Australia's color television broadcasting started relatively late, with its first color TV programs airing in 1975, about a decade later than most countries in the world. In anticipation of the arrival of the color television era, television stations made full preparations, striving to bring a refreshing experience to the audience. This included upgrading broadcast equipment and training staff to handle the new technology effectively.
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03-03, 2025Channel Seven, prior to the launch of color television, specifically reminded viewers to beware of unscrupulous merchants who might use inferior methods to convert black and white televisions. At the same time, they arranged a series of dance performances, aimed at fully demonstrating the potential of modern color television technology. Brands such as Philips Natural Television also launched creative advertisements, claiming that their color reproduction was extremely high, even attracting pets to crawl into the television. These marketing efforts highlighted the vibrant and lifelike images that color TV could offer.
Thirty seconds before midnight on February 28, 1975, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)'s "Aunty Jack Show" officially unveiled color television, a moment that permanently changed Australian television history. Graham Bond, the show's creator and star, was quite rebellious in the 1970s, and he was surprised when invited to lead Australian television into the color era. "In 1975, director Maurice Murphy came to me and said, 'The ABC wants you to introduce color television,'" Bond recalled. This decision reflected a desire to make a bold statement with the introduction of color broadcasting.
"The 'Aunty Jack Show' had always been a headache for the ABC, often being banned. I thought at the time, 'You're kidding, they hate me!' But he replied, 'No, no, no, they're giving you another chance.' Okay, let's give it a try," Bond said. The initial plan was for all Australian television channels to switch to color broadcasting at midnight on the same day (March 1, then known as C-Day). Bond created a skit for the show about the arrival of color television, but as was typical of Aunty Jack's style, she had a trick up her sleeve. This added an element of unpredictability and humor to the momentous occasion.
Bond revealed: "We didn't broadcast it on March 1st, but at 11:59:30 pm on February 28th - we tricked the ABC. Because it was pre-recorded, we told them everything happened at midnight, but it didn't. We scooped Channels Nine, Ten, and Seven." The skit told the story of how the protagonist, Aunty Jack, hated color television and tried to stop its arrival. Bond said: "It was probably the most surreal introduction to color television in the world. In the skit, Thin Arthur looks out the window and says, 'Aunty Jack, color's here! The grass is green!' Aunty Jack says, 'Ergey pergey, I hate color,' and so on. Then, Garry McDonald appears in full regalia, in incredible color." This unconventional approach made the introduction of color television truly memorable.
Despite the late introduction of color television in Australia, Australians quickly embraced the new technology. In just 18 months, the penetration of color television reached the levels that took the United States 8 years, the United Kingdom 7 years, and Japan 5 years to achieve. Within five years of its launch, nearly 80% of Australian households owned a color television. According to Tara Marynowsky, curator at the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA), there was "a strong sense of FOMO (fear of missing out)" in Australia before the introduction of color television. This pent-up demand contributed to the rapid adoption rate.
Ms. Marynowsky said: "Australians waited a long time for color television. We definitely had a sense of FOMO as the rest of the world caught up with us." She also stated that it wasn't just the audience who were excited. "Every television station had its own 'big bang' moment," she said. "This major shift was really quite dramatic. The 'Aunty Jack Show' was one of the ABC's big moments. I think the commercial stations really wanted to make a big splash, so there were a lot of dancing girls on screen, really emphasizing the moment of color." This widespread enthusiasm reflected the transformative impact of color television.
Television stations did broadcast color test signals before C-Day, but only those who already owned color televisions could see them. Ms. Marynowsky said: "If people had their color televisions ready, they would see color bars and test strips on the screen. But then only a few programs were in color. So if you looked at the TV guide, you had to check if there was a C next to the program - if not, it meant it was still in black and white. We were still catching up, and the world was still creating black and white content for a long time. But interestingly, we did create a lot of color television programs in the 60s, and then we were able to watch them in color for the first time." This transition period involved a mix of both color and black-and-white programming.
However, simply having programs recorded in color was not enough to bring color television to Australia; technical efforts were also required. Terry Willards, Patrick Conroy, and Richard Winston told ABC Canberra how they spent about three years converting transmitters around New South Wales and Canberra to color. When they arrived around New South Wales and Canberra to fix the main transmitters, they would often encounter police who suspected them of foul play. This highlights the logistical challenges and security concerns associated with upgrading the broadcasting infrastructure.
Mr. Conroy said: "We were often welcomed into towns because after a while, people knew what we were there to do, we were there to bring them color television, and they were very excited about it. So, when people knew you were bringing them color television, you were always a popular guest at the pub or restaurant, and you could get a few free drinks." Mr. Willards said the project took two to three years because the transmitter network was so vast. "It's spread over a very large area, the whole of New South Wales, and in those days, in some places there was only the ABC, no commercial television. So, for the locals, the transition from black and white to color was something they were very interested in." This illustrates the positive impact of the project on local communities and the anticipation surrounding the arrival of color television.
