We are not familiar with the strange tradition of “Christmas Specials” in the northern hemisphere. We don’t watch Mr Bean with the turkey on his head or the hilariously awkward Christmas Office double episode. It’s probably because it’s too hot for us to sit inside and watch TV.
Carols by Candlelight and its associated events have become a major broadcast tradition in Australia, with a variety of media and commercial crossovers. Australia is not the only country that broadcasts carols at Christmas.
The Mr Bean Christmas Special is not available on Australian television.
Bakelite carols were first.
Carols by Candlelight is a tradition that predates the advent of television. It began as a Melbourne radio broadcast in the late 1930s.
Media historian Bridget Griffen Foley explains that the idea for this event was inspired by a 1938 summer evening stroll along St Kilda Road in Melbourne. Star 3KZ announcer Norman Banks, who became Inspired, saw “an old lady listening to her radio by candlelight playing Away in a Manger.”
Banks broadcast the event to bring together isolated members of the community for the holiday season and to raise money for hospitals and charities. Griffen-Foley acknowledges the growing importance of this institution but notes that other radio stations took advantage of the goodwill generated by the melodies during the war.
Carols by Candlelight on television has continued that community-meets-charity-meets-commercial opportunity ethos of wartime Melbourne radio. Channel 9 and 7 are the two main commercial broadcasters in Melbourne and Sydney. They feature Melbourne and Sydney events each year.
Both stations support major charities and feature corporate sponsors, as well as less subtle promotions for their stations.
Channel 9’s Carols from Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Since 1969, the Melbourne Event that is aired on Channel 9 has featured a wide range of performers and artists. This event is linked to Banks’ original radio broadcast as part of the “history carols” section on its website.
The organizers remember the 1942 concert where Gladys Moncrieff, Australia’s “Queen Of Song,” became the first celebrity to perform. The same year, a new broadcasting technology was showcased by a “state of the art radio hook-up” between London and New York.
Over the years, broadcasters and advertisers have continued to promote new commercial and broadcast opportunities and spread festive cheer. This 1980s advertisement from a channel shows how the host has used the event as a cross-promotional opportunity. The words and music of Silent Night may be repeated at many events throughout the year, but only Channel 9 broadcast it in stereovision.