C31 switches on digital transmission

Melbourne community TV station C31 tomorrow flicks the switch on its new digital transmission.

A two-week test transmission begins at 9.00am tomorrow with the official digital launch on 11 June.

The launch of digital transmission for C31 is the result of a lengthy battle to gain broadcasting spectrum while the national and commercial broadcasters were handed broadcasting spectrum free of charge.

C31 was granted funding of $660,000 from the Federal Government and $350,000 from the State Government to assist its transition to digital.  The station also ran a subscriberthon to raise additional funds to support the digital switch.

C31’s digital launch follows Sydney’s TVS and Perth’s new WTV onto the digital platform, while Brisbane’s QCTV31 is expected to commence digital transmission next month.

1990: April 21-27

Tragedy shatters Summer Bay
Which original cast member of Home And Away has quit the series and is to written out for good?  That is the question facing fans of the popular Seven Network series as a car accident in Summer Bay tragically kills one of the characters – but with four characters in the car, who will die?

Alyce rides into romance
Sale Of The Century co-host Alyce Platt has started a six-week stint in the Nine Network’s soap Family And Friends.  “It feels very different being back in a drama.  It’s like I’ve picked up where Sons And Daughters left off, although this is a different character,” she told TV Week.  She plays the character of Stephanie Collins, a social worker with a deep secret who takes off to the country to deal with her mystery.  It is there that she meets Damien Chandler (Simon Westaway) and tries to turn around his aggressive manner, leading to romance.

Away with the Pixies… again!
The Seven Network this week launches a new series of sketch comedy show Fast Forward, and Magda Szubanski will be on board to reprise her trademark characters Pixie-Anne Wheatley (pictured) and beautician Chenille.  “I enjoy doing Pixie.  It puts me in a good mood,” Szubanski told TV Week.  “You set up the smile and, before you know it, you’re in a good mood.  In some ways, I think Chenille may have a slightly longer life.  Because Pixie is such a big character, she could really start to … you after a while!”

Six exit in series shake-up
Despite falling ratings, the Nine Network is sticking with Family And Friends.  The network is planning a major revamp for the series, with six characters to be written out and negotiations under way to sign up some high-profile names.  Planned to be leaving the show are Renato Bartolomei, Robert Forza, Anna-Maria Monticelli, Sean Myers, Simon Westaway and Justine Clarke.  Clarke was only ever intended to have a brief stint in the series, but the departure of the others will essentially end the ongoing Rossi/Chandler feud storyline. 

Briefly…
Former The Factory co-host Andrew Daddo may have been overlooked for a presenting role on Countdown Revolution, but is now set to host a new documentary series for ABC, Made By Design.

A former Australian model, Tayler Kane (pictured), has won a role in the new UK soap opera Families.  The new $6 million series, to be produced by Grenada Television, will be filmed on location in both the UK and Australia.  Kane will play the role of Andrew Stephens, the eldest son of Diane Stephens (Briony Behets).  Families is to debut on UK network ITV later this month.  The series has yet to be sold to an Australian network.

Commonwealth Games double gold medallist Jane Fleming hasn’t given up on her sporting career but has begun to make her mark into the media – as a reporter for the Nine Network’s Wide World Of Sports and co-host of the breakfast show on Canberra radio station FM104.7. 

John Laws says…
”I’m delighted that Daryl Somers (pictured, as illustrated by Robert Fidgeon) and New Faces are back on Nine.  There was a lot of talk late last year that the show was headed for chopping block.  If that had happened, it would have been a crying shame.  I very much like the program and everything that it stands for.  It is a genuine search for fresh Australian entertainment and it’s one of the very few areas of television where talented unknowns can have a crack at shooting for the big break in their careers.”

Program Highlights (April 21-27):
Sunday:  HSV7’s Sunday afternoon AFL covers Sydney Swans versus St Kilda and a highlights package of North Melbourne versus Geelong.  The only Sunday night movie this week is Big Business (HSV7), while GTV9 presents the premiere of two-part mini-series The Great Escape II: The Untold Story and ATV10 debuts mini-series Heart Of The High Country.  In the lead-up to ANZAC Day, ABC presents a one-hour special, The Boys Who Came Home, featuring recollections from Gallipoli veterans.
Tuesday:  In GP (ABC), Dr Cathy Mitchell (Sarah Chadwick) looks after a young paraplegic with serious doubts about his sex life.
Wednesday – ANZAC Day:  ABC is the only network to provide coverage of ANZAC Day proceedings, including 75th Anniversary ANZAC Day March through the streets of Melbourne and a live telecast of the Dawn Service from Gallopoli.  In the afternoon, HSV7 presents a two-hour special, For Valor, and ATV10 repeats a three-hour special, Australians At War 1914-1918, narrated by Tim Elliot.  At 4.45pm, ABC crosses back to Gallipoli for The International Service and the forum discussion on Couchman, at 10.15pm, focuses on the many young Australians making the pilgrimage to the shores of Gallipoli to pay homage to the men who died there 75 years earlier.
Thursday:  Comedy series Fast Forward returns for a second season, including cast members Steve Vizard (pictured), Michael Veitch, Margaret Downey, Magda Szubanski, Ernie Dingo, Jane Turner and Peter Moon.

