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This article is about the Australian television station. For other uses, see TCN (disambiguation).

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TCN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia and is located at Willoughby. The licence, issued to a company named Television Corporation Ltd headed by Frank Packer, was one of the first four licences (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. Test broadcasts, initially consisting of a test slide and later documentaries and dramas, had commenced two months earlier on 13 July 1956.[1] 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. As Godson's voice only was heard, Gyngell (who spoke and was seen) is regarded as the first person to "appear" on Australian television. Original footage of Gyngell's opening address is not believed to exist, with the oft-screened "opening" footage being re-created 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.


In December 1987, Kerry Packer sold the Sydney and Melbourne stations to Alan Bond's Bond Media for $1.055 billion, 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

Filmed at Willoughby

Studio 1: Today

Weekdays

  • Today (introduced 1982, produced in High Definition)
  • Kerri-Anne (2002–present, produced in High Definition)
  • Nine News Sydney (produced in High Definition)

Weekends

Studio 2: Lifestyle and Entertainment

Studio 3: Nine Newsroom

Off site

TCN 9 Tower at Willoughby

Filmed at FOX Studios, Moore Park

  • Hi-5 (1999–present)

Filmed by Sony Entertainment

  • Nine Presents (2003–present)

Past

News

Further information: [[:Nine News]]

Nine News Sydney is TCN's flagship nightly news bulletin presented by Peter Overton on Sunday to Friday nights and Georgie Gardner on Saturday nights. Sports news is presented by Ken Sutcliffe on Sunday to Thursday nights and Cameron Williams on Friday and Saturday nights. Jaynie Seal presents weather forecasts on weeknights. Allison Langdon, Leila McKinnon and Wendy Kingston are the regular fill-in presenters.

Brian Henderson was Nine's Sydney newsreader for a record 45 years - including 38 years presenting on weeknights. Retiring in November 2002, Henderson was succeeded as weeknight anchor by Jim Waley. Waley was at the time host of the Sunday program, and was one of Nine's most experienced presenters.

In March 2005, after falling ratings against Seven's Ian Ross, Waley was replaced as weeknight anchor by Mark Ferguson, who was previously the main weekend anchor in Sydney. Ferguson's successor as weekend presenter - Mike Munro - resigned in 2008 and was replaced by Michael Usher.

In 2009, following a continuing run of poor ratings, Mark Ferguson was demoted to his former role as weekend newsreader, with Peter Overton taking over as chief anchor on weeknights. Later in the year, Ferguson was removed from presenting Sydney bulletins after announcing his decision to move to the Seven Network. Georgie Gardner was appointed as Saturday night anchor with Peter Overton now also presenting the Sunday night bulletin.

Presenters

Main anchors

Sport presenters

Weather presenters

Reporters

Past presenters

References

  1. ^ "First test broadcast by TCN". The Daily Telegraph, 1956-14-07. Page 1.
  2. ^ 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 14 March 2008
  3. ^ 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 14 March 2008
  4. ^ 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 14 March 2008
  5. ^ 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 14 March 2008
  6. ^ 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 14 March 2008
  7. ^ Walker, Vanessa (20 July 2006). "TV's original voice speaks up". The Australian. Retrieved 20 July 2006.

See also

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