View source for QQQ

{{Short description|Television station in Queensland}}
{{about|the Australian television station}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign               = ITQ / QQQ
| city                   =
| logo                   = Seven Central Logo (2018).png{{!}}230px
| branding               = Seven Central
| analog                 = 
| digital                = '''ITQ''': ''various''<br>'''QQQ''': ''various''
| virtual                =
| translators            = 
| affiliations           = [[Seven Network|Seven]] ([[Owned-and-operated station|O&O]])
| founded                = 
| airdate                = '''ITQ''': 11 September 1971<br />'''QQQ''': 24 April 1988<ref>{{cite news|title="Bush switches on today"|publisher=Scene On TV / Sunday Mail, Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd|date=24 April 1988}}</ref>
| location               = '''ITQ''': [[Mount Isa]], [[Queensland]]<br />'''QQQ''': Remote Central and Eastern Australia
| language               = English
| callsign_meaning       = '''ITQ''':<br />Mount '''I'''sa<br />'''T'''elecasters<br />'''Q'''ueensland
| former_callsigns       = 
| former_channel_numbers = [[Analog television|Analog]]:<br>'''ITQ''' 8 ([[Very high frequency|VHF]])
| owner                  = [[Seven West Media]]
| licensee               = Regional Television Pty Ltd
| sister_stations        = 
| former_affiliations    = Independent (1971–1998)
| erp                    = '''ITQ''': 1.3&nbsp;kW
| haat                   = '''ITQ''': 75 m<ref>[[height above average terrain|HAAT]] estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.</ref>
| class                  = 
| facility_id            = 
| coordinates            = '''ITQ''':<br />{{coord|20|44|4|S|139|30|45|E|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=ITQ}}
| homepage               = 
| licensing_authority    = [[Australian Communications and Media Authority]] 
}}
'''QQQ''' is an Australian television station broadcasting in remote central and eastern areas of Australia, owned by [[Seven West Media]]. The station is available via satellite and terrestrial platforms – mostly through community retransmission sites, although it also transmits into the town of [[Mount Isa]], [[Queensland]] under the [[call sign]] '''ITQ'''.

==History==
'''ITQ''' Channel 8 began broadcasting into Mount Isa on 11 September 1971, converting to colour in May 1975.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northweststar.com.au/story/3907901/on-to-the-seventies/|title=On to the seventies|date=15 May 2016 |publisher=North West Star|access-date=2017-07-13}}</ref> '''QQQ''' began broadcasting into remote [[Queensland]] and [[New South Wales]] in 1988. In 1990, ITQ was purchased by [[TNQ|North Queensland Television]], who owned QQQ at the time, and became a relay of QQQ.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://televisionau.com/2012/11/townsville-television-turns-50.html|title=Townsville television turns 50|date=2012-11-01|website=televisionau.com|access-date=2020-01-03}}</ref>

In December 1998, the ITQ and QQQ signals – then known as ''Queensland Satellite Television'', or QSTV, and owned by Telecasters Australia Limited (previously Telecasters North Queensland) – were officially aggregated with that of [[Imparja Television]] into a ''Remote Central and Eastern Australia'' licence area. Previously, QSTV serviced western parts of Queensland and New South Wales, while Imparja serviced the [[Northern Territory]] (excluding [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]), and remote [[South Australia]] and [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], plus far-western New South Wales (excluding [[Broken Hill]]). As part of the aggregation, the '' Australian Broadcasting Authority'' further extended the combined licence area to cover more remote areas of New South Wales, Victoria and [[Tasmania]], who were not fully served by regularly licensed terrestrial television services.<ref>Australian Broadcasting Authority (23 December 1998). [http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_90786 Additional television services in remote regions of Australia] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070920181011/http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_90786|date=20 September 2007}}. Retrieved on 9 January 2008.</ref>

On 1 February 1999, QSTV changed its affiliation from predominantly [[Network 10|Network Ten]], in line with Telecasters' stations in regional Queensland ([[TNQ]], now [[10 (Southern Cross Austereo)|SCA 10]]), to the Seven Network, becoming ''Seven Central''.<ref>[http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/0604.html Alice Springs News, 24 February 1999]. Retrieved on 2 August 2007.</ref> This closely followed the introduction of a Seven Network-affiliated service, [[TND (TV station)|''Seven Darwin'' (TND)]], to Darwin in 1998.

