{{distinguish|text=the [[Christian Broadcasting Network]]}} {{redirect|MidState Television|the similarly branded television station in [[Mansfield, Ohio]]|WMFD-TV}} {{about|the Australian television station with the former callsigns of RVN and CWN|other uses|CBN (disambiguation)|and|CWN (disambiguation)|and|RVN (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=June 2015}} {{Infobox television station | callsign = CBN | city = | logo = Seven Network logo.svg | logo_upright = 0.55 | virtual = 6 | branding = Seven | digital = [[#Main Transmitters|see table below]] | translators = | network = [[Seven Network|Seven]] | founded = | airdate = {{start date|1962|03|17|df=yes}} | location = Southern [[New South Wales]] and [[Australian Capital Territory|ACT]] | country = Australia | language = English | callsign_meaning = Country Broadcasting Services Limited, New South Wales | former_callsigns = {{ubl|CWN (for its Central Western Slopes relay until aggregation in 1989)|RVN (for the Riverina station until 1991)}} | former_channel_numbers = | owner = [[Southern Cross Media Group]] | licensee = Prime Television (Southern) Pty Ltd | sister_stations = | former_affiliations = {{ubl|Independent (1962–1989)|Mid State Television (1973–1988)}} | erp = [[#Main Transmitters|see table below]] | haat = [[#Main Transmitters|see table below]] | class = | acma_bsl = 90 | licensing_authority = [[Australian Communications & Media Authority]] | coordinates = [[#Main Transmitters|see table below]] | website = {{URL|7regional.com.au}}<br />{{URL|7plus.com.au}} }}

'''CBN''' is an Australian [[television station]] licensed to, and serving the regions surrounding [[Orange, New South Wales|Orange]], [[Dubbo]] and central and southern [[New South Wales]].

==History== ===Origins=== CBN-8 Orange commenced broadcasting on 17 March 1962,<ref>{{Cite news |date=1962-03-21 |title=Central West and South get "telly" |volume=29 |page=19 |work=[[Australian Women's Weekly]] |issue=42 |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51602561 |access-date=2021-06-21 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> licensed to ''Country Broadcasting Services'', owners of local radio station [[Triple M Central West|2GZ]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=1960-11-11 |title=Television Station For Orange |page=1 |work=[[Western Herald (Bourke)|Western Herald]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103982593 |access-date=2021-06-21 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> They soon changed their name to [[Country Television Services]]. CWN-6 Dubbo began transmission on 1 December 1965. Also owned by Country Television Services, they became the first station to completely relay another station's programming, although some station identification, such as test patterns, remained separate and program output for CWN originated from CBN's studios in Orange.

In 1968, the stations acquired access to the [[Postmaster-General's Department|Postmaster-General]]'s microwave link, allowing viewers to see national news programs and other major events live for the first time. By the early 1970s, the stations began to run into financial difficulties, and it was decided to enter into a joint programming agreement with [[MTN (TV station)|MTN-9]] of [[Griffith, New South Wales|Griffith]], resulting in the formation of the ''Television 6-8-9'' network (later ''Mid State Television'').

A 30-minute [[documentary film|documentary]] on the 1978 [[National Rodeo Titles]], called ''Goin' Down The Road'', won the station the 'Outstanding Contribution by a Regional Station' [[Logie Award]] in 1979. Local programming in the 1980s included ''Focus'', ''Rural Roundup'', ''Early Shift'', ''Weekend Report'', ''Time to Live'', ''Around The Schools'', and coverage of local special events.

Local sports coverage, especially of [[tennis]] and [[rugby football|rugby]], formed a major part of the schedule in the late 1970s and early 1980s. From 1979, the station sponsored, and telecast the [[United Permanent Tennis Tournament]], the only tournament of its kind in Australia.