Source: TV Week (Victoria edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.     
21 April 1990. Southdown Press.

Online revival for classic TV fare

NineMSN’s catch-up TV website, FIXPlay, is set to expand its program offerings to include a back catalogue of classic TV titles – including family favourites like Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Skippy The Bush Kangaroo and Thunderbirds.

The website, launched only six weeks ago, is reported to have already clocked up its one millionth visitor with the site’s most popular program being the Nine Network series Underbelly 3: The Golden Mile.  Other popular programs on the video-on-demand website include Sea Patrol, the US sci-fi series V and former Nine series McLeod’s Daughters.

The Seven Network has its own online TV site, Plus7, and ABC has iView, but FIXPlay claims to be the first to offer a back catalogue of classic programming.

Source: Herald Sun

TV turns 50 in Tasmania

Monday 23 May 1960 marked the official opening of Tasmania’s first TV station, TVT6 in Hobart – marking the culmination of over a decade of planning which started when the station was formed in 1950 in a board room at Hobart radio station 7HO.

The launch of TVT6 meant that every Australian state now had at least one television station – marking the completion of the second stage of the introduction of television in Australia.

The station’s opening night schedule started with a test pattern at 7.00pm followed by the Official Opening by Tasmanian governor Lord Rowallan (pictured) at 7.30pm and a news bulletin read by news editor Gordon Leed.

The Mercury newspaper documented part of Lord Rowallan’s speech on the night:

“I ask you not to be afraid of this new medium, but use it aright.  Do not abuse it, but use it with discrimination and you will find that it will have an interest not only for yourselves in broadening your lives in the Commonwealth and in geography, but it will be productive of a continuous stimulus to your children to learn more and understand more of the great world outside.”

“Good luck to the station.  May it have an excellent future from your own point of view as well as the point of view of the people of Tasmania, who are going to enjoy many hours of viewing and listening.”

American programs made up the rest of the opening night’s line-up – Dennis The Menace at 8.00pm, I Love Lucy at 8.30pm, Maverick at 9.00pm, and The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre at 10.00pm completed the night’s programs.

The opening night’s proceedings were based at TVT6’s headquarters in the suburb of New Town and were viewed by thousands of viewers around Hobart and surrounding areas, often with large groups of people viewing through shop windows on a cold Hobart winter night.  More than 350 guests, including prominent Tasmanian government and business identities (including Lady Rowallan, pictured) and representatives of mainland television stations HSV7, GTV9 and NWS9, were in attendance at a special reception at Wrest Point Hotel and viewed the event on TV screens positioned around the hotel’s spacious dining rooms.

TVT6 also sent out a greeting to its counterparts at ABC, which was due to open its Hobart station – ABT2 – in two weeks’ time.  The station also acknowledged the assistance of existing television stations on the mainland – in particular Perth television station TVW7 which had commenced transmission only seven months earlier.

TVT6 also received messages of congratulations and best wishes from overseas stars including Lucille Ball, Raymond Burr (who, as Perry Mason, said “I promise never to lose a case in Hobart.  Much success in your new endeavour.”) and Perry Como.

TVT6 continued as Hobart and Southern Tasmania’s only commercial TV station for over 30 years – and it would be another 25 years before Hobart got a third television station, SBS, in 1986.  TVT6 also increased its signal through Southern Tasmania with the installation of translator stations TVT8 (Bicheno, Queenstown/Zeehan, Strahan) and TVT10 (Rosebery).

During the 1980s TVT6 had fallen under common ownership with the Northern Tasmanian station, TNT9, and both stations were branded on-air as TAS TV, and for several years maintained a standard schedule across both channels, covering most of the entire State.  In 1988, TNT9 was sold off to Tricom Corporation, the company which later formed the Southern Cross Network, leading to TNT9 splitting from the TAS TV partnership.

TVT6 also won a number of TV Week Logie awards – when State-based categories were included – for its presenters and programs, including Graeme Smith, Trevor Sutton, Bert Taylor, Tom Payne, Ron Christie, Robyn Martin, KTV and Tasmania Today.