Telecasters Australia was purchased by [[Southern Cross Broadcasting]] (SCB) in July 2001,<ref>[http://southerncrossbroadcasting.com.au/files/2001%20Annual%20Report.pdf Southern Cross Broadcasting 2001 Annual Report]. Retrieved on 2 August 2007.</ref> and its official name was eventually changed to ''Southern Cross Central''. However, unlike other Southern Cross-owned stations – including TND, which at the time was a dual Seven/Ten affiliate under the [[Southern Cross Television]] brand – QQQ/ITQ simply carried the Seven Network branding unchanged, leading some people to continue to refer it as "Seven Central". The station carried a simple "SCTV" text watermark in lieu of independent branding, denoting the origin of the signal. (Previously, the watermark has read "TAL" and "SCB", denoting the previous owners. "MSCM" was used briefly after the Macquarie acquisition.)

On 19 May 2010, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) approved a licence for [[Central Digital Television]], a third digital-only network to be jointly owned by Imparja Television and Southern Cross Austereo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_312142|title=New digital-only service coming to remote central and eastern Australia|access-date=18 November 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019212642/http://acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_312142|archive-date=19 October 2010}}</ref> The network launched on 30 June 2010 on the Viewer Access Satellite Television service. The same day, Southern Cross Central began broadcasting ''SCTV Central'', ''SCTV Central HD'' and ''7Two Central'' to coincide with the first analog television transmitter switch off in [[Mildura, Victoria]]. This was so viewers in the area who lost adequate television coverage were able to utilise VAST as an alternative source.<ref name="DBCDEAnnualReport">{{cite web|url=http://www.archive.dbcde.gov.au/2012/october/annual_report_2010-11/section_2_-_performance_review/program_1.3_broadcasting_and_digital_television|title=Annual Report 2010/2011: Broadcasting and Digital Television|access-date=23 November 2013|date=October 2012|work=Department of Communications (previously DBCDE)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005317/http://www.archive.dbcde.gov.au/2012/october/annual_report_2010-11/section_2_-_performance_review/program_1.3_broadcasting_and_digital_television|archive-date=3 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

VAST officially launched on 10 December 2010, and began granting access to viewers in the Remote Central and Eastern Australia licence areas. This brought digital television to satellite viewers in the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia for the first time.<ref name="DBCDEAnnualReport" /> Digital terrestrial transmissions began in [[Alice Springs, Northern Territory]] and Mount Isa, Queensland on 2 May 2011,<ref name="TerrLaunch1">{{cite web|url=http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/acma-media-release-382011-29-april-commercial-digital-television-services-switch-on-in-alice-springs-and-mt-isa-on-2-may|title=Commercial digital television services switch on in Alice Springs and Mt Isa on 2 May|access-date=23 November 2013|date=29 April 2011|work=Australian Communications and Media Authority}}</ref> with other areas launching between 2012 and 2013. Optus Aurora, the satellite service preceding VAST, was closed down on 10 December 2013.

The sale of [[Southern Cross Austereo]]'s Seven-affiliated stations to [[Seven West Media]] was finalised in July 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knox |first=David |date=1 July 2025 |title=WIN TV switches off Seven in Riverland, Griffith, and Mount Gambier. |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/07/southern-cross-completes-sale-of-regional-tv-assets-to-seven.html |access-date=1 July 2025 |website=TV Tonight}}</ref>

==News updates==
Under previous owners, a local ''Seven News'' bulletin for Darwin and Central Australia was produced until 2000. Separate news update services for remote Australia were introduced in 2005 before being merged with [[TND (TV station)|updates for Darwin]] into one service in 2013. The shared three-minute short news updates throughout the day are broadcast on ITQ/QQQ serving remote areas and TND in Darwin, presented from studios in Launceston.

