Under the leadership of Jim Cruthers and entrepreneurial skills of Brian Treasure, TVW became not only a highly successful company but also exceeded in fostering local community activities and endeavors. Not only did the company keep a high profile, but so to did the station personalities, who were treated as stars as they ventured out of the studios for publicity opportunities.

It was natural therefore for advertisers to want an association with Seven’s popular on-camera personnel.

In the 1960’s, a youthful Carolyn Noble was used to launch the re-labelling of Golden West soft drinks as the more catchy Gest!. Carolyn appeared in commercials on television and posters around Perth too, with the beverage becoming very popular. Carolyn points out that she didn’t get one cent for doing these commercials, “That’s how it was then. We didn’t get paid. We didn’t get any extra… not that I cared in the least, because the job (with Channel Seven) was fantastic.”

Coca-Cola and Gest also sponsored Johnny Young’s Club 7 Teen, with John promoting the products both on television and in slick 35mm colour cinema motion picture advertisements.

In that sense, TVW Channel 7 personalities were pivotal to the promotion of these products during the 1960’s.

The black and white photographs of Carolyn shown here were preserved by former TVW still photographer Nigel Felangue, who has been responsible for much early Channel Seven memorabilia surviving.

The over the shoulder colour photo of the Gest newspaper advertisement is courtesy of Carolyn Tannock (nee Noble), who like many TVW veterans, has a good collection of newspaper clippings and photographs from the pioneering days, which now are proving most valuable in enabling us to illustrate the history of TVW Channel 7.