ATN
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
| Founded | 2 December 1956 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Key people | Sean Power (director of Seven News Sydney) |
| Products | Television broadcasting, program production |
| Owner | John Fairfax & Sons (via Amalgamated Television Services) |
| Parent | Seven Network |
ATN stands as the Sydney flagship station of the Seven Network within Australia. It holds its licence under Amalgamated Television Services, a branch of John Fairfax & Sons. As one of the initial four commercial television licences granted in Australia, ATN has a significant heritage. In 1957, it partnered with GTV-9 Melbourne to exchange programming content. This affiliation changed in 1963 following Frank Packer’s acquisition of both GTV-9 and TCN-9. Subsequently, ATN-7 joined forces with HSV-7 to establish the Australian Television Network, which later developed into today’s Seven Network. ATN-7 also acts as the broadcast home for national editions of Seven News.
History
ATN-7 commenced operations on 2 December 1956, becoming Sydney’s third television station. Its original studios were situated at Mobbs Lane in Epping, New South Wales. The initial broadcasting equipment, operating in black and white, was provided by England’s Marconi Company. The station adopted the PAL colour system on 1 March 1975 and introduced digital transmissions via DVB-T starting 1 January 2001.
The station’s first transmission tower located near the ABC tower at Gore Hill, Sydney, was eventually replaced by a shared transmission site at Artarmon alongside commercial broadcaster TEN-10. Currently, ATN-7 broadcasts digitally on VHF Channel 6 while continuing analogue broadcasts on VHF Channel 7 until the analogue switch-off.
Sydney’s broadcast signals are transmitted from masts managed by Transmitters Australia (TXA) at Artarmon and Willoughby. Additional UHF retransmission translators provide coverage to surrounding regions such as Kings Cross, North Head, Bouddi, Gosford, and Forresters Beach.
Starting in the early 2000s, the Seven Network centralized its national program playout operations at its Docklands facility in Melbourne. This centre controlled programming schedules, advertising slots, and transmission for all metropolitan and regional channels. In 2019, these responsibilities were relocated to a newly established Sydney playout centre operated jointly with the Nine Network.
The analogue signal for ATN-7 was officially discontinued at 9:00 a.m. on 3 December 2013. This event was commemorated with a five-minute retrospective video featuring Tommy Leonetti’s song "My City of Sydney" alongside classic channel closedown visuals.
In June 2023, 7NEWS shifted its operations from Martin Place to newly constructed studios in Eveleigh designed specifically for their needs. Sunrise aired its inaugural episode from this location on 24 July 2023, followed shortly by The Morning Show. This relocation unified all Seven Sydney divisions—including 7NEWS Spotlight, The Latest, and 7NEWS.com.au—under a single roof for the first time in over four decades. The new facility occupies two floors within Seven's headquarters, is five times larger than the former space, and houses permanent sets for all programs. This transition marked the end of decades-long broadcasts from Martin Place for Sunrise, Seven News, and The Morning Show.
Program production
The Epping complex grew to encompass five studios, establishing it as Australia’s largest producer of television content. Programs produced there included Wheel of Fortune, Sons and Daughters, A Country Practice, Hey Dad..! , All Saints, Terry Willesee Tonight, and Home & Away.
In early 2010, the Epping studios were closed following the launch of new facilities managed by Global Television at the Australian Technology Park in Eveleigh. Today, news broadcasts and live productions originate from these Eveleigh studios.
RaceCam
The engineering division at ATN received two Emmy Awards—the first ever awarded to an Australian firm—for inventing RaceCam, a live mobile point-of-view camera system originally developed in the late 1970s to cover the Bathurst 1000. This innovation was later provided to CBS for use in NASCAR broadcasts.
Different versions of RaceCam were created for the 1987 America's Cup yacht races near Fremantle and subsequently modified for Formula One vehicles upon request from the American Broadcasting Company, including deployment at the Indianapolis 500.
Seven's Eveleigh Studios
Prior to moving to Eveleigh, the Seven Network operated its primary news studios at Martin Place in Sydney, known as News Central. This location housed Seven News Sydney, Sunrise, Weekend Sunrise, and The Morning Show. The 3,000 square meter complex featured studios at street level, visible to both audiences and passersby.
