CTC is a television station in Canberra, Australia. The station was the tenth to begin transmission in regional Australia, and the 26th station in Australia as a whole. CTC is owned and operated directly from Network 10. Just as it has had a number of owners, CTC has also had many different identities on-air – including CTC-TV, Super 7, Capital 7, 10 TV Australia, Capital Television, Ten Capital, Southern Cross Ten, Channel 9 and Channel 10. The station is owned and operated by Network 10.
History Origins The station's history can be traced back to 19 May 1958, when Canberra Television Limited (or CTL), a public company, was formed by executives of The Federal Capital Press of Australia Pty. Ltd. (owner of The Canberra Times newspaper) and Canberra Broadcasters Pty Ltd (owner of local radio station 2CA). Both companies injected A£45,000 (A$90,000) into the business in order to apply for the Canberra-area commercial television licence. The first chairman of the newly formed company was Arthur Shakespeare, founder of The Canberra Times.
Alongside four other applicants, CTL submitted their licence application to the Australian Broadcasting Control Board (ABCB) in April 1959. The company went public in September of the same year, on the Australian Securities Exchange in Sydney, offering 100,000 shares which were immediately oversubscribed, ending up with a total subscribed capital of A£300,000 (A$600,000). The two key shareholders in CTL made an agreement with all other shareholders that all shares were to be bought back in the event that they were unsuccessful in their licence bid — they need not have worried, since after a hearing of considerable length, the ABCB decided to grant CTL the licence in November 1960. The callsign for the station was to be CTC and the new service was to transmit on VHF channel 7.
Prior to the acquisition of the licence, CTL needed to find suitable sites for both a studio and a transmitter. Initially, Mount Ainslie (approximately 10 km north-east of Canberra's city centre, at an elevation of 842 m above sea level) was considered as a potential transmitter site. It was turned down, however, because it was already under the control of the Department of Civil Aviation (who would be unwilling to surrender or lease the site due to its proximity to the Airport and the Air Force base). It was also determined that a transmitter located atop Mount Ainslie would not provide ample coverage of the entire Canberra area (notable black-spots would have included the Woden and Belconnen districts), nor would there be enough room for the ABC's television transmitter (whose service was due to commence in December 1962) as well as CTC. Other sites considered included Mounts Gray, Bowning, Ginini and Bull's Head.
Ultimately, the site chosen for both the transmitter and the studio was Black Mountain, approximately 5 km west of the city centre at 812 m above sea level. Extensive tests from the site proved that it was the ideal location for the transmitter, with signals adequately covering the Canberra area. The ABC also decided to place their transmitter atop Black Mountain — both would be perched atop guyed masts (as opposed to towers) with each rising to 126 metres and 152 metres, respectively. ABC's studio would be located in Canberra city proper. In order to access the transmitters and studio, a road needed to be built up to the summit — construction commenced in July 1961. CTL were granted the lease to the Black Mountain site on 26 September 1961.
The studio complex, which, in later years, would be affectionately known as 'the tin shed' was planned, designed and constructed by Civil & Civic over a period of 28 weeks (from September 1961 – March 1962) at a total cost of £77,912 (A$155,824). Occupying a site, the complex featured a 140-square-metre studio area and was fitted out with RCA equipment — two TK-12 4½" image orthicon cameras were purchased for use in the studio at a cost of £8,000 (A$16 000) each. The transmitter (whose mast was erected in March 1962) was custom-designed by Co-El of Italy, and the mast EPT Limited in Sydney.
Test transmissions started on 2 April 1962 and local reports of excellent picture quality exceeded expectations in coverage area. It was reported the vast majority of Canberra and Queanbeyan viewers required no outside antenna at all. Viewers in Yass reported a perfect signal and homes in higher parts of Cooma also, unexpectedly, were able to receive CTC 7. Goulburn television retailers reported heavy set orders in the lead-up to CTC's commencement - though the town could already enjoy a television signal from WIN 4 Wollongong.
Opening night By the end of April 1962, both the studio and transmitter was completed and the first test patterns were transmitted. On 23 May 1962 at 5:45pm, the first live test transmission took place with the Safety Bureau Officer, Senior Constable T. A. M. Cooper presenting a 13-minute public service announcement on the proper use of fireworks.
Although CTC 7 commenced transmission at 6pm on 2 June 1962 with various program promotions and a documentary on the construction of the CTC studios, the official opening was not to take place until 7pm — as well as Postmaster-General Charles Davidson, CTL chairmen A. T. Shakespeare, Sir Patrick McGovern and station manager George Barlin also assisted with the opening proceedings. An introduction to CTC's on-screen personalities was followed by a news summary. Viewers were then treated to a film of the Queen's Birthday Procession from the military barracks at Duntroon (filmed earlier that day), followed by an hour of variety with The B.P. Super Show hosted by Margaret Fonteyn. The detective series Michael Shayne made its premiere on CTC then a kinescope of the opening ceremony was screened. The first night's programming concluded with an epilogue and a preview of the following day's programs before ending transmission at 10:30pm.