With [[Regional television in Australia#Aggregation|aggregation]] looming, CBN and CWN were purchased by health care magnate [[Paul Ramsay]]'s Ramcorp Ltd in 1987, and merged with [[AMV (TV station)|RVN/AMV]] to form ''Prime Television'', in May 1988. Local programming and staff levels were reduced - morale at the time was reported {{by whom|date=May 2013}} to be at ''an all time low''{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}. Programming schedules began to resemble those of affiliation partner [[Seven Network|Seven]], with new facilities built in [[Wollongong]] and [[Canberra]] in preparation for the expansion in coverage area.

=== Aggregation === When aggregation in southern New South Wales occurred in 1989, CBN and CWN were effectively merged into one station, CBN, branded on-air as ''Prime Television''. The station then moved into the rest of the new license area, competing against [[WIN (TV station)|WIN Television]] and [[CTC (TV station)|10 Capital]]. The introduction of the two new stations into Orange was delayed by technical problems, and did not start in the area until later in the year.{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}}

Upon aggregation, CBN/Prime began broadcasting 24 hours a day, but later dropped it in early 1990 due to "commercial realities", leaving [[WIN (TV station)|WIN]] alone in the area.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wallace |first=Mark |date=27 June 1990 |title=Capital to shut at 1.30am and leave it to WIN |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article120894791 |access-date=11 February 2024 |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |location=Canberra |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=64 |issue=20,164}}</ref>

In 1991, the Wagga Wagga and Orange licenses were merged into the one license, with [[AMV (TV station)|RVN]] taking on the CBN callsign.

== Seven News == CBN produces and broadcasts two 30-minute ''Seven News'' bulletins (former names include ''Prime7 News'' and ''Prime News'') bulletins for the Central West (Orange/Dubbo) and Wagga Wagga regional markets, each weeknight at 6 pm and is co-presented by Madelaine Collignon and Nick Hose, with Kirstie Fitzpatrick presenting the weather. As of April 2015, both bulletins are pre-recorded.

In the Wollongong and Canberra regional markets, short two-minute updates are presented by Pip Waller, with weather forecasts from [[Daniel Gibson (presenter)|Daniel Gibson]].

For many years, these markets took Sydney's [[Seven News]] bulletin for the 6 pm primetime news hour, and formerly had dedicated news bulletins produced and headquartered in their respective areas.

Since August 2010, production of Seven News for the Orange and Wagga Wagga markets moved to Seven's Canberra headquarters. The two bulletins alternate between live transmission and being pre-recorded, prior to the addition of the North West and North Coast bulletins on 27 April 2015, due to the closure of the Tamworth broadcast studios on 24 April. On that same day, a renovated news studio was introduced for both bulletins.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-04-23 |title=Prime7 announces Freya Cole as new presenter of Wagga's No.1 news service |url=http://www.primemedia.com.au/images/pdfs/asxmedia/2015/Freya_Cole_Wagga.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417210303/http://www.primemedia.com.au/images/pdfs/asxmedia/2015/Freya_Cole_Wagga.pdf |archive-date=2021-04-17 |access-date=2021-06-21 |website=[[Prime Media Group]]}}</ref> However, with the centralisation of all bulletins, the alternate live-recorded format for southern NSW was displaced to the live North West (and later, the live North Coast) bulletin.

CBN is the home network for the statewide ''7News at 6:30'' service launched for then Prime7 in 2014, and is broadcast from the Canberra studios. Presented by [[Daniel Gibson]], it carries many of the national and international news items from the metropolitan news broadcasts, and only airs in areas served by the station and its Northern NSW sister [[NEN (TV station)|NEN]] that receive a full local ''Seven News'' service.

