TCN-9

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

TCN-9 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. When it began broadcasting on 16 September 1956, it became the first station in Australia to begin regular transmission. The network decided that the Willoughby studio site will close and facilities will be relocated to purpose built studios in Macquarie Park – next door to Foxtel's headquarters following the opening of the Chatswood to Epping Rail Link.

The first words spoken on the station were by John Godson, who introduced the station audio-only^[1], shortly before the first program, This Is Television, was introduced by Bruce Gyngell, the first person to appear on Australian television. 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 Australians.

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 have been owned by Packer's company.

On Frank Packer's death in 1974, station ownership was passed to his son Kerry Packer.

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.