50 years of NZ television

At 7.30 pm tonight, it will be 50 years since the first TV programme in NZ. Some selected milestones from 18 pages TVNZ sent to me:

  • 1936 – BBC began television broadcasts
  • 1939 – NBC (US) began
  • 1956 – TV begins in Australia
  • 1960 – 1st transmission from studios at 7.30 pm 1/6/60, shows included Robin Hood and Howard Morrison
  • Aug 60 – Alma Johnson (photo below) becomes 1st female TV presenter
  • 1960 – a TV set cost the equivalent in 2010$ of $5,935
  • 1963 – first televised election coverage and Close Up debuts with Ian Johnstone
  • 1965 – over 50% of households now have TV
  • 1969 – first network news bulletin with Philip Sherry and Dougal Stevenson
  • 1972 – 1st live All Black test
  • 1973 – introduction of colour TV
  • 1975 – 1st Telethon
  • 1976 -Nice One Stu with Stu Dennison and Roger Gascoigne
  • 1977 – Fair Go starts and “A week of it” political satire
  • 1979 – 95% of homes have a TVand Bill Ralston joins TV2
  • 1984 – Karyn Hay fronts Radio with Pictures
  • 1989 – Holmes starts and TV3 starts
  • 1997 – start of Breakfast TV

TVNZ have also provided some of the shows on in each decade. Ones I recall watching are:

  1. 1960s – Lassie, Bonanza, Mr Ed, Dr Who, Get Smart, The Avengers, Man from Uncle, Bewitched, Mission Impossible, Ironside
  2. 1970s – Dad's Army, Monty Python, Two Ronnies, Alias Smith and Jones, , Six Million Dollar Man, Kojak, Basil Brush, It's in the Bag, Top Town, Starsky & Hutch, A Week of it, Are you being served, I Claudius, The Professionals, Happy Days, Soap
  3. 1980s – Mork & Mindy, Fawlty Towers, Minder, Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas, To the Manor Born, Benson, Billy T James, Gliding On, University Challenge, Hill Street Blues, , Ready to Roll, After School with Olly Olsen, Brideshead Revisited Love Boat, Hogan's Heroes, A Team, Night Rider, Date,
  4. 1990s – Holmes, Sale of the Century, Frontline, On The Mat, Counterpoint, Eyewitness, Assigment, Ralston Live, Flying Doctors, LA Law, Cheers, Young Ones, The Bill, Simpsons, Married with Children, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Thunderbirds, Dastardly & Mutley, Family Ties, Magnum PI, Star Trek, Doogie Houser, Macguvyer, Cosby Show, Beverly Hills 90210, 21 Jump Street, Casualty, Roseanne, American Gladiators, Seinfeld, The Nanny, Friends, Ally McBeal
  5. 2000s – Brothers & Sisters, Go Girls, Shortland Street, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, The Apprentice, American Idol, Two & a half men, Unauthorised History of NZ, Eating Lunch, Big Brother

That's a lot of shows, but I guess its has been a lot of years!

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