Channel 7 launches colour television

For one surreal week in February 1975, colour TV was both here and not here. Test broadcasts had been running for months, but the Australian Broadcasting Control Board ordered a full blackout of colour programming after 6 pm between 24 and 28 February 1975 in the lead-up to C-Day. The idea? Maximum impact. The first moments of colour had to land with a bang – and when 1 March arrived, they did.

TV stations treated the switch like a grand performance. Some counted down to midnight, others launched with glossy promos and over-the-top fanfare. Families crowded around their brand-new sets, while those without peered into shop windows, eager to see the world beyond black-and-white. The colours weren’t subtle – blues blazed, reds popped and skin tones took on a whole new life (sometimes a little too much). In this clip from 7 Perth: The First 50 Years (2009), Channel 7 captures the moment the screen changed forever.