On 30 April 1994, TVT6 (TAS TV) and TNT9 (Southern Cross Network) took part in the statewide aggregation of their respective signals – giving Tasmanian viewers a choice of two commercial channels for the first time.  TAS TV, which had ties to Victorian regional network VIC TV, became an affiliate of the Nine Network, while Southern Cross struck up joint affiliation to both Seven and Ten networks.

In October 1994, TAS TV and VIC TV were sold to NSW-based regional network WIN Corporation, which already owned Nine Network regional affiliates in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory.  As a result the TAS TV and VIC TV identities were replaced with the WIN branding.

WIN and Southern Cross Television later became joint venture owners in the Tasmanian-based digital channel, TDT, which commenced transmission on 1 January 2004.

WIN still has an amount of local production based in Hobart, specifically the nightly WIN News, read by Anna McMahon, a Tasmanian who worked in her early career at TAS TV and for many years on the mainland for the Ten and Nine networks and recently returned to Tasmania to join WIN.

Source: The Mercury, 23 May 1960 and 24 May 1960.  Australian Television Information Archive, Australian TV Archive.

Kylie jokes about Neighbours return

Could Ramsay Street’s most famous daughter be talking of a return to the neighbourhood?

Kylie Minogue, who turns 42 next week, has joked to UK newspaper The Sun about reprising her 1980s Neighbours character, tomboyish Charlene Robinson:

"The other day I thought how much fun it would be to do it after years of saying never.  I've decided how it would work.  Charlene would screech up the drive in her souped-up Mini which she's been working on all the time.  I don't watch the show any more, but it could be fun to do that. It could be hilarious.''

Minogue joined Neighbours as a 17-year-old in April 1986.  Her prior TV appearances had included guest roles in series including The Sullivans and Skyways and more prominent roles in children’s shows Fame And Misfortune and The Henderson Kids.  The pairing of Minogue’s character with Jason Donovan’s Scott Robinson gave the Ten Network soap its biggest drawcard, creating the show’s first ‘super couple’ and earned massive ratings when the two characters tied the knot in July 1987.

Minogue left the series in 1988, after winning a TV Week Gold Logie, to pursue her then fledgling recording career, with Charlene last seen driving out of Ramsay Street to head off to a new life in Brisbane. 

Of course, the pop princess is known to have returned to her Aussie acting roots before – in 2004 she appeared in Kath And Kim as a grown-up Epponee-Rae Craig, an appearance that was seen as a light-hearted throwback to her former Neighbours character.  After the Kath And Kim appearance (pictured) she was also reported to have expressed disappointment that she was not offered an opportunity to appear in Neighbours for its 20th anniversary in 2005, but producers claimed that any efforts to approach her management about setting up a cameo appearance fell on deaf ears.

Perhaps, with the show hitting 25 years this year, it could be an opportune time to make amends?

Source: Herald Sun, Perfect Blend

New regional channels on the way

The expansion of digital television across the country will get an extra boost with the licencing and launch of digital-only channels in remote and regional Australia.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has announced that it has licenced a digital-only commercial television service to Central Television Pty Ltd to serve the Remote Central and Eastern Australia market, including the Mount Isa licence area.

Central Television Pty Ltd is a joint venture between the market’s existing commercial broadcasters, Imparja Television and Regional Television Pty Ltd (Southern Cross Television).  Imparja currently provides a Nine Network schedule to the region, while Southern Cross is a Seven Network affiliate.

The new channel has twelve months to commence broadcasting.

Meanwhile, ACMA has also announced a launch date for the digital-only television service to cover Regional Western Australia.  The new channel, announced almost a year ago, is a joint venture between existing broadcasters GWN (owned by Prime) and WIN and is set to commence rolling out across the state from 10 June.

The new channel will coincide with the rollout of digital simulcasts of the existing WIN and GWN services.

