WBQ-8 began test transmissions in March 1965 from Granville in Maryborough. The first official transmission was on 10 April 1965.

After the broadcast of the official opening by Postmaster-General Mr Hume, the first program to air was “The Jack Benny show” followed by the Academy Award winning movie “From here to eternity” and then the late news. At just after 10pm the station closed for the night.

Gympie State High School visited the studios not long after the studios opened. We have a date of September 1966, but this is not confirmed.

View the video here on YouTube

Originally a news broadcast on Wide Bay Television.
This film was originally produced by WBQ 8 and was reproduced as 7 Extract from the Archives project. The project was supported by an innovation grant from the Library Board of Queensland.
© 2020 Seven Network and Gympie Regional Libraries

Prior to the official opening of WBQ-8 there were advertisements in the Gympie Times about the new television station.

Transmission testing took place over a couple of weeks prior to the official first broadcast.

It is Saturday 10 April 6pm and the Postmaster-General gave the first official broadcast and announced the opening of WBQ-8. It was the Postmaster-General who managed television broadcasters.

You can read more about the history of WBQ-8 by clicking here

The Gympie Times reported on the opening of WBQ-8 and so did the local electrical shop.

Watch the visit of the Gympie State High School to the WBQ-8 studios here (YouTube).

Originally a news broadcast on Wide Bay Television.
This film was originally produced by WBQ 8 and was reproduced as 7 Extract from the Archives project. The project was supported by an innovation grant from the Library Board of Queensland.
© 2020 Seven Network and Gympie Regional Libraries