Horror movie: it's the 6.30 news that almost killed HSV-7 in 1987

Melbourne's HSV-7 had a distinctly local flavour until a Sydney-based takeover in 1987 changed its character and caused a ratings bloodbath.

The 1980s were turbulent years in media circles as a host of players jostled for a piece of the pie.

Although it shared some programming with Fairfax-owned ATN-7 in Sydney and BTQ-7 in Brisbane, HSV had been owned by the Herald and Weekly Times, which established HSV and radio station 3DB and owned Adelaide’s ADS-7 on the strength of its suite of newspapers including The Herald, The Sun and the Weekly Times.

After a long bidding war against West Australian billionaire Robert Holmes a Court, who owned TVW-7 in Perth, Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited took control of HWT in January 1987.

The following month, News Limited sold HSV-7 to Fairfax for an estimated $320 million – big money for a single TV station.

Fairfax had coveted Melbourne’s HSV-7 for years, looking to link it with its Sydney and Brisbane stations.

The ink was barely dry on the contracts when the Sydney suits went to work.

The first casualty was HSV’s cheery “Hello Melbourne” station IDs.

The jingle and smiling Melbourne people and TV personalities out and about in their city were replaced with a standard network ID.

Keen to cut costs, Melbourne-made programs were axed, starting with World of Sport.

World of Sport was a Sunday morning institution in Melbourne – a rollicking live wrap of footy and a host of other sports featuring a handball competition, woodchop and static cycling sprint.

It had been a part of Melbourne since 1959 and was claimed as the world’s oldest TV sports show.

Sportsworld, a much more polished, sober, less VFL-obsessed program beamed from Sydney, replaced it.

Mark Day’s Day by Day current affairs program was dumped for Sydney’s Terry Willesee Tonight. Clive Robertson’s Newsworld took over from HSV’s late news.

Then, Mal Walden was sacked after almost eight years presenting Seven National News.

Regarded as the heart and soul of Seven National News, Walden stepped in when another legend of the game, Brian Naylor, defected to Nine in late 1978.

Walden was well regarded in Melbourne and regional Victoria, where country stations broadcast Seven’s relayed news service.

Ratings were down against Nine and Ten, but Seven remained competitive.

Walden was told he was out shortly before his last bulletin on March 27, 1987.

As he signed off, an emotional Walden turned his face from the camera to the side briefly.

Of that moment, Walden later told 3AW: “I did have a tear in my eye, and I can tell you why. I got through the closing spiel … but then the news presenter sitting next to me started to sob, and it was that sobbing that triggered my major emotion. I didn’t actually break down but I just croaked, I think.”

Walden remembers it as a dark time.

Ironically, he told Fairfax in 2011 that he was almost relieved that he was sacked by Fairfax management.

''We coined them the 'princes of darkness' because of their sheer acts of bastardry,'' he said.

''I remember one guy standing at the door of the newsroom on a Friday and saying, 'I'm going back to Sydney now to draw up a list of those I'm going to fire on Monday. Enjoy your weekend.'''

Walden’s sacking struck a chord.

Flowers and cards arrived at the station’s studios in Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, and the phones ran hot with complaints.

Greg Pearce, a Perth native, replaced Walden but he was on a hiding to nothing. Viewers turned off in droves.

Across the board, HSV’s ratings plunged, with only a few thousand viewers switching on at times.

In some slots, ratings were recorded only with an asterisk – too few viewers to be counted accurately.

Country stations switched to Nine’s news.

The parochial anger felt by Victorians hit Fairfax right in the hip pocket, low ratings rendering its advertising almost worthless within weeks of the takeover.

Later in 1987, Fairfax had an unlikely rescuer in the federal government.

New media ownership laws preventing proprietors from owning too many media interests in one city, forcing Fairfax to choose between its TV and newspaper operations.

Fairfax kept The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald and sold its Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane TV stations.

The buyer was Melbourne-born former business journalist turned tycoon Christopher Skase, whose Qintex group snapped up the network for a reported $780 million.

Given that months earlier, Fairfax had shelled out $320 for HSV alone, it looked to be a bargain. He also bought Seven stations in Adelaide and Perth.

Under Skase, the anti-Melbourne tide turned and viewers started to respond.

Jennifer Keyte and Glenn Taylor replaced Greg Pearce as co-presenters for Seven’s news.

New shows like Fast Forward and Tonight Live with Steve Vizard helped restore Melbourne TV production. Derryn Hinch was coaxed from 3AW to front Hinch, the current affairs vehicle that gave him a national profile for the first time.

And the footy was back. Seven, which lost VFL broadcasting rights in 1986, regained them in 1988.

In the cold, hard light of the early 1990s, Qintex and Skase ran into big trouble but the combination saved HSV-7 from a financial nightmare and returned some of its Melbourne magic.