I think aggregation and adding regional affiliates might have encouraged that, but everyone still kept referring to them as Seven rather than ATN, so I think they just gave up.
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In saying that⌠they still kept the 7 number branding (on air) in conjunction with ATN. Hence why it never really took off with audiences. Imagine if they persisted (doubtful) but we could have had a scenario like the ABC and oldies still referring it to as Channel 2.
I remember Nine would sometimes alternate between Nine Network and National Nine Network.
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I originally suspected that it may have been introduced on-air so that the Prime stations could at least look the part⌠although though further reading, I do suspect the name itself was all a bit of Skase bravado to claim that they were the only five-metro O&O network - especially once he bought TVW Enterprises [7 Perth and the recently-changed SAS-7 Adelaide] soon after the change and explicitly challenged the original reach rule with heavy lobbying⌠it was still only 60% then so you could own stations in four metro markets but not all five. [Nine Adelaide was still separate from Alan Bond, and no Ten Perth until later that year.]
I never thought they used the âAustralian Television Networkâ name as an abbreviation though (aside from a convenient backronym for the Sydney call sign). They had that âA-starâ logo but it either sat by itself or as part of a full-named wordmark.
But then, they also changed the â7â logo not long after too. Which is why I suspected that the A.T.N. logo eventually came to be used as a unifying symbol of sorts between 7 and Prime (and I guess Sunshine too).
In the end, I guess it didnât last long after Skase went bust, so 
.
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Seven should bring back âthe Australian Television Networkâ name, it accurately reflects its business.
Between 1987 and 1991, Seven had two âAustralian Television Networkâ logos.
1987
1988-91
The name was even used in station IDâs.
1988 (ATN, HSV, BTQ)
2001
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I didnât realise it was used again 2001.
Canât recall ever seeing âThe Australian Television Networkâ in 2001, could it have been used in endcaps for programming aired overseas?
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It was used in Australia. It didnât last long though. I think they were trying to follow the three letter acronyms for networks, as used by overseas networks but it didnât really take off.
I think around this time, 9 started using National Nine Network too.
Instead of 7, 9, 10 we might have had ATN, NNN, TEN to go with ABC snd SBS. I donât think viewers were willing to change from 7, 9, 10 though.
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In analogue days, when you did a scan of the TV dial, Channel 7 metro stations would have their pre-set saved as Australian Television Network while the other stations would just by channel numbers.
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I think this has been brought up before, but I have vague memories of a logo with âatnâ or âatn 7â in lower case around 1989, occasionally shown on the end credits of programs like Home and Away. Can anyone remember anything like this?
Why did channel 7 demote Rod Young and Kay McGrath in 2013?
I canât remember seeing something like that, although 1989 wouldâve been the period that Skase put his âAustralian Television Networkâ logo (see this thread, a week above, the one with the wordmark) in end credits in place of the previous â7 Networkâ endcap with the old 7 logo. Certainly Home and Away used this.
For Home and Away in particular⌠for some reason someone has a YT channel just with old H&A titles and credits, using that resource:
- the two 1988 versions just had a plain âan Australian Television Network productionâ in text (it didnât use the first version of the logo)
- 1989-1991 used the second logo but in a washed out monochrome rather than in full-colour, eg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_QTPyBf2HY&t=74
- 1992 was when they started using the â7 Network Australiaâ endcap, as the Skase branding was phased out by then.
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From 1988 I presume?
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Nice find. That wouldâve been later in 1988 (or very early 1989 at the latest) I imagine - itâs the same logo that appeared in the endcap of some old Press Your Luck episodes from 1988 that surfaced on YT, which was actually the first time Iâd ever seen that. Makes me wonder if the (draft?) logo itself didnât actually surface until later in 1988, as earlier eps of H&A had no logo.
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Possibly. The first time I recall seeing the name used was in the closing credits for Have A Go (donât judge me) which would have been early in 1987 but it was just the name in text and voice over at the end, no proper logo.
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Does anyone know why Robbo is the face of Cardiff Toyota?
Money can be exchanged for goods and services
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But I wanted a peanut
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$20 can buy many peanuts
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