Source: ACMA, ACMA

TelevisionAU Update 10-May-10

http://www.televisionau.com

NEW FLASHBACK #54:
The behind-the-scenes workings of a fashion magazine formed the basis of the Seven Network's 1972 drama Catwalk, a 13-part spin-off of the former ABC series Dynasty.  Heading the cast was British actor John Forgeham as the magazine's fiery-tempered editor.  The cast line-up also included John Wood (pictured), Cecily Polson, Cornelia Frances and June Salter - the latter best known for her comic performances but in Catwalk takes on the role of a bitchy journalist and editor's assistant.  Picture: TV Week, 19 February 1972

CLASSIC TV GUIDES
Melbourne:
1989 (Family Double Dare debuts)
1989 (SBS screens the five-hour film epic, The Mahabharata)
1999 (Final Hey Hey It’s Saturday)

Victoria:
1961 (Official Opening GLV10 Gippsland)

Sydney:
1977 (US mini-series Roots debuts)

Canberra:
1983 (Network 0-28 extends to Canberra)

Brisbane:
1968 (Motel debuts in Brisbane)

Adelaide:
1974

Hobart:
1960 (Official Opening TVT6 Hobart)
1962 (Official Opening TNT9 Launceston)

TELEVISIONAU - THE HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN TELEVISION
http://www.televisionau.com
http://blog.televisionau.com
http://www.twitter.com/TelevisionAU
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/televisionau
http://au.youtube.com/user/TelevisionAU

ABW2 Perth turns 50

ABC’s Perth TV station, ABW2, turns 50 years old today, 7 May.

ABW2, the national broadcaster’s fifth TV station, conducted its first test transmissions from 19 April 1960 and had its opening night on Saturday 7 May 1960.  The opening night’s proceedings included fifteen minutes of speeches from dignitaries, including ABC Chairman Sir Richard Boyer, before the Postmaster-General CW Davidson officially opened the channel at 7.00pm.  More than 300 invited guests witnessed the opening night from ABW’s new Rosehill studios in Adelaide Terrace, Perth.

James Fisher read ABW2’s first news bulletin.  The rest of the evening featured Tales Of Wells Fargo and The Phil Silvers Show then British series Portraits Of Power and Boyd QC.  A sports review followed and then the night concluded with the prize winning documentary Up With Guba, the story of the development of New Guinea, before transmission closed at 10.35pm.

Some of ABW2’s early on-camera stars included Ian Beatty, Geoff Walker, Earl Reeve, Jim Fitzmaurice, John Treffry, Clive Hale (who later became a national ABC presenter) and presentation announcer Diana Ward, who won the first TV Week Logie award for Western Australia in 1962.  Later names included Greg Pearce, Anne Conti, Peter Holland, Geraldine Mellett and Susannah Carr.

 

ABW2 was based at Adelaide Terrace until 2005 when ABC moved radio and television operations into new premises at Fielder Street, East Perth.  The 600 square metre studio located at the new site ranks it almost equal to ABC’s studio facilities in Sydney and Melbourne.

To commemorate its 50th anniversary, ABW2 is inviting all current and former staff members to afternoon tea – as a homage to the ‘tea ladies’ that served at the station up until the early ‘80s – at the East Perth studios on Sunday 16 May from 2.00pm.  Anyone interested in purchasing tickets to the event ($25.00) are invited to contact 50yearreunionwa@abc.net.au

A more detailed account of the history of ABW2 can be found at WA TV History.

Murray Nicoll

Award winning journalist Murray Nicoll has died after a battle with leukaemia.

With a career spanning 45 years, including print, radio and television news, Nicoll, 66, won a Walkley Award for his coverage during the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires where he described to listeners of radio 5DN, Adelaide, the devastation of watching his own home burn down.  The report was broadcast around the world.

Nicoll has worked for ABC Radio and for Melbourne radio station 3AW.  For the last five years he has worked at Seven News in Adelaide.

Seven News chief Terry Plane paid tribute to Nicoll:

"The further he went into journalism, the more of a story teller he became.  Murray's had a remarkable career in journalism across radio, print and television and I think everyone here at Seven feels privileged to have spent the last five years of his career with him."

Murray Nicoll is survived by wife Frankie and daughters Tia and Peta.

Source: ABC, Adelaide Now

The 52nd TV Week Logie Awards

Home And Away actor Ray Meagher (pictured) has been awarded the TV Week Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.  Despite Meagher’s lengthy career, including 22 years on Home And Away, it is his first Logie award.

Home And Away also won an award for actor Luke Mitchell as Most Popular New Male Talent.  And Seven’s other drama Packed To The Rafters also swept up several awards last night – Most Popular Drama Series, Most Popular Actress (Rebecca Gibney) and Most Popular Actor (Hugh Sheridan).

Seven also won Most Outstanding News Coverage for Seven News’ coverage of the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria and Most Outstanding Sports Coverage for the V8 Supercars: Supercheap Auto Bathurst.  Better Homes And Gardens won Most Popular Lifestyle Show.

