As could be expected, television was warmly received in Australia. While a lot of the faces on our screens were still predominantly imported, the Australian identity was slowly but surely making itself known in the new medium. Hit shows like Bandstand, IMT, Homicide and The Mavis Bramston Show were making their mark in Australian popular culture.
Bob Dyer
1960:
- Highlights of Graham Kennedy’s In Melbourne Tonight are screened interstate as The Graham Kennedy Channel Nine Show
- New TV stations: ABS2 Adelaide, ABW2 Perth, ABT2 Hobart, TVT6 Hobart
- November: The Postmaster-General announces the thirteen successful applicants to operate the first stage in the roll-out of commercial television to regional areas in New South Wales (including Canberra), Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania.
- TV Week Gold Logie Winner: Graham Kennedy (In Melbourne Tonight, GTV9)
1961:
- August 19: ABC’s acclaimed weekly current affairs program Four Corners premieres.
- December: Regional television commences with the launch of commercial stations GLV10 Traralgon, GMV6 Shepparton and BCV8 Bendigo.
- TV Week Gold Logie Winner: Bob Dyer (Pick A Box, ATN7). The first national awards, and edited highlights telecast on ABC.
Lorrae Desmond
1962:
- New TV stations: BTV6 Ballarat, NBN3 Newcastle, TNT9 Launceston, WIN4 Wollongong, TNQ7 Townsville, DDQ10 Toowoomba, ABC3 Canberra, CTC7 Canberra, RTN8 Lismore, and CBN8 Orange.
- Variety program Revue ’61, produced at ATN7, is sold to the Canadian CTV network. It is believed to be the first Australian production sold to an overseas network for prime-time screening.
- March: The Government announces that an additional commercial television station will be licenced for each of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. In April it was announced that the new Sydney and Adelaide stations will be licensed to broadcast on Channel 10, the Melbourne and Brisbane stations on Channel 0, and the new Perth station on Channel 9.
- July 1: Station affiliations change. GTV9 and TCN9 align to form the National Television Network (now the Nine Network) along with QTQ9 and NWS9; HSV7 and ATN7 align to form the Australian Television Network (now the Seven Network) along with BTQ7 and ADS7. TVW7, being the sole commercial TV station in Perth, remains independent of network affiliation.
- TV Week Gold Logie Winner: Tommy Hanlon Jnr (It Could Be You, GTV9), Lorrae Desmond (The Lorrae Desmond Show, ABC)
1963:
- New TV station: RTQ7 Rockhampton.
- ABC launches its first regional stations
- TCN9 and GTV9 are connected via coaxial cable, allowing the instant sharing of news stories and programs between both cities.
- TV Week Gold Logie Winner: Michael Charlton (Four Corners, ABC)
Leonard Teale, Homicide.
1964:
- New TV stations: AMV4 Albury, RVN2 Wagga Wagga.
- August 1: Melbourne’s third commercial TV station, ATV0, is opened by Ansett Transport Industries. The first program is This Is It! presented live from studios in the Melbourne suburb of Nunawading.
- October: Coverage of the 1964 Olympic Games from Tokyo is provided by ABC and commercial stations, in co-operation with the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), compiling daily 30-minute reports from Tokyo and rushed to Australia for transmission within 24 hours.
- October 20: HSV7 screens the first episode of a new Melbourne-produced police drama, Homicide. It becomes a huge success and runs on the Seven Network for 510 episodes over 12 years.
- TV Week Gold Logie Winner: Bobby Limb (The Mobil Limb Show, Nine)
Jimmy Hannan
1965:
- New TV stations: TEN10 Sydney, TVQ0 Brisbane, SAS10 Adelaide, STW9 Perth, WBQ8 Maryborough, NEN9 Tamworth, NRN11 Coffs Harbour, CWN6 Dubbo, MTN9 Griffith, STV8 Mildura.
- TV Spells Magic, a lavish variety production with over 150 performers and extras, is the highlight of opening night for TEN10 and is relayed to ATV0 and regional stations.
- The Independent Television System, Australia’s third commercial television network, is formed between TEN10, ATV0, TVQ0 and SAS10. The network is later re-named the 0-10 Network.
