ABS (TV station)
| Company type | Public broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
| Founded | 1960-03-11 |
| Headquarters | Adelaide , Australia |
| Products | Television programming, broadcasting |
| Website | abc |
ABC Television in South Australia operates from its base in Adelaide, providing both national and regional content through the ABC television network.
The original call sign for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Adelaide TV station was ABS or ABS-2, where the "S" represented South Australia.
History
Broadcasting commenced on 11 March 1960, originating from studios housed within the historic Tregenna mansion located in Collinswood. The primary transmission site is situated at Mount Lofty, with additional relay transmitters distributed throughout the state.
Digital broadcasts began in January 2001 on VHF Channel 12, running concurrently with analogue transmissions on VHF Channel 2. The analogue service was permanently discontinued at 9am on 2 April 2013, marking Adelaide as the first capital city to fully complete the digital switchover.
In November 2014, managing director Mark Scott revealed a significant organizational restructuring prompted by budget reductions exceeding . This included shutting down the Adelaide television production facility and consolidating production efforts in Sydney and Melbourne, citing financial constraints in sustaining smaller operations. ABC intended to partner with independent producers to maintain local content diversity and committed to publishing detailed annual reports on investments in local programming.
By February 2025, it was announced that the Collinswood premises were approaching obsolescence, leading to a feasibility study exploring relocation options within the central business district.
Programs produced in the Adelaide studios
Titles created at ABC Television's Adelaide studios encompass:
Current ABC Television operations in South Australia
A network of transmitters disseminates multiple ABC channels throughout South Australia.
Local programming
The sole local broadcast originating from Adelaide is the regional edition of ABC News. ABC News South Australia is anchored by Jessica Harmsen Monday through Thursday, with either Richard Davies or Candice Prosser presenting from Friday to Sunday. The weeknight bulletins feature a national finance segment by Alan Kohler based in Melbourne, while weekend editions include local sports coverage by Neil Cross.
Relay stations
Below is a list of relay stations transmitting ABS signals across South Australia:
| Call | Area Covered | Location | Channels (Analog/Digital) |
Launch Date | Third Letter Significance |
ERP (Analog/Digital) |
HAAT (Analog/Digital) |
Coordinates | Transmitter Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABCS | Ceduna region | Ceduna | 9 (VHF) 39 (UHF) |
16 July 1973 | C for Ceduna | 1.6 kW | 92 m | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | Kongwirra Hill |
| ABGS | South East South Australia | Mount Gambier | 1 (VHF) 39 (UHF) |
3 December 1965 | G for Mount Gambier | 210 kW 225 kW |
276 m 379 m |
Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | Mount Burr |
| ABLCS | Leigh Creek area | Leigh Creek | 9 (VHF) 8 (VHF) |
28 April 1977 | L and C for Leigh Creek | 0.032 kW 0.01 kW |
3 m 3 m |
Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | Leigh Creek |
| ABNS | Northern Spencer Gulf | Port Pirie | 1 (VHF) 38 (UHF) |
10 April 1965 | N for North Spencer Gulf | 200 kW 240 kW |
576 m 627 m |
Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | The Bluff |
| ABRS | Riverland region | Renmark/Loxton area | 3 (VHF) 39 (UHF) |
20 January 1971 | R for Riverland | 240 kW 240 kW |
166 m 180 m |
Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | Loxton |
| ABWS | Woomera region | Woomera | 7 (VHF) N/A |
30 November 1973 | W for Woomera | 0.02 kW | 48 m | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | Woomera |
Notes:
- HAAT values are approximated based on ITU information.
- ABCS transitioned from VHF channel 7 to channel 9 during the 1980s.
- Analog broadcasts ended on 15 December 2010 as part of the national digital conversion.