My name is Ray Penney & I worked as a television director in Adelaide, South Australia. I am 65 years of age & had been in the television industry since age 17. My career in television began as a property assistant in 1960 being one the first employees of NWS9, later becoming a Floor Manager & Senior Cameraman, working along side Dean Semler, Trevor lanyon, Dean Johnson, Ron Christie, John Trost, John Stapp, John Doughty, Rex Heading, Tony Ward, Joan Disher, Leonie Gaye, Bill Davies, Hal Turner, Roger Cardwell, Lionel Williams & the late Kevin Crease to name a few. Later I became a Director at NWS9. (At that time the youngest Director in Australia). NWS-9 began broadcasting on September 5, 1959. NWS-9 was the first television station broadcasting in Adelaide. NWS-9 studio is located at Tynte Street, North Adelaide. The station was owned by Rupert Murdoch who also owned The News newspaper. Popular shows produced in the past at NWS 9 include the variety show Adelaide Tonight, science show The Curiosity Show, The Country and Western Hour, children's show Channel Niners. In July 1965 I moved to SAS10 (now SAS7) as a Senior Director. (SAS-10, commenced broadcasting from Gilberton SA, on 26 July 1965. ) My last job was to direct AM Adelaide with Anne Wills, Steve Witham, Cherylee Harris, Jan Beasley, John Bowels and many other guest hosts, I directed the program at Channel 7 for 11 years.
SAS-7 was originally known as SAS-10, commencing broadcasting on 26 July 1965. On 27 December 1987, SAS-10 and ADS-7 switched broadcast channels, ADS moving to channel 10, SAS moving to channel 7. As the television industry was consolidating in Australia, these channels had each become associated by ownership with interstate stations bearing the opposite channel numbers, so to simplify network interaction, they agreed to swap channel assignments and network affiliations in Adelaide. ADS was owned by Kerry Stokes who also owned NEW-10 and Capital Television.23 SAS was owned by TVW-7.
The station celebrated 40 years in 2005 with a special television program "Made in Adelaide 40 Years of Television".
Popular television shows made during the SAS-10 era include children’s shows Fat Cat and Friends, The Early Birds, Crackerjack and Romper Room. Music shows included In Time, Trax and Simulrock. Popular variety talent shows included Adelaide’s New Faces and Pot Luck. There was also the long running daytime show Touch of Elegance. SAS 10 employed actor Hedley Cullen as horror host Deadly Earnest, who was also seen in WA. From 1973 to 1989 the Christmas Appeal telethon was held each year.
The popular television game show Wheel of Fortune originally commenced recordings in ADS-7 studios in July 1981 on the Seven Network and after the changeover to SAS-7 continued until July 1996 when the show moved to ATN-7 Sydney where it lasted to its cancellation in 2006.
Other popular shows after the change over included Fat Cat and Friends until 1992 and Trax until 1990.
Currently the station produces Discover, Seven News and the local edition of Today Tonight, which outrates the national A Current Affair.
The last edition of Seven News and Today Tonight was broadcast from the Gilberton studios in North Adelaide on 14 December 2007. The station then moved to new premises at Hindmarsh on the corner of Port Road and Adam Street, from where Seven News and Today Tonight are now broadcast.
1942--------------------------------- 1960’s-------------------------
--------1995------------------------2004-------------/2007--------------2010---
Programs I Directed -
National Nine News(NWS9) - The Channel Niners (NWS9) - - Ten Pin Bowling(NWS9) - Eyewitness News(Sas10) - At 10 on Ten(SAS10) - Kommotion(SAS10) - Romper Room (SAS10) - Trax the Music(SAS10) - I've got a secret(SAS10) - Movie Scene(SAS10) - Fat Cat and Friends(SAS10) - Eyewitness News - BoBo show(SAS10) - Crackerjack (SAS10) - Cartoon Carnival (SAS10) Today Show (SAS10) - Outside Broadcasts (NWS9 & SAS10/7) - Miss Personality Quest - AM Adelaide(SAS7)
Seven News Adelaide with John Riddell and Jane Doyle
Broadcast Centre Melbourne, centre of programming operations for the entire Network
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