Golden West Network
Encyclopedia
GWN7 is an Australian
television network owned by the Prime Media Group that is based in Bunbury
, Western Australia. The Golden West Network launched on 10 March 1967 as BTW-3 in Bunbury
, and has since expanded to cover regional and remote Western Australia
, servicing all areas except metropolitan Perth
.
GWN7 is affiliated to the Seven Network
, with the network's on-air schedule closely following that of TVW-7
, its Perth counterpart.
, launched on 10 March 1967 (with a relay in Mount Barker
commencing the next year), VEW-8 Kalgoorlie
, which began on 18 June 1971, and relay station GSW-9 Albany
, opened on 29 August 1974. GTW-11 Geraldton
was the last station to launch, on 21 January 1977. Jack Bendat purchased South West Telecasters (owner of BTW/GSW) in the early 1980s, and changed the company’s name to Golden West Network.
GWN applied to broadcast an additional service on 31 October 1984, when the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal called for applications to broadcast to Christmas Island
and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
via satellite
as part of the Remote Commercial Television License (RCTS) scheme. GWN was granted the Remote Commercial Television License (RCTS) in June 1985 and the service went to air on 18 October 1986 using the call-sign WAW.
Not long after, GWN continued to expand within Western Australia, acquiring Mid-Western Television (owner of VEW-8 Kalgoorlie) in December 1985 for 7 million, and Geraldton Telecasters (owner of GTW-11) in March 1987 for an undisclosed amount. The takeovers gave the network a monopoly over all commercial television services in regional Western Australia. In 1987, Bendat and Kerry Stokes
merged their media interests into joint company BDC Investments. Later that year, Northern Star Holdings purchased BDC for 206 million. Northern Star were forced to sell GWN to satisfy existing media regulations. GWN was sold back to Stokes in December 1988 for 54 million, who upgraded equipment throughout the network. In April 1990, stations usign the callsigns BTW and GSW were merged, to become SSW.
in 1995, and attempted to sell GWN to Seven in return for more shares. Seven Network shareholders agreed to the trade in April 1996 - a deal which would have seen Seven acquire GWN for 72.8 million. The arrangement was called off when the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
(ACCC) found that a 15 year exclusive programming deal GWN made with the Nine Network
was anti competitive and opposed the acquisition. The Seven Network subsequently dropped their plans to purchase GWN.
Prime Television
purchased GWN in November 1996 from Stokes for 71 million. WIN Television
was granted the rights to a second television licence in regional Western Australia in 1997, ending GWN's monopoly of all three Australian commercial channels. In March 1999, GWN dropped their affiliation of the Nine and Ten Network, becoming a sole Seven Network affiliation, in-line with Prime Television in the eastern states. As a result, WIN Television WA
picked up both the Nine Network
and Network Ten
affiliations.
The network's transmission operations were moved from Bunbury to Prime Television Limited
's digital broadcast facility in Canberra in April 2005. Programming is delivered to regional Western Australia via a satellite feed.
A proposal for a third television station - a joint venture between GWN's parent company Prime Media Group and WIN Corporation
- was submitted to the Australian Communications and Media Authority
in 2006. Similar to Mildura Digital Television
or Tasmanian Digital Television
, the new channel will operate under a Section 38B license, as a Network Ten
affiliate named Ten West
. GWN began Standard Definition broadcast in Karratha
, Kalgoorlie and Mingenew
on 10 June 2010.
were to rebrand to GWN7 and PRIME7 respectively. The news bulletins will be renamed as GWN7 News and PRIME7 News. GWN and PRIME relaunched on 16 January 2011 at 5:57pm.
Digital transmissions of GWN7, 7Two
and 7mate
will be launched in the Bunbury area on 28 July 2011.
, with the network's on-air schedule being almost identical to TVW-7, its Perth counterpart. Seven News
and Today Tonight
are aired live across the network direct from Perth. GWN7 also produces a weeknightly local news service, Golden West News, shown live at 5:30pm. Since the network's inception it has featured a broad range of original regional programming, currently including the children's program The Saturday Club
with Doopa Dog; as well as community service strand GWN7 InfoNet, a series of short updates listing local community events.
GWN7 News is produced and broadcast from GWN7's main studios in Bunbury
with reporters also based at newsrooms in Perth
, Albany
, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Karratha
, Geraldton
and Broome, Western Australia
.
GWN7 News is currently presented by Noel Brunning
and weather presented by either Chris Mills or Shauna Willis. Noel Brunning was the main presenter until 2007, when he took long service leave to run for an independent seat in the Forrest electorate. After failing to win the seat, he resumed his role as news presenter. Shauna Willis presented during this time and continues to stand in for Brunning. Alex Cullen previously presented the sport segment for Golden West News, however he is now with Seven News Sydney.
