Photos of The 60s & 70s

In television, the weekly current affairs program Four Corners began in 1961. In the same year Profiles of Power, a series of interviews with prominent Australians, became the forerunner of the popular weekly program Monday Conference. Six years later, in 1967, the weeknight program This Day Tonight (TDT) began.

By mid-1961, direct television relays between Melbourne and Sydney were possible, as well as a direct relay between Sydney and Canberra. Less than two years later, for the first time, television programs from Adelaide were viewed simultaneously in Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne - made possible with the temporary establishment of microwave link facilities.

In radio, the half-hour morning current affairs program AM also began in 1967 and its evening counter-part PM began two years later.

Overseas offices were opened to service the growing number of radio and television programs, particularly news and current affairs. In 1956, the ABC's offices outside Australia were in London, New York and Port Moresby.

A South-East Asian representative was appointed to Singapore in 1956 and offices were opened in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur in 1964, in New Delhi and Tokyo in 1966, in Washington in 1967 and in Bangkok in 1972. (The ABC now also operates overseas offices in Amman, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Moscow, Nicosia and Singapore as well.)

At the beginning of Australian involvement in the Vietnam War in 1965, Radio Australia began broadcasting a special news bulletin for Australian and New Zealand troops in Vietnam, and between 1965 and 1972, 20 ABC correspondents provided coverage of the War from Vietnam.

In 1970, the ABC's east-west microwave television system was opened, linking western and eastern Australia. Two years later, the permanent Melbourne-Hobart TV bearer link was established and the TV link from Melbourne to Adelaide, via Mildura, was operating. In 1973, experiments began in access television. Almost a year later, on 1 March 1975, colour television began in Australia.

Those changes were matched by new television programming as well. Chequerboard, which began in 1971, looked at every-day Australians and the situations which shaped their lives. The magazine program on Australian motoring Torque, and Peach's Australia compered by TDT's first compere, Bill Peach began in 1975. There was the highly successful comedy program Aunty Jack in 1972 and, in 1974, the beginning of the popular rock music program, Countdown.

As early as 1971, the ABC began co-productions to meet the increasingly high cost of locally produced TV drama. Ben Hall andRushwere two of the popular co-productions of the early seventies. Seven Little Australians, screened in 1975, was another. All met with great success overseas.

ABC Radio was expanding too. Lateline, begun in 1973, focused on longer discussions about the issues of the day, including social issues, the media, arts and government. In 1975, The Science Show, one of the most popular and now long running radio programs also began.

In January, 1975 the ABC's first 24 hours a day rock station 2JJ, was opened (moving to the FM band in 1981, when it became 2JJJ). And four months later the Melbourne access station 3ZZ was opened but closed July 1977 due to funding cuts. In January 1976, ABC-FM Stereo was inaugurated from the new Adelaide studios, relaying also to Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. Programming on the new FM band concentrated on broadcasting fine music and arts programs. The ABC also began publishing a monthly magazine 24 Hours to provide listeners not only with a programming guide for the FM band, but relevant program notes and information.

There were other major innovations. The first ABC shop was opened in 1974. Also in 1975, the Australian Women's Broadcasting Cooperative (AWBC) was established and began producing its weekly program Coming Out Ready Or Not.

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