NEN (TV station)

NEN

Company type	Private
Industry	Television broadcasting
Founded	10 April 1965
Headquarters	Tamworth , Australia
Area served	Northern New South Wales
Products	Television broadcasting
Parent	Prime Television (since 1989)

NEN is a television broadcaster based in Australia, holding a license to operate in the northern region of New South Wales.

History

The station NEN9 serving Tamworth and the Upper Namoi area commenced broadcasting on 10 April 1965, followed by a relay in Armidale (initially NEN1, later renamed NEN10) starting 15 July 1966. Meanwhile, ECN8, covering Taree and the Manning River region, began transmissions on 27 May 1966.

Prior to aggregation in the mid-1980s, the station transmitted to Tamworth on VHF channel 10, from Mt Dowe (Kaputar) on VHF channel 9, and from Middle Brother Mountain on VHF channel 8. Additionally, it utilized translators in various locations including Armidale, Ashford, Glen Innes, Gloucester, Inverell, Quirindi, Walcha, Laurieton, and Lightning Ridge.

In the period of 1968–69, ECN8 encountered financial challenges and proposed acquisition by NBN3 Newcastle, which was ultimately declined by the Australian Broadcasting Control Board. Attempts to negotiate with NRN11 Coffs Harbour also did not succeed. Subsequently, from March 1969 ECN agreed to rebroadcast NEN's programming. The two entities merged in November 1971; however, the ECN call sign remained in use until the mid-1980s.

Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, NEN9 participated in the Great Eastland Television consortium alongside NRN11 Coffs Harbour and DDQ/SDQ Toowoomba, collaborating on shared content and advertising efforts. Between 1984 and 1989, the station operated under the brand 9–8 Television, highlighting its Tamworth and Taree channel allocations.

In 1989 Prime Television purchased the station, rebranding it as Prime Television and affiliating it with the Seven Network, mirroring arrangements with southern NSW's CBN. The ECN call sign was replaced by NEN. Following the launch of Northern NSW market aggregation on 31 December 1991, Prime Television became Seven Network’s regional affiliate for Northern NSW, competing against NRTV and NBN.

Seven News

NEN produces two separate half-hour Seven News broadcasts tailored for the North West and North Coast regional audiences. These bulletins air weeknights at 6pm from Seven’s studios located in Canberra. Madelaine Collignon and Nick Hose co-anchor these editions, with the North Coast bulletin presented live. Weather segments for both bulletins are delivered by Kirstie Fitzpatrick.

For viewers in Newcastle and Central Coast regions, brief two-minute news updates are provided by Pip Waller alongside weather forecasts from Daniel Gibson. Both areas receive the primary 6pm Sydney-based Seven News broadcast from ATN.

Historically, local news was produced at facilities in Tamworth. While numerous regional studios were closed during the 2000s due to the expense of digital upgrades, Tamworth’s studio was retained and modernized digitally. In early 2012, Seven initially planned to relocate local news production to Canberra but reversed this decision within a month.

In January 2015, Seven announced it would close the Tamworth studios permanently and shift production to Canberra; the final local bulletin was broadcast in April of that year. The former Tamworth studio premises were later converted into a car dealership. Fiona Ferguson, who served as the last local news presenter at Tamworth, moved into the role of News Director for the North Coast bulletin at a newly established newsroom in Tamworth. The full transition was completed on 27 April 2015.

Main transmitters

Coverage Area	City	Channels (Analog/ Digital)	Launch Date	ERP (Analog/ Digital)	HAAT (Analog/ Digital)1	Transmitter Coordinates	Transmitter Site
Grafton/Kempsey	Coffs Harbour	31 (UHF)3 35 (UHF)	31 December 1991	600 kW 150 kW	725 m 730 m		Mount Moombil
Manning River2	Taree	8 (VHF)3 8 (VHF)	27 May 1966	320 kW 80 kW	622 m 622 m		Middle Brother
Hunter and Central Coast	Newcastle	54 (UHF)3 35 (UHF)	31 December 1991	1200 kW 250 kW	439 m 439 m		Mount Sugarloaf
Northern Rivers and Gold Coast	Lismore	44 (UHF)3 30 (UHF)	31 December 1991	600 kW 200 kW	638 m 648 m		Mount Nardi
Upper Namoi River area	Tamworth, New South Wales	9 (VHF)3 30 (UHF)	10 April 1965	250 kW 150 kW	846 m 849 m		Mount Dowe

Notes:

1. HAAT values are approximated based on EHAAT calculations.
2. Prior to aggregation in 1991, Manning River operated as an independent station under the callsign ECN.
3. Analog broadcasts were discontinued on 27 November 2012 during the nationwide digital switchover.

See also

• Regional television in Australia
• Seven Network#Channel Seven