BTQ

BTQ

Brisbane, Queensland
Channels	Digital: 6 (VHF) Virtual: 7
Branding	Seven
Programming
Affiliations	Seven (O&O)
Ownership
Owner	Seven West Media Limited (Channel Seven Brisbane Pty Ltd)
History
First air date	1 November 1959; 64 years ago (1959-11-01)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 7 (VHF) (1959–2013)
Call sign meaning	Brisbane Television Queensland
Technical information
Licensing authority	Australian Communications and Media Authority
ERP	200 kW (analog) 50 kW (digital)
HAAT	337 m (analog) 335 m (digital)[1]
Transmitter coordinates	27°27′59″S 152°56′36″E / 27.46639°S 152.94333°E / -27.46639; 152.94333
Links
Website	7plus.com.au

BTQ is the Brisbane television station of the Seven Network in Australia. BTQ was the second television station to launch in Brisbane, going to air on 1 November 1959, after QTQ (station of the Nine Network) launched three months earlier and before ABQ (station of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation) launched just 1 day after BTQ's launch.

Along with other Australian television channels, BTQ began broadcasting on digital television on 1 January 2001.

In the early eighties, Seven National News became the first Brisbane-based bulletin to be relayed throughout a string of independent Queensland telecasters^{[citation needed]}. Within the same decade, BTQ was also a major production house for children's television – hosting popular shows as Wombat, Now You See It, Family Feud, Play Your Cards Right and Seven's Super Saturday featuring Agro (puppet). In the 1980s and 1990s, the channel regularly opened its facilities to the Brisbane public – at Open Days. In the 1970s, BTQ also held annual telethons for the Children's Hospital, featuring network personalities.

In 1995, BTQ also produced "Tourist TV", a tourist information channel which could be viewed at various Gold Coast hotels and resorts, including Sea World Nara Resort.

Until 2007, BTQ was the key station of the national Austext teletext service. The service was later largely automated out of ATN-7 Sydney until it was decommissioned in September 2009.

In July 2018, deconstruction of the BTQ transmission tower began after nearly 60 years of service. On 21 July 2018 the top half of tower which contained its broadcasting elements, no longer in use by the station, was removed in stages by a destruction crew via helicopter.^[2]

News

Brisbane and Queensland

Seven News Brisbane is directed by Neil Warren and presented by Sharyn Ghidella and Max Futcher on weeknights and Samantha Heathwood on weekends from Seven's Brisbane studios, located at Mount Coot-tha. Sport is presented by Shane Webcke from Sunday to Wednesday and Ben Davis from Thursday to Saturday. Weather is presented by certified meteorologist Tony Auden from Sunday to Thursday and Coastal Expert Paul Burt on Friday and Saturday.

The bulletin is also simulcast in Brisbane on local radio station 96.5 Family FM, to regional Queensland viewers in the Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay-Burnett, Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns television markets via the Seven Queensland network and across central & remote areas of eastern Australia, on Southern Cross Central.

Previously, Tracey Challenor presented the weekend news for many years until her resignation in February 2007. Cummins was first appointed to the weekday weather in 2005 after more than a year of the Brisbane bulletin not having a weather presenter; former kids show presenter Tony Johnston had this role in 2003. Cummins was replaced by former Nine weatherman John Schluter in early 2007 and she was moved to weekends. Ghidella joined Seven News in 2007 and replaced Challenor.

In October 2002, Rod Young moved from ABC News in Brisbane to co-anchor with Kay McGrath. She had presented Seven News Brisbane solo for the previous nine months following the retirement of Frank Warrick. Their dual presenter format has proved to be successful. Following a couple of lean years coming second to Nine News Brisbane, Seven News Brisbane regained its ratings lead by 2007, helped by the recruitment of ex-Nine weatherman John Schluter and director of news Rob Raschke. In 2008, Seven News Brisbane was officially the #1 bulletin in Brisbane, winning all 40 ratings weeks.

