| Callsign: | ABN |
| Digital: | 12 (VHF) |
| Virtual: | 2 |
| Affiliations: | ABC Television |
| Location: | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Country: | Australia |
| Callsign Meaning: | ABC New South Wales |
| Former Channel Numbers: | 2 (VHF) (analog) (1956–2013) |
| Owner: | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
| Erp: | 200 kW (analog) 50 kW (digital) |
| Haat: | 168 m (analog) 205 m (digital) |
| Licensing Authority: | Australian Communications and Media Authority |
ABC Television in New South Wales comprises national and local programming on the ABC television network in the Australian state of New South Wales, headquartered in Sydney.
ABN or ABN-2 was the historic call sign of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television station in Sydney. The station began broadcasting on 5 November 1956 as the second television station in New South Wales and Sydney. Its original studios were located in Gore Hill and were in use up until March 2004, when they were co-located with ABC Radio, Radio Australia, ABC-TV Set Construction and ABC Australia at the Corporation's headquarters in the inner city suburb of Ultimo.[1] Its main transmitter, however, remains at Gore Hill.[2] The station can be received throughout the state through a number of relay transmitters, as well as domestic satellite transmission on the Viewer Access Satellite Television (formerly Optus Aurora) platform.
The first national public television station in Australia opened in Sydney at 7:00pm on 5 November 1956 under the call sign ABN-2. It was opened by Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies, with the first television broadcast presented by Michael Charlton, and James Dibble reading the first television news bulletin with full-time colour broadcasting introduced in March 1975.
For more than 40 years, Gore Hill was best known as the location of the ABC's Sydney television studios, which were fully opened in 1958 and which operated until 2002, when the site was closed and sold off. Later, the ABC moved its television operations to its broadcasting centre in Ultimo.
The station has also carried a number of programs originally produced at Channel 31 stations in other states (programs such as Aurora Community Channel and National Indigenous Television.
ABN commenced digital television transmission in January 2001, broadcasting on VHF Channel 12 while maintaining analogue transmission on VHF Channel 2.
The analogue television signal for Sydney, Gosford and surrounding areas was shut off at 9.00am on 3 December 2013.[3] [4]
ABN's schedule is similar to the national ABC schedule, with the exception of some news, current affairs, sport and occasionally, election programming.
ABC News New South Wales is presented by Jeremy Fernandez (Sunday–Thursday) and Lydia Feng (Friday–Saturday). The weeknight bulletins also incorporate NSW weather forecasts presented by Tom Saunders as well as a national finance segment presented by Alan Kohler in Melbourne.
| LCN | Service | SD/HD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 & 21 | ABC TV | SD | |
| 20 | ABC TV HD | HD | |
| 22 | ABC Kids/Family | SD | |
| 23 | ABC Entertains | SD | |
| 24 | ABC News | SD |
The following stations relay ABN throughout New South Wales:
| Call | Region served | City | Channels (Analog/ digital) | First air date | 3rd letter's meaning | ERP (Analog/ digital) | HAAT (Analog/ digital) | Transmitter coordinates | Transmitter location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABCN | Central Tablelands | Orange | 1 (VHF) 36 (UHF) | 31 March 1964 | Central Tablelands | 160 kW 570 kW | 655 m 677 m | Mount Canobolas | |
| ABDN | Grafton/Kempsey | Coffs Harbour | 2 (VHF) 36 (UHF) | 28 June 1965 | Dorrigo | 160 kW 250 kW | 661 m 730 m | Mount Moombil | |
| ABGN | Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area | Griffith | 7 (VHF) 11 (VHF) | 25 July 1966 | Griffith | 200 kW 50 kW | 416 m 412 m | Mount Bingar | |
| ABHN | Newcastle/Hunter Valley | Newcastle | 5A (VHF) 37 (UHF) | 5 June 1963 | Hunter River | 200 kW 250 kW | 405 m 440 m | (analog) (digital) | Mount Sugarloaf |
| ABLN | Broken Hill | Broken Hill | 2 (VHF) 10 (VHF) | 14 December 1965 | Unknown | 5 kW 4 kW | 95 m 104 m | Rocky Hill | |
| ABMN | South West Slopes and Eastern Riverina | Wagga Wagga | 0 (VHF) 46 (UHF) | 30 April 1965 | Unknown | 200 kW 600 kW | 466 m 543 m | Mount Ulandra | |
| ABMIN | Mungindi | Mungindi | 10 (VHF) NA | 7 January 1974 | MungindI | 0.1 kW | 59 m | Mungindi | |
| ABQN | Central Western Slopes | Dubbo | 11 (VHF) 12 (VHF) | 12 September 1966 | Unknown | 400 kW 100 kW | 638 m 638 m | Mount Cenn Cruaich | |
| ABRN | Richmond and Tweed | Lismore | 6 (VHF) 29 (UHF) | 20 April 1964 | Richmond and Tweed | 200 kW 200 kW | 621 m 645 m | Mount Nardi | |
| ABSN | Bega/Cooma | Bega | 8 (VHF) NA | 29 June 1966 | South East | 200 kW | 428 m | Brown Mountain | |
| ABTN | Manning River | Taree | 6 (VHF) 7 (VHF) | 29 April 1966 | Taree | 315 kW 80 kW | 599 m 599 m | Middle Brother | |
| ABUN | Upper Namoi | Tamworth | 7 (VHF) 8 (VHF) | 27 September 1965 | Upper Namoi | 72 kW 22.5 kW | 859 m 849 m | Mount Dowe | |
| ABWN | Illawarra | Wollongong | 56 (UHF) 51 (UHF) | 28 October 1963 | Wollongong | 960 kW 250 kW | 618 m 618 m | (analog) (digital) | Knights Hill |