The Ten Network was well rewarded last night with two Logies for its hit show Masterchef Australia (pictured) – including Matt Preston winning the Graham Kennedy Award for Outstanding New Talent – and Talkin’ ‘bout Your Generation winning three Logies, including Shaun Micallef for Most Popular Presenter.  The 7PM Project also scored a win with Carrie Bickmore winning Most Popular New Female Talent, and Bondi Rescue won Most Popular Factual Program.

The Nine Network didn’t score all that well at last night – winning only one award for The Footy Show (NRL) as Most Popular Sports Program.

ABC won awards for Most Outstanding Children’s Program (My Place, ABC3) and for its Four Corners report, Code Of Silence.  SBS’ drama series East West 101 won two Logies – Most Outstanding Drama and Most Outstanding Actor (Don Hany) – and the telemovie Saved won Most Outstanding Actress for Claudia Karvan.

The tribute to those in the industry that have passed away in the last 12 months included a performance by PJ Lane, son of Don Lane (pictured), who was joined on stage by several performers from the earlier days of IMT and The Don Lane Show, including Philip Brady, Toni Lamond, Patti Newton, John Michael Howson and Geoff Harvey.

Bert Newton, hosting the awards solo for the first time since 1993, did an admirable job for what has become one of the toughest gigs in television – keeping up the tradition of topical humour as well as a candid interview with guest k.d. Lang.  Restoring Newton to the hosting role could be regarded as a safe option after the last few years’ instability in the Logies hosting, but he did well to restore some of the Logies’ sense of occasion.

Newton also presented an excellent introduction to the Hall of Fame presentation, with former Melbourne newsreader Brian Naylor (pictured) posthumously inducted in the TV Week Logie Awards’ Hall of Fame in an outstanding tribute including speeches by Naylor’s former colleagues Mal Walden, Peter Hitchener and Peter Mitchell.

Musical performances came from Gabriella Cilmi, k.d. Lang, John Mayer (who seemed rather disinterested in being at the awards) and the Rogue Traders.

Last night’s four-hour presentation at Melbourne’s Crown Casino earned an average of 1.4 million viewers for the Nine Network across the five cities – a decline on last year’s awards which were watched by 1.58 million viewers and the Red Carpet arrivals which scored 1.7 million viewers.  The Logies were beaten in the ratings last night by Nine News, Masterchef Australia and Seven News – though none of those had a four-hour run time and the Logies did not wind up until after 11.30pm.

Nine also won the night’s ratings convincingly with a 32.8 per cent share, well ahead of Seven (25.4%), Ten (19.1%), ABC1 (9.9%) and SBS1 (3.4%), with digital channels GO! (4.5%), 7TWO (2.5%), ONE (1.4%), ABC2 (0.7%), ABC3 (0.2%) and SBS2 (0.1%).

GOLD LOGIE:
Ray Meagher, Home And Away

SILVER: MOST POPULAR ACTOR
Hugh Sheridan, Packed to the Rafters
SILVER: MOST POPULAR ACTRESS
Rebecca Gibney, Packed to the Rafters
SILVER: MOST POPULAR PRESENTER
Shaun Micallef, Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation

MOST POPULAR DRAMA:
Packed to the Rafters, Seven
MOST POPULAR REALITY:
MasterChef Australia, Ten
MOST POPULAR NEW TALENT: MALE
Luke Mitchell, Home And Away
MOST POPULAR NEW TALENT: FEMALE
Carrie Bickmore, The 7PM Project
MOST POPULAR LIFESTYLE:
Better Homes and Gardens, Seven
MOST POPULAR LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT:
Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, Ten
MOST POPULAR SPORTS:
The Footy Show NRL, Nine
MOST POPULAR FACTUAL:
Bondi Rescue, Ten

OUTSTANDING AWARDS:

SILVER: MOST OUTSTANDING ACTOR:
Don Hany, East West 101
SILVER: MOST OUTSTANDING ACTRESS:
Claudia Karvan, Saved
SILVER: MOST OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES, MINISERIES OR TELEMOVIE:
East West 101, SBS1
MOST OUTSTANDING NEWS COVERAGE:
Victorian Bushfires, Seven News
MOST OUTSTANDING PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORT:
Code of Silence, Four Corners, ABC1
MOST OUTSTANDING LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT:
Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, Ten
MOST OUTSTANDING SPORTS:
V8 Supercars: Supercheap Auto Bathurst, Seven
MOST OUTSTANDING CHILDREN'S:
My Place, ABC3
MOST OUTSTANDING FACTUAL:
Law And Disorder, SBS1

GRAHAM KENNEDY AWARD FOR MOST OUTSTANDING NEW TALENT:
Matt Preston, MasterChef Australia

TV WEEK LOGIE AWARDS’ HALL OF FAME:
Brian Naylor