HSV7, now under the management of Sydney-based media group Fairfax, launches its new one-hour Seven National News — with Greg Pearce replacing Mal Walden, who had been abruptly sacked several weeks earlier in the Fairfax-led revamp. The change to Seven’s news bulletin prompts all Victorian regional stations to switch their national news relay to National Nine News, which was now the only commercial half-hour news bulletin from Melbourne.

HSV7 also commenced airing the Sydney-based current affairs program Terry Willesee Tonight, replacing the locally-made Day By Day, while Nine has rival current affairs program Willesee, hosted by Terry’s brother, Mike Willesee.

Seven’s revamped news and current affairs line-up was a ratings failure — with the 6pm news floundering in low figures that ranked it behind kids’ cartoon Inspector Gadget on ABC. Seven had little choice but to wipe the slate clean and start over again with a refreshed early evening schedule in 1988.

Seven hit by Sydney cold-front! [2008]

Source: The Sun News Pictorial, 13 April 1987

MELBOURNE
	ABV2	HSV7	GTV9	ATV10	SBS28
6AM		News Overnight (cont’d)	(5.30am) Golf: US Masters. Live from Augusta, Georgia	6am Daybreak
7AM	7am Learning Network	7am Atom Ant 7.30 Tom And Jerry		7am Good Morning Australia
8AM	8am Today’s Special 8.30 Sesame Street	8am Leave It To Beaver (B&W) 8.30 Pebbles And Bamm Bamm	8.30 Today
9AM	9.30 Play School	9am Catch Us If You Can 9.30 TV Education	9am Here’s Humphrey	9am Good Morning Melbourne
10AM	10am For Schools: Hunter, Word Fail Me, Prima, Storytelling, Flip Slide Turn, Australian Studies, Heartlands, Jane Austin, Masterworks From The World’s Great Museums, Spacewatch, Come And Get It, Detective, Let’s Go Maths, Corduroy, The Strangest Voyage	10am Romper Room 10.55 Home Update	10am The Young Doctors 10.30 The Sullivans	10am Fat Cat And Friends 10.30 Another World
11AM		11am Eleven AM	11.30 National Nine News	11.30 Eyewitness News
12PM		12pm Movie: The Catamount Killing. 1974 [IMDB]	12pm Midday With Ray Martin	12pm Pot Luck. Ernie Sigley
1PM			1.30 Days Of Our Lives	1pm The Rockford Files
2PM		2pm Cop Shop	2.30 The Young And The Restless	2pm Movie: Burning Rage. 1984 [IMDB]
3PM	3pm Sesame Street 3.55 Thomas The Tank Engine And His Friends	3pm When The Boat Comes In	3.30 General Hospital
4PM	4pm Play School 4.30 The Sooty Show 4.52 Mr Men	4pm Wombat 4.30 Lassie	4pm C’mon Kids	4pm Andrew Daddo Presents. Includes Fraggle Rock 4.30 Simon Townsend’s Wonder World	4.30pm Kaleidoscope. Includes The Adventures Of Babar, The Adventures Of Tin Tin, Master Kristian, And That’s All
5PM	5pm The Campbells 5.30 You Can’t Do That On Television	5pm Wheel Of Fortune. John Burgess, Adriana Xenides 5.30 Have A Go. Jonathon Coleman, Ian Rogerson	5pm The Bugs Bunny Show 5.30 Say G’Day. Greg Evans	5pm The Brady Bunch 5.30 Perfect Match. Cameron Daddo, Kerrie Friend	5pm The Electric Company 5.30 The Noise. Annette Shun Wah
6PM	6pm Inspector Gadget 6.25 Come And Get It 6.30 EastEnders	6pm Seven National News. Greg Pearce (see advertisement below)	6pm National Nine News. Brian Naylor 6.30 Willesee	6pm Eyewitness News. David Johnston, Jo Pearson	6pm Brookside 6.30 World News
7PM	7pm ABC News 7.30 The 7.30 Report	7pm Terry Willesee Tonight 7.30 A Country Practice	7pm Sale Of The Century 7.30 The Cosby Show	7pm Neighbours 7.30 The David Johnston Collection: The Flying Vet	7pm Dance With Me (Brazil) 7.30 Vidal In Venice
8PM	8pm Fawlty Towers 8.35 Yes Minister	8.30 The Equalizer	8pm Easy Street 8.30 Dynasty	8.30 Movie: The Rose. 1979 [IMDB]	8.30 Sport Report — Soccer. Les Murray
9PM	9.05 Four Corners	9.30 The Professionals	9.30 The Colbys		9pm 9 O’Clock. Christina Koutsoukos, Silvio Rivier 9.30 Movie: Die Konsequenz. 1977 (B&W) (Germany) [IMDB]
10PM	10.05 The Dingo Principle 10.35 ABC News 10.40 The Burrows’ Collection	10.40 Newsworld	10.30 Newsbreak 10.35 Motor Racing: Brazilian Grand Prix. Highlights
11PM	11.25 Close	11.30 In Loving Memory	11.35 The Golden Years Of Television. Includes Green Hornet, The Samurai	11.05 Eyewitness News Update 11.20 Call To Glory	11.10 Vox Populi (Rpt) 11.40 Close
12AM		12am News Overnight. Includes Today (NBC) (Continues to 7am)	12.50am Movie: The File On Thelma Jordan. 1949 (B&W) [IMDB]	12.20am Night Shift. David White
1AM
2AM			2.45 Movie: The Cracksman. 1963 [IMDB]
3AM
4AM			4.40 Bonanza
5AM			5.30 Ask The Leyland Brothers (Continues to 6am)	5am Holiday Island (Continues to 6am)

