Commencing transmission on Saturday, May 26, 1962, it was the state's second commercial television station after TVT6 launched in Hobart.

With the station's studio built on Watchorn Street in South Launceston still in use today, the station is gearing up to celebrate 60 years of television.

The station has produced many variety and lifestyle shows including Fun Show, Arabella's Attic, Hook Line and Sinker, World of Sport, Quiz Quest and many more, all made from the TNT9 Studios and onsite.

No one has spent more time in their life at the studio than news director Grant Wilson.

"I used to live next door as a kid, in the family home so I grew up with the studio," he said.

"I was always here playing around with the other kids that lived in the street.

"If the roller door was open us kids would be watching on and seeing what was going on in the studios.

"I started here on January 19, 1981, in the traffic department, which was like a scheduling office for ads.

"From there I went into the control room and did a few years in there and then I became a supervisor.

"I then went to Hobart for the most of the 90s then came back here as news director in the start 1999 and been in the role ever since."

Presenters in the 60s when the channel first started included Rod Thurling, Joy Swain, newsreader Bruce Farrar and sports presenter David McQuestin.

During the 70s programs included Saturday Night Show, Ray James took over from David McQuestin as the main sports presenter and 7EX radio announcer Paul Murphy became TNT9's newsreader and later news editor.

Some of Murphy's successors at the news desk have included Tim Lester, Diane Massey, Kaye Wilkinson, Steve Titmus, Jo Palmer and Kim Millar.

The 80s were a turbulent time in Tasmanian television, with TNT9's parent company ENT Limited formed in the 60s with the merger of Northern Television Limited and Examiner Newspaper Pty Ltd, successfully taking over Hobart's TVT6.

In April 1994. aggregation was implemented in Tasmania with Southern Cross Network (TNT) and TAS TV (TVT) now broadcasting in competition with each other across the whole of Tasmania.

In 2003, Southern Cross and Win Television launched Tasmanian Digital Television, a joint-owned digital commercial station based in Hobart.

Southern Cross Tasmania become Seven Tasmania in 2018, with Louise Houbaer and Kim Millar now the station's main news anchors and Tom Johnson taking care of sport.

Mr Wilson said the main thing key to the success of TNT9 was the family-orientated business.

"It was a serious business, but in the downtime, everyone had great fun," he said.

"It was very much light and shade. We had the hard-hitting news mixed with the family fun shows we used to have as well.

"There was a lot of socialising because it was one of the places that would have shift work.

"Colleagues became friends as most people worked in teams and it was just a place of good laughs and everyone would joke around behind the scenes.

"It makes coming to work enjoyable."

Mr Wilson listed many notable people who have come through the doors over the years that have gone on to be big names.

"Tim Lester, certainly from a journalistic perspective has been very successful in his work working for various news agency's across the country, including ABC and the US Bureau of Channel 7," he said.

"Jo Palmer and Rob Fairs did a long time as news anchors and they have gone on to do many different and exciting things.

"Kim Millar was a senior reporter here when I started as news director, so we worked together for a few years.

"She has been instrumental in the station. Now, most people know her as the woman who they watch every night delivering the news of the day."

"Some of the characters over the years are the people behind the scenes, they are some of the craziest of them all.

"Howie the Yowie, the man that played him still works for us.

"He's a great storyteller and a great ambassador of television from back in that era."

Other notable names include Nathan Templeton, Nick Duigan, Mike Lunn and Jim Cox among others.

Long-serving television figure and weatherman Peter Murphy said he has had many memorable moments over his years at the station.

Known for his questionable jokes when telling the weather, he thought back to how the station operated back in the day.

"There was just a mass of people up here back in the day," he said,

"There would have been around 100 people across all the different entities. Upstairs and downstairs and all the offices were filled.

"We have supported many good causes and charities over the years because for a long time we have been a big source of information and news in the community so it's important that we give back."

Mr Murphy said that his favourite thing about the job over the years was meeting people who were at all different stages in their careers.

"Young journalists, young camera operators, young engineers, you see them hone all their skills here, as they work across multiple departments, whereas at a bigger station they would be put into their niche," he said.

"Seeing them grow in their careers and move on and some people who have stayed here for a long time and become a true part of the studio, like me, the weatherman who has been here for 38 years.

"Back in the day we only had the newspaper in the morning, radio during the day and then the news at night. So it was a very important thing that we were providing to people at night, and that we still do today."

To celebrate the 60 years of TNT 9, a reunion is being held on May 28 at the Country Club Tasmania.

"We have so many people coming back for the reunion celebrations. There will be so many old faces there it will be hard to catch up with everyone you want to see," Mr Wilson said.

"One of our originals is flying all the way from London to attend.

"So it's going to be a great night with lots of memories and good stories flooding back.

"On May 26, which will be the actual anniversary day, we will have a whole segment of the news dedicated to our 60^th anniversary, which will be a great trip down memory lane for the viewers."

There is also a Facebook page, TNT9 60^th Anniversary, which is posting flashbacks and profiles on current and former staff.

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