STW

STW
Perth, Western Australia
Branding	Nine
Slogan	We Heart TV
Channels	Analog: 9 (VHF) Digital: 8 (VHF)
Affiliations	Nine
Network	Nine
Owner	WIN Corporation (Swan Television & Radio Broadcasters Pty Ltd)
Founded	June 12, 1965
Call letters meaning	Swan Television Western Australia
Former affiliations	independent (1965-1988)
Transmitter Power	200 kW (analog) 50 kW (digital)
Height	321 m (analog) 327 m (digital)
Transmitter Coordinates	31°59′53″S, 116°4′20″E
Website	www.9perth.com.au

STW is a television station broadcasting in Perth, Western Australia, that is owned by the WIN Corporation and affiliated to the Nine Network. The call sign STW stands for Swan Television, Western Australia. STW-9 broadcasts from a transmitter mast located in Walliston in the Perth Hills beyond Kalamunda. Its operational base and studios are located at 9 Gay Street, Dianella, across the road from Seven's studios with approximately 150 staff working at the station.

History

STW-9 commenced broadcasting on 12 June1965 and was the second commercial television station in Perth. It became the first station in Perth to broadcast 24 hours a day on 17 April1984. In the late 1980s, the station came under the ownership of Bond Media, owned by infamous businessman Alan Bond, and became a Nine Network owned and operated station when Bond purchased the network. In 1989 Bond Media sold the station to Sunraysia Television for AU$95 million. The deal also involved Bond Media purchasing the Sunraysia owned STV-8 for AU$18 million. Bond Media was forced to sell due to the Federal cross-media ownership laws, which restricted the level of national reach for media owners.^[1] In January 2007, Sunraysia Television posted a profit warning, with an expected 12% drop in revenue over the past six months. The company cited a weak local advertising market and low ratings for the reduced revenue, despite a strong WA economy.^[2] The profit warning lead to speculation of a potential takeover of STW-9, with PBL and regional network WIN Television indicated as potential bidders.^[3] PBL Media announced in February 2007 that it would purchase STW-9 for AU$136.4 million, with the deal to be completed in late March or early April subject to shareholder approval.^[4] After PBL Media bid for the station, 45% shareholder WIN Corporation wanted to buy out the station itself, it lodged two bids and in June 2007 shareholders approved the sale of the station to WIN. STW is now owned by the WIN Corporation.

News & Current Affairs

Channel Nine Perth holds the distinction of broadcasting the most poorly performing Nine Network news bulletin in Australia, holding 3rd or 4th place most days. This may be attributable to the popularity of Seven News Perth, which regularly attracts more than double (and occasionally triple) the viewers of Nine Perth's bulletin. Perth's National Nine News bulletin remains the first and only Australian news bulletin to have two female anchors, Dixie Marshall and Sonia Vinci. These two anchors are also the faces of Nine Perth's general operations and promos. Weekday Presenters: News: Dixie Marshall & Sonia Vinci Sport: Michael Thomson Weather: Natalia Cooper Weekend Presenters: News & Weather: Sharlyn Sarac Sport: Mark Readings Occasional Fill-Ins: Weekday Weather: Kate Gale Weekday Sport: Mark Readings Weekend News & Weather: Natalia Cooper Weekend Sport: Bob Harnett The station also shows all of the PBL-produced Sydney-based news content, including Today, Nine Morning News, Nine's Afternoon News and Nightline. Also among the lineup is A Current Affair, which also loses to the local version of Seven's Today Tonight by over 100,000 viewers nightly.

Programming

Fishing Western Australia

Nine Perth's local productions [1] have a strong focus on WA-centric lifestyle, with most of it also shown on regional affiliate WIN Television WA. Programs include:

• Garden Gurus (Lifestyle - Gardening) - Saturdays 5:00 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.
• Golfing WA (Golfing) - Sunday afternoon
• Just Add Water (Perth summer lifestyle) - Sundays 7:30 p.m. (Summer specials only)
• Postcards WA (Travel) - Sundays 5:30 p.m.
• The Real Estate, Lifestyle and Investments Program (Real estate) - Saturday morning/afternoon

Appealathon

In its 30 years, Channel Nine Perth's Appealathon has raised in excess of $53.5 million. Since 1975, Appealathon has supported four specific charities with Appealathon funds: the Activ Foundation, Civilian Maimed & Limbless Association, Paraplegic/Quadriplegic Association and Rocky Bay. Many other organisations are helped as well on a yearly basis. The Appealathon is involved in over 50 fundraising events and projects across Perth each year.

Broadcasting details

Locations of transmitters broadcasting STW-9

Analogue frequency: VHF 9
Digital frequency: VHF 8

Pre-Network Logos

STW-9 used two logos during its pre-network years. From 1979 onwards, STW-9 have used Nine Network logos.

1970 - 1974	1975 - 1978

Nine Network logos can be found at the following article; Nine Network.

See also

• Sunraysia Television

References

External links

Television in Australia Portal

• STW-9 official website
• Nine Network website