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Prime Television Videos | Southern NSW | Northern NSW | Victoria
MTN9 Griffith c. 1970
1986-1988
1988-1991
1991-2001
MTN c. 1991
2001-Prime Television
CBN Prime Television (Southern)CBN8 Orange began on the 17th of March 1962. CWN6 Central Western Slopes began on the 1st of December 1965 and was a direct relay from CBN8 Orange. MTN9 Griffith began on December 15, 1965.
By the early seventies many stand alone regional stations were in financial
difficulties due to high programming costs outstripping advertising revenue. In 1973 MTN9 joined CBN8 and CWN6, and the name became Television 6,8,9. The name later changed to Midstate 6,8,9. Relays were began on 4 Portland, 6 Lithgow, 9 Mudgee, 10 Cobar-Kandos-Rylstone and 11 Bathurst.
In 1986 Midstate 6,8,9 and RVN/AMV (Wagga Wagga and Albury) merged to form 'The Prime Network'. The name changed to Prime Television in 1988, and work began on the new studios in Canberra and Wollongong in readyness for aggregation.
On March 31, 1989 aggregation arrived in the ACT and South Coast of NSW and Prime became the affiliate of the Seven Network.
Aggregation came to the Wagga and Orange viewing areas on December 31, 1989. In 1991 the Wagga and Orange licences were consolidated and RVN2 became CBN2.
MTN9 was not included in aggregation and became an affiliate of the Nine Network. Because of this it adopted a different logo from Prime, with the Nine Network dots. In 1996 MTN9 successfully bid for a second licence, AMN31, with a programming feed from Prime Television in Canberra. Both MTN stations were eventually sold to WIN TV in 1998, however the 2nd station stayed as a feed from Prime Canberra.
From 1991 to 1996, Prime's idents were versions of Channel Seven's, and the slogan was 'Your Local Station'. But from 1996 Prime started making their own idents showing local scenes and people. The slogan changed to 'This is where we live'.
On 11 Feburary 2001, Prime changed it's name to 7onPrime.
Prime produced local news services for all it's areas, but in 2001 the Wollongong and Canberra bulletins were cancelled due to low ratings, in favour of Sydney news and Today Tonight.Special thanks to Ian Brash for this information, and Andrew Bayley for the early Prime logo.
