Are there any good web sources that describe the history of the two VHF stations (Channels 8 and 10) in Bermuda? I'd be interested in what their programming was like, particularly back in the 60's and 70's. I recall that TV Factbook back then used to list U.S. network affiliations for them (I believe one was NBC and the other CBS), so I assume in those pre-satellite days they probably showed delayed U.S. net programming on kinnies and, later, tape?
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Bermuda VHF TV Stations
- Thread starter Stanislav
- Start date
> Are there any good web sources that describe the history of
> the two VHF stations (Channels 8 and 10) in Bermuda? I'd be
> interested in what their programming was like, particularly
> back in the 60's and 70's. I recall that TV Factbook back
> then used to list U.S. network affiliations for them (I
> believe one was NBC and the other CBS), so I assume in those
> pre-satellite days they probably showed delayed U.S. net
> programming on kinnies and, later, tape?
>
I believe there are now three VHF stations in Bermuda:
ZFB-TV channel 7 which I think is ABC, ZBM-TV channel
9 which is CBS and VSB-TV channel 11 which is NBC. no
Fox or PBS except what is received on satellite.
> the two VHF stations (Channels 8 and 10) in Bermuda? I'd be
> interested in what their programming was like, particularly
> back in the 60's and 70's. I recall that TV Factbook back
> then used to list U.S. network affiliations for them (I
> believe one was NBC and the other CBS), so I assume in those
> pre-satellite days they probably showed delayed U.S. net
> programming on kinnies and, later, tape?
>
I believe there are now three VHF stations in Bermuda:
ZFB-TV channel 7 which I think is ABC, ZBM-TV channel
9 which is CBS and VSB-TV channel 11 which is NBC. no
Fox or PBS except what is received on satellite.
> I believe there are now three VHF stations in Bermuda:
> ZFB-TV channel 7 which I think is ABC, ZBM-TV channel
> 9 which is CBS and VSB-TV channel 11 which is NBC. no
> Fox or PBS except what is received on satellite.
I wonder why the channel allocations were shifted -- I'm sure that given the geographically isolated location of the island, there would be no conflicts with mainland stations. Perhaps they did it to accomodate more transmitters -- assuming they want to stay with VHF-Hi channels, keeping 8 and 10 would only allow one additional allocation (12), whereas they could accomodate four by using 7-9-11-13.
Still curious as to what programming and network distribution was like there in the pre-satellite days.
> ZFB-TV channel 7 which I think is ABC, ZBM-TV channel
> 9 which is CBS and VSB-TV channel 11 which is NBC. no
> Fox or PBS except what is received on satellite.
I wonder why the channel allocations were shifted -- I'm sure that given the geographically isolated location of the island, there would be no conflicts with mainland stations. Perhaps they did it to accomodate more transmitters -- assuming they want to stay with VHF-Hi channels, keeping 8 and 10 would only allow one additional allocation (12), whereas they could accomodate four by using 7-9-11-13.
Still curious as to what programming and network distribution was like there in the pre-satellite days.
> > I believe there are now three VHF stations in Bermuda:
> > ZFB-TV channel 7 which I think is ABC, ZBM-TV channel
> > 9 which is CBS and VSB-TV channel 11 which is NBC. no
> > Fox or PBS except what is received on satellite.
>
>
> I wonder why the channel allocations were shifted -- I'm
> sure that given the geographically isolated location of the
> island, there would be no conflicts with mainland stations.
> Perhaps they did it to accomodate more transmitters --
> assuming they want to stay with VHF-Hi channels, keeping 8
> and 10 would only allow one additional allocation (12),
> whereas they could accomodate four by using 7-9-11-13.
>
> Still curious as to what programming and network
> distribution was like there in the pre-satellite days.
>
I believe VSB-TV started out on channel 13 before it got shifted to
channel 11 sometime in the 1980s. for the record, ZBM-TV was
Bermuda's first TV station which went on the air with channel 10 in 1958.
ZFB-TV followed suit on channel 8 in 1965.
> > ZFB-TV channel 7 which I think is ABC, ZBM-TV channel
> > 9 which is CBS and VSB-TV channel 11 which is NBC. no
> > Fox or PBS except what is received on satellite.