GWN7 News updates are aired in conjunction with Seven News updates on weekdays until 8:30pm, after which time only Seven News updates are aired. GWN7 also show a repeat of their 5:30 p.m. news at 12:30am each weekday morning.
Noel Brunning
Weather presenters
Chris Mills
Shauna Willis (also stand-in for Noel Brunning)
Bunbury reporters
Sharna Craig
Daniel Donnelly
Kate Smithers
Perth reporter
Rebecca Munro
Kalgoorlie-Boulder reporter
Emma Sheridan
Geraldton reporter
Damian Smith
Albany reporter
Liz Gwynn
Broome reporter
Emma Anderson
Karratha reporter
Simon Nichols
GWN7 is available statewide in both analog and digital format. It is also available via satellite in remote and blackspot areas.
Digital terrestrial transmissions are progressively being installed. Currently, Greater Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Karratha and Margaret River have access to GWN7, 7TWO and 7mate. A standalone GWN7 is available in Mawson Trig and Mingenew.
service, or VAST, is a satellite television platform, providing digital television and radio services to remote and black spot areas. GWN7, 7TWO and 7mate are available on this platform.
Optus Aurora is also a direct-to-home satellite platform offering GWN7 in an analog resolution. This service is being superseeded by VAST.
. Following the 2011 relaunch, a new logo was introduced which features the Seven Network
logo.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
television network owned by the Prime Media Group that is based in Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
, Western Australia. The Golden West Network launched on 10 March 1967 as BTW-3 in Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
, and has since expanded to cover regional and remote Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, servicing all areas except metropolitan Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
GWN7 is affiliated to the Seven Network
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...
, with the network's on-air schedule closely following that of TVW-7
TVW
TVW can mean:*TVW, a Seven Network owned station in Perth, Western Australia*TVW, a public affairs network in the state of Washington*"tvw", the false branding callsign of WISC-TV's digital subchannel and Madison, Wisconsin's MyNetworkTV affiliate...
, its Perth counterpart.
Origins
GWN began life as a group of smaller, independent stations - BTW-3 BunburyBunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
, launched on 10 March 1967 (with a relay in Mount Barker
Mount Barker, Western Australia
Mount Barker is a town on the Albany Highway and is the administrative centre of the Shire of Plantagenet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia...
commencing the next year), VEW-8 Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
, which began on 18 June 1971, and relay station GSW-9 Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
, opened on 29 August 1974. GTW-11 Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
was the last station to launch, on 21 January 1977. Jack Bendat purchased South West Telecasters (owner of BTW/GSW) in the early 1980s, and changed the company’s name to Golden West Network.
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
The Territory of the Cocos Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a territory of Australia, located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Christmas Island and approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka....
via satellite
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
as part of the Remote Commercial Television License (RCTS) scheme. GWN was granted the Remote Commercial Television License (RCTS) in June 1985 and the service went to air on 18 October 1986 using the call-sign WAW.
Not long after, GWN continued to expand within Western Australia, acquiring Mid-Western Television (owner of VEW-8 Kalgoorlie) in December 1985 for 7 million, and Geraldton Telecasters (owner of GTW-11) in March 1987 for an undisclosed amount. The takeovers gave the network a monopoly over all commercial television services in regional Western Australia. In 1987, Bendat and Kerry Stokes
Kerry Stokes
Kerry Matthew Stokes AC is an Australian businessman. He holds business interests in a diverse range of industries including electronic and print media, property, mining, and construction equipment. He is most widely known as the chairman of the Seven Network, one of the largest broadcasting...
merged their media interests into joint company BDC Investments. Later that year, Northern Star Holdings purchased BDC for 206 million. Northern Star were forced to sell GWN to satisfy existing media regulations. GWN was sold back to Stokes in December 1988 for 54 million, who upgraded equipment throughout the network. In April 1990, stations usign the callsigns BTW and GSW were merged, to become SSW.
1990s to the 2000s
Kerry Stokes gained control of the Seven NetworkSeven 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...
in 1995, and attempted to sell GWN to Seven in return for more shares. Seven Network shareholders agreed to the trade in April 1996 - a deal which would have seen Seven acquire GWN for 72.8 million. The arrangement was called off when the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent authority of the Australia government. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trade Practices Commission and the Prices Surveillance Authority to administer the Trade Practices Act 1974...
