Timeline of Australian Television - 1980s

1980s

1980

• 20 January: Melbourne's ATV-0 converts to ATV-10.
• 14 July: Game show Sale Of The Century debuts on the Nine Network.
• 24 October: Channel 0/28 is launched by Bruce Gyngell in Sydney and Melbourne.

1982

• 28 June: The Nine Network Australia premieres Today.

1983

• 1 July: The Australian Broadcasting Commission becomes the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
• 16 October: Channel 0/28 expands into Canberra, Cooma and Goulburn, and changes its name to Network 0-28.

1985

• 18 February: Network 0-28 once again changes its name to SBS, and begins daytime transmissions.
• 4 March: The National, a one-hour national news and current affairs program shown from 6.30 pm, replaces ABC TV's half-hour 7.00pm state news bulletins.
• 18 March: Soap opera Neighbours begins on the Seven Network.
• 30 June: SBS Television expands into Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle, Wollongong, and the Gold Coast.
• 24 October: The ABC Board elects to abandon The National.

1986

• 5 January: SBS Television phases out its second VHF0 channel.
• 16 March: SBS launches in Perth and Hobart.
• 19 August: Treasurer Paul Keating, in his budget speech, announces the amalgamation of the ABC and SBS.

1987

• 26 March: Bob Hawke calls off the proposed amalgamation of the ABC and SBS.
• 17 April: Rage begins on ABC.
• 27 December: Adelaide stations SAS-10 and ADS-7 swap frequencies to become SAS-7 and ADS-10.

1988

• 2 January: Imparja Television launches in remote eastern and central Australia from studios in Alice Springs.
• 17 January: Home and Away premieres on the Seven Network as a two-hour pilot and begins as a regular weeknight soap opera the following evening.
• 20 May: NEW-10 launches in Perth.
• 10 September: TVQ-0 Brisbane becomes TVQ-10.

1989

• 31 March: Aggregation begins in southern New South Wales.