Today’s TV guide is 25 September 1987 for Melbourne:
It was the eve of the VFL (AFL) Grand Final and as the VFL broadcaster in Victoria that year, ABC took over Seven’s traditional Grand Final Marathon overnight.
Some unusual Friday programming though among this listing. SBS starts transmission in the late morning whereas on Monday to Thursday that week they didn’t begin programming until 5.00pm. Also, Ten’s scheduling of Miss Teen USA in the afternoon is a weird one too. It certainly wasn’t a live or even near-live broadcast or anything as the event itself took place in July!
The afternoon programming on SBS and Ten indicates possibly some sort of public holiday although I can’t recall it was any holiday in Victoria on that day, although the day before (Thursday 24th) would have likely been Royal Melbourne Show Day. And given that SBS was programmed from Sydney… maybe it was a holiday in Sydney and Melbourne just got this programming by default?
Although whatever happened that day the biggest hit of the night would have likely been The Sound Of Music having its upteenth repeat on Nine but still a big ratings drawcard at that time.