(ACCC) found that a 15 year exclusive programming deal GWN made with 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...
was anti competitive and opposed the acquisition. The Seven Network subsequently dropped their plans to purchase GWN.
Prime Television
Prime Television
PRIME7 is an Australian television network owned by Prime Media Group Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network...
purchased GWN in November 1996 from Stokes for 71 million. WIN Television
WIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single Wollongong-only station, and has since expanded to 24 owned-and-operated stations with transmissions covering a...
was granted the rights to a second television licence in regional Western Australia in 1997, ending GWN's monopoly of all three Australian commercial channels. In March 1999, GWN dropped their affiliation of the Nine and Ten Network, becoming a sole Seven Network affiliation, in-line with Prime Television in the eastern states. As a result, WIN Television WA
WOW (TV station)
WOW is an Australian television station licensed to WIN Television, serving regional and remote Western Australia. The station officially commenced transmissions on 26 March 1999 as the second commercial regional broadcaster in Western Australia, alongside former monopoly, Golden West Network...
picked up both 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 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...
affiliations.
The network's transmission operations were moved from Bunbury to Prime Television Limited
Prime Television Limited
Prime Media Group Limited is an Australian-based media corporation, owner of regional television network Prime7 in eastern Australia, the GWN7 in regional Western Australia, and a number of radio stations in Queensland....
's digital broadcast facility in Canberra in April 2005. Programming is delivered to regional Western Australia via a satellite feed.
A proposal for a third television station - a joint venture between GWN's parent company Prime Media Group and WIN Corporation
WIN Corporation
The WIN Corporation is a Wollongong based media company, that owns the WIN Television network, NWS, and STW in Australia.It began broadcasting in Wollongong with one station in 1963. Bruce Gordon acquired control of the company in 1979 and initiated a period of growth which has seen the Network...
- was submitted to the Australian Communications and Media Authority
Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is an Australian government statutory authority within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy portfolio...
in 2006. Similar to Mildura Digital Television
Mildura Digital Television
Ten Mildura is a joint venture television station between Prime Media Group and Win Television. Based in Mildura, Victoria, Australia, it is a digital-only Network Ten affiliate, and began broadcasting on 1 January 2006....
or Tasmanian Digital Television
Tasmanian Digital Television
Tasmanian Digital Television is a digital television station in Tasmania, Australia. It is jointly owned by the WIN Corporation and Macquarie Media Group, and largely managed by WIN Television.-Introduction:...
, the new channel will operate under a Section 38B license, as a 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...
affiliate named Ten West
Ten West
Ten West is the official name for a digital television station broadcasting in rural Western Australia. It is jointly owned by the WIN Corporation and Prime Television Limited and is an affiliate of Network Ten, broadcasting a direct feed of NEW-10 from Perth....
. GWN began Standard Definition broadcast in Karratha
Karratha, Western Australia
-Facilities:A range of hotel, motel, B&B and caravan/RV accommodation is available for visitors. However, as the town is booming, accommodation is often hard to come by.The town has restaurants, a tavern, two hotels and two night clubs...
, Kalgoorlie and Mingenew
Mingenew, Western Australia
Mingenew is a town in Western Australia, located north of the state capital, Perth. It is the seat of government for the Shire of Mingenew.- History :...
on 10 June 2010.
2011
On 15 January 2011, Prime Media Group reported that GWN and PRIMEPrime Television
PRIME7 is an Australian television network owned by Prime Media Group Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network...
were to rebrand to GWN7 and PRIME7 respectively. The news bulletins will be renamed as GWN7 News and PRIME7 News. GWN and PRIME relaunched on 16 January 2011 at 5:57pm.
Digital transmissions of GWN7, 7Two
7Two
7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
and 7mate
7mate
7mate is an Australian free-to-air high definition digital television channel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010.The network stated that 7mate would contain sport and regular programs aimed primarily at a male audience, with programming drawn from a combination of new...
will be launched in the Bunbury area on 28 July 2011.
Programming
GWN7 is affiliated to the Seven NetworkSeven 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...
, with the network's on-air schedule being almost identical to TVW-7, its Perth counterpart. Seven News
Seven News
Seven News is the television news service of the Seven Network in Australia.National bulletins are presented from Seven's high-definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while flagship 6pm bulletins are produced in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. The network also produces Seven...
and Today Tonight
Today Tonight
Today Tonight is a controversial Australian News and Current Affairs program, produced by the Seven Network and shown weeknightly at in direct competition with rival Nine Network program A Current Affair....
are aired live across the network direct from Perth. GWN7 also produces a weeknightly local news service, Golden West News, shown live at 5:30pm. Since the network's inception it has featured a broad range of original regional programming, currently including the children's program The Saturday Club
Saturday Club
Prime Television's Saturday Club is a morning children's program, filmed in their Australian Capital Territory studios.Hosted by Prime Possum and Madelaine Collignon, The program is packaged around popular Disney Cartoons airing at 9am on Saturday Mornings...
with Doopa Dog; as well as community service strand GWN7 InfoNet, a series of short updates listing local community events.