In March 2021, Seven declared plans to relocate from Martin Place to Eveleigh by the end of 2022, mainly to cut costs associated with leasing in the CBD; however, this move was postponed until June 2023.
On 25 June 2023, Seven News Sydney broadcast its final program from Martin Place after nearly twenty years. Starting 26 June, transmissions began from a custom-built studio in Eveleigh that is five times larger than the previous facility. The new space includes dedicated sets for all shows, two control rooms, more than 40 square meters of LED screens, and a newsroom occupying an entire second floor.
Seven News
Seven News Sydney is overseen by director Sean Power and anchored by Mark Ferguson and Angela Cox Sunday through Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays, Michael Usher and Angie Asimus present from Seven’s Eveleigh headquarters. Sports segments are delivered by Mel McLaughlin Sunday to Thursday and Matt Carmichael on weekends. Weather forecasts are presented by Angie Asimus Sunday to Tuesday and Amber Laidler on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Sydney news updates are broadcast during afternoons and early evenings, while national evening updates air across Seven, 7two, 7mate, and 7flix.
Following the unsuccessful co-anchor format featuring Ross Symonds and Ann Sanders in 2003, Ian Ross assumed the lead role. Under his tenure, Seven News Sydney dominated the 6 pm ratings from February 2005 until 2010. After Ross retired in November 2009, Chris Bath became the weeknight anchor with former Nine News presenter Mark Ferguson handling weekends. The bulletin maintained its top position until it was surpassed by Nine News Sydney in 2011, winning 14 out of 35 ratings weeks that year.
In January 2014, Mark Ferguson replaced Chris Bath as weeknight anchor amid declining ratings; Bath moved to weekend presenting and continued hosting Sunday Night until her resignation in July 2015, when Melissa Doyle took over. Subsequent adjustments included David Brown succeeding Sarah Cumming as weather presenter and Mel McLaughlin replacing Jim Wilson as sports presenter.
In August 2016, Michael Usher took over Friday and Saturday presenting duties from Melissa Doyle, who expanded her role as senior correspondent and host of Sunday Night.
For its extensive reporting on the 2014 Sydney hostage crisis, Seven News Sydney received the 2015 Logie Award for Most Outstanding News Coverage.
Jim Wilson retired in June 2020 after a 28-year career; Olympian Matt Shirvington was appointed as his successor in sports presenting. In November 2020, David Brown exited the Sydney newsroom; Angie Asimus was promoted to weeknight weather presenter. Angela Cox joined Michael Usher as weekend co-anchor starting January 2021.
In June 2023, Matt Shirvington stepped down from weekend sports presenting to co-host Sunrise, with Matt Carmichael assuming his role. In September 2024, Angela Cox was named co-anchor alongside Mark Ferguson for weeknights. The following month, Angie Asimus joined Michael Usher as weekend co-anchor while maintaining her role as Sydney weather presenter Sunday through Tuesday.
Relief presenters include Michael Usher, Chris Reason, Hugh Whitfeld, and Angie Asimus for news; Matt Carmichael and Jelisa Apps for sports; along with Sally Bowrey, Amber Laider, and Grace Fitzgibbon covering weather.