>
>
> I wonder why the channel allocations were shifted -- I'm
> sure that given the geographically isolated location of the
> island, there would be no conflicts with mainland stations.
> Perhaps they did it to accomodate more transmitters --
> assuming they want to stay with VHF-Hi channels, keeping 8
> and 10 would only allow one additional allocation (12),
> whereas they could accomodate four by using 7-9-11-13.
>
> Still curious as to what programming and network
> distribution was like there in the pre-satellite days.
>
I believe VSB-TV started out on channel 13 before it got shifted to
channel 11 sometime in the 1980s. for the record, ZBM-TV was
Bermuda's first TV station which went on the air with channel 10 in 1958.
ZFB-TV followed suit on channel 8 in 1965.
> I believe VSB-TV started out on channel 13 before it got
> shifted to
> channel 11 sometime in the 1980s. for the record, ZBM-TV was
>
> Bermuda's first TV station which went on the air with
> channel 10 in 1958.
> ZFB-TV followed suit on channel 8 in 1965.
I also always thought it odd that Bermuda, at the time a British colony, nonetheless had NTSC standard TV stations that carried American programming. One would have thought the BBC would have some sort of TV presence there.
> shifted to
> channel 11 sometime in the 1980s. for the record, ZBM-TV was
>
> Bermuda's first TV station which went on the air with
> channel 10 in 1958.
> ZFB-TV followed suit on channel 8 in 1965.
I also always thought it odd that Bermuda, at the time a British colony, nonetheless had NTSC standard TV stations that carried American programming. One would have thought the BBC would have some sort of TV presence there.
> I also always thought it odd that Bermuda, at the time a
> British colony, nonetheless had NTSC standard TV stations
> that carried American programming. One would have thought
> the BBC would have some sort of TV presence there.
>
Maybe for the same reason why Hong Kong, another Britsh Crown Colony (before returning to Chinese rule as a SAR) also had no local BBC channel -- neither did all the others.
> British colony, nonetheless had NTSC standard TV stations
> that carried American programming. One would have thought
> the BBC would have some sort of TV presence there.
>
Maybe for the same reason why Hong Kong, another Britsh Crown Colony (before returning to Chinese rule as a SAR) also had no local BBC channel -- neither did all the others.
H
hintomedia
Guest
Hong Kong (was Re: Bermuda VHF TV Stations)
> > I also always thought it odd that Bermuda, at the time a
> > British colony, nonetheless had NTSC standard TV stations
> > that carried American programming. One would have thought
> > the BBC would have some sort of TV presence there.
>
> Maybe for the same reason why Hong Kong, another Britsh
> Crown Colony (before returning to Chinese rule as a SAR)
> also had no local BBC channel -- neither did all the others.
Perhaps the BBC didn't think it was worth the trouble to set up its own service in the overseas colonies. However, since Hong Kong was (and still is) a predominantly Cantonese-speaking society, there was very little demand for English-language programming from the BBC anyway. (And today, American shows make up the majority of English-language programming seen in HK.)
On the other hand, London's Rediffusion did launch a radio service and a wired subscription TV service in Hong Kong. Rediffusion TV in HK launched in 1957, and was actually the first TV service in HK. (HK didn't get OTA TV until 1967.) Apparently Rediffusion had radio stations in other (now former) colonies too.<P ID="signature">______________
Derek
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.tvvancouver.cjb.net>TV.Vancouver</a>: Covering TV stations in Vancouver, BC</P>
> > I also always thought it odd that Bermuda, at the time a
> > British colony, nonetheless had NTSC standard TV stations
> > that carried American programming. One would have thought
> > the BBC would have some sort of TV presence there.
>
> Maybe for the same reason why Hong Kong, another Britsh
> Crown Colony (before returning to Chinese rule as a SAR)
> also had no local BBC channel -- neither did all the others.
Perhaps the BBC didn't think it was worth the trouble to set up its own service in the overseas colonies. However, since Hong Kong was (and still is) a predominantly Cantonese-speaking society, there was very little demand for English-language programming from the BBC anyway. (And today, American shows make up the majority of English-language programming seen in HK.)
