Seven Network
| File:Channelseven.svg | |
| Type | Broadcast television network |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Availability | Metropolitan and Regional Australia |
| Founded | 1963 as Australian Television Network |
| 27.1% Nationally [1], 2005 Ratings Season | |
| Owner | Seven Media Group |
Launch date | 1956 as HSV-7 & ATN-7 1963 as Australian Television Network |
| Callsigns | ATN-7 Sydney HSV-7 Melbourne BTQ-7 Brisbane SAS-7 Adelaide TVW-7 Perth STQ-7 Regional Queensland |
Official website | www.yahoo7.com.au |
The Seven Network is an Australian television network. It has the distinction of owning stations with a combined population coverage greater than any other free to air network in Australia. Its parent company and namesake has, in recent years, grown into a diversified media company. Seven's main shareholder is Kerry Stokes, who also owns Australian Capital Equity and subsidiaries such as heavy equipment supplier Westrac.
The network's studio headquarters are in a converted warehouse at Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont, Sydney. Its news headquarters is in Martin Place, Sydney and its major production facility is at Epping in Sydney's northern suburbs. In 2009, Seven will move their production facilities from Epping to a purpose built site at the Australian Technology Park in Redfern. The broadcast signal for the network arises from the digital broadcast centre in the Melbourne Docklands.
History
The network originated as an alliance of stations owned and operated by Fairfax (in Sydney) and The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd (in Melbourne).
The Melbourne station was sold to Fairfax following Rupert Murdoch's takeover of H&WT; Fairfax in turn relinquished ownership of the Sydney and Melbourne flagships through the disastrous privatisation by Warwick Fairfax Jr.
The buyer was the Qintex group, controlled by colourful entrepreneur Christopher Skase, a former Australian Financial Review journalist who had leveraged ownership of a small mining company to acquire specialist retail assets (e.g. the upmarket jeweller Hardy Bros) and then move into property development, notably the three Mirage resorts in Queensland and Hawaii.
Qintex had a station in Brisbane, which was sold in order to acquire the Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane stations. After that, it purchased the stations in Adelaide & Perth.
Qintex collapsed ingloriously after an unsuccessful takeover of MGM/UA, the Hollywood studio that has been recurrently bought and sold by Kirk Kerkorian.
The network was convicted for broadcasting an inflammatory story on its Today Tonight and Sunrise programs which breached the law by identifying a minor engaged in legal proceedings.[2] It was placed on a two-year good behaviour bond and ordered to donate $50,000 to charities for homeless people. Seven indicated it would appeal the conviction.[1]
On November 20, 2006, Seven announced that its media businesses would be placed in a new entity, Seven Media Group, of 50% will be acquired by KKR for AU$4 billion. The new entity will hold its television (Seven Network) and print (Pacific Magazines) assets, as well as Seven's 50% share of Yahoo!7. The publicly-traded parent company, Seven Network Limited, will retain the other 50%, as well as various real estate and other interests.
Programming
Entertainment
Seven has traditionally been the second highest rating television network in Australia, trailing Channel Nine but above Network Ten. In 2005 Seven has had a ratings resurgence after a disastrous 2004 with assistance from many American programs. For the 2006 season, Seven renewed many of those same shows, but also brought in some new ones. Seven's current primetime American programs, including those that will join the lineup in 2007 (listed in bold) include:
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An interesting point is that Seven won back market share on the back of Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey's Anatomy, the same shows ABC used in America to gain back a top slot in the ratings.
Seven has also produced many Australian productions, some of which include:
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Later this year, the Seven Network will debut Australia's Got Talent, an Australian adaptation of US program America's Got Talent. A host and judges have not been named yet.
On September 17 2006, Seven hosted a three hour show called TV TURNS 50 for 50 Years of Television in Australia.
Sport
News
The Seven Network's news service is called Seven News. After trailing for many years, to Channel Nine's news service, Seven has rebounded and in 2005 claimed to be be number 1 in news and current affairs. Seven News produces the following bulletins/programs:
Seven News also assist in production of:
Stations
Callsigns
Callsigns for Seven Network stations in the capital cities:
- ATN-7, Sydney
- HSV-7, Melbourne
- BTQ-7, Brisbane
- SAS-7, Adelaide (originally SAS-10, transferred frequency and network affiliation to Seven in 1987)
- TVW-7, Perth
The Seven Network also owns Seven Queensland, which covers the Regional Queensland market. This market covers the east coast of the state, except for South East Queensland.
Affiliates
Seven Network programming is also carried by the following affiliate networks:
- Seven Darwin - Darwin
- Seven Central - Remote Central and Eastern Australia
- Southern Cross Television - Tasmania (non-exclusive)
- Central - Spencer Gulf (non-exclusive)
- Central - Remote South Australia (non-exclusive)
- Central - Broken Hill (non-exclusive)
- Prime - Northern New South Wales
- Prime - Southern New South Wales
- Prime - Victoria
- GWN - Western Australia
- Prime - Griffith (WIN owns both commercial broadcasters in Griffith - one carries their own programming, the other is a feed from Prime Television)
Slogans
It should be noted that Seven's TV ad campaigns tend to follow NBC (mostly due to Seven's semi-close ties with the American network), but at times also used some imaging from fellow US network ABC.
Pre-Network Years
- 1960: "You're on Seven. This is Herald-Sun TV." (HSV-7)
Australian Television Network
- 1960's: "You're in Tune When You're Tuned to Seven" (ADS-7)
- 1968: "Seven is..." (ATN-7)
Channel Seven
- 1970: "The Seven Revolution" (HSV-7/ATN-7) (borrowed from NBC's "The NBC Revolution")
- 1971-72: "Looking Good"
- 1972-73: "Something Special"
- 1973-74: "TBA" (Was there an Ident here?)
