Seven Brisbane

BTQ is the Brisbane station of the Australian Seven Network. 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.

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

The channel has been a leader in Queensland television news - in the early eighties, Seven National News became the first Brisbane-based bulletin to be relayed throughout a string of independent Queensland telecasters. 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 the mid-1990s, 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 host station of the national Austext teletext service. The service was later largely automated out of Seven Sydney until it was decommissioned September 2009.

News

Brisbane

Seven News Brisbane is directed by Ross Dagan and presented by Sharyn Ghidella and Bill McDonald on weeknights and Kay McGrath on weekends from Seven's Brisbane studios, located at Mount Coot-tha. Sport is presented by Shane Webcke on weeknights and Pat Welsh on weekends. Weather is presented by Tony Auden on weeknights and is presented by Paul Burt on weekends.

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.

News updates for Brisbane are presented by Sharyn Ghidella or Bill McDonald throughout the afternoon and the early evening. Patrick Condren, Bianca Stone and Jillian Whiting are fill-in news presenters, with Rohan Welsh presenting sport, and Liz Cantor presenting the weather.

Gold Coast

On 4 July 2016, a new local bulletin for the Gold Coast was introduced, produced and broadcast every evening from Seven's Surfers Paradise studio.

7 News Gold Coast is presented by Rod Young on weeknights and Amanda Abate on weekends with weather presenter Liz Cantor and coastal, beaches and fishing reports from Paul Burt.

As per the rival Nine Gold Coast News service, 7 News Gold Coast airs as an opt-out on BTQ-7's Gold Coast relay transmitters, ahead of the main 6pm news from Brisbane.

Reporters

• Shane Webcke
• Trevor Gillmeister

Past presenters

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

Current local programming

• Creek To Coast
• Queensland Weekender
• Great South East
• Seven Afternoon News Queensland

Former local programming

• Today Tonight (1995-2003, 2013-2014)
• Family Feud
• Wipeout
• Agro's Cartoon Connection - Moved to ATN-7 in 1997.
• Saturday Disney - Moved to ATN-7 in 1999.
• A*mazing - Moved to TVW-7 in 1997.
• The Mole (Australia season 3) - Episodes 2-10.
• The Mole (Australia season 6) - Gold Coast swing (up to and including Ally's termination)

See also

• Television broadcasting in Australia

References