Celebrating 50 years of capital viewing

George Barlin, now 96, was CTC7's first general manager when the inaugural broadcast was transmitted on June 2, 1962. He says there were plenty of naysayers who suggested a television station couldn't be launched with just 22 staff and couldn't turn a profit with a population then of 80,000 in Canberra and Queanbeyan.

''I was proud of it because, against all the odds and all the advice people who knew about TV told us, we succeeded. We were the first country station to turn a profit within our fifth month of operation,'' Mr Barlin said.

The station has had various incarnations over the years including Capital 7, Ten Capital and its current name, Southern Cross Ten. And last night staff past and present gathered at the Watson studios to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Among them were Mark Corcoran, now a reporter and producer for the ABC's Foreign Correspondent, who got his first paid job in journalism at CTC7 when he was employed as a cadet in 1985.

''They gave me a break,'' he said. ''It was a very steep learning curve. Lots of lost dog stories but a lot of fun. Really happy days.''

Helen Wyer was a teenager when she joined CTC7 as a receptionist in December, 1962. She still works at Southern Cross Ten almost 50 years later, now as its operations supervisor.

''It was a small staff so it was like working with a family,'' she said of the early days.

Shirley Brown (nee Nurse) was 16 when she was employed as program manager Bob Pennell 's secretary in April, 1962. ''None of us knew anything about television, but we learnt really fast.'' And how. Mrs Brown is now group business director for the WIN-TV corporation.

''I've loved every single day I've worked in television,'' she said.

The studios were moved to Watson in 1974. Greg Robson worked for the station for 17 years until 2001, presenting the weather, then sport, then news. ''I have fond memories. I had a wonderful time. That studio was my home for 17 years'' he said.

The station initially broadcast for five hours a night from 6pm. The first night's viewing including a documentary on the building of the station and transmitter on Black Mountain and the official launch of the broadcast by postmaster-general Charles Davidson. Mr Barlin said the thing he remembered most about that memorable night was the ''terrible din'' that threatened to drown out Mr Davidson's speech. The studio had a fibro roof and signs that warned tradesmen not to step on it were banging in the high winds. By night's end, Mr Barlin could afford to breathe a little easier.

''It was a feeling of relief because there'd been so much delay with the bureaucrats in Canberra about using Black Mountain,'' he said.

Jeremy Flynn, the general manager television operations for Southern Cross Austereo, the station's parent company, said it now had 170 staff and a more than 100 channel capacity. ''Plenty to be proud of, on many levels, through all of its 50 years to date,'' he said.