GTV-9 was amongst the first television stations to begin regular transmission in
Australia. Test transmissions began on 27 September 1956, introduced by former
3DB radio announcer
Geoff Corke, based at the Mount Dandenong transmitter, as the studios in Richmond were not yet ready. The station covered the
1956 Summer Olympics which
Melbourne hosted., the 1956
Carols By Candlelight and the
Davis Cup tennis as part of its test transmissions. The station was officially opened on 19 January 1957 by Victorian Governor
Sir Dallas Brooks from the studios in Bendigo Street, Richmond. GTV-9 was the third television station to launch in Victoria after
HSV-7 and
ABV-2, on 19 January 1957. A clip from the ceremony has featured in a number of GTV-9 retrospectives, in which the Governor advises viewers that if they did not like the programs, they could just turn off. The Richmond building, bearing the name
Television City, had been converted from a
Heinz tinned food factory, also occupied in the past by the
Wertheim Piano Company (from 1908 to 1935). A cornerstone, now visible from the staff canteen courtyard, was laid when construction of the Piano factory began.
Eric Pearce was appointed senior newsreader in the late 1960s, after having been the first newsreader at rival station
HSV-7. He held that position for almost twenty years. In 1957, GTV-9's first large-scale production was the nightly variety show
In Melbourne Tonight (
"IMT"), hosted by
Graham Kennedy. Kennedy was a radio announcer at
3UZ in Melbourne before being 'discovered' by GTV-9 producer
Norm Spencer, when appearing on a GTV-9 telethon.
Bert Newton moved from HSV-7 to join Kennedy.
IMT continued for thirteen years, dominating Melbourne's television scene for most of that time. It set a precedent for a number of subsequent live variety programmes from the station. Ownership has changed over the decades. The station was first licensed to the
General Television Corporation Ltd., a consortium of two newspapers,
The Argus and
The Age, together with cinema chains
Hoyts,
Greater Union, Sir Arthur Warner's Electronic Industries, JC Williamson's Theatres, Cinesound Productions, and radio stations
3XY,
3UZ,
3KZ. In early 1957 The Argus was acquired by
The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, and the paper was closed on the same day that GTV-9 officially opened. The Herald in turn sold its interests in the station to Electronic Industries, later acquired by UK television manufacturer
Pye, in 1960. Because of the restriction on foreign ownership of television stations, GTV-9 was then sold to
Frank Packer's
Australian Consolidated Press, which already owned
TCN-9 in
Sydney, resulting in the formation of the country's first commercially owned television network. Prior to this GTV-9 was affiliated with
ATN-7 in Sydney. Son
Clyde Packer ran the network for some time, until a falling out led to a handover to younger son
Kerry Packer. In the 1980s the network was sold to
Alan Bond, but later bought back at a much lower price. Following the death of
Kerry Packer, his son
James Packer progressively sold down his stake in the network. (See also
Publishing and Broadcasting Limited.) Along with most Australian TV stations, GTV-9 commenced
colour test transmissions in October 1974. The official changeover took place at 12.00am on Saturday 1 March 1975. In 1976, GTV-9 became the first Australian television station to commence permanent 24-hour transmission. In 2001 the station commenced
digital television broadcasting, in line with most other metropolitan stations. GTV-9 continued broadcasting in analogue on
VHF9, with a digital simulcast on
VHF8. In 2010 it was announced to public and then staff, that after 54 years at Bendigo Street, Richmond, GTV-9 would move day-to-day operations including News and commercial sales to 717 Bourke Street, Docklands. On 25 October 2010, it was announced that GTV-9 would begin producing larger scale studio productions, such as The Footy Show, Hey Hey its Saturday, and Millionaire Hotseat from the new
Docklands Studios Melbourne.{{cite web On 28 February 2011, GTV-9 broadcast its final live program – the 6pm edition of
Nine News – from the Richmond
Television City studios, and the following day began broadcasting news bulletins from 717 Bourke Street, Docklands. Also while their new
fibre link to their transmission site was being completed, a temporary
DVB-S2 link was put up on
Optus D1, which ceased at the end of the year. In 2012, no new programming has been produced out of the new studios. The network opted to move
A Current Affair and its host
Tracy Grimshaw to TCN-9 in Sydney. In May 2012, a lower powered permanent backup
DVB-S2 link for their transmission site was re-established on
Optus D1, which requires at least a two-metre solid receiving dish. ==Digital multiplex==