Happy birthday Neighbours. 36 years today.
Neighbours debuted on 18 March 1985 on the Seven Network.
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18 March 1974: The debut of Class Of '74 on Seven. The first drama series to come from the Grundy Organisation. Seven put it on at 7.00pm, bumping another Grundy show, $25,000 Great Temptation to 8.30pm, to combat Number 96. Great Temptation and its daytime version, Temptation, were both gone by the end of the year.
Class Of '74 rated well and came back as Class Of '75, with some new cast members and a changed emphasis on comedy, but then the ratings dropped and the series was soon gone.
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20 March 1989: The Seven Network launches The Bert Newton Show and soapie The Power, The Passion in a bid to combat Midday on Nine.
It did not go well for Seven. Both its new shows were gone by the end of the year.
Source: Sunday Sun / TV Extra
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The Power, The Passion, which ran for 168 episodes, marked the TV debut of Julian McMahon.
I think this was his debut, which led to the role in TPTP:
YouTube: mcmahoniacs
There’s also a small role in Rafferty’s Rules that preceded TPTP.
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22 March 1987: The final edition of World Of Sport airs on HSV7, ending a run of 28 years and 1355 episodes. The show was a victim of Fairfax’s hostile management after taking over the station, replacing the show with a relay of the Sydney-based Sportsworld.
By the end of the week, newsreader Mal Walden would also get the chop from the station.
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22 March 1981: Brian Henderson is interviewed by The Sun-Herald as he celebrates an “unbroken three years at the top” of the news ratings having won all four weeks of the first survey period of 1981. In an ominous warning to rivals Seven and Ten, Hendo declares “I haven’t reached my peak yet” and states he believes his peak will come in ten years when he’s 60.
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24 March 1971: GTV9 puts the axe to its two “Tonight” shows, Tonight With Stuart Wagstaff and The Ugly Dave Gray Show, the last remaining remnants of what was formerly In Melbourne Tonight.
Nine attributed the axing on declining ratings, increasing costs and a pending change to broadcasting rules that dictated that 45 per cent of all transmissions between 6 and 10pm must be of Australian content, and these shows, starting at 9.30pm, would largely not be counted in that quota.
Source: The Age
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26 March 1999 — WIN Television was launched as a dual Nine and Ten affiliate into Regional WA. GWN television became a sole Seven affiliate.
26 March 2009 — ONE HD was launched during the night as a sports oriented channel.
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27 March 1970, Good Friday: HSV7 broadcasts the annual Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, starting at 8.30am and continuing for most of the day, through to midnight, breaking only for news and the Football Show with Michael Williamson. Portions of the telethon are relayed through AMV4, BTV6, GMV6, BCV8 and GLV10.
The 1970 appeal raised $503,857 – finally breaking the record total set in 1960, $472,178 (£236,089 5s 7d)
ADS7 in Adelaide also has its own Good Friday Appeal, held in partnership with The Advertiser and radio 5AD, to raise money for the Adelaide Children’s Hospital. Its telethon actually started the night before at 9.30pm and continued through to 6.30pm Good Friday.
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Does anyone know how long the Adelaide one lasted?
Not sure. I think until the early to mid 1980s? Someone may know better
28/3/2002 Channel Nine simulcasts its first AFL match, between Richmond and Collingwood from the MCG.
There was drama the previous day after Tim Lane resigned claiming Nine did not honour a stipulation that he would not call games with Eddie that involved Collingwood. He would join Ten the following year.
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Eddie was definitely excited that Nine got the rights, he used to remind viewers that they were watching AFL on Nine every five minutes or so.
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30/3/2002 Network Ten simulcasts its first AFL game after obtaining the rights from Seven the previous year. It televises a Saturday night clash between Geelong and Essendon from the MCG.
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Worth checking the dictionary.
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Is it meant to be broadcasts?
30 March 1983: The 1396th and final episode of The Young Doctors airs on GTV9. I suspect this episode had aired well before on TCN9. I think Melbourne might have lagged behind.
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I think it was also on this day (March 30, 2002) that Seven debuted Sportswatch in the afternoon, a 3 hour rolling sports news show hosted by Sandy Roberts, in the 2pm timeslot normally reserved for live AFL broadcasts outside Victoria. It lasted only a few weeks.
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