A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth's surface to a receiver on earth. Most often the term refers to a station which broadcasts structured content to an audience or it refers to the organization that operates the station. A terrestrial television transmission can occur via analog television signals or, more recently, via digital television signals. Television stations are differentiated from cable television or other video providers in that their content is broadcast via terrestrial radio waves. A group of television stations with common ownership or affiliation are known as a TV network and an individual station within the network is referred to as O&O or affiliate, respectively.
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Its name refers to an urban agglomeration of 9,992.5 km2 (3,858.1 sq mi), comprising a metropolitan area with 31 municipalities, and is also the common name for its city centre. The city occupies much of the coastline of Port Phillip bay and spreads into the hinterlands towards the Dandenong and Macedon ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley. It has a population of approximately 4.9 million, and its inhabitants are referred to as "Melburnians".
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
GTV-9 former premises, Television City in Richmond
GTV-9 was amongst the first television stations to begin regular transmission in Australia. Test transmissions began on 27 September 1956, introduced by former 3DB radio announcer Geoff Corke, based at the Mt Dandenong transmitter, as the studios in Richmond were not yet ready. The station covered the 1956 Summer Olympics which Melbourne hosted.[1], the 1956 Carols By Candlelight and the Davis Cup tennis as part of its test transmissions.
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which were held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June 1956.
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organisers as the "World Cup of Tennis", and the winners are referred to as the World Champion team. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Great Britain and the United States. By 2016, 135 nations entered teams into the competition. The most successful countries over the history of the tournament are the United States and Australia. The present champions are Croatia, who beat France to win their second title in 2018.
The station was officially opened on 19 January 1957[2] by Victorian Governor Sir Dallas Brooks from the studios in Bendigo Street, Richmond. A clip from the ceremony has featured in a number of GTV-9 retrospectives, in which the Governor advises viewers that if they did not like the programs, they could just turn off.
General Sir Reginald Alexander Dallas Brooks, was a British military commander who went on to become the 19th and longest-serving Governor of Victoria, Australia.
GTV former front gate
The Richmond building, bearing the name Television City, had been converted from a Heinz tinned food factory, also occupied in the past by the Wertheim Piano Company (from 1908–1935).[3][4] A cornerstone, now visible from the staff canteen courtyard, was laid when construction of the Piano factory began.
Wertheim is an Australian brand of pianos, formerly produced in Richmond, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Around 18,000 upright pianos were made in Melbourne between 1908 and 1935. They were designed for the south-eastern Australian climate and were a popular all-purpose piano.
Eric Pearce was appointed senior newsreader in the late 1960s, after having been the first newsreader at rival station HSV-7. He held that position for almost twenty years.[citation needed] In 1957, GTV-9's first large-scale production was the nightly variety show In Melbourne Tonight ("IMT"), hosted by Graham Kennedy. Kennedy was a radio announcer at 3UZ in Melbourne before being 'discovered' by GTV-9 producer Norm Spencer, when appearing on a GTV-9 telethon. Bert Newton moved from HSV-7 to join Kennedy. IMT continued for thirteen years, dominating Melbourne's television scene for most of that time. It set a precedent for a number of subsequent live variety programmes from the station.[citation needed]
Sir Eric Herbert Pearce, OBE was a broadcaster and television pioneer in Australia. Pearce was born in Hampshire, England, and had an early career in radio on the BBC before migrating to Australia, where he was a long-term newsreader on Melbourne TV stations HSV Channel 7 (1956–65) and GTV Channel 9. Pearce was married three times: Ella Mary ; Jean Mary Macartney (1909–1956); and Betty. Pearce's catchphrase sign-off of his news reports, "God bless you, and you", was for viewers and his third wife. Pearce was a devout Anglican.
In Melbourne Tonight, also known as "IMT", was a highly popular nightly Logie award-winning variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970.
