The channel, then known as TV2, first went to air on 30 June 1975. It was the second national government television channel to be established in the country that year, after Television One went to air on 1 April, replacing the former New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation's TV service.
In its first week, the network held New Zealand's first Telethon in aid of the St John Ambulance. It raised $593,878.
The channel could only be picked up in Auckland and Christchurch when it first went to air, but it was limited in Christchurch due to a faulty transmitter. It was another three months before the Waikato and Bay of Plenty got coverage and by late November, the channel was available in Wellington before spreading throughout the rest of the country.
The channel covered the South Pacific Festival of the Arts held in Rotorua in March 1976 with several half-hour pre-recorded programmes featuring several traditional dances from the broader region. SPTV also co-operated with the BBC for the footage.[1]
In December 1976, TV2 was rebranded as South Pacific Television (SPTV) to distinguish itself from the former NZBC channel. It also reduced confusion in Auckland and Dunedin where Television One broadcast on channel 2 (TV2 broadcast on channel 4 in both centres).[2]
In 1977, broadcasting hours were cut on both channels [why?] and as a result SPTV lost 16 hours of broadcast time a week, forcing the channel to begin its daily broadcasts at 3pm (except weekends, where SPTV opened transmission at midday).
Channel funding was cut for Television One and handed over to SPTV in a move that bewildered some over at Television One. The effects of the cuts saw programme output on SPTV increase.
Fate
It was decided in 1979 by the National Government that the channels would be amalgamated under an administration which would end the competition that reared its head in 1975.
SPTV's final day of transmissions was 15 February 1980. The final programme was a two-hour farewell special, and the channel closed down at 12:15am on the morning of 16 February.[3]
The next day, 16 February 1980, Television One and SPTV were dissolved and became Television One and Television Two, under the newly formed Television New Zealand (TVNZ). A number of SPTV's programmes moved across to the new networks.
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