10 Regional is an Australian
television network
A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid- ...
owned by
Southern Cross Austereo
Southern Cross Media Group Limited, doing business as Southern Cross Austereo, is an Australian media company which operates broadcast radio and television stations. It is the largest radio broadcaster in Australia, operating 86 radio statio ...
that is broadcast in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...
,
Victoria and
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. The network is the primary affiliate of
Network 10
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of fi ...
in most regional areas.
History
Origins
Southern Cross began as a small network of three stations in regional Victoria. The ''Southern Cross TV8'' network comprised
GLV-10 Gippsland
Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It cove ...
, BCV-8
Bendigo
Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.
As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, mak ...
, and
STV-8 Victoria.
GLV was the first
regional television station in the country, launched on 9 December 1961.
BCV-8 launched in the same year, on 23 December, while STV followed four years later, on 27 November 1965.
GLV-10 became GLV-8 in 1980, when
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
commercial station
ATV-0 moved frequences to become ATV-10
The network began life in 1982 as ''Southern Cross TV8'', but later changed its name in 1989 to the ''Southern Cross Network''.
Soon after this, STV-8 left the network after it was bought by businessman
Alan Bond
Alan Bond (22 April 1938 – 5 June 2015) was an English-born Australian businessman noted for his high-profile and often corrupt business dealings. These included his central role in the WA Inc scandals of the 1980s, and what was at the time ...
, and eventually sold on to
ENT Limited
ENT Ltd, standing for Examiner-Northern TV Ltd, is a private shell company owned by WIN Corporation. In its heyday, ENT was a publicly listed Australian media company based in Launceston, Tasmania. It was run by major shareholder Edmund Rouse ...
(owners of
Vic TV and
Tas TV).
1992–2016: 10 affiliation
Regional Victoria was aggregated in 1992.
VIC Television, based in
Shepparton
Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Sheppart ...
and
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
Within months of Vi ...
affiliated with the Nine Network, while
Prime Television
Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as ''CBN-8'' in Orange, and later expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capi ...
, based in
Albury
Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...
-
Wodonga
Wodonga
( Waywurru: ''Wordonga'') is a city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga LGA. Its population is approximately 35 ...
became an affiliate of the
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australi ...
.
Southern Cross, therefore, took on an affiliation with
Network Ten
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
.
Soon after, it changed its name and logo to ''SCN'', directly emulating the look of its metropolitan counterpart. Local news was axed six months later, while the name and logo changed once again to ''Ten Victoria'' along with new names ''Ten Capital'', ''Ten Northern NSW'' & ''Ten Queensland'' as they carried and introduced the Network Ten logo into their brand.
Canberra-based station
Capital Television was purchased by Southern Cross’ owner,
Southern Cross Broadcasting
Southern Cross Broadcasting (Australia) Limited was a diversified Australian media company, that owned and operated a variety of media businesses, primarily in radio and television.
History
Tony Bell was managing director of the business betw ...
, in 1994.
It was soon integrated into the network, taking on the name ''Ten Capital'' soon after.
Southern Cross Broadcasting acquired Telecasters Australia in 2001.
As a result,
Ten Queensland and
Ten Northern NSW became a part of the Southern Cross Ten network, while Telecasters' other assets –
Seven Darwin and
Seven Central – were later integrated into the Southern Cross network.
Local news bulletins in Canberra and parts of Queensland were axed on 22 November 2001 – one of a number of moves taken by Southern Cross and competitor
Prime Television
Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as ''CBN-8'' in Orange, and later expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capi ...
that resulted in an investigation by the
Australian Broadcasting Authority
The Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) was an Australian government agency whose main roles were to regulate broadcasting, radiocommunications and telecommunications. The Authority took over the functions of the Australian Broadcasting Trib ...
into the adequacy of regional news.

The network expanded into the
Spencer Gulf
The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets (the other being Gulf St Vincent) on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe ...
and
Broken Hill
Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. I ...
areas on 31 December 2003 under a
supplementary license granted to
Southern Cross GTS/BKN by the ABA.
Southern Cross Ten moved away from generic Network Ten branding – in use since the early 1990s for most areas – with a new logo, similar to that of parent company Southern Cross Broadcasting.
Three-minute local news updates were introduced in 2004, following recommendations put into place following the ABA's report.
The brief bulletins, produced out of the network's Canberra production centre, are made for the network's seventeen license areas.
Southern Cross Ten began broadcasting
MyTalk, a datacast channel owned by
Southern Cross Broadcasting
Southern Cross Broadcasting (Australia) Limited was a diversified Australian media company, that owned and operated a variety of media businesses, primarily in radio and television.