Presenters
| Position | Broadcast days | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |
| News | Mark Ferguson (2014–present) Angela Cox (2024–present) |
Michael Usher (2016–present) Angie Asimus (2024–present) | |||||
| Sport | Mel McLaughlin (2016–present) | Matt Carmichael (2011–13; 2023–present) | |||||
| Weather | Angie Asimus (2020–present) | Amber Laidler (2024–present) | |||||
Afternoon news bulletins
- Natarsha Belling (until 2:00 pm Monday to Thursday)
- Sally Bowrey (until 2:00 pm Friday)
- Mark Ferguson (post 3:00 pm Monday to Thursday, post 4:00 pm Sunday)
- Michael Usher or Angie Asimus (post 3:00 pm Friday, post 4:00 pm Saturday)
Evening news bulletins
- Mark Ferguson or Angela Cox (up to 7:30 pm Sunday through Thursday)
- Michael Usher or Angie Asimus (after 8:30 pm on weeknights and Saturday)
Correspondents
- Chris Reason (Senior Correspondent)
- Mark Riley (Political Editor, Canberra)
- Paul Kadak
- Sally Bowrey (Cultural Editor)
- Chris Maher
- Andrew Denney (Crime Reporter)
- Laura Banks (Crime Reporter)
- Tom Sacre
- Sarina Andaloro
- Hugh Whitfeld (Foreign Editor)
- Matt Carmichael (Sports Correspondent)
- Jelisa Apps (Sports Correspondent)
- Amber Laidler
- Tim Lester
- Leonie Ryan (Court Reporter)
- Grace Fitsgibbon (Bright Side Host)
- Angelique Opie (Property Correspondent)
- Brianna Jackson
Substitute Presenters
News
- Chris Reason
- Hugh Whitfeld
- Sally Bowrey
Sport
- Jelisa Apps
Weather
- Grace Fitzgibbon
- Sally Bowrey
Correspondent for Sunrise/Weekend Sunrise
- Liam Tapper
Eveleigh
- Seven Early News
- Sunrise
- The Morning Show
- The Morning Show: Weekend
- Weekend Sunrise
- Seven Morning News
- Seven News at 4
- Seven News Sydney
- The Latest: Seven News
- Test Cricket coverage (2018–present)
- Women's Big Bash League coverage (2018–present)
- Big Bash League coverage (2018–present)
- Cricket World Cup coverage (2018–present)
Current productions at Australian Technology Park
- Home & Away (1988–ongoing)
- My Kitchen Rules (2010–ongoing)
- The Chase Australia (2021–ongoing)
Recorded at FOX Studios
- The X Factor (2010–2016)
On location
- Better Homes and Gardens (1995–ongoing)
- Sydney Weekender (1994–ongoing)
- House Rules (2013–2019)
- Carols in the Domain (1982–ongoing)
- Farmer Wants a Wife (2020–ongoing)
- Schools Spectacular (2016–2019, 2021)
- Schools Spectacular Remixed (2020)
Past programming
- Sunday Night (2009–2019)
- V8 Supercars (2007–2014, 2021–present)
- Packed to the Rafters (2008–2013)
- Today Tonight (ATN-7 1995–2001; HSV-7 2001–2006; ATN-7 2007–2012; HSV-7 2013–2014)
- 11AM (1975–1999)
- Newsworld (1982–1989)
- Real Life (1992–1994, transitioned to Today Tonight in 1995)
- The Price Is Right (2012)
- Wild Boys (2011)
- All Saints (1998–2009)
- Always Greener (2001–2003)
- Hey Dad..! (1987–1994)
- Sons and Daughters (1982–1987)
- A Country Practice (1981–1993)
- Wheel of Fortune (ADS-7 1981–1987; SAS-7 1987–1996; ATN-7 1996–2006)
- Denton (1994–1995)
- Who Dares Wins (1996–2000)
- The Real Seachange (2006)
- The Zoo (2007–2008)
- Saturday Disney (1997–2016)
- Playhouse Disney (2003–2007)
- The Big Arvo (2001–2005)
- It's Academic (2005–2016)
- headLand (2005–2006)
- Popstars Live (2000–2002, 2004)
- Surprise Chef (2001–2003)
- The Daily Edition (2013–2020)
- Andrew Denton's Interview (2018–2019)
- A variety of Roy and HG’’ programs including The Dream with Roy and HG, Win Roy & H.G.'s Money, among others from 2000 to 2003
- The Matty Johns Show (2010)
- Sports-related broadcasts such as Sportsworld, The Mole, and Sunday Sunrise’’
- Recent productions like Between Two Worlds, Plate of Origin, The Secret Daughter, and Secret Bridesmaids' Business’’
Among the earliest offerings were variety and children’s shows including Sydney Tonight, Captain Fortune Show, the soap opera Autumn Affair, and the talent contest TV Talent Scout.’’