- TV Week Gold Logie Winner: Jimmy Hannan (Saturday Date, Nine)
1966:
- New TV stations: FNQ10 Cairns, ECN8 Taree, SDQ4 Southern Downs, SES8 Mt Gambier
- Australia starts to receive daily news reports via satellite.
- An Australian version of Play School, based on the BBC production of the same name, begins on ABC. Here’s Humphrey begins its long run on Nine.
- TV Week Gold Logie Winner: Gordon Chater (The Mavis Bramston Show, Seven)
1967:
- New TV stations: BTW3 Bunbury.
- April 10: ABC’s controversial nightly current affairs program This Day Tonight begins.
- June 15: ATV0 produces the first colour TV program on Australian television when it televises the Pakenham racing in colour.
- August 28: ABC’s popular evening series Bellbird premieres. A huge hit in the country, but only a moderate success in the cities, it ran until 1977.
- Australia takes part in two global satellite telecasts: Our World, a two-hour telecast screened simultaneously in 30 countries and included segments produced in 18 countries including Australia, and Expo 67 a live telecast highlighting Australia’s contribution at Expo 67 in Montreal.
- TV Week Gold Logie Winners: Graham Kennedy (In Melbourne Tonight, Nine) and Hazel Phillips (Girl Talk, 0-10). The first TV Week Logie Awards presentation hosted by Bert Newton.
Brian Henderson
1968:
- New TV stations: BKN7 Broken Hill, GTS4 Port Pirie, MVQ6 Mackay, GSW9 Albany.
- Perth’s TVW7 produces its first annual Telethon
- The Government announces that Australia will adopt the European PAL colour TV standard, instead of the American NTSC system.
- TV Week Gold Logie Winner: Brian Henderson (Bandstand, Nine)
1969:
- March 8: The world title fight between Lionel Rose and Alan Rudkin becomes the most watched telecast in Australia television history.
- March 11: Crawford Productions and GTV9 launch Division 4, a new police drama.
-
Fredd Bear’s Breakfast-A-Go-Go
Fredd Bear’s Breakfast-A-Go-Go, with Judy Banks and Fredd Bear, starts a successful run on ATV0.
- Australian television broadcasts live coverage of the Apollo II moon landing. GTV9′s coverage enters the record books as the longest continuous live broadcast on television.
- December 23: Graham Kennedy presents his final In Melbourne Tonight
- TV Week Gold Logie Winner: Graham Kennedy (In Melbourne Tonight, Nine)
Loading tweets...
21 comments
Skip to comment form ↓
santi
7 September 2012 at 3:54 AM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
i am looking for an australian tv show about a boy who has a boomerang that once is in the air it stops time. saw it around 1966 1972.
thanks for all
cheers
santi
Chris
21 May 2013 at 6:01 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Its called the magic boomerang. Search on youtube
Paul
8 September 2012 at 5:36 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
I’ve been searching for an Ugly Dave Gray live tv show from around 1969-1972. It involved people having to do some pretty silly things for money and then risking the money against not laughing at one of Gray’s jokes. All good fun, but can’t find any reference to the show at all. Hoping someone can help.
Many thanks,
Paul
paul
16 September 2012 at 11:32 AM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
pretty sure it was the magic boomarang set in the out back young boy in it starred David Morgan, Telford Jackson and Penelope Shelton
Leo
3 October 2012 at 9:41 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
The magic boomerang.
Bill Lee
1 November 2012 at 6:48 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Tasmanian Television , TvT Channel six, started first in the then “apple Isle” in May 1960. Was followed a few weeks later by the ABC with ABT2.
It was a new experience to all, and a great time !
I was working at a Hobart Radio Station , 7HT, at the time, and the premises were all brushed up to try and help get the TV licence when it was to be decided.
We, the working staff of 7HT, found that if we had won the Licence, it would have been known as “HTT Channel 8″
WoW! I had a very large sign made up an stuck in the 7Ht Control room saying exactly that.
Pity ,I then left and joined the opposition Radio Station’s 7HO’s lot who won the licence allocation ,in August of ’60. Never looked back !
Great times…..
