SAS (TV Station)

SAS, formerly SAS-7 and before that SAS-10, is a television station in Adelaide, South Australia. It is part of the Seven Network.

History

SAS-7 was originally known as SAS-10, an affiliate of what became Network Ten. It commenced broadcasting on 26 July 1965, as South Australian Telecasters. In the early 1970s the station was bought out by Perth station TVW-7. On 27 December 1987, SAS-10 and ADS-7 switched broadcast channels, ADS moving to channel 10, SAS moving to channel 7. As the television industry was consolidating in Australia, these channels had each become associated by ownership with interstate stations bearing the opposite channel numbers, so to simplify network interaction, they agreed to swap channel assignments and network affiliations in Adelaide. ADS was owned by Kerry Stokes who also owned NEW-10 and Capital Television. SAS was owned by TVW-7 starting from 1974 and thus, on two occasions, shared the same image campaigns as TVW's.

In 1988, SAS was sold by the Bell Group to Qintex.

The station celebrated 40 years in 2005 with a special television program "Made in Adelaide 40 Years of Television".

Television shows made during the SAS-10 era include children's shows ''Fat Cat and Friends'', ''The Early Bird Show'', ''Crackerjack'' and ''Romper Room''. Music shows included in Time, Trax and Simulrock. Variety talent shows included Adelaide's ''New Faces'' and ''Pot Luck''. There was also the long running daytime show ''Touch of Elegance''. SAS 10 employed actor Hedley Cullen as horror host Deadly Earnest, who was also seen in WA.

From 1973 to 1989 the Christmas Appeal telethon was held each year. For the inaugural Bay to Birdwood classic car run, S.A.S. Channel 10 provided advertising and a documentary after the event.
The game show ''Wheel of Fortune'' originally commenced recordings in ADS-7 studios in July 1981 on the Seven Network. It moved to SAS with the 1987 switch, and continued there until July 1996 when the show moved to ATN-7 Sydney where it lasted to its cancellation in 2006.

Other shows after the change over included ''Fat Cat and Friends'' until 1992 and Trax until 1990.

Currently the station produces ''Discover'' and ''Seven News'', while between 1995 and 2019, it produced a local edition of ''Today Tonight'', which outrated the national ''A Current Affair (Australian TV series), A Current Affair''.

The last edition of ''Seven News'' and ''Today Tonight'' was broadcast from the Gilberton studios in North Adelaide on 14 December 2007. The station then moved to new premises at Hindmarsh, South Australia, Hindmarsh on the corner of Port Road, Adelaide, Port Road and Adam Street, from where Adelaide versions of ''Seven News'' and ''Today Tonight'' are produced.

Programming

Current in-house productions

* ''Seven News#Adelaide, Seven News'' (Adelaide edition)
* ''Seven News#Local bulletins, Seven Afternoon News'' (Adelaide edition)

Previous in-house productions

* ''Control Freaks (TV series), Control Freaks'' (2001–2003)
* ''The Book Place'' (1991–2003)
* ''Wheel of Fortune (Australian game show), Wheel of Fortune'' (1988–1996)
* ''Fat Cat and Friends'' (1972–1987 on SAS-10, 1988–1991 on SAS-7)
* ''Simulrock'' (1980s, with SAFM)
* ''Christmas Telethon''
* ''You Don't Say'' (1982)
* ''The Today Show'' (1960s)
* ''Romper Room'' (1965–1974)
* ''Bobo The Clown'' (1960s)
* ''Earlybirds'' (1970s)
* ''Touch of Elegance'' (1968–1990s)
* ''AM Adelaide''
* ''Today Tonight'' (1995–2019)

1987 affiliation swap quote

On 27 December 1987, ''Seven National News'' reporter Alan Murrell reported the following on ADS-7, hours before the switch to Channel 10:

:"Tonight will mark the end of the callsigns ADS-7 and SAS-10. Tomorrow, it'll be ADS-10 and SAS-7. It's the first time such a change has been made. The switch follows a media shake-up earlier this year, which left ADS in the hands of the owners of the Ten network. Already, the cosmetic changes are being made at Strangways Terrace and Gilberton, South Australia, Gilberton. But viewers will notice little difference. They'll still turn the knob to 10 for Channel Ten programs, and to 7 for Seven programs.

:"The only difference will be that the local personalities will be seen on different channels. So if you want to watch Steve Whitham and Caroline Ainslie reading the news tomorrow night, you simply turn the dial three positions, from 7 to ADS-10. And it’s as easy as that."

As a result, from the last days of 1987 up to 1988 the new SAS-7 adopted the ''On the Move'' slogan previously used by WLS-TV in Chicago, Illinois in 1984 to mark the change, with a music video made for this purpose.

AFL season

During the Australian Football League season, ''Seven News'' airs at its regular time on Saturdays or Sundays during Fox Footy broadcast twilight matches involving Adelaide Football Club, Adelaide and/or Port Adelaide Football Club, Port Adelaide, formerly, the bulletin was aired at half-time of the telecast, replacing match analysis from Fox Footy. SAS also airs South Australian National Football League Matches during the Season.

News and current affairs

''Seven News'' is directed by Chris Salter and presented by Will Goodings and Rosanna Mangiarelli on weeknights and Mike Smithson (Australian journalist), Mike Smithson on weekends from Seven studios located at Hindmarsh, South Australia, Hindmarsh. Sport is presented by Mark Soderstrom on weeknights and Bruce Abernethy on weekends. Weather is presented by Amelia Mulcahy on weeknights and Gertie Spurling on weekends.

Previously, Graeme Goodings had been weeknight presenter and John Riddell the weekend reader, until it was found that Goodings had bowel cancer. Goodings and Riddell agreed to swap roles in 2004; both Goodings and Doyle had been presenting Seven News together since 1989, which had proven a success.

Prior to 27 December 1987, the presenters and crew behind ''Seven News'' broadcast as ''Ten Eyewitness News#Adelaide, Ten News Adelaide''. However, as the television industry was consolidating in Australia, these news services had each become associated by ownership with interstate news services being broadcast on opposite frequencies; therefore, to simplify network interaction, their respective networks agreed to swap channel assignments and network affiliations in Adelaide.

In June 2020, Jessica Adamson and Tim Noonan were made redundant from the network. Mangiarelli replaced Adamson as weekend presenter. In February 2021, Mike Smithson joined Mangiarelli as a co-host. In September 2022, it was announced that FIVEAA's Will Goodings will replace Mike Smithson to co-host weekends.

In November 2022, it was announced that Jane Doyle would retire from television after more than three decades presenting ''7NEWS Adelaide''. Will Goodings and Rosanna Mangiarelli were announced as her replacement on weeknights, commencing from January 2023, with Mike Smithson to present on weekends.

Local News updates for Adelaide are typically presented by reporters in the early afternoon, followed by news presenters Will Goodings or Rosanna Mangiarelli in the late afternoon and evening.

News presenters

Sports presenter

See also

* Television broadcasting in Australia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sas (Tv Station)
Television stations in South Australia
Television stations in Adelaide
Seven Network
Television channels and stations established in 1965
1965 establishments in Australia