==Availability==

===Terrestrial===
Seven Central broadcasts [[free-to-air]] digital television channels ''Seven Central'', ''7mate Central'' and ''7two Central'' via terrestrial transmissions in many regional cities and towns. The network is licensed to broadcast within the Remote Central and Eastern Australia TV2 and Mount Isa TV1 licence areas,<ref name="LicenceRCEA">{{cite web|url=http://www.acma.gov.au/~/media/Radiocommunications%20Licensing%20and%20Telecommunications%20Deployment/Information/pdf/Commercial%20Television%20Broadcasting%20Licences%20LIC021.pdf|title=Commercial TV Broadcasting Licences|access-date=25 November 2013|date=1 August 2013|work=Australian Communications and Media Authority|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222007/http://www.acma.gov.au/~/media/Radiocommunications%20Licensing%20and%20Telecommunications%20Deployment/Information/pdf/Commercial%20Television%20Broadcasting%20Licences%20LIC021.pdf|archive-date=2 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> which include Alice Springs, [[Bourke, New South Wales|Bourke]], [[Ceduna, South Australia|Ceduna]], [[Charleville, Queensland|Charleville]], [[Coober Pedy]], [[Cooktown, Queensland|Cooktown]], [[Katherine, Northern Territory|Katherine]], [[Longreach, Queensland|Longreach]], Mount Isa, [[Roma, Queensland|Roma]] and [[Weipa, Queensland|Weipa]], as well as others.<ref name="ImparjaTerrLaunch">{{cite web|url=http://www.satplus.com.au/files/imp_vast.pdf|title=Imparja's Plan for Digital Broadcasting|access-date=23 November 2013|date=July 2010|page=4|work=Imparja Television|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216142136/http://www.satplus.com.au/files/imp_vast.pdf|archive-date=16 February 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Satellite===
A digital satellite transmission of Seven Central's channels is available [[free-to-view]] on the VAST service in all states and territories of Australia, except Western Australia. ''7mate Central'' is broadcast as a single channel to all viewers, while ''Seven Central'' and ''7two Central'' are each split into two separate channels.<ref name="VAST-East">{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalready.gov.au/getattachment/81e1f2ff-ea8a-4571-a8d1-47e1e6033d37/Viewer-Access-Satellite-Television-service-for-cen|title=Viewer Access Satellite Television service for Central and Eastern Australia|access-date=20 November 2013|date=March 2013|publisher=digitalready.gov.au|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203134940/http://www.digitalready.gov.au/getattachment/81e1f2ff-ea8a-4571-a8d1-47e1e6033d37/Viewer-Access-Satellite-Television-service-for-cen|archive-date=3 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> ''Seven Central North'' and ''7two Central North'' are broadcast in Australian Eastern Standard Time for viewers in [[Northern Territory]] and [[Queensland]] (Northern Australia TV3 licence area), and ''Seven Central South'' and ''7two Central South'' in Australian Eastern Summer Time for viewers in [[New South Wales]], Victoria, [[South Australia]], [[Tasmania]] and [[Norfolk Island]] (South Eastern Australia TV3 licence area).

''Seven Central North'' and ''Seven Central South'' are broadcast in [[high-definition television|high definition]].

''Seven Central'' is also available in [[Port Moresby]] in Papua New Guinea though [[Digicel|Digicel Pacific]] (shown on channel list as ''7 Central'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hitron.com.pg/mmds_2006.html|title=HiTRON Limited - Papua New Guinea :: MMDS TV - top programming - more channels - better reliability|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615202949/http://www.hitron.com.pg/mmds_2006.html|archive-date=2008-06-15}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Seven (Southern Cross Austereo)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Seven West Media}}
{{Viewer Access Satellite Television}}
{{Queensland TV|state=collapsed}}
{{New South Wales TV|state=collapsed}}

{{Victoria TV|state=collapsed}}
{{South Australia TV|state=collapsed}}

{{Tasmania TV|state=collapsed}}
{{Northern Territory TV|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qqq}}
[[Category:Television stations in New South Wales]]
[[Category:Television stations in South Australia]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1988]]
[[Category:Television stations in Alice Springs]]
[[Category:Seven Network]]