Michele Hartley
8 January 2013 at 9:00 AM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
I am looking for a Rock and Roll show that played visiting bands. Mainline band from Canada in particular. Any help you can give me would be extremely appreciated.
michael bradford
9 January 2013 at 11:12 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
looking for two tv game shows of the sixties inwhich my parents were contestants and prize winners. think they were on TCN9 one was called, What’s my line, where a panel had to guess a contestants occupation by clues given by the contestant, and the other was Name that tune, where a contestant had to name a tune by a series of clues, i think
Trish Hindmarsh
6 February 2013 at 8:31 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
I am searching for TV footage of a Channel 7 show called Beauty and the Beast that aired in 1969. At the time Noel Ferrier was the ‘Beast’. My father Lawrie Hokin was interviewed on this show, and I would love to see any footage if it has been kept and archived. I think the show I am looking for aired in May, but
I ‘am not really sure. Does anyone know how to go about locating old TV footage ?
Thanks Trish
Andrew
6 February 2013 at 11:01 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Hi Trish
It is unlikely the footage has been kept or is available, either for reasons of copyright or because a lot of older material has not been archived.
Refer the Contact page for more information
Janette
16 March 2013 at 8:15 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
I would like to know the name of the little man who use to open and close television and also if there is any footage available on utube.
Fran
18 March 2013 at 1:34 AM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Hi I remember seeing a tv series i around 1970/7, it was in the north of WA or QLD, Cornelia Frances was in it, I thought it was called ” A SERPENT IN A RAINBOW”, I have goggled this without success.
Hope someone out there knows this show, from memory it was set in the late 1800s and black and white.
Thanks Fran.
Jim
3 April 2013 at 9:49 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Fran, it sounds vaguely aboriginal, so it could have been called The Rainbow Serpent. Just a guess.
Jim.
Andy
4 April 2013 at 10:23 AM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Can anyone remember a TV series about a tugboat crew during the 60′s? I think it was called ‘Waterfront’ and if my memory is correct the main actors in it were the same one’s who were in the Canadian TV series ‘Cannonball’. It ran weekly and had a very haunting musical theme. I think the actors were Paul Birch and William Campbell. Thanks! – Andy
Anna
20 April 2013 at 8:49 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
There was an Australian children’s ‘live’ TV show in the early 1960′s, involving some sort of ‘princess’. A vague description, I know, but all I remember is that It featured a prize draw during each episode where children were asked to send in an envelope with their name and address on the back. Would anyone have any idea of its name, or any other details?
Marilyn Randall
29 April 2013 at 1:05 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
My mother was a contestant on the show IT COULD BE YOU compered by Tommy Hanlon Jr in early July 1969. She was given a lot of prizes for her contribution to her community service. I had written a letter to the show some months previously outlining her outstanding work and I was contacted to come on the show which my Mum knew nothing about until they called her up.
A month before the show I lost my 9mths old son and it was a very difficult time but I went to the show so my Mum could have her day.
I just wondered is there anywhere I could find this episode and purchase it or watch it online.
The pearls my mother was given have now been handed down to my daughter and she is trying to find out more information about them before I,too, depart this life.
Andrew
29 April 2013 at 1:12 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Hi Marilyn
It is unlikely that any footage of the program still exists as many programs from that era were not archived or are not compatible with modern-day equipment for playback. There are also issues associated with copyright in making such material available.
I can only suggest you contact the channel that originally produced the program (a list of TV stations and addresses are here) or maybe try the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra
Andrew
Michael
4 May 2013 at 4:35 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
I wish to purchase a copy of a Bandstand show – Channel 9. It was call Golden Rock and featured the finalists in the Inaugural NSW Miss Teenage Competition. The show was aired in Sept/ Oct 1960.
Whom do I contact?
Andrew
4 May 2013 at 5:29 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Hi Michael
It is unlikely that the program you’re after has been archived or maintained in a format that is compatible with current playback equipment. There are also issues of copyright often preventing such program material being made public.
I can only suggest you contact the TV station that made the program (a list of TV station addresses is on the contact page) or maybe the National Film and Sound Archive.
Andrew
Russell
15 May 2013 at 1:55 PM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
i am looking for the name of childrens variety show on channel seven sydney in 1968
Bob Bell
22 May 2013 at 3:30 AM (UTC 10) Link to this comment
The program you are discussing is possibly “Captain Fortune’s Saturday Party”. This kid’s show was on live every week, on ATN 7 Sydney, and included people like ventriloquist Clifford Warne. Ran for about 2 hours each Saturday afternoon.