History
Tony Bell was managing director of the business betw ...
on 13 April 2007 on LCN 55.
It was anticipated that the network would be acquired by the
Macquarie Media Group, following a
A$1.35 billion takeover recommendation made to shareholders by Southern Cross Broadcasting to shareholder on 3 July 2007,
and on 5 November 2007 this purchase was completed.
Southern Cross Ten ceased to broadcast
MyTalk on 25 February 2008, after the Macquarie acquisition.
Southern Cross Ten began broadcasting Ten's digital channel,
One HD (now 10 Bold) on 2 July 2009 on LCN 50.
Southern Cross Ten began broadcasting Ten's digital channel,
Eleven (now 10 Peach) on 11 January 2011 on LCN 55.
Southern Cross Ten began broadcasting Ten’s datacast channel,
TVSN
TVSN (an acronym for "Television Shopping Network") is an Australian and New Zealand broadcast, cable television and satellite television network specializing in home shopping. It is owned by parent company Direct Group Pty Ltd, a home marketi ...
in December 2012 on LCN 54.
Southern Cross Ten began broadcasting their own datacast channel,
Aspire TV
Aspire TV was an Australian advertorial datacasting channel launched on 21 May 2013. The channel operated a full-time format of mostly US produced paid programming and, to a lesser extent, other paid program content including religious pro ...
on 21 May 2013 on LCN 56.
2016–2021: Nine affiliation
On 29 April 2016, Southern Cross Austereo announced that it had signed a five-year affiliation deal with
Nine Entertainment Co.
Nine Entertainment (registered as Nine Entertainment Co. Pty Ltd) is an Australian publicly listed media company with holdings in radio and television broadcasting, newspaper publications and digital media. It uses Nine as its corporate brandi ...
, owner of the Nine Network, for almost $500 million, taking the place of
WIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television station covering the Wollongong region. The WIN Net ...
as the primary regional Nine affiliate. On 1 July 2016, Southern Cross switched its primary affiliation from Network Ten to the Nine Network and Nine's metropolitan branding was introduced across Southern Cross' television assets in Queensland, Southern NSW and Victoria,
joining its existing Nine affiliate station in Spencer Gulf, SA and Broken Hill, NSW. Southern Cross' Northern NSW station,
NRN
NRN is a television station originating in Coffs Harbour, Australia owned by WIN Corporation as part of the WIN Television network, affiliated to Network 10. The station was formally a partnership between NRN-11 Coffs Harbour (launched 23 January ...
, was not part of the deal as the Nine-owned
NBN Television
NBN is an Australian television station based in Newcastle, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in New South Wales, and has since expanded to 39 transmitters throughout Nor ...
already operated in the region.
Upon the affiliation change, the channel listing for Southern Cross' Nine-affiliated stations was reshuffled with Nine on channel 5 and 51,
9HD
9HD is an Australian television channel owned by Nine Entertainment, originally launched on 17 March 2008 featuring unique "breakaway" programming until 2009 and a high-definition simulcast of the Nine Network from 2009 to 2010 and again s ...
on channel 50,
9Gem
9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived.
History
Nine N ...
on channel 52 in standard definition,
9Go!
9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, ani ...
on channel 53, 9Life on channel 54 and Aspire TV on channel 56.
GDS/BDN Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill remained unchanged with Nine on channel 8, 9Gem on channel 80 and 9Go! on channel 88. As a result TVSN stopped broadcasting and was replaced with a ''To Be Advised'' slide until being replaced with
Yesshop on 1 August 2016.
Due to the need to import and install the required equipment, Southern Cross originally stated that it would not immediately offer Nine's digital services
9HD
9HD is an Australian television channel owned by Nine Entertainment, originally launched on 17 March 2008 featuring unique "breakaway" programming until 2009 and a high-definition simulcast of the Nine Network from 2009 to 2010 and again s ...
and
9Life
9Life is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Nine Entertainment. The channel airs mostly foreign lifestyle and reality programs, with the channel having a licensing agreement with Discovery Inc. (previously Scr ...
upon the transition; the broadcaster stated that they planned to begin transmitting them by mid-August—a delay which would have caused the third match of the
2016 State of Origin series
The 2016 State of Origin series was the 35th time the annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams to be played entirely under 'state of origin' rules (1980 and 1981 were only one game series).
The ...
on 13 July to not be transmitted in high definition in the affected regions—which includes parts of the New South Wales and Queensland regions who play the series.
