On This Day

TelevisionAU · May 26, 2025, 11:55am

26 May 1962: New TV Station — TNT9, Launceston, Tasmania.

2pm Test Pattern
6pm The Mickey Mouse Club
6.45 TNT News
7pm Official Opening TNT9. Governor Lord Rowallan
7.30 The Flintstones
8pm BP Super Show
9pm The Dave Brubeck Show
9.30 Movie: Two Guys From Milwaukee
11pm News, Close

Source: The Examiner

26 May 1975: The Seven Network drama series Cash And Company, set in the 1850s gold rush, debuts in Sydney. Starring Serge Lazareff, Gus Mercurio and Penne Hackforth-Jones. The Melbourne debut followed on 29 May.

26 May 1988: The debut of Network Ten’s big-budget current affairs show Page One. The program aimed to present a compromise between the populist 60 Minutes (on Nine) and ABC’s investigative Four Corners. It included a number of reporters poached from ABC.

26 May 1999: The Nine Network presents coverage of Game One of the Rugby League State Of Origin — Queensland versus NSW — from Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.

26 May 2002: SBS presents a delayed coverage of the 47th annual Eurovision Song Contest from Tallinn, Estonia, with commentary by Terry Wogan (BBC).

26 May 2003: Network Ten premieres children’s drama series Pirate Islands.

26 May 2004: The Nine Network presents coverage of Game One of the Rugby League State Of Origin — NSW versus Queensland — from Telstra Stadium, Sydney.

26 May 2008: The Nine Network launches afternoon game show Million Dollar Wheel Of Fortune with Tim Campbell and Kelly Landry.

Avatar5991 · May 26, 2025, 12:08pm

This was the first (of only two) State of Origin matches to go to golden point extra time. This match saw NSW win 9-8 thanks to a field goal from Shaun Timmins, for whom it was just the second field goal of his NRL career.

Sadly, Nine’s attempt to revive an old classic to take on Deal or No Deal failed and the show would be gone after just one month.

BigVic · May 26, 2025, 2:32pm

The format was adopted to the US version of the same name and is still in use today. Nine tried to revive Family Feud and Wheel of Fortune to take on the all-conquering DoND but it failed

TelevisionAU · May 27, 2025, 7:55am

27 May 1966: New TV Station — ECN8, Taree, New South Wales.

27 May 1967: The 1967 Federal Referendum which granted, citizenship rights to Australia’s indigenous population, features on ABC with updates during the evening.

27 May 1972: Updates from the Queensland State Election appear during the evening on Brisbane’s four channels.

27 May 1973: The Melbourne debut of detective series Ryan, starring Rod Mullinar and Pamela Stephenson

27 May 1973: The Sydney debut of the ABC series A Taste For Blue Ribbons, based on the book by Eugene Lumbers, starring Ron Graham, Sheila Bradley, Sally Conabere and her father Syd Conabere. The series first debuted in Victoria a week earlier and other states during June. In 1975 it was followed up by a sequel, Lucky Colour Blue.

27 May 1992: ABC presents the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Debate: Is Laughter Better Than Sex? – featuring Michael Corton, Brett Jones, Steve Crabb, Jane Clifton, Andrew Denton and H G Nelson (Greig Pickhaver) and chaired by Campbell McComas. The first of three one-hour specials of The Best (And Worst) Of Red Faces appears on Nine.

27 May 2000: SBS begins two days of coverage from Corroboree 2000, the National Declaration of Reconciliation Conference.

Mechsta · May 27, 2025, 9:44am

ECN8. The first TV station to go bust. From what I understand it was a very bare bones operation from the very start.

Tane04 · May 27, 2025, 9:59am

IanG · May 28, 2025, 1:57am

Often wondered if it was a stop gap station. Between NBN 3 and NRN 11

stilesykenny · May 28, 2025, 2:58am

Did they end up merging with other near by station?

Mechsta · May 28, 2025, 3:16am

They took an interim full-time program feed from NRN11 from March 1969. This continued until 1971 when a full-time relay from NEN9 commenced. That was when NEN took over the station.