Ownership has changed over the decades. The station was first licensed to the General Television Corporation Ltd., a consortium of two newspapers, The Argus and The Age, together with cinema chains Hoyts, Greater Union, Sir Arthur Warner's Electronic Industries, JC William's Theatres, Cinesound Productions, and radio stations 3XY, 3UZ, 3KZ. In early 1957 The Argus was acquired by The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, and the paper was closed on the same day that GTV-9 officially opened. The Herald in turn sold its interests in the station to Electronic Industries, later acquired by UK television manufacturer Pye, in 1960.[citation needed] Because of the restriction on foreign ownership of television stations, GTV-9 was then sold to Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press, which already owned TCN-9 in Sydney, resulting in the formation of the country's first commercially owned television network.[citation needed] Prior to this GTV-9 was affiliated with ATN-7 in Sydney. Son Clyde Packer ran the network for some time, until a falling out led to a handover to younger son Kerry Packer. In the 1980s the network was sold to Alan Bond, but later bought back at a much lower price.[5] Following the death of Kerry Packer, his son James Packer progressively sold down his stake in the network. (See also Publishing and Broadcasting Limited.)
The Age is a daily newspaper that has been published in Melbourne, Australia, since 1854. Owned and published by Nine, The Age primarily serves Victoria but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and southern New South Wales. It is delivered in both hardcopy and online formats. The newspaper shares many articles with other Fairfax Media metropolitan daily newspapers, such as The Sydney Morning Herald.
The HOYTS Group is an Australian group of companies, including Hoyts Exhibition, Hoyts Kiosk and Val Morgan. It currently has two components: Hoyts Cinema, which incorporates the chain of successful cinema complexes in Australia and New Zealand with more than 450 screens and over 55,000 seats; Val Morgan, Australia and New Zealand's leading national supplier of cinema screen advertising with network coverage of over 2,000 cinema screens, and largest digital out of home network, comprising 8,800 screens in over 1,800 locations.
Pye Ltd was an electronics company founded in 1896 in Cambridge, England, as a manufacturer of scientific instruments. The company merged with EKCO in 1960. Philips of the Netherlands acquired a majority shareholding in 1967, and later gained full ownership.
Along with most Australian TV stations, GTV-9 commenced colour test transmissions in October, 1974.[6] The official changeover took place at 12.00am on Saturday 1 March 1975.[7] In 1976, GTV-9 became the first Australian television station to commence permanent 24-hour transmission.[citation needed] In 2001 the station commenced digital television broadcasting, in line with most other metropolitan stations. GTV-9 continued broadcasting in analogue on VHF9, with a digital simulcast on VHF8.
In 2010 it was announced to public and then staff, that after 54 years at Bendigo Street, GTV-9 would move day-to-day operations including News and commercial sales to 717 Bourke Street, Docklands. On 25 October 2010, it was announced that GTV-9 would begin producing larger scale studio productions, such as The Footy Show, Hey Hey its Saturday, and Millionaire Hotseat from the new Docklands Studios Melbourne.[8]
On 28 February 2011, GTV-9 broadcast its final live program - the 6pm edition of Nine News - from the Richmond Television City studios, and the following day began broadcasting news bulletins from 717 Bourke Street. Also while their new fiber link to their transmission site was being completed, a temporary DVB-S2 link was put up on Optus D1, which ceased at the end of the year.
In 2012, no new programming has been produced out of the new studios. The network opted to move A Current Affair and its host Tracy Grimshaw to TCN-9 in Sydney.
In May, 2012, a lower powered permanent backup DVB-S2 link for their transmission site was re-established on Optus D1, which requires at least a two-metre solid receiving dish.
Digital multiplex (Transport: 1072 Network: 12829)
The station's evening news bulletin, Nine News Melbourne is presented by Peter Hitchener on weekdays, a position he has held since 1998. Alicia Loxley presents the weekend bulletins. Sport is presented by Tony Jones on weeknights. Livinia Nixon presents the weather on weeknights and Justine Conway on weekends.
Nine News Melbourne is produced locally from Nine's Melbourne studios and is also simulcast on Light FM and streamed online. Nine News national bulletins (Nine Early Morning News, Nine Morning News and Nine News Now) are produced from Sydney although late newsbreaks at the weekend are produced from Melbourne and presented by Alicia Loxley.
