9MCOT HD
9MCOT HD is a Thai state-owned commercial free-to-air television network launched on 24 June 1955. It is owned by MCOT.
History
In 1949, Sanpasiri Wirayasiri, a foreign correspondent for the Publicity Department, wrote an article to introduce readers to "Visual Radio", a new type of communication technology emerging worldwide at the time. Later, around 1950, the Department of Publicity sent a group of civil servants to study in the United Kingdom, having recognized the enormous benefits for the nation. The department then presented a "Project to establish radiotelephony" to Field Marshal P. Pibulsongkram, who was then Prime Minister. In the House of Representatives, however, most MPs vehemently disagreed on the grounds that it was a waste of the national budget, thereby temporarily suspending the project.The British company Pye signed a contract to build a television station in Bangkok that would later be used as the backbone of Channel 4. The station was set up by T. V. Mitchell, a Singaporean businessman. Subsequently, Prasit Thavisin, chairman of the Board of Directors of Wichian Wireless and Telephony Co., Ltd., brought one radio transmitter and four receivers, with a total weight of over 2,000 kilograms, to conduct Thailand's first visual transmission of marching band performances from the Department of Public Relations at Government House. The broadcast was also opened to the general public at Sala Chalermkrung on 19 July 1952 and was seen by approximately 20,000 people. Training for the channel started in January 1955, when six staff went to the United States at the request of RCA.
The channel was originally launched as Channel 4 Bang Khun Phrom, with test transmissions beginning on 6 September 1954 and formal broadcasts on 24 June 1955. The then-new channel operated under the management of the Thai Television Company. The channel began to broadcast daily in 1957. HST-TV was managed by Pichai Vanasong. Its airtime was divided between 60% commercial shares and 40% public service programming. In the monochrome days, the channel used a circular plate featuring the Manimekhala as its logo.
Regional television stations started outside of Bangkok beginning in 1962. In February of that year, it opened a station in Khonkaen, followed by Chiang Mai, Hat Yai in May 1962, Surathani in January 1968, and Muang in March 1972.
From 1 June 1970 to 1974, the channel migrated from broadcasting in black-and-white at 525-lines on VHF channel 4 to colour, using a 625-line system on VHF channel 9. The black-and-white transmitter fell out of use in 1974, broadcasting exclusively on channel 9 after this event. On 3 February 1977, the Thai Television Company was dissolved and channel 9 was put under direct state administration.
On 28 June 1981, Princess Sirindhorn and King Bhumibol Adulyadej officially inaugurated the new MCOT buildings on a 57m² large area with television transmission, the largest in the country at the time, at 9:25 a.m. On 16 July 1987, Channels 3 and 9 signed a broadcasting expansion agreement. In 1992, Sangchai Sunthornwat became the director of MCOT.
On 6 November 2002, the channel was rebranded as 'Modernine TV'. During the 2006 Thai coup d'état, the network was forced to stop broadcasting.