Sign-ons and Offs

[Dani-Chan]

@ElCapitanCranky

Quite a few, looks like an Navy promo film that was sent to the stations and they picked the one they liked. If the government (effectively) is giving you something for free (I hope it was free), may as well take them up on the offer and use it.

They do it to this day, there are government produced pieces that one could theoretically use to end the broadcast day if one wanted. I’ve ordered CDs and DVDs for use at work with the national anthem in all varying configurations, and you can download clips as well, and they’re free. Just call the local member.

Not entirely uncommon, they did that in the US - IIRC the Air Force and the Mormons prepared ones for stations to use as a community service/free plug.

Judging by what I’ve seen, there must’ve been 2-3 versions of the clip with the same music behind. I don’t know why they used an abridged version of Advanced Australia Fair though - some sort of federal regulation?

NBN and CTC had the one with the Navy ships, planes, marching band on Sydney Harbour and the reverse Navy flag (why they didn’t film it going the other way is beyond me).

ATN and GTS/BKN had the one with the Navy band at Government House (I think) and the same Navy flag flapping in reverse.

TEN and MTN had the one that started with the reverse Navy flag, then the Navy frigate and helicopters, finishing off with the Navy band on Sydney Harbour (Garden Island I think).

By the late 80s, yes the film reel/video was starting to get a little crusty. The CTC clip did show some artifacts, but I don’t know if that’s the tape at our end getting crusty before it got digitised or the effects of said digitising

I assume the film dates back to around 1974-75 with the transition to colour as well as Gough Whitlam making Advance Australia Fair the national anthem around that time before God Save The Queen was reinstated by the time Malcolm Fraser was in office. Of course Advance Australia Fair was brought back by Bob Hawke in 1984. Hence off air recordings of Australian sign offs pre 1984 using that film.

[Didz]

Got a partial sign-off of ADS10 from around July 1990.

Video:

Channel Ten Adelaide Close and Transmitter Switch Off (partial, ADS10, 1990)

Images:

[IanG]

That NBN one i posted from 1991 looks like they eventually replaced the Navy one with one produced in house basically made of footage of the Newcastle harbour

[Mechsta]

I like how the 10 slide has an image that is in no way connected to Adelaide or South Australia.

[Didz]

Ha ha yes I noticed this too.

[stilesykenny]

I guess they tried to fool viewers thinking it was the Mt Lofty ranges or something lol.

[ElCapitanCranky]

@IanG

That NBN one i posted from 1991 looks like they eventually replaced the Navy one with one produced in house basically made of footage of the Newcastle harbour

The tape/film was probably worn out by that stage. It’s actually better because it’s nice and slowed down. Remember, it was played in the middle of the night when you wanted people to go to sleep.

[ElCapitanCranky]

The other national anthem clip that was used by multiple stations was this one, as used by GMV (and I’m guessing BTV) and SES (and RTS) - stretching into the 90s and early 2000s as WIN SA. IIRC, another station may have used this vision but changed the instrumental OR used a vocal.

GMV6 Shepparton Closedown (8/3/1987)

A second version of the clip had different scenes and used a different instrumental. This one was from TNT pre-Tas TV days but IIRC another station used it too.
https://www. youtube .com /watch?v=6Xvo0L_oUWQ

ITQ used that 2nd version but inserted their own music - I don’t know the song.
https:// www. youtube .com /watch?v=TTXeWmEiihA

As for who produced it - maybe someone can shed light on it? Maybe someone produced it for multiple stations and they took them up on it?

[Tim_Ripley]

BTV did use that film, but eventually swapped out the music for a singer.

[IanG]

NTD8 Goodnight Closer (Lucky to be an Australian)

NTD Channel 8 Darwin. Not sure what year it’s from

[ElCapitanCranky]

Late eighties, early 90s. There is a NTD-8 sign-off on Internet Archive with this clip and it dates to the early 90s.

[ElCapitanCranky]

@ElCapitanCranky

Late eighties, early 90s. There is a NTD-8 sign-off on Internet Archive with this clip and it dates to the early 90s.

Speaking of…

NTD8 Darwin closedown 17/08/1992

[ElCapitanCranky]

TNQ 7 Townsville close from 1984.

Note the TNQ7 version of the NQTV logo. I wonder if there was a FNQ10 Cairns version of he closedown.

NQTV (TNQ7 Townsville) Close 1984

[digitaldan]

Interesting that Darwin had the 1987 Love You Brisbane version even as late as 1992. I thought by then that Packer had purchased the station and would have used more so Nine Network variations?

[Aurora]

I know in 96 they were using Eight versions of Nine idents, so would have been mid decade when they eventually interfered.

I’m more interested in why the Packer station would have a Seven ident playing?

[ElCapitanCranky]

I’m guessing they weren’t fully integrated with whatever corporate structure Packer had at the time, so they were free to run it as they saw fit. I can’t remember when Packer brought Channel 8, but it might have been at the time either just before Bond took over Nine or during that time.

[TelevisionAU]

@digitaldan

I thought by then that Packer had purchased the station and would have used more so Nine Network variations?

Darwin had started using Nine presentation by 1993. (I was there in August that year)

[ElCapitanCranky]

Packer had started moves to buy Channel 8 in the first half of 1987, and finalised it in 1988. This was done through private companies with no ties to Nine^[1]. Packer sold Nine to Bond in 1987 and wasn’t included in that transfer. So NTD was free to run it as they saw fit. Packer had re-acquired Nine a few years later and one would assume by that time they would have absorbed it into the Nine corporate structure by then.

---

1. Thurlow, M. (2022). A history of regional commercial television in Australia. A History of Regional Commercial Television in Australia | SpringerLink ↩︎

[ElCapitanCranky]

Updated NEN sign-off clip - all 4 parts now visible!

Sign-ons and Offs

I don’t know if this has been posted before, but here’s a NEN closedown in its early Prime days back in 1990.It’s in 4 parts, which are now all here since I can now edit posts. Yay! Looks like it has been edited from the last 9&8 Television sequence, of which the sign-on was on YouTube but is gone. Thought for the day [Thought for the Day Prime TV Australia 15 June 1990 Homelessness St Vincent de Paul Service] 2TM plug [2TM Prime TV Ad 15 June 1990 1287 Tamworth Rad…

[ElCapitanCranky]

RTS 5a closedown from 1988.

https://archive.org/details/clipsal-baseball-partial-sign-off-rts-5a-07-02-88

ATV 10 closedown from 1982 - with GSTQ

https://archive.org/details/commercials-sign-off-atv-10-28-09-82

ATN 7 closedown from 1983 (warning - cartoon nudity)

https://archive.org/details/after-dark-sign-off-atn-7-16-04-83

Imparja closedown from 1997 - with an epic promo.

https://archive.org/details/imparja-sign-off-imp-9-25-09-97

ATV closedown from 1985 - minus GSTQ.

https://archive.org/details/commercials-sign-off-atv-10-21-10-85

ABN-2 closedown from 1985

https://archive.org/details/abc-tv-promo-breaks-news-update-sign-off-abn-2-23-02-85