GWN7 News
GWN7 News is the network's local news service. Its main 30-minute bulletin, shown at 5:30 p.m. before Seven News Perth, deals primarily with local news and issues and was in direct competition with WIN News Western Australia until WIN moved its news to a later time at 6.30. Until August 2007 Golden West News competed with Ten News Perth, with an audience share of up to 86%.GWN7 News is produced and broadcast from GWN7's main studios in Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
with reporters also based at newsrooms in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Karratha
Karratha, Western Australia
-Facilities:A range of hotel, motel, B&B and caravan/RV accommodation is available for visitors. However, as the town is booming, accommodation is often hard to come by.The town has restaurants, a tavern, two hotels and two night clubs...
, Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
and Broome, Western Australia
Broome, Western Australia
Broome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season...
.
GWN7 News is currently presented by Noel Brunning
Noel Brunning
Noel Brunning is an Australian television presenter, currently working as the main anchor of Golden West News on GWN in regional Western Australia....
and weather presented by either Chris Mills or Shauna Willis. Noel Brunning was the main presenter until 2007, when he took long service leave to run for an independent seat in the Forrest electorate. After failing to win the seat, he resumed his role as news presenter. Shauna Willis presented during this time and continues to stand in for Brunning. Alex Cullen previously presented the sport segment for Golden West News, however he is now with Seven News Sydney.
GWN7 News updates are aired in conjunction with Seven News updates on weekdays until 8:30pm, after which time only Seven News updates are aired. GWN7 also show a repeat of their 5:30 p.m. news at 12:30am each weekday morning.
Presenters and Reporters
News anchorNoel Brunning
Noel Brunning
Noel Brunning is an Australian television presenter, currently working as the main anchor of Golden West News on GWN in regional Western Australia....
Weather presenters
Chris Mills
Shauna Willis (also stand-in for Noel Brunning)
Bunbury reporters
Sharna Craig
Daniel Donnelly
Kate Smithers
Perth reporter
Rebecca Munro
Kalgoorlie-Boulder reporter
Emma Sheridan
Geraldton reporter
Damian Smith
Albany reporter
Liz Gwynn
Broome reporter
Emma Anderson
Karratha reporter
Simon Nichols
Availability
Terrestrial
Analog terrestrial transmissions are available in nearly all populated cities, towns and farming areas of regional Western Australia. The current analog network is an amalgamation of the GTW Geraldton, VEW Kalgoorlie, SSW South West/Great Southern and WAW broadcast licence areas.Digital terrestrial transmissions are progressively being installed. Currently, Greater Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Karratha and Margaret River have access to GWN7, 7TWO and 7mate. A standalone GWN7 is available in Mawson Trig and Mingenew.
Satellite
The Viewer Access Satellite TelevisionViewer Access Satellite Television
The Viewer Access Satellite Television service, or VAST, is a satellite television platform in Australia, providing digital television and radio services to remote and black spot areas using the Optus C1 satellite. It is partly funded by the Australian Government and managed through a joint-venture...
service, or VAST, is a satellite television platform, providing digital television and radio services to remote and black spot areas. GWN7, 7TWO and 7mate are available on this platform.
Optus Aurora is also a direct-to-home satellite platform offering GWN7 in an analog resolution. This service is being superseeded by VAST.
Logos
The Golden West Network became a network in 1986, with a shared logo produced and used across the regional stations, featuring the letters GWN inside an outlined oval surrounded by an orbiting ring. This logo was used across the network until 1995, when a new logo was introduced with the removal of outlined oval surrounding the letters GWN. Following this, 2001 saw the launch of a new simplified yellow logo, with the removal of the orbiting ring. This logo was launched concurrently with a similarly design logo on Prime TelevisionPrime Television
PRIME7 is an Australian television network owned by Prime Media Group Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network...
. Following the 2011 relaunch, a new logo was introduced which features the Seven Network
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...
logo.
See also
- Prime7
- Seven NetworkSeven NetworkThe 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...
- Television broadcasting in Australia
- Regional television in AustraliaRegional television in AustraliaRegional television is a term given to local television services in areas outside of the five main Australian cities .-1960s:...