Aussat was a significant game changer in exchanging content around the country for all TV networks. I am not overly familiar with the logistics of networking arrangements as such prior to Aussat though I expect landline or microwave links certainly allowed some content sharing between cities before it came along. Of course, noting that the coaxial cable between Sydney and Melbourne dated back to the early 1960s and the Nines were a major commercial user of that infrastructure. I don’t know when that link was decommissioned?
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I had assumed part-networking had always taken place (once the facilities became available to do so) - at least between Melbourne and Sydney. So, like the S&D example when both ATN and HSV were showing the same episodes in 82 and 83, one station was being clean fed by the other. However, it was rare to see all four (or five) metro stations scheduling even the flagship soapies on the same days and times (and/or showing the same episode) prior to the late 80s. Was this in part because they didn’t have the facility to feed all stations from say, Sydney or Melbourne, and the other stations had to wait for the tape to be physically ”shipped” to them? Or more due to the autonomy or whim of the individual stations to schedule as they saw fit (to compete with rival channels, accommodate local viewing habits, etc)? Comparing the Aussie channels with, say, the ITV network, the numerous ITV companies, despite being independent and free to schedule as they wished, tended to follow a common schedule in prime time, especially their flagship/top-rating shows - but, that said, the infrastructure was in place to do so from practically day one.
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Probably a bit of “all of the above” as contributing factors.
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I’d say the microwave links between Brisbane and Sydney were mostly used for news exchange, the occasional promo and live sport. Saying that, shows like Mike Walsh was I’m pretty sure live around Australia in the 70s then came Today and GMA which were in part then fed to the regionals. Willesee at 7 was another national show that was live into Brisbane in the 70s. I suspect each network had their own microwave links on the east coast and Adelaide?
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I think that was a condition when he took the show to Nine in 1977, that it be live to air and it went across the country. Though in 1978/79, NWS9 in Adelaide aired it at 10.30am which doesn’t equate to 12.00pm in Sydney, so maybe NWS taped it “as live” via connection from Sydney but delayed airing until the next day. Which seems odd.
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Motor Racing in Ten - I’m assuming that would’ve been the Supercars finale?
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One thing i remember about 2004 is that the hosts of Cheez TV would leave at the end of the year.
Wouldn’t Cheez TV eventually wind up in 2004/05 or something?
The two hosts left on December 31. The show then ran host-less for eight months ending August 20. Two days later, Toasted TV started.
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First of the 3 races on the finale weekend at Eastern Creek (now Sydney Motorsport Park), Ambrose won to successfully defend his championship title. The 4PM show was qualifying, the race itself was in the 6:30 timeslot experimenting with a twilight start.
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Today’s TV: 2.2.1972, Melbourne
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It’s interesting to note that when Victoria had electricity strikes, TV stations were forced to reduce their broadcast hours. The same thing happened in Queensland in the mid 1980s but their TV stations weren’t subject to the restrictions, nor was NSW when they had similar problems in the early 1980s.
I know that on days of when the restrictions were really bad, TV was limited to between 6pm and 8pm only as was mains powered radio, although I believe radio was exempt from the restrictions.
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Today’s TV: 5 February 1973.
Not even a strike by TV technicians, keeping TV hours to a minimum, would keep The Mike Walsh Show from making its debut.
Later, Philip Brady hosts the debut of The New Moneymakers, and Number 96 begins screening in one-hour episodes to catch up with Sydney.
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“Australia’s Action Station, Channel 0!”
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Today’s TV: 6.2.1982, Victoria.
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Was this the first appearance of what would become community television?
Possibly. I can’t say for certain that it was.
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I didn’t get to post this yesterday. 7.2.1990, Melbourne
Source: TV Week
The debut of Nine’s soap Family And Friends - yet another in Nine’s long list of soapie duds. It was slotted up against E Street on Ten which turned out to be a fatal move. IIRC F&F later moved to weeknights at 5.30 before being bumped off altogether.
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