In January 2013, Sharyn Ghidella and Bill McDonald were appointed Sunday to Thursday presenters with Kay McGrath and Rod Young moving to present on Friday & Saturday. It was also announced that Ghidella will present a local edition of Today Tonight.

In March 2018, McDonald was removed as co-anchor of the bulletin,^[3] and was replaced by Max Futcher following poor ratings.^[4]

In January 2024, it was announced that Samantha Heathwood will replace Katrina Blowers as weekend news presenter from 3 February.^[5] Blowers will share presenting Seven Afternoon News with Heathwood and will be a reporter.  

News updates for Brisbane are presented by Sharyn Ghidella or Max Futcher throughout the afternoon and the early evening. Katrina Blowers is a fill-in news presenter for the bulletin. Ben Davis and Alissa Smith are fill-in sports presenters and Paul Burt, Liz Cantor and Laura Dymock are the fill-in weather presenters.

Presenters

Gold Coast

Seven News Gold Coast is presented by Amanda Abate and Steve Titmus. Sport is presented by Sally Pearson, and weather is presented by Liz Cantor (Monday) and coastal expert Paul Burt (Tuesday - Friday), with coastal, beaches and fishing reports from Paul every Thursday and Friday.

The bulletin airs on weeknights at 5.30pm on BTQ-7's Gold Coast relay transmitters, ahead of the main 6pm news from Brisbane, placing it in direct competition with rival Nine Gold Coast News. The bulletin does not air when Australian Test cricket matches are scheduled.

On 4 July 2016, a new local bulletin for the Gold Coast was introduced, produced and broadcast live from Seven's Surfers Paradise studio. Long-time presenter and Gold Coast native Rod Young became the first presenter of the local bulletin.

From its launch, weekend bulletins were also produced, which made Seven the only network to produce local Gold Coast bulletins seven days a week. However, weekend bulletins were axed in November 2017, citing cost-cutting measures. In February 2018, Amanda (who formerly presented the axed weekend edition) joined Rod in presenting the weeknight local bulletin as well as reading sport.

In July 2019, after three years on air, Seven News Gold Coast officially became the number one news bulletin on the Gold Coast, winning twenty-one weeks to the rival Nine Gold Coast News' one week.

In 2021, Rod stepped down from the bulletin, as he formally announced his retirement from television news. He was then succeeded by Steve Titmus, who became a fill-in presenter for the Brisbane and regional Queensland bulletins before the appointment.

In February 2022, Sally Pearson was appointed sport presenter for the bulletin.

Fill in presenters include Liz Cantor and Tamra Bow (weather).

Reporters

Sunrise correspondents

• Georgia Chumbley (primary)
• Tamra Bow
• Jordan Bissell

Past presenters

• Frank Warrick – news (1976–2001)
• Darren McDonald – news (1980s)
• Tracey Challenor – news (1991–2007)
• Simon Reeve – news (2001–2003)
• Bill McDonald – sport
• Talitha Cummins – weather (2005–2010)

Current local programming

• Creek to Coast
• Queensland Weekender
• The Great Day Out
• Seven Afternoon News Queensland Edition (since August 2015)
• Sunrise Queensland bulletins (since October 2021)^[6]

Former local programming

• Today Tonight (1995–2003, 2013–2014)
• Family Feud
• Wipeout
• Wombat
• Agro's Cartoon Connection – Moved to ATN-7 in 1997.
• Saturday Disney – Moved to ATN-7 in 1997.
• A*mazing – Moved to TVW-7 in 1997.
• Time Masters – Moved to TVW-7 in 1997.
• The Mole (Australian season 3) – Episodes 2–10, except for a portion of Episode 4
• The Mole (Australian season 6) – Gold Coast swing (up to and including Ally's termination).

See also

• Television broadcasting in Australia *Sunrise (Australian TV program)

References