Did you not read the post above yours? TDT launched at the start of 2004.
31st December 2003 in the early afternoon, ready for a Jan 1 2004 launch (15 years next year!) Testing had begun a week or so earlier with the scenic loops.
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Imparja TV turns 30 years old today.
This is a sample weekly TV listing from Imparja’s first year on air:
Source: TV Week
- One thing you don’t see on this page is repeats! Given the channel was barely 6 months old everything’s pretty much first run.
- I’m not 100% sure but I think at this point the 6.30 news was National Nine News on delay via satellite from Sydney. I think it was still some time before Imparja started its own news service.
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Today’s TV: 3.1.1981, Melbourne. Plus a week of programs for SBS “Ethnic TV”
Source: TV Scene
Really nothing to see here if you’re not into sport! Pretty much a typical Saturday on TV for the 1980s.
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So even by 1981, it was still being called Ethnic TV?
What do you mean “still”? The channel only debuted 2 months earlier.
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Ok, don’t jump down my throat! It’s just that i thought they would only use that name during their test transmissions.
That’s only TV Scene’s label for the channel it doesn’t necessarily mean that it was SBS wording. AFAIK SBS never used “ethnic” as part of its official branding post launch. They always opted for “multicultural”.
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I always thought test cricket was on ABC in regional areas until aggregation. This suggests otherwise.
In later years that was certainly the case. Not sure why it’s not so at this particular time.
Because I certainly remember seeing test cricket on ABC regionals pre-aggregation and remember the ABC commentators giving a final sign off on the eve of aggregation in Victoria, as that was basically the end of ABC’s test cricket coverage. From the next day VIC TV took over with Nine’s coverage.
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But then SBS Radio has the 2EA and 3EA callsigns, not sure if they were ID’d on air as such back in the 1980s though. But I’m sure the E stood for Ethnic.
The callsigns were a legacy of the 70s and were used/promoted in the 1980s but were eventually dropped from on air use. I think they still exist as the official ACMA callsigns today.
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Yeah same with NSW. I remember it was the 1991/92 Summer against India. Boxing Day Test was the last on ABC then New Years Test was on NBN. Before that NBN only showed the One Dayers and also 1985 and 1989 Ashes Series. Have no memory of 1981
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NRTV was the same with ODI cricket but I don’t remember if they showed test cricket.
Today’s TV: 9.1.1997, Melbourne
and the same day, Regional Victoria and South East SA/Riverland
Source: TV Week
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No I recall during a family holiday at Nambucca Heads once watching it on ABC
Definitely recall late 80s on ABC in Gippsland and western Victoria during summer holidays. Maybe they missed that 80-81 season after WSC. I’ll delve a bit deeper when I’ve got time.
Sadly, Agro’s Cartoon Connection would be axed at the end of the year.
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Channel 9 had exclusive rights to test and one day cricket in the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons, that’s why the ABC did not cover cricket in those years. The ABC got the rights for regional areas for full coverage of test matches beginning in 1981-82, their first test match was Australia v Pakistan at the WACA, best known for Dennis Lillee kicking Javed Miandad.
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