However, on 24 June 2016, Southern Cross announced that it had been "working tirelessly to get HD to air as quickly as possible", and 9HD became available from launch day on channel 50.
The same approach also prompted 9Life to return early on 17 July 2016.
Southern Cross announced on 25 July 2016 that it would broadcast New Zealand-based home shopping channel
Yesshop as a
datacast
Datacasting (data broadcasting) is the broadcasting of data over a wide area via radio waves. It most often refers to supplemental information sent by television stations along with digital terrestrial television (DTT), but may also be applied ...
service. The channel became available on 1 August 2016 in Queensland, Southern NSW, ACT and Victoria on LCN 55. However, Yesshop's owner (Yes Retail) made the decision to cease trading on 29 September 2016 citing lack of funds to pay wages and the company's current losses of approximately 20 million dollars. Employees were terminated the same day, and the channels were removed on Freeview later that day.
Following months of negotiations, Southern Cross finalised an agreement on 28 March 2017 to sell their Ten-affiliated Northern NSW station, NRN, to WIN Television for a total of $55 million, with the sale taking effect on 31 May 2017. Due to operational logistics, WIN did not commence broadcasting their identity to the NRN market until 1 September 2017. This sale relieved Southern Cross of their only sole Ten-affiliated station, with their remaining Ten affiliate,
SGS/SCN operating in the Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill region where Southern Cross holds monopoly ownership of all three network affiliates.
On 17 July 2017, Southern Cross launched American religious channel SonLife Broadcasting Network (SBN), owned by
evangelist Jimmy Swaggart
Jimmy Lee Swaggart (; born March 15, 1935) is an American Pentecostal televangelist, gospel music recording artist, pianist, and Christian author.
His television ministry, which began in 1971, and was originally known as the “Camp Meeting H ...
, as a datacast service. The channel is broadcast in regional Queensland, Southern NSW & ACT, and regional Victoria on channel 55 via Southern Cross' Nine-affiliated stations, and in Tasmania on channel 64, Spencer Gulf SA & Broken Hill NSW on channel 54, and Darwin on channel 74 via Southern Cross' Seven affiliate remaining stations.
2021–present: Return to 10 affiliation
On 12 March 2021, Nine announced that it would return to
WIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television station covering the Wollongong region. The WIN Net ...
as its regional affiliate in most markets beginning on 1 July 2021, in a deal that would last at least seven years. This has ended SCA's five-year agreement with the
Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television ne ...
. On 25 June 2021, SCA and Network 10 announced a two-year affiliation deal in regional Queensland, Southern NSW and regional Victoria, which introduced
10 Shake
10 Shake is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It launched on 27 September 2020 at 6am.
The channel includes a mix of shows for people aged forty and under. It broadcasts programming for children fro ...
into regional areas for the very first time and it broadcasts on Channel 54, as well as
Sky News Regional which launched on 1 August 2021 and it broadcasts on Channel 56. On this network,
Aspire TV
Aspire TV was an Australian advertorial datacasting channel launched on 21 May 2013. The channel operated a full-time format of mostly US produced paid programming and, to a lesser extent, other paid program content including religious pro ...
ceased to broadcast on 31 July 2021, to accommodate
Sky News Regional.
Programming
Southern Cross's programming schedule is almost identical to that of its metropolitan counterpart, Network 10, with some differences.
The channel previously broadcast ''
State Focus'' at 12pm Sunday, a magazine program featuring interviews from people across the regions where the channel broadcasts.
News and current affairs
Southern Cross news updates (2004–2017)
Prior to 2017, short local news updates were aired throughout the day for each of the seventeen licence areas served throughout regional Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and Victoria. These updates broadcast throughout the network's daytime and primetime programming, hourly and lasting from one to three minutes, branded variously as ''Southern Cross News'', ''Southern Cross Ten News'', ''Southern Cross Ten Local News'' (2014–16) and ''Local News Headlines'' (2016–17). The updates were produced from Southern Cross Austereo's studio in Canberra and made use of news content from local radio stations owned by SCA in each market. Local sport and weather reports also air on a sporadic basis. Short updates were also aired throughout the day and evening alongside updates from ''
10 News First
''10 News First'' is an Australian television newscast, produced by Network 10. The network's ninety-minute long news program airs at 5pm each evening covering local, national and world news, including sport and weather. Weekend editions are p ...
'', or from 2016, ''
Nine News
''Nine News'' (stylised ''9News'') is the national news service of the Nine Network in Australia. Its flagship program is the hour-long 6:00 pm state bulletin, produced by Nine's owned-and-operated stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane ...
