ABD (TV station)
| Company type | Television station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1971-08-13 |
| Headquarters | Darwin , Australia |
Area served | Northern Territory |
| Products | Television broadcasting |
ABD serves as the call sign for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television outlet based in Darwin, Northern Territory. This station holds the distinction of being Darwin's inaugural television broadcaster, commencing operations on 13 August 1971. Its production facilities are situated in Darwin's city center, while the now-obsolete analogue transmitter—previously under the ownership of the Nine Network—was positioned on Blake Street. The digital broadcast transmitter operates from Deloraine Road. ABD's coverage extends across the territory through a network of relay transmitters and satellite distribution via the Viewer Access Satellite Television service.
Programming
ABD's programming lineup closely mirrors that of other ABC stations across various states, frequently interrupting standard network content to deliver region-specific news, current affairs, and sports broadcasts.
Until December 2014, ABC Darwin produced its localized edition of 7.30. This ceased when Quentin Dempster announced the conclusion of state-specific editions, coinciding with his exit from the ABC.
The station previously provided live broadcasts of Northern Territory Football League games every Saturday throughout the season. However, these rights have since transferred to SBS, which currently airs matches on NITV within the Northern Territory.
In addition to regular programming, ABD covers significant regional events such as Anzac Day dawn ceremonies and parades, commemorations of the Bombing of Darwin, and special broadcasts during Northern Territory General Elections.
The analog transmission for ABD was officially terminated at 9:00 am CST on Tuesday, 30 July 2013, in conjunction with other regional broadcasters including NTD.
ABC News NT
ABC Darwin produces a nightly local news program from its studios on Cavanagh Street in Darwin City. The newscast is 30 minutes long from Monday through Saturday and extends to 40 minutes on Sundays, delivering coverage of local, national, and international developments. On Fridays, segments feature Matt Brann—host of The Country Hour on ABC Radio Darwin—who reports on agricultural matters. National financial updates are included in weeknight editions and are presented by Alan Kohler from Melbourne.
The news bulletin is anchored by Kyle Dowling from Sunday to Thursday and by Isabella Tolhurst on Fridays and Saturdays.
ABC News NT remains Darwin's only locally produced news program following commercial network Nine's decision to discontinue its 6 pm local news broadcast for Darwin effective 22 January 2025. Previously, ABC produced shows such as Stateline and 7.30 NT, but local production of these programs was halted nationwide.
Presenters
- Kyle Dowling (Sunday–Thursday)
- Isabella Tolhurst (Friday–Saturday)
Reporters
- Dijana Aleksandrovic
- Mitchell Abram
- Jane Bardon
- Jano Gibson
- Isabella Tolhurst
- Kristy O'Brien
- Matt Garrick
- Lauren Roberts
- Jacqueline Breen
- Felicity James
- Henry Zwartz
- Kate Ashton
- Kathleen Ferguson
- Matt Brann
- Steve Vivian
Relay stations
The following transmitters extend ABD's broadcast reach across the Northern Territory:
| Call | Area served | Location | Channels (Analog/ Digital) |
Launch date | Third letter's significance |
ERP (Analog/ Digital) |
HAAT (Analog/ Digital)1 |
Transmitter coordinates | Site location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABAD | Alice Springs | Alice Springs | 7 (VHF) 8 (VHF) |
16 December 1972 | Alice Springs | 0.5 kW 0.125 kW |
205 m 205 m |
Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | West Gap |
| ABKD | Katherine | Katherine | 7 (VHF) 8 (VHF) |
21 December 1974 | Katherine | 1.2 kW 0.3 kW |
32 m 32 m |
Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | Katherine |
| ABTD | Tennant Creek | Tennant Creek | 9 (VHF) 9A (VHF) |
21 December 1974 | Tennant Creek | 2 kW 0.5 kW |
110 m 114 m |
Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | Tennant Creek |
Notes:
- 1. HAAT values are approximations derived from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT calculations.