Researching ABC Rockhampton TV, 1963-85 : two decades of regional television broadcasting

In 1963, Rockhampton was chosen by the Australian Broadcasting Commission to become its first television station in Queensland. ABC Rockhampton TV belonged to a select number of outlets, which, in the days before aggregation and extensive networking, gathered and broadcast their own news and local programs to regional viewer. This article details the unearthing and preservation of records vital for this research, and uses these to document the highs and lows of the Rockhampton station. The authors argue that its history forms a neglected chapter in the ‘getting of regional television’ and the production of local content, and they provide an account of its early operations from its inception in 1963, overviewing its achievements and explaining the reasons for its abrupt demise in the mid-eighties. Additionally, they identify the achievements of particular programs and staff members, culminating in the personal tragedies which dogged the station and its community in the closing phase.