''. The bulletins are researched, produced and presented by a single journalist.
Prior to the formation of the Southern Cross Ten network, the
Canberra and
north Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...
stations broadcast one-hour nightly localised news bulletins. However, both were axed in late 2001 due to cost-cutting measures.
Regional programming was reintroduced in March 2011 with the launch of ''Weeknights'', a 30-minute regional news magazine program broadcast in Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley, only to be axed in May 2015.
Nine News Regional (2017–2021)
As part of the new affiliation deal between the Nine Network and Southern Cross in 2016, the ''Local News Headlines'' were phased out on their now-Nine affiliated stations and were replaced by full one-hour local ''Nine News'' bulletins produced by Nine.
In August 2016, the director of Nine's news & current affairs division, Darren Wick announced that Queensland news director Mike Dalton had been appointed to head the new Nine News Regional division to initiate Nine and Southern Cross Austereo's new regional news service in 2017.
Southern Cross' Nine-affiliated stations that received the bulletins were
TNQ Queensland,
CTC southern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, and
GLV/BCV
GLV and BCV are television stations licensed to serve Traralgon and Bendigo and regional Victoria, Australia. The stations are owned and operated by Southern Cross 10.
History
Early years
GLV-10 in Traralgon was the first regional television ...
Victoria.
The bulletins were produced by Nine News, presented from Nine's existing studio facilities in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne respectively.
The bulletins' formats were similar in style to the Nine-owned ''
NBN News'' bulletin in northern New South Wales, as a composite of international, national and local news. On 17 March 2020, production on the composite bulletins were suspended indefinitely, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, with reporters deployed to the metropolitan bulletins in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
10 News First Local Updates, Sky News agreement (2021–present)
Following the switch back to Network 10 affiliation on 1 July 2021, Southern Cross returned to producing local news updates after a five-year absence. The updates carry the ''
10 News First
''10 News First'' is an Australian television newscast, produced by Network 10. The network's ninety-minute long news program airs at 5pm each evening covering local, national and world news, including sport and weather. Weekend editions are p ...
'' branding and are produced out of the networks
Launceston (QLD updates) and
Hobart (Southern NSW and VIC updates) studios. The Southern NSW and Canberra updates are presented by Ruby Cairns, the North and South Queensland updates are presented by Victoria Eastoe, and the Regional Victoria updates are presented by Kasey Wilkins. The updates, which typically don't include any corresponding
news footage or
soundbites, are researched, produced and presented by a single journalist.
In May 2021, SCA reached a content agreement with
Sky News Australia
Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...
, under which it would distribute the new free-to-air
Sky News Regional beginning 1 July 2021. The service is a ''de facto'' replacement for the Sky News on WIN service that it previously distributed.
Availability
Southern Cross is available in
standard definition
Standard-definition television (SDTV, SD, often shortened to standard definition) is a television system which uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high or enhanced definition. "Standard" refers to it being the prevailing sp ...
and
high definition
High definition or HD may refer to:
Visual technologies
*HD DVD, discontinued optical disc format
*HD Photo, former name for the JPEG XR image file format
*HDV, format for recording high-definition video onto magnetic tape
* HiDef, 24 frames-pe ...
digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Technology and computing Hardware
*Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals
**Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...
format. In all areas, an additional
1080i high definition
High definition or HD may refer to:
Visual technologies
*HD DVD, discontinued optical disc format
*HD Photo, former name for the JPEG XR image file format
*HDV, format for recording high-definition video onto magnetic tape
* HiDef, 24 frames-pe ...
simulcast is also available. The network is available primarily through
free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscripti ...
terrestrial
Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth.
Terrestrial may also refer to:
* Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to ...
s, with
subscription
The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century, and ...
cable also provided by
TransACT
TransACT is the trading name of TransACT Capital Communications, an Australian telecommunications company based in Canberra which provides broadband internet access, fixed telephony, cable television services, and mobile phone services in C ...
and
Neighbourhood Cable in the Australian Capital Territory and
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
Within months of Vi ...
, respectively.
The network's
owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry, an owned-and-operated station (frequently abbreviated as an O&O) usually refers to a television or radio station owned by the network with which it is associated. This distinguishes such a station from an network af ...
s include:
*
GLV/BCV
GLV and BCV are television stations licensed to serve Traralgon and Bendigo and regional Victoria, Australia. The stations are owned and operated by Southern Cross 10.
History
Early years
GLV-10 in Traralgon was the first regional television ...
Regional
Victoria
*
CTC Southern New South Wales
*
TNQ