Guangdong Television
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1959 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China |
| Headquarters | Guangzhou , China |
Area served | Guangdong and neighboring regions |
Number of employees | 1800 |
Guangdong Television (GDTV; ) operates as a television broadcaster headquartered in Guangzhou, located within China's Guangdong province. Recognized as the province's earliest established TV station, GDTV delivers programming to Guangdong and neighboring regions, employing around 1,800 staff members.
Early years of GDTV
Established in 1959 under the name Guangzhou TV Station, GDTV initially functioned as part of Guangdong People's Radio. Its broadcasts began with black-and-white content transmitted from the Guangdong-Taiwan Tower situated on Yuexiu Hill, utilizing VHF channel 1.
Progress from 1960 to 1979
The station aired its inaugural show, Who is the Uncle, on 1 January 1960 and introduced a second channel by July of the same year. Beginning in 1963, GDTV sought partnerships with foreign film companies, leading to collaboration with Beijing Television in 1964. The Yuexiu Mountain Tower reached full operational status in 1966.
In 1970, GDTV created From the Romanian mountains and rivers set ambitious, marking the first province-wide distribution of TV documentaries in Guangdong. By April 1971, a black-and-white transmitter with 7.5 kW power was installed, alongside forming a provincial network for television photographers.
The station recorded its first color documentary titled Shek Wan Ceramics blossoming of new flowers in 1972. The introduction of color video technology followed in 1973, and by 1974 GDTV expanded to eight channels featuring some color broadcasts supported by a 10 kW transmitter. That year also saw the formal establishment of the color television broadcast system.
By 1976, two main channels were transmitting in color, and in 1977 a Cantonese-language channel was launched concurrently with the deployment of color broadcast vehicles. Remote camera systems were added to operations by 1978.
On 1 January 1979, the station's name changed from Guangzhou TV Station to Guangdong TV. This year also marked GDTV’s initial extensive cooperation with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) aimed at fostering cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Guangdong. Additionally, GDTV ventured into television advertising contracts extending to Hong Kong and Macau. Following the Cultural Revolution, it produced its first self-recorded program titled Small Two Brothers, utilizing multi-camera video production techniques.
Brand refresh and programming expansion (1980–1999)
In 1980, GDTV unveiled a new logo and premiered the show Black Peony alongside releasing its first music single. By 1981, programming expanded to include titles such as Hong Kong and Macau Dynamic, International Review, and Flowered, with later additions of Cantonese and Mandarin films. Reception coverage extended to Woodcrest Hill in Guangzhou. Early in 1982, GDTV launched its first fully home-produced television series entitled Prawn Biography and introduced Guangdong TV Weekly magazine.
Chinese subtitles were implemented in 1983, coinciding with GDTV’s inaugural voice training sessions for approximately seventy participants in both Cantonese and Mandarin dialects. New shows included Mandarin language lessons and an Art Appreciation program. In 1984, GDTV aired its initial program designed for deaf or hearing-impaired audiences. By 1986, international sports content dominated most of the station’s fourteen channels.
In 1988, two channels were rebranded as South Guangdong TV to specifically serve viewers near Hong Kong and Macau. The series Boat earned GDTV its first international gold medal that same year. By 1989, computer-generated subtitles were introduced, and a partnership with Asahi Broadcasting Corporation was established to share news resources. The business-oriented program Economic 90 also debuted during this period.