1YA Radio in action in 1946 Photo: Supplied/ Gus Fisher Gallery
Hannah Burgoyne Photo: Supplied / Gus Fisher Gallery
On Saturday 1 June, Auckland University's Gus Fisher Gallery will be hosting a special anniversary heritage tour of the former 1YA Building on the anniversary of the first television broadcast in Aotearoa.
On 1 June 1960, a small team brought together the first official television broadcast in New Zealand inside the beautiful brick building that is now home to the Gallery; a makeshift setup the culminated in a live performance downstairs in Studio One by the Howard Morrison Quartet.
This was just one chapter in 74 Shortland Street's rich history, which began in 1935 as the purpose-built broadcasting studios for Radio 1YA before being converted for television in the 1960s. It was acquired by the University of Auckland in 2000.
Gus Fisher Gallery Assistant and in-house heritage expert Hannah Burgoyne talked to Noelle about the momentous broadcast.
