TEN-10
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Template:Infobox Network TEN-10 is the callsign of Network Ten's flagship Sydney station. It was originally owned and operated by United Telecasters Sydney Limited (UTSL), and began transmission on 5 April, 1965 with the highlight of the opening night being the variety special TV Spells Magic.
History
TEN often lagged in the ratings behind the more established commercial channels TCN-9 and ATN-7 who had dominated viewing habits in Sydney for eight years. The turning point came in 1972 with the premiere of the raunchy soap opera series Number 96 which immediately lifted TEN's overall profile and helped raise the ailing network to #1 position by 1973.
TEN launched Australia's first nightly one hour news bulletin in 1975, which continues today. In 1978, Katrina Lee became only the second female TV newsreader on Australian TV - the first being Margaret Throsby on ABN-2. The current newsreaders are Ron Wilson and Deborah Knight.
TEN performed strongly in the 1980's, highlighted by the broadcast of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, top rated game show Perfect Match, and early high ratings for acquired serial Neighbours starting in 1986. However a decline set in from 1987, when the station, along with ATV-0 in Melbourne, was bought by Frank Lowy's Westfield Corporation. In 1989, falling ratings and revenue prompted a major relaunch by American TV executive Bob Shanks. The station (and entire network) were rebranded as 10 TV Australia in 1989, however this did little to help Ten's fortunes with the network soon going into receivership. The network began to be turned around in 1991 under the contraol of Gary Rice, and was relaunced with a new logo and brand, The Entertainment Network. This logo continues to this day. In 1992, Westpac Bank bought Ten out of receivership and later sold the network to a consortium headed by Canadian group CanWest. In 1994, The network was managed in recievership and it was in this period that it sold its North Ryde studios and moved to the city in at a warehouse in Ultimo. TEN-10 began a slow and steady recovery, to the point where now, as the flagship station in the network, TEN-10 is the most profitable of the three Sydney commercial stations.
Studio Facilities
TEN-10's broadcast facilities are in the inner western suburb of Pyrmont Wharf from 1996. These studios feature a large open plan newsroom and news-set where all TEN's national and local Sydney and Perth news bulletins are produced. This facility is also the network's head office and broadcasts the network signal to other cities. When TEN-10 opened in 1965, it operated from newly built studio facilities at North Ryde, these were sold in the 1990's when the network underwent financial turmoil. These studios are currently owned by Global Broadcasting, and are where a lot of TEN's outsourced material is recorded (such as Australian Idol). Following the move from North Ryde in 1994, TEN relocated to a small warehouse in Ultimo, followed by their final move to the new studios in Pyrmont in 1996.Template:Australia-bcast-stub