In May 2017, the station launched its first local afternoon news bulletin, Nine Afternoon News Melbourne, putting it head to head with rival station Seven's local afternoon news. The bulletin is presented by Alicia Loxley (Monday-Wednesday) and Brett McLeod (Thursday & Friday).
Eric Pearce, who was knighted after his retirement, was GTV-9's chief news presenter from the late 1950s until 1974. After his first retirement, the subsequent American style "NewsCentre Nine" presented by Peter Hitchener did not rate well, so Pearce was persuaded to return in 1976, remaining until 1978.
In 1978, former HSV-7 news presenter Brian Naylor joined as GTV-9's chief weeknight news presenter, with Hitchener on weekends. Naylor's association with Nine lasted 19 years - he retired at the end of 1998, with Naylor replaced by then deputy news presenter Peter Hitchener. Jo Hall took over on weekends, with Tony Jones the main weekend fill-in.
Past weekend sport presenters in recent years have included Leith Mulligan (1999-2006), Heath O'Loughlin (2006-2008), Grant Hackett (2008-2009) and Lisa Andrews (2009-2011). Rob Gell was the previous weather presenter he held the position for fifteen years from 1988 to 2004.
ATV is a television station in Melbourne, Australia, part of Network 10 – one of the three major Australian free-to-air commercial television networks.
GLV and BCV are television stations licensed to serve Traralgon and Bendigo and regional Victoria, Australia. The stations are owned and operated by Southern Cross Nine.
TCN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia and is located at Willoughby. The licence, issued to a company named Television Corporation Ltd headed by Sir Frank Packer, was one of the first four licences to be issued for commercial television stations in Australia. TCN-9 is the home of the NRL coverage and national-level Nine News bulletins.
ATN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Seven Network in Australia. The licence, issued to a company named Amalgamated Television Services, a subsidiary of Fairfax, was one of the first four licences to be issued for commercial television stations in Australia. It began broadcasting on 2 December 1956.
NWS is an Australian television station based in Adelaide, Australia. It is owned-and-operated by the Nine Network. The station callsign, NWS, is an acronym of The NeWs South Australia.
Nine News is the national news service of the Nine Network in Australia.
Seven News is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2016, the highest-rating in Australia.
HSV is a television station in Melbourne. It is part of the Seven Network, one of the three main commercial television networks in Australia, and its first and oldest station, having been launched in time for the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne. HSV-7 is the home of the AFL coverage.
Peter Donald Beauchamp Hitchener OAM is an Australian television presenter. He has been the chief news presenter for GTV-9 of their flagship bulletin Nine News Melbourne since 1998, and prior to that was the weekend news presenter.
Tony ‘TJ’ Jones is an Australian long-time sports presenter and journalist, based in Melbourne. Jones currently presents sport on Today. He will also be a host on the network’s Australian Open coverage from 2019.
ABV is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television station in Melbourne, Victoria. The station began broadcasting on 19 November 1956 and is transmitted throughout the state via a network of relay transmitters. ABV was the second television station founded in Victoria after the first, HSV-7, which opened two weeks earlier, on 4 November. The studios are located in Southbank and Elsternwick, with the transmitter at Mount Dandenong.
Jo Hall is an Australian television presenter.
Brian Norman Naylor was an Australian television broadcaster and presenter, best known for his longstanding stint as chief news presenter at HSV-7 from 1970 to 1978 and for GTV-9 from 1978 to 1998 and his sign-off line, "May your news be good news, and good-night."
VTV is an Australian television station broadcasting in regional Victoria in Australia. The network was owned by ENT Ltd., before being purchased by the WIN Corporation.
Alicia Loxley is an Australian journalist and news presenter.
Nine News Melbourne is the weeknight, flagship news bulletin of the Nine Network. It is screened in Melbourne, and across Victoria.
The Judy Jack Show was one of the earliest Australian television series, and is notable as one of the first children's series produced in that country. The series debuted in 1956 on Melbourne station HSV-7. It continued into 1957, running for about a year before it was replaced with Young Seven. Information on this series is extremely scarce.
↑ Packer was reported as saying "You only get one Alan Bond in your lifetime, and I've had mine" "Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer 1937–2005". The Age. 28 December 2005. p.7. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
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