Tane04 · May 28, 2025, 5:44am

The logo for NRN’s short-lived affiliation with ECN.

Brayden_Courtney · May 30, 2025, 2:32pm

Today Marks 20 Years Since Ed Phillips and Livinia Nixon Made their Debut as the New Temptation Presenters on Temptation / The New Sale Of The Century. The First Night Champ was Phil who was Responsible for Defeating Ian and Edwina Picked up a $10,730 Louis Vitton Luggage Collection, 4 Nights Away from Playing for a $71,244 Volvo S40 T5 Manual Sedan, 6 Nights Away from $500,000 worth of Solid Gold Bullion and 5 Nights Away from Playing for a Prize Package worth $148,769. Phil also Became the First Player to Pick Up $100,000 in the 10 In a Row, a Brand-New Segment before the end of the Premiere Episode.

TelevisionAU · June 15, 2025, 7:29am

15 June 1967: Melbourne’s ATV0 created history when it telecasts the Pakenham race meeting in colour — the first live colour telecast in Australia . Only ATV0 executives and staff, representatives of the Australian Broadcasting Control Board and invited members of the press could see the colour pictures on specially-purchased colour TV sets installed at the Nunawading studios.

Source: The Age - Google News Archive Search

15 June 1992: Daryl Somers, Ossie Ostrich (Ernie Carroll) and the rest of the Hey Hey It’s Saturday gang star in Hey Hey The Movie — Silence Of The Hams (Nine).

15 June 1994: Graham Phillips (Quantum) hosts the new information technology series Hot Chips (ABC), featuring reporters Rebecca Le Tourneau, John Millard, Chris Nash and Gareth Powell. Live And Sweaty host Elle McFeast (Libbi Gorr) hosts the special Sex, Guys And Videotape (ABC), taking a candid look at male sexuality.

15 June 2003: The Seven Network screens the final performance of John Farnham’s The Last Time tour of 2002-03. Network Ten premieres the mini-series After The Deluge, starring David Wenham, Hugo Weaving, Samuel Johnson and Ray Barrett.

15 June 2008: The Seven Network premieres singing competition Battle Of The Choirs, hosted by David Koch.

TelevisionAU · June 16, 2025, 11:26am

16 June 1977: The Nine Network commences its coverage of the First Jubilee Cricket Test — England versus Australia — live from London. Nine’s deal to secure rights to the Test caused an upset to traditional cricket rights holder ABC. Nine’s estimated outlay including rights and satellite access was $1.3 million. However, with Nine only having a presence in four capital cities — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide — it reached an agreement for ABC to carry its coverage to all other capital cities and regional areas.

16 June 2004: The Nine Network presents coverage of Game Two of the Rugby League State Of Origin — Queensland versus NSW — from Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.

16 June 2008: ABC premieres six-part interview series Elders With Andrew Denton. The guest in the first episode is Sir David Attenborough.

16 June 2010: The Nine Network presents coverage of Game Two of the Rugby League State Of Origin — Queensland versus NSW — from Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.

TelevisionAU · June 17, 2025, 10:18am

17 June 1959: ABC presents the first Australian television adaptations of Shakespeare, with Hamlet broadcast on ABN2, Sydney, and Antony And Cleopatra on ABV2, Melbourne, at the same time.

17 June 1966: The final episode of HSV7’s long-running variety show Sunnyside Up. The weekly show began in August 1957 as The Happy Gang, a TV version of the popular radio show of the same name. The show was revamped in May 1958 to the new title Sunnyside Up.

17 June 1994 (overnight into 18 June): SBS commences coverage of the FIFA World Cup from the United States, with the Opening Ceremony in Chicago, followed by the opening match between Germany and Bolivia.

