1981 in Australian television

This article is a summary of 1981 in Australian television.

Events

Television

• 15 February - Channel Nine Celebrates 25 Years Of Television, hosted by Bert Newton^[1]
• 2 March - Network Ten introduces its new breakfast TV show, Good Morning Australia, marking the return of breakfast television to Australian television screens.
• 10 April - The TV Week Logie Awards air on Network Ten for the first time.
• 23 May - Nine Network premieres a brand new sports programme called Wide World of Sports.
• 27 July - Wheel of Fortune premieres on the Seven Network.
• 29 July - The Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer is broadcast across ABC and almost every commercial channel in Australia.
• 16 September - The Nine Network celebrates 25 years of television in Australia.
• 12 November - Final episode of the Australia soap opera The Restless Years airs on Network Ten.
• 15 November - The Nine Network premieres its Sunday morning political current affairs program Sunday, hosted by Jim Waley.
• 23 November - A Country Practice debuts on Seven Network.
• December - After a two year-battle, Rupert Murdoch's News Limited finally gains control of the Melbourne headquarters of Network Ten after appealing the decision by the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal which blocked the takeover.

Debuts

New International Programming

• 4 March - Worzel Gummidge (ABC)
• 4 March - Leatherstocking Tales (ABC)
• 26 August - The Swish of the Curtain (ABC)
• 7 September - Wayne and Shuster (ABC)
• 22 October - Tenko (ABC)
• 18 November - It's a Living (Nine Network)
• 18 November - Ladies' Man (Nine Network)
• Matt and Jenny (ABC)

Television shows

1950s

• Mr. Squiggle and Friends (1959–1999)

1970s

• Hey Hey It's Saturday (1971–1999, 2009–2010)
• Young Talent Time (1971–1988)

1980s

• Sale of the Century (1980–2001)
• A Town Like Alice, mini-series produced by Network Seven.

Ending this year

References

1. ↑ "TV Guide 15 February 1981". TELEVISIONAU.