 

REGIONALS
ABAV1 Albury ABRV3 Ballarat ABEV1 Bendigo ABLV4 Gippsland ABMV4 Mildura ABGV3 Shepparton ABSV2 Swan Hill	AMV4 Albury	BTV6 Ballarat	GMV6 Shepparton	BCV8 Bendigo STV8 Mildura GLV8 Gippsland
7am Learning Network 8am Today’s Special 8.30 Sesame Street 9.30 Play School 10am For Schools: Hunter, Word Fail Me, Prima, Storytelling, Flip Slide Turn, Australian Studies, Heartlands, Jane Austin, Masterworks From The World’s Great Museums, Spacewatch, Come And Get It, Detective, Let’s Go Maths, Corduroy, The Strangest Voyage 3pm Sesame Street 3.55 Thomas The Tank Engine And His Friends 4pm Play School 4.30 The Sooty Show 4.52 Mr Men 5pm The Campbells 5.30 You Can’t Do That On Television 6pm Inspector Gadget 6.25 Come And Get It 6.30 EastEnders 7pm ABC News 7.30 The 7.30 Report 8pm Fawlty Towers 8.35 Yes Minister 9.05 Four Corners 10.05 The Dingo Principle 10.35 ABC News 10.40 The Burrows’ Collection 11.25 Close	6am Golf: US Masters 9am Here’s Humphrey 10am Aerobics Oz Style 10.30 High School Education Project 11am About Town 11.30 National Nine News 12pm Midday With Ray Martin 1.30 Days Of Our Lives 2.30 King In The Kitchen 2.35 Sons And Daughters 3pm Bonanza 4pm Wombat 4.30 Now You See It 5pm Small Wonder 5.30 Sale Of The Century 6pm Regional News 6.30 National Nine News (GTV9) 7pm Willesee 7.30 A Country Practice 8.30 Moonlighting 9.30 Hill Street Blues 10.30 Motor Racing: Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix. Highlights 11.30 National News (Rpt) 12am Epilogue; Close	6am Golf: US Masters 9am Fat Cat And Friends 9.30 TV Education 10am Silver Spoons 10.30 The Morning Show 11am Sons And Daughters 11.55 News Centre 6 12pm Midday With Ray Martin 1.30 Days Of Our Lives 2.30 Neighbours 3.30 The Jetsons 4pm Children’s Hour 5pm The Brady Bunch 5.25 Perfect Match 6pm News Centre 6. Includes National Nine News (GTV9) 7pm Sale Of The Century 7.30 Knight Rider 8.30 Beyond 2000 9.30 LA Law 10.30 Parliamentary Report 10.35 News Centre 6: Second Edition 11.05 Prisoner 12.05am Close	5.55am Morning Meditation 6am Golf: US Masters 9am Morning Meditation 9.05 Fat Cat And Friends 9.30 TV Education 10am Silver Spoons 10.30 The Morning Show 11am Sons And Daughters 11.55 News Centre 6 12pm Midday With Ray Martin 1.30 Days Of Our Lives 2.30 Community Corner 2.35 The Onedin Line 3.30 The New Fred And Barney Show 4pm Children’s Hour. Includes Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids, Wombat 5pm The Brady Bunch 5.30 Sale Of The Century 6pm News Centre 6. Includes National Nine News (GTV9) 7pm Willesee 7.30 A Country Practice 8.30 Beyond 2000 9.30 Dallas 10.30 Prisoner 11.30 News; Close	5.55am Thought For The Day 6am Golf: US Masters 9am Fat Cat And Friends 9.30 TV Education 10am The Young Doctors 10.30 Jazz Fitness 10.35 Sons And Daughters 11.30 National Nine News 12pm Midday With Ray Martin 1.30 Community Billboard 1.35 Days Of Our Lives 2.20 The Young And The Restless 3.15 The Newlywed Game 3.45 Cartoons 4pm Wombat 4.30 Now You See It 4.55 Cartoons 5pm Say G’Day 5.25 Neighbours 5.55 Canberra Report 6pm TV8 News Hour. Includes National Nine News (GTV9) 7pm Sale Of The Century 7.30 Are You Being Served? 8pm The Good Life 8.28 Regional Weather 8.30 Movie: Raggedy Man. 1981 [IMDB] 10.15 News Hour Update 10.20 Willesee 10.50 Paper Chase 11.45 News 11.50 Thought For Tomorrow; Close