The article is divided into the following sections:

History Programming References

History

On the 28th July 1958, the Australian Broadcasting Control Board commenced hearings on the new commercial licence for the Perth area. Two applicants were considered for the licence - TVW Limited (chaired by Managing Editor of West Australian Newspapers Limited, James Edward Macartney) and Western Television Services Limited (chaired by Sir Alexander Reid, chancellor of the University of Western Australia and member of the Commonwealth Grants Commission).

TVW Limited was granted the licence by the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs on the 13th October 1958, upon which Jim Cruthers was appointed to the position of General Manager, and Brian Treasure became Sales Manager of TVW. Lloyd Lawson was appointed Programme Manager, only to be later relieved of his post in April 1960, handing over the role to Brian Treasure.

Opening night programmes included imported programmes Leave It To Beaver, Sea Hunt and Father Knows Best. The local variety programme Spotlight hosted by Phillip Edgley and featuring Rolf Harris also made its debut - Harris had been enticed back from London to host TVW's children's show.

TVW-7 was host broadcaster of the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, providing coverage to TV stations across Australia.

While capital cities in the eastern states had three commercial channels by the mid-1960s, Perth was limited to TVW-7 and STW-9, which began in 1965. This was largely due to the smaller population of Perth, and also the relative isolation to the eastern states and the lack of infrastructure to cheaply transport programs to the west.

In a strategy to keep prices down in buying programmes for Perth, TVW-7 and STW-9 formed a joint venture company (in 1965) to purchase programmes from the three eastern states networks (Seven, Nine and 0-10) and split them evenly between the two channels. Though TVW-7 did have the advantage of having stockpiled programmes in previous years, saving them up to pit against STW-9 upon its arrival.

In 1968, TVW-7 presented its first annual Telethon, a tradition that continues today.

In 1971, TVW-7 purchased Adelaide television channel SAS-10, and launched a new local morning programme Today with Stephanie Quinlan.

TVW-7 converted to colour transmission on March 1, 1975.

In 1982, the station was purchased by James Holmes a Court.

In 1987, it was the host broadcaster of Australia's America's Cup defence.

In 1988 with the arrival of the third commercial channel (NEW-10) in Perth, TVW-7 joined the Australian Television Network (now the Seven Network). Also in that year, the station was purchased by Christopher Skase, along with Adelaide's SAS-7. This now meant that all stations in the Seven Network were owned by the one company.

On 1 January 2001, TVW-7 began digital television transmission on VHF channel 6, in simulcast with the analogue signal on channel 7.

Programming

In the late 1970s, TVW-7 produced the game show Family Feud hosted by Tony Barber. The programme was picked up for screening on BTQ-7 Brisbane and ADS-7 Adelaide but initially did not make it to Sydney and Melbourne. That was until the Nine Network stations in those cities (TCN-9 and GTV-9) took up the programme and subsequently production shifted from Perth to GTV-9. The programme continued the unusual situation of screening on Seven in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, and Nine in Melbourne and Sydney, until production wound up in 1984.

The channel's top-rating newsreading team, Rick Ardon and Susannah Carr, began in 1984.

Michael Jackson was the star attraction to Telethon in 1985, and in 1986, TVW produced FMTV a weekly music video program simulcast on radio 96FM.

Channel 7 was the last TV station in Perth to switch to 24hr broadcasting in early 2000.

References

Fisher, Eric (1985) "The Introduction of Television into Western Australia", The Moving Image: Film and Television in Western Australia 1896-1985, Perth, Western Australia: History and Film Association of Australia (available at http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/film/image/Fisher.html)