Seven Color Television
- 1974-75 (Oct. 19-Feb. 28): "Revolving 7" (HSV-7's Color Test ID)
- 1975: "SSSSSSS Seven Color Television" (March-August 1975)
- 1975: "Welcome to the Bright New World of Seven" (ATN-7) (Taken from the similarly named ABC (US) slogan)
- 1975: "Seven Colors Your World" (September-December 1975)
- 1976-79: "The Color Machine" (aka "Who Colors Your World?")
- 1977: "Lucky Seven" (HSV-7/ATN-7) (used only briefly on HSV-7)
- 1977 (Nov.): "21 Years of Television" (HSV-7)
- Summer 1977/78: "Summer Fever" (HSV-7)
- 1979-82: "All The Best" (ATN-7/ADS-7) (borrowed from NBC's 1976-1978 slogan)
- 1979: "Seven's Reaching for the Stars" (BTQ-7)
- 1980: "Channel 7's Proud in Sydney" (ATN-7) (borrowed elements from NBC's "Proud as a Peacock")
- 1980: "You're on Seven" (HSV-7) (borrowed elements from NBC's "NB-See Us")
- 1980-81: "A Part of You" (HSV-7)
- 1981: "Always Been a Part of You" (HSV-7)
- Summer 1981/82: "Summer is the Time" (ATN-7) (borrowed elements from ABC's "Now is the Time, ABC is the Place")
- Summer 1981/82: "Summer is a Part of You" (HSV-7)
- 1982: "Take a Bow" (HSV-7)
- 1982: "Our Pride is Showing" (ATN-7) (based on NBC's similarly named promo slogan)
- 1983: "Just Watch Us Now!" (ATN-7/BTQ-7) (based on NBC's promo slogan "We're NBC, Just Watch Us Now")
- 1983-87: "Love You Brisbane" (BTQ7)
- 1983: "Be There" (HSV-7/ATN-7) (again, based on NBC's slogan that marked NBC's rise in the 80s)
- 1983: "You Can See It All on 7" (TVW-7)
- 1984: "You're Invited on a Journey" (ATN-7)
- 1984: "Sevensational" (HSV-7)
- 1984: "We're With You on 7" (TVW-7) (based on ABC's "We're With You on ABC")
- 1985: "Adelaide is Seven" (ADS-7)
- 1985: "The World on Seven - Let's All Be There" (ATN-7) (again based off NBCs slogan "On NBC, Let's All Be There")
- 1985, 1988: "Hello Melbourne" (HSV-7)
- 1985-87: "Let's All Be There" (ATN-7) (borrowed from NBC slogan, even though NBC changed slogans in '86)
- 1985-88: "Love You Perth" (TVW-7)
- 1986: "Sydney CBD" (ATN-7)
- 1986: "Say Hello!" (HSV-7/ADS-7/TVW-7) (also used by TasTV)
- 1986 (Nov.): "Thirty Years Together - Channel 7 and You" (ATN-7)
- 1986 (Nov.): "30 Years of Television" (HSV-7)
Australian Television Network
- 1987: "Hello Melbourne". (Used music from 'Let's all be There)
- 1987: "Sail On" (ATN-7)
- 1988: "Let's Celebrate '88" (borrowed elements from "Come Home to NBC")
- 1989: "Only the Best on 7" (borrowed from NBC's "Come Home to the Best, Only on NBC")
- 1990: "The Place to Be" (once again, from NBC)
Seven Network
- 1991: "In the Mood"/"Yeah!"
- 1992: "Good Vibrations"
- 1993: "Handmade Television"
- 1993-94: "It Has To Be"
- 1995-96: "Discover It All"
- 1996 (Sept.): "40 Years of Television"
- 1997-98: "Everyone's Home"
- 1999: "Melbourne's Alive!" (HSV-7)
- 1999: "The One to Watch" (based on "Every Breath You Take" by The Police)
- 2000: "The One to Watch"
- 2000-Early 2002: "The One to Watch" (based on "Dreams" by The Cranberries)
- Early 2002-July 5, 2003: "The One to Watch"
- 2003 (July 6-Aug. 31): "See Things Differently" (based on "Point of View" by DB Boulevard)
- 2003 (Sept-Nov): "Lucky Seven"
- Summer 2003/04: "Brand Spankin' New Summer"
- 2004 (Feb-Nov): "7 NOW" (based on FOX's 2002 slogan "FOX NOW")
- Summer 2004/05: "7 Summer" (based on "Summer of Love" by Black Cab)
- 2005: "GOTTA LOVE IT" (based on "I Think I Love You" by David Cassidy)
- 2005 (Aug. 28): "Melbourne is Seven" (HSV-7)
- 2005 (Nov. 4): "Our 50th Begins!" (HSV-7)
- Summer 2005/06: "Gotta Love It - Summer"
- 2006 (Feb. 11-?): "Thanks For Watching..."
- 2006 (Aug-Sept): "TV Turns 50".
- 2006 (Aug-Sept): "7 Melbourne - 50 Years On". (HSV-7)
- UNCONFIRMED
- 1980's: "The Heat is On" (TVW-7)
Logos
The Seven Network has used many logos throughout its history.
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Used from 1970 to 1974
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Used from 1975 to 1988
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Used from 1989 to 1999
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Used from 2000 to 2002
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Used from 2003 to the present
References
- "National" refers to the main five metropolitan markets. Shares represents free to air audience share from 6:00pm to 12:00am. Data gathered and published by OzTAM. OZTam