17 June 2001: The Nine Network premieres Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner with Suzie Wilks.

JohnsonTV · June 17, 2025, 11:10am

17 June 1995: Seven presents coverage of the AFL State of Origin between Victoria and South Australia from the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

TelevisionAU · June 18, 2025, 7:10am

18 June 1971: ABC is the Australian broadcaster for the global television special Children Of The World, hosted by Danny Kaye in New York, commemorating the 25th anniversary of UNICEF. The Australian segment, produced by ABC’s Ron May, featured swimmers Shane Gould, 14, and Katrina Mortlock, 10, doing their early morning training, broadcast live at approximately 4.40am (AEST).

18 June 1971: New TV Station — VEW8, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

18 June 2003: Eddie McGuire and Catriona Rowntree host Test Australia: The National Driving Test, testing six groups of drivers and eight celebrities on their driving abilities.

18 June 2006: Network Ten screens telemovie The Society Murders, a dramatic adaptation of the 2002 murder of Melbourne couple Paul King and Margaret Mary Wales-King. Starring Georgie Parker, Alex Dimitriades, Matthew Le Nevez, Terry Norris and Julia Blake.

18 June 2007: The Seven Network premieres The Morning Show with Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies.

TelevisionAU · June 19, 2025, 12:05pm

19 June 1964: New TV Station — RVN2, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.

Source: TV Week

19 June 1995: Sale Of The Century (Nine) begins a week-long Battle Of The TV Classics featuring cast members from The Sullivans, Prisoner, Number 96 and The Young Doctors.

19 June 2007: Children’s series Lockie Leonard, adapted from the Lockie Leonard books from Tim Winton, debuts on the Nine Network.

Tane04 · June 19, 2025, 12:21pm

TelevisionAU · June 20, 2025, 7:37am

20 June 1988: ABC premieres children’s series Swap Shop, starring Melissa Jaffer and Tim McKenzie.

YouTube: Peter Young

20 June 1992: The Seven Network screens South Bank — A Night Of Stars, a concert event heralding the opening of the former World Expo 88 site on the South Bank Parklands in Brisbane. Hosted by Robert Brough (Family Feud), performers include John Denver, Lou Rawls, Nancy Wilson, James Morrison, James Reyne and Seven Network stars Ann-Maree Biggar and Agro.

20 June 1994: The Nine Network presents coverage of Game Three of the Rugby League State Of Origin — NSW versus Queensland — from Lang Park, Brisbane.

20 June 1999: ABC premieres four-part drama series Queen Kat, Carmel And St Jude, starring Alicia Gardiner, Dasi Ruz and Elissa Elliot.

20 June 2000: SBS premieres Bondi Banquet, a seven-part drama series about a group of residents in a Bondi apartment building. Starring Jason Chong, Paul Chubb, Mary Coustas, Elaine Lee, Deborah Mailman, Ditch Davey and Pia Miranda.

20 June 2004: ABC screens telemovie Stiff, starring David Wenham, Sam Neill, Deborah Kennedy, Mick Molloy, Robyn Butler, Alan Brough and Alan Hopgood. Written by John Clarke and Shane Maloney.

20 June 2005: The Nine Network and Fox Sports 2 begin coverage of the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament from London.

TelevisionAU · June 21, 2025, 6:38am

21 June 1970: ABC premieres a series of six Australian plays. The first, Eden House, stars John Bonney, Margot Lee, Pat Bishop, Jeff Kevin, Lyn James, Philippa Baker, Don Pascoe, Diana Davidson and Judy McBurney.

21 June 1976: ABC premieres mini-series Power Without Glory, based on the novel by Frank Hardy.

21 June 1982: The Nine Network begins coverage of the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament from London. For the first time, Nine covers the entire two-week tournament. Previously only finals matches were telecast.

21 June 1999: The Nine Network and Fox Sports begin coverage of the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament from London.

21 June 2004: The Nine Network and Fox Sports 2 begin coverage of the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament from London.

21 June 2010: The Nine Network and Fox Sports 3 begin coverage of the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament from London.

21 June 2011: SBS premieres three-part series Go Back To Where You Came From, putting a reality show twist into the ongoing debate on asylum seekers