From late May 2026, the control room for ''[[Seven News#Tasmania|7NEWS Tasmania]]'' will relocate from [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]] to CBN, with presentation of the bulletin to remain in [[Tasmania]] at [[TNT (Australian TV station)|TNT’s]] [[Hobart]] studios.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2026-04-06 |title=Nightly news bulletin to move from Launceston after 64 years |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-06/tasmania-7news-move-broadcast-from-launceston-to-hobart/106534216 |access-date=2026-04-22 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==Main Transmitters== {| class="wikitable" ! Region served ! City ! [[channel (broadcasting)|Channels]]<br />''([[analog television|Analog]]/<br />[[digital terrestrial television|Digital]])'' ! First air date ! [[effective radiated power|ERP]]<br />''(Analog/<br />Digital)'' ! [[height above average terrain|HAAT]]<br />''(Analog/<br />Digital)''{{NoteTag|[[height above average terrain|HAAT]] estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.}} ! Transmitter Coordinates ! Transmitter Location |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | [[Canberra]] | [[Canberra]] | 34 ([[ultra high frequency|UHF]]){{NoteTag|Analogue transmissions ceased as of 5 June 2012 as part of the national shutdown of analogue television|name=Analogue}}<br />12 ([[very high frequency|VHF]]) | 31 March 1989 | 600 [[kilowatt|kW]]<br />50&nbsp;kW | 362 m<br />345 m | {{coord|35|16|32|S|149|5|52|E|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=CBN}} | [[Black Mountain (Australian Capital Territory)|Black Mountain]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | [[Central Tablelands]] | [[Orange, New South Wales|Orange]] | 8 ([[very high frequency|VHF]]){{NoteTag|name=Analogue}}<br />37 ([[ultra high frequency|UHF]]) | 17 March 1962 | 200&nbsp;kW<br />570&nbsp;kW | 620 m<br />628 m | {{coord|33|20|31|S|148|58|59|E|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=CBN}} | [[Mount Canobolas]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | [[Central West (New South Wales)|Central Western Slopes]]{{NoteTag|The Central Western Slopes station was a relay of CBN with the callsign CWN from its 1965 sign-on until aggregation in 1989.}} | [[Dubbo]] | 6 ([[very high frequency|VHF]]){{NoteTag|name=Analogue}}<br />41 ([[ultra high frequency|UHF]]) | 1 December 1965 | 400&nbsp;kW | 638 m | {{coord|31|20|32|S|149|1|22|E|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=CBN}} | [[Mount Cenn Cruaich]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | [[Illawarra]] & [[Wollongong|Regional Wollongong]] | [[Wollongong]] | 65 ([[ultra high frequency|UHF]]){{NoteTag|name=Analogue}}<br />38 ([[ultra high frequency|UHF]]) | 31 March 1989 | 950&nbsp;kW<br />250&nbsp;kW | 619 m<br />600 m | {{coord|34|37|23|S|150|41|39|E|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=CBN}} (analog)<br />{{coord|34|37|8|S|150|41|49|E|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=CBN}} (digital) | [[Knights Hill, New South Wales|Knights Hill]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | [[South Western Slopes]] and Eastern [[Riverina]]{{NoteTag|The South Western Slopes and Eastern Riverina station was an independent station with the callsign RVN from its 1964 sign-on until aggregation in 1989.}} | [[Wagga Wagga]] | 2 ([[very high frequency|VHF]]){{NoteTag|name=Analogue}}<br />47 ([[ultra high frequency|UHF]]) | 19 June 1964 | 200&nbsp;kW<br />600&nbsp;kW | 528 m<br />540 m | {{coord|34|49|13|S|147|54|5|E|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=CBN}} | [[Mount Ulandra]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" |}

=== Notes === {{NoteFoot}}

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20081214161307/http://www.austvhistory.com/prime/preaggregation.htm Logos and clips of CBN and CWN at AusTVHistory.com] *

{{Seven Network}} {{New South Wales TV}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cbn (Tv Station)}} [[Category:Television stations in New South Wales]] [[Category:Television stations in Canberra]] [[Category:Prime Media Group]] [[Category:Seven Network]] [[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1962]] [[Category:1962 establishments in Australia]]