Did anybody ever pay attention to that copyright warning? If push came to shove i’m pretty sure off air recordings for personal viewing would be deemed fair use
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Which Mid State would inherent
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Dug out some VIC regional TV history whilst I was in Canberra.
Seems like aggregation there started on 1 January 1992 (effectively the same day as Nth NSW). All I’ve ever read was that it was ‘early 1992’, but having read at the time that VIC aggregation wasn’t originally scheduled to start until 31 Dec 1992, I was never sure on what date it actually started! I also recall reading that it was brought forward to ensure all regional viewers could watch the Olympic Games.
Some coverage from the Albury/Wodonga ‘Border Mail’… (I’ll put the TV Guides in the 'Classic TV listings thread).
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In Victoria it was very much a staggered start.
i.e. In Bendigo Vic-TV started on Dec 31st, 1991 after about one month of test transmissions. Prime arrived on the scene in March 1992, and SBS in early-April 1992.
SCN10 and Prime also started later than Vic-TV in other Vic markets too IIRC. Some of the networks dragged their feet on ordering equipment, hoping that some last-minute change of policy by the Feds to delay it would occur.
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Thanks, Albury/Wodonga must have been one of the lucky ones then to get all three early then.
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NNSW was 31.12.1991
VIC was 1.1.1992 – I was watching Southern Cross make its debut in Shepparton a few seconds before midnight to greet viewers for the new year. After the initial intro/ident aired it was straight into a relay of Video Hits which was already in progress.
But, yes, regional VIC was originally slated for January 1993. It may have been brought forward due to the Olympic Games but tbh I don’t know for sure if that was the reason.
Albury/Wodonga was the only Victorian region to have all 3 commercial channels from 1.1.1992. Prime had delayed its launch across Victoria until late February/early March. I don’t think any official reason was given but I suspect Prime may have pushed for a delayed launch given that they were also launching in NNSW on 31.12.1991 and might have been a bit much to launch two aggregated markets only one day apart.
Because of Prime’s delay across Victoria, Southern Cross agreed to broadcast some of Seven’s coverage of the Australian Open for areas that didn’t have access to Prime. I think it might have only been for the finals of the Open. Southern Cross also relayed some of Seven’s golf coverage as well.
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Thanks for the posting the above VIC info.
Splitting hairs, but here in Newcastle, Prime didn’t start until 1 Jan, 24 hours after NRTV started.
And Prime didn’t start in Coffs/Lismore until about April 1992 I think.
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i knew NRTV had some delays in some sections across the NNSW market, but I didn’t know Prime had same??!
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IIRC, the 1990 Federal Election had policy promises that might’ve been part of the equation for bringing forward aggregation in Victoria.
There’s probably something in an ancient newspaper on that.
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It was just the Women’s and Men’s Singles Final of the 1992 AO, and the last two days of the Australian Masters Golf that was played in February 1992.
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Yes and didn’t start in the Upper Hunter until March
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I love the note at the bottom about SBS.
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Yes, SBS was never officially part of aggregation.. but pretty much everywhere has SBS these days so everyone got it (eventually!).
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Even Shepperton, who had to wait until 2001.
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Yes 1 April 1992 was the date NRTV screened week 2 of the Australian Open Tennis day sessions (as it had done previously). I think from memory NRTV screened the night finals from 8:30pm Friday to Sunday instead of its usual schedule. I could be wrong with the advice about the finals at night being screened
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Although heaps of houses got SBS-29 from Bendigo in those 9 years.
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my folks did. I used to watch Eat Carpet on it each week.
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How many areas would end up getting NRTV?
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Pre or post aggregation? You’d imagine post aggregation the NRN signal went across all of Northern NSW as intended?
Pre-aggregation - the clue is in the name. 
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