GTV9 and Sydney’s ATN7 make history when they present the first TV transmission between the two cities. ‘Operation Kangaroo’ had been in planning by GTV9 and ATN7 engineers for over a year. The original plan was to have the Third Test broadcast direct from Sydney to Melbourne but a last minute hitch — an ATN7 truck hopelessly bogged in the Snowy River district on the eve of the first day’s play — delayed the opening of the Sydney-Melbourne link until the Friday evening, when Graham Kennedy on In Melbourne Tonight announced ‘Come in Sydney’ and Melbourne viewers were then greeted by ATN7’s special events director, Brian Wright. GTV9 then promised to begin its coverage of the Third Test from Sydney from the second day’s play on Saturday.

TV At 60: Operation Kangaroo [2019]

Source: The Age, 8 January 1959, 9 January 1959, 10 January 1959

	ABV2	HSV7	GTV9
6AM
7AM
8AM
9AM
10AM
11AM
12PM	12.30pm Demonstration Film
1PM	1pm Close
2PM
3PM	3.30 Life Of Riley	3.30pm The Whizzer
4PM	4pm Kindergarten Playtime 4.15 Close	4pm Green Fingers 4.15 Movie Guide. Jean Battersby
5PM	5pm Children’s TV Club 5.45 Life With Elizabeth	5pm The Last Frontier 5.15 Young Seven	5.15pm The Happy Show. Happy Hammond, Ron Blaskett, Gerry Gee, Margot Sheridan
6PM	6.15 Liberace 6.42 Weather 6.45 ABC News, Newsreel	6pm The Mickey Mouse Club 6.53 News, Weather	6pm Noddy 6.15 Peter’s Club 6.45 News. Includes Professor Browne’s Study
7PM	7pm The Donna Reed Show 7.30 Damon Runyon Theatre	7pm Sergeant Preston Of The Yukon 7.30 Whirlybirds	7pm Kit Carson 7.30 26 Men
8PM	8pm Cafe Continental 8.30 O Henry Playhouse	8pm Oh! Susanna 8.30 Have Gun Will Travel	8pm Silent Service 8.30 Star Theatre
9PM	9pm Eye On Research 9.30 Movie: Come Closer Folks. 1936 [IMDB]	9pm Conflict	9pm Alfred Hitchcock Presents 9.30 In Melbourne Tonight. Graham Kennedy
10PM	10.30 Test Cricket: Highlights	10pm Sunnyside Up
11PM	11pm Close	11pm Test Cricket: Highlights 11.15 Movie: Gangs Of New York. 1938 [IMDB]	11pm News. Includes Test Cricket Highlights 11.15 Epilogue 11.20 Movie: The Man In The Road. 1956 [IMDB]
12AM		12.35am Close	12.45am Close
1AM
2AM
3AM
4AM
5AM