The birthday celebration took place on Saturday and speeches were given by ETV editor-in-chief Urmas Oru, ERR board chairman Erik Roose, Karmel Killandi, and Rein Järlik.

Attendees also watched Rahel Selge's short film created for the anniversary, "Nii nad alustasid" ("This Is How They Started"), which tells the story of ETV's first creators based on archival footage.

The recollections included were both serious and humorous, ranging from technical challenges to editorial choices.

For example, Virve Koppel recalled that her job as an intern was to shoo away flies, while Peeter Rekkaro described creating sound effects, such as using a toothbrush to mimic the sound of sauna whisking.

The first broadcast

ETV began in 1955, and the first official test program aired on July 19. It lasted two hours and 35 minutes.

At 7:30 p.m., following the opening credits, announcers Ofelia Mikk and Zinaida Madissova kicked off the first broadcast day. The program began with a brief overview, in Estonian and Russian, about the completion of the Tallinn Television Center.

That was followed by a newsreel, Soviet Estonia No. 18, and the 1955 Estonian feature film "Andruse õnn."

After that, conductor Gustav Ernesaks appeared to speak about preparations for the Song Festival, and a choir performed the folk song "Tuljak."

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