Welcoming the neighbours On 18 December 1962, CTC-7's first television rival, ABC-3, commenced broadcasting in Canberra. CTC manager George Barlin welcomed the arrival of the new station, which would viewers in the area would have a 'complete television service'. Mr Barlin pointed out there had been a great enthusiasm for television in the Canberra area, with around 42% of homes owning or renting a television within six months of the commencement of local television services.
CTC relayed its first program to another station on 11 October 1964, with a simulcast transmission of an Olympic Games presentation by RVN-2 in Wagga. Olympic Games reports were received at the new ABC-3 studios in Canberra, which was connected to ABN-2 Sydney via coaxial cable. The video-taped footage was then prepared for screening by CTC-7 that evening. RVN-2 installed new receiving equipment to repeat a clear signal from Canberra.
1970s – Colouring the Capital
CTC was a pioneer of colour television, commissioning the first purpose-built colour production studio and film laboratory in Australia. The new facility in Watson opened in October 1974 costing over $2 million and boasted sales and administration, a full size production studio supplemented by two smaller studios for commercial recordings and on-air presentation. As the facility was fully equipped only with colour equipment over 80% of the broadcasts were in colour, five months before the official commencement date of 1 March 1975. Although technically in breach of the Australian Broadcasting Control Board rules, CTC was the first television station in Australia to broadcast the majority of its output in colour. A rare piece of CTC colour news film from 21 October 1974 can be seen at the National Film & Sound Archive.
1980s – From Super 7 to Channel 10 Kerry Stokes acquired a majority stake in CTC from John Fairfax & Sons warehousing company Surita on 7 May 1980, heading off a rival bid from Television Wollongong Transmissions Ltd (owners of WIN 4) which had increased its stake from 5 to 15 per cent. At the time Stokes owned a share in the Golden West Network in Western Australia. The station shrugged off its decidedly 70s Super 7 branding and the call sign letters CTC were reintroduced to the station identity.
The 1980s were an exciting time in Canberra a new, but maturing city. Telecom Tower, a broadcasting facility atop Black Mountain opened on 15 May 1980 and quickly became a major Canberra landmark. A vital link for television and telephone connections between Sydney and Melbourne, the tower also became the transmission site for CTC's primary VHF 7 signal alongside ABC on VHF 3 and ABC FM 101.9. CTC's original studio building was demolished to make way for the tower and the station produced a 12-minute film on the construction of Telecom Tower which was shown at the visitor's centre.
No sooner had Telecom Tower opened, work commenced on Canberra's other most prominent landmark – a new Parliament House. A building so large it would have its own unique postcode. On 1 July 1981, CTC embarked upon a massive rebrand. A new logo whose design and colours were based on the Australian national flag was introduced and Capital 7 burst on to screens. Reflecting Canberra's status as the heart of the nation, the station produced a 60-second feel-good promo and promotional 45 RPM single, Song for Canberra which featured early earthworks at Parliament House and showcased a vibrant and young capital.
Under Stokes the number of broadcast hours increased and the local news bulletin was scaled up from a 15-minute auxiliary to a full local, national and international service. In 1982 breakfast television commenced on CTC, with a relay of Nine Network programming. Canberra's only commercial television station beginning to more closely resembling a metropolitan station and in 1983 CTC celebrated 21 years of broadcasting. The station celebrated with a slight re-brand and the introduction of a new jingle Look at Us. A one-minute promo explaining to the viewers how professional the new image was went to air that year.
CTC's second rival, Network 0-28 (now SBS), was officially launched in Canberra on 14 October 1983 - its first expansion outside Sydney and Melbourne. Commencing at 6.58pm with the national anthem, the channel launch was officiated by the Prime Minister in a program called Bringing the World Back Home, also the station's slogan at the time. Network 28 was Canberra's first UHF television station and broadcast UHF Documentary to explain to viewers how to receive it. A telephone survey conducted after the first weekend of broadcast found that 74% of Canberrans could receive UHF and of those, 65% found the network's programs more interesting than those on ABC and Capital 7.
In 1987 the Broadcasting (Ownership and Control) Act replaced the Two TV Station rule – which had capped ownership of Metropolitan TV stations at two – with a 60% Reach rule. This would pave the way for major changes in television ownership in Australia as the three television networks expanded beyond Sydney and Melbourne, buying their affiliates in other capitals. At the time Kerry Stokes owned ADS in Adelaide, CTC in Canberra and had just won the licence for NEW in Perth. Stokes had planned to buy the Seven Network from John Fairfax & Sons which would have seen CTC align with ATN in Sydney and HSV in Melbourne. Stokes offered $100 million more than rival Christopher Skase for Seven, but was ultimately unsuccessful.