ATN-7 is the Sydney flagship television station of the Seven Network in Australia. The license, issued to a company named Amalgamated Television Services, a subsidiary of Fairfax, was one of the first four licenses (two in Sydney, two in Melbourne) to be issued for commercial television stations in Australia. It began broadcasting on 2 December 1956.

The station formed an affiliation with GTV-9 Melbourne in 1957, in order to share content. In 1963, Frank Packer ended up owning both GTV-9 and TCN-9, so as a result the stations switched their previous affiliations. ATN-7 and HSV-7 joined to create the Australian Television Network, which later became the Seven Network.

The Studios and Transmission Tower

The station opened in 1956 with principal offices and studios located at Mobbs Lane, Epping (a suburb about 12 kilometers NW of Sydney). The initial black and white cameras and other equipment was supplied by the Marconi Company of England. Conversion to PAL colour occurred in 1974/75. Digital DVB-T commenced on January 1, 2001.

The initial transmission tower in 1956 was located near the ABC tower at Gore Hill , Sydney. This was eventually demolished after replacement by a higher tower at nearby Artarmon , which was joint venture in 1960 between ATN and a new 3rd, commercial broadcaster TEN-10.

Digital and Analog Broadcasts

ATN's Sydney transmissions - both DVB-T terrestrial digital and analog PAL - are on VHF RF Channels 6 and 7 respectively and are broadcast from masts operated by Transmitters Australia (TXA) at Artarmon and/or Willoughby. Retransmission translators to UHF channels service Sydney viewers from Kings Cross and North Head at Manly and north of Sydney at Bouddi , Gosford and Forrester's Beach (see the Digital Broadcast Australia (DBA) web site.

The on-air programs are sent by digital link from the Seven Network's national program play-out centre at Docklands in Melbourne, Victoria.

Epping Site Satellite Links

In 1983, one of the first full-time commercial TV satellite links was established between Los Angeles and Sydney using the mid-pacific Intelsat satellite. This was unique for what was known as a half transponder link, as it carried 2 NTSC TV programs each with stereo sound and data. (Comsat pretested this at their Clarksberg MA center). The video was multiplexed using Thomson "Vidiplex" and the audio and data equipment was from Wegener. The various news and other programs were fed out of Seven's News Bureau at Century City in Los Angeles and then north to a Comsat satellite earth station at Santa Paula.

Because in 1983 the satellite power was very limited, a receive satellite dish (TVRO) for east-coast Australia needed to be in the order of 18 metres diameter. An alternative of two 12 metre dishes ("C-band" with Gregorian feed-horn from Andrews), were installed at the Epping site. The signals received from the two dishes were electronically combined so that the signal was equivalent to an 18 metre dish's reception. Later when replacement satellites with higher powers were placed in orbit, the two dishes were used independantly on different satellites. Other innovations such as analogue video noise reduction were also used to improve the signal.

One of the TV programs carried was CNN. This was the first international transmission of CNN outside North America. In 1984 TV Asahi in Tokyo contracted to also receive CNN via the Iberaki earth station operated by Japan's KDD Corporation (Kokusai Denshin Denwa - now (KDDI). After ATN's engineering staff assisted KDD and TV Asahi with the special receiving adaptors, CNN was distrbuted on Japan Cable TV which mainly served the Roppongi district of Tokyo, including many foreign consolates and embassies. This first international distribution of CNN was formally opened by Ted Turner, CNN's then owner.

Subsequently, in 1986, a 13 metre Vertex "Ku-band" dish was added for Australian Television Network program distribution via the new Aussat satellite.

Program Production

The Epping facilities were expanded to provide 5 operational studios and the centre became the largest producer of Australian produced TV content including, Sons and Daughters , Country Practice and Home and Away.

Only Australian Company to Receive Emmy Awards

ATN's engineering staff received 2 Emmy awards for the technology, invention and further development of "RaceCam" live mobile point-of-view TV cameras, which were initially developed in the late 70s and early '80s for the station's coverage of touring car races at Bathurst NSW. Visiting commentators from the USA organised for ATN staff to supply the camera/transmission systems for the CBS coverage of Nascar races. A variant was also developed for yachts in the America's Cup challenge off Fremantle WA in 1985. Later in the mid 80's the US's ABC network asked the ATN staff to develop aerofoil designed cameras suitable for Formula 1 cars, and these subsequently were used at the Indianapolis 500.

In 2004 the station was included with the shift of the Seven Network corporate offices and sales department into new premises in a "heritage" building at Pirrama Road, Pyrmont close to the Sydney CBD, while the News department shifted into a street level location in Sydney's Martin Place .