IMT was broadcast live from the studios of GTV 9 | Richmond Television City.
GTV 9 Richmond Television City located in Bendigo Street, Richmond is one of Melbourne’s most iconic buildings.
GTV (General Television Corporation) owned by the Nine Network broadcast shows from its ‘Television City’ for 54 years.
Building
The building was constructed in 1909 for the German-born piano manufacturer Hugo Wertheim.
The building is a Federation Free Style red brick building with rendered detailing and with a terracotta tiled roof. The main Bendigo Street elevation consists of two identical two-storey pyramid-roofed pavilions linked by a single-storey section surmounted by a curved rendered parapet.
The facade is divided by brick piers rising up through the parapet and finished with moulded rendered cappings. Moulded rendered string courses run across the elevations between the brick piers, and the brick spandrel panels above the windows are decorated with diamond patterns in black brick.
The ground floor windows have segmental arched heads with moulded brick voussoirs, and those on the first floor have moulded rendered lintels and sills. The metal-framed windows are not original, and probably date to the Heinz ownership. There are two brick wings at the rear in a simpler style, both originally of one storey.
Tenants
The building has been occupied by the Wertheim Piano Company (1908-1935), then Heinz (tinned food factory) (1935-1955) and then GTV9 (1955-2011). Technically the building is in Burnley, a suburb in the suburb of Richmond.
TV shows
Australia’s first official television broadcast was made by GTV 9 from Studio 1 on 27 September 1956.
As a television studio the building was home to iconic TV shows including In Melbourne Tonight, Footy Show, Hey Hey it’s Saturday, The Price Is Right, Sale of the Century, The Don Lane Show, The Ernie Sigley Show, The Graham Kennedy Show, The Sullivans, New Faces,
Today
GTV 9 vacated the premises in 2011/2012.
The front and side sections of the heritage-listed building are apartments with residents with a new multi-storey complex under construction at the rear.
If you ever ambled down a side-street and into Studio 9 to watch a live show, these are now all apartment blocks. Sadly, Studio 9 – which was not part of the heritage listing – is completely demolished. That’s despite it being home to Gra-Gra, Don, Bert, Daryl and the thousands of guests that entertained us. It’s now a road. Yup.
The reception area facing Bendigo Street has had its wall removed and is now an archway path, opening to a courtyard. The courtyard is where the Channel Nine pool once used to be.
There’s a large interior space, which looks multi-purpose or yet to be completed, where Nine News studios once were. Might become a cafe, not sure. The old cafeteria, once the butt of many a joke, is also apartments fronting Bendigo Street.
At least the site has retained its signage including GTV9 and Television City, adding in Studio Nine. Source: tvtonight.com.au
Facebook: GTV 9 Richmond Television City
I have loved the studio’s since a young child. spent many a day or night there. I currently run a Facebook page where I have kept a complete history from the day channel 9 vacated the old Richmond site.
I have thousands of pictures and video’s from before they moved to Docklands right through with a weekly photo shoot from inside the empty old studio’s make up rooms gold rooms also the studio control rooms.most of what you see history gone the place now is not known as a famous old landmark anymore as it has lost it’s soul.
Graeme Zerna
