–1998) |
| Transmitter power | ITQ: 1.3 kW |
| Height | ITQ: 75 m[1] |
| Transmitter coordinates | ITQ: 20°44′4″S 139°30′45″E / 20.73444°S 139.5125°E |
QQQ (also known as Southern Cross Central) is an Australian television station broadcasting in remote eastern, southern and central areas of Australia, owned by Southern Cross Austereo (Following merger of Southern Cross Media Group (formerly Maquarie Media Group (following their purchase of Southern Cross Broadcasting in 2007)) and the Austereo Group ). The station is available via satellite and terrestrial platforms – mostly through community retransmission sites, although it also transmits into the town of Mount Isa, Queensland under the call sign ITQ. The station is primarily affiliated with the Seven Network, while carrying a limited amount of sport programming from Network Ten.
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[edit] History
In December 1998 the ITQ and QQQ signals – then known as Queensland Satellite Television, or QSTV, and owned by Telecasters Australia Limited (previously Telecasters North Queensland) – were officially aggregated with that of Imparja Television into a Remote Eastern and Central Australia licence area. Previously, QSTV serviced remote Queensland and New South Wales, while Imparja serviced the Northern Territory (excluding Darwin), and remote South Australia and Victoria, plus far-western New South Wales. As part of the aggregation, the Australian Broadcasting Authority further extended the combined licence area to cover more remote areas of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, who were not fully served by regularly licensed terrestrial television services.[2]
On 01-02-1999, QSTV changed its affiliation from predominantly Network Ten, in line with Telecasters' stations in regional Queensland (TNQ, now Southern Cross Ten), to the Seven Network, becoming Seven Central.[3] This closely followed the introduction of a Seven Network-affiliated service, Seven Darwin (TND), to Darwin in 1998.
Telecasters Australia was purchased by Southern Cross Broadcasting (SCB) in July 2001,[4] and its official name was eventually changed to Southern Cross Central. However, unlike other Southern Cross-owned stations – including TND, which is now a dual Seven/Ten affiliate under the Southern Cross Television brand – QQQ/ITQ simply carries the Seven Network branding unchanged, leading some people to continue to refer it as "Seven Central". The station carries a simple "SCTV" text watermark in lieu of independent branding, denoting the origin of the signal. (Previously, the watermark has read "TAL" and "SCB", denoting the previous owners. "MSCM" was used briefly after the Macquarie acquisition.)
On 19 May 2010, the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) approved a license for a third digital-only TV channel. This channel is a joint venture by Imparja and Southern Cross Central and is expected to be launched in 12 months.[5]
[edit] Southern Cross News Update
Short Southern Cross News Update bulletins are aired from Monday-Friday, featuring local news headlines from the central regions of Australia. The updates consist of the anchor reading the day's relevant news, with no video footage. The weather for most central towns is also displayed during the update. The 60-second updates are currently presented by Caitlin Street.
[edit] Availability
Southern Cross Central is delivered through the VAST and Optus Aurora satellite platforms to areas in remote central and eastern Australia, though in some locations it is also broadcast terrestrially.
Southern Cross Central is also available in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea though the HiTRON subscription television service (shown on channel list as 7 Central).[6]
[edit] References
- ^ HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
- ^ Australian Broadcasting Authority (23 December 1998). Additional television services in remote regions of Australia. Retrieved on 9 January 2008.
- ^ Alice Springs News, 24 February 1999. Retrieved on 2 August 2007.
- ^ Southern Cross Broadcasting 2001 Annual Report. Retrieved on 2 August 2007.
- ^ [1].
- ^ HiTRON Limited - Papua New Guinea :: MMDS TV - top programming - more channels - better reliability
[edit] See also
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- Television stations in Queensland
- Television stations in Victoria (Australia)
- Television stations in Tasmania
- Television stations in the Northern Territory
- Television stations in New South Wales
- Television stations in South Australia
- Television channels and stations established in 1988
- Television stations in Alice Springs
- Southern Cross Media Group
