TCN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia and is located at Willoughby. The license, issued to a company named Television Corporation Ltd headed by Frank Packer, was one of the first four licenses (two in Sydney, two in Melbourne) to be issued for commercial television stations in Australia.
History
TCN began broadcasting on 16 September 1956, and became the first station in Australia to begin regular transmissions. The first TV tower was built there in 1956[2] [3] [4] [5] [6], but was replaced by a taller one which is the tallest lattice tower in Australia at 233 metres and is now operated by TXA Australia which operates another tower nearby at Artarmon.
The first words spoken on the station were by John Godson, who introduced the station audio-only[7], shortly before the first program, This Is Television, was introduced by Bruce Gyngell, the first person to appear on Australian television, however original footage of this program does not exist. Gyngell again said this passage in 1959 for archival purposes. Other early programming included the 1958 variety music program Bandstand which was launched by Brian Henderson. It lasted for 14 years on the station and launched the careers of many Australian performers.
In 1957, the station formed an affiliation with Melbourne station HSV-7, allowing them to share programming. In 1963, station affiliations changed; TCN-9 formed part of the National Television Network with GTV-9 in Melbourne, QTQ-9 in Brisbane and NWS-9 in Adelaide. These stations formed the basis of what is now the Nine Network, although only the Sydney and Melbourne stations were owned by the Packer-controlled company Nine Network Limited.
On Frank Packer's death in 1974 ownership of Nine Network passed to his younger son Kerry Packer. Kerry's older brother Clyde Packer had been groomed to take over from their father but after a bitter split with his father ca. 1970 he relinquished his role in the company and subsequently moved to the USA.
Bruce Gyngell welcoming television broadcasting in Australia via TCN-9.
In December 1987, Kerry Packer sold the Sydney and Melbourne stations to Alan Bond's Bond Media for $1055 million, including $200 million in shares of Bond Media. Bond already owned the Perth and Brisbane Nine affiliate stations (among others). In 1990, Bond Media's inability to pay out preference shares to Packer forced Nine into receivership. In July 1990, Packer bought back the expanded Nine network (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth stations) for only $200 million, one-fifth of what he sold it for.
In 1994 Packer's print operations (owned by Australian Consolidated Press) and the Nine Network were merged into one new company, Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL). On 1 October 1997, TCN-9 performed the first on-air trial of digital broadcasting in the southern hemisphere.
Production
Drama
News
Entertainment
Past
News
- Further information: National Nine News
National Nine News Sydney is now anchored by Mark Ferguson, with Ken Sutcliffe presenting sport Sundays to Thursdays and Stephanie Brantz presenting sport on Fridays and Saturdays. Jaynie Seal presents the weather Sunday to Thursday, with Mike Bailey presenting on Friday and Saturday.
Jim Waley when he signed off in March 2005 as the bulletin's major weekday presenter. Waley had been the longest serving presenter at the time, following the retirement of Brian Henderson way back in 2002. with Waley's retirement, Nine Network went to introduce and hand the National Nine Newsroom over to Mark Ferguson, when he finally became Sydney's major weeknight news anchor for the long-term.
Mike Munro presents on weekends Sydney & Darwin, alongside sport presenters Stephanie Brantz on Saturdays and Ken Sutcliffe on Sundays. Mike Munro and Michael Usher are regular fill-in presenters for public holidays.
Current Newsreaders
Past Newsreaders
References
- ^ HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
- ^ Communications - TV - the mast of Australia's first television transmitter, TCN rises 561 feet from the site of a former dairy at Willoughby, near Sydney http://naa16.naa.gov.au/rs_images/ShowImage.php?B=7654355&S=1&T=P National Archives of Australia 1956 Retrieved on 2008-03-14
- ^ Communications - TV - the 75-foot antenna of Australia's first television transmitter, TCN Channel 9 at Willoughby, five miles from Sydney, NSW http://naa16.naa.gov.au/rs_images/ShowImage.php?B=7654345&S=1&T=P National Archives of Australia 1956 Retrieved on 2008-03-14
- ^ Communications - TV - view southwards from the top of the 486-foot tower which carries the antenna of TCN Australia's first television transmitter - Municipality of Willoughby, NSW http://naa16.naa.gov.au/rs_images/ShowImage.php?B=7654358&S=1&T=P National Archives of Australia 1956 Retrieved on 2008-03-14
- ^ Communications - TV - view southwards from the top of the 486-foot tower which carries the antenna of TCN Australia's first television transmitter - Municipality of Willoughby, NSW http://naa16.naa.gov.au/rs_images/ShowImage.php?B=7654357&S=1&T=P National Archives of Australia 1956 Retrieved on 2008-03-14
- ^ Communications - TV - suburban homes in Willoughby, near Sydney, NSW from the top of TCN's television tower http://naa16.naa.gov.au/rs_images/ShowImage.php?B=7654356&S=1&T=P National Archives of Australia 1956 Retrieved on 2008-03-14
- ^ Walker, Vanessa (2006-07-20). "TV's original voice speaks up", The Australian. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
See also
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