GTV (Australian TV station)

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.,[1] 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[2] by Victorian Governor Sir Dallas Brooks from the studios in Bendigo Street, Richmond.

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).

[citation needed] In 1957, GTV-9's first large-scale production was the nightly variety show In Melbourne Tonight ("IMT"), hosted by Graham Kennedy.

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.

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.

The 6PM main bulletin is also simulcast on community radio station Light FM and also streamed online.

After his first retirement, the subsequent American style "NewsCentre Nine" presented by Peter Hitchener did not rate well, so Pearce was persuaded to return in 1976, remaining until 1978.

Other main presenters of Nine News Melbourne included Tracy Grimshaw (1981–1993), and Tracey Curro, who also worked on Nine's 60 Minutes and Jo Hall (1998–2011).

Past weekend sport presenters in recent years have included Leith Mulligan (1999–2006), Heath O'Loughlin (2006–2008), Grant Hackett (2008–2009) and Lisa Andrews (2009–2011).