On the other hand, London's Rediffusion did launch a radio service and a wired subscription TV service in Hong Kong. Rediffusion TV in HK launched in 1957, and was actually the first TV service in HK. (HK didn't get OTA TV until 1967.) Apparently Rediffusion had radio stations in other (now former) colonies too.<P ID="signature">______________
Derek
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.tvvancouver.cjb.net>TV.Vancouver</a>: Covering TV stations in Vancouver, BC</P>
M
moedog1
Guest
> > I believe VSB-TV started out on channel 13 before it got
> > shifted to
> > channel 11 sometime in the 1980s. for the record, ZBM-TV
> was
> >
> > Bermuda's first TV station which went on the air with
> > channel 10 in 1958.
> > ZFB-TV followed suit on channel 8 in 1965.
>
>
> I also always thought it odd that Bermuda, at the time a
> British colony, nonetheless had NTSC standard TV stations
> that carried American programming. One would have thought
> the BBC would have some sort of TV presence there.
>
I would bet there was a fair number of NTSC TVs on Bermuda before local Tv debuted there in 1958. I say this because I remember FM stations in the Tidewater area of VA talking all the time about having listeners on Bermuda. If FM from the US east coast could get there via skip or trop, I'm sure TV could do the same. Back in the 50s, people went to great extremes to recieve programs where no TV station was close by. If there were already TVs in existance there, whoever started up the first station probably figured it would be easier to stay with NTSC. And people would still be able to tune to east coast stations since the local stations were in the high VHF band.
> > shifted to
> > channel 11 sometime in the 1980s. for the record, ZBM-TV
> was
> >
> > Bermuda's first TV station which went on the air with
> > channel 10 in 1958.
> > ZFB-TV followed suit on channel 8 in 1965.
>
>
> I also always thought it odd that Bermuda, at the time a
> British colony, nonetheless had NTSC standard TV stations
> that carried American programming. One would have thought
> the BBC would have some sort of TV presence there.
>
I would bet there was a fair number of NTSC TVs on Bermuda before local Tv debuted there in 1958. I say this because I remember FM stations in the Tidewater area of VA talking all the time about having listeners on Bermuda. If FM from the US east coast could get there via skip or trop, I'm sure TV could do the same. Back in the 50s, people went to great extremes to recieve programs where no TV station was close by. If there were already TVs in existance there, whoever started up the first station probably figured it would be easier to stay with NTSC. And people would still be able to tune to east coast stations since the local stations were in the high VHF band.
C
can_hfx
Guest
> I would bet there was a fair number of NTSC TVs on Bermuda
> before local Tv debuted there in 1958. I say this because I
> remember FM stations in the Tidewater area of VA talking all
> the time about having listeners on Bermuda. If FM from the
> US east coast could get there via skip or trop, I'm sure TV
> could do the same. Back in the 50s, people went to great
> extremes to recieve programs where no TV station was close
> by. If there were already TVs in existance there, whoever
> started up the first station probably figured it would be
> easier to stay with NTSC. And people would still be able to
> tune to east coast stations since the local stations were in
> the high VHF band.
>
Actually, there was a television station at Kindley Field, an American Military Base, that Bermudians watched "Illegally" until 1958 when ZBM signed on, also BBC stands for Bermuda Broadcasting Company and has nothing to do with the British Broadcasting Corporation.
> before local Tv debuted there in 1958. I say this because I
> remember FM stations in the Tidewater area of VA talking all
> the time about having listeners on Bermuda. If FM from the
> US east coast could get there via skip or trop, I'm sure TV
> could do the same. Back in the 50s, people went to great
> extremes to recieve programs where no TV station was close
> by. If there were already TVs in existance there, whoever
> started up the first station probably figured it would be
> easier to stay with NTSC. And people would still be able to
> tune to east coast stations since the local stations were in
> the high VHF band.
>
Actually, there was a television station at Kindley Field, an American Military Base, that Bermudians watched "Illegally" until 1958 when ZBM signed on, also BBC stands for Bermuda Broadcasting Company and has nothing to do with the British Broadcasting Corporation.
> I would bet there was a fair number of NTSC TVs on Bermuda
> before local Tv debuted there in 1958. I say this because I
> remember FM stations in the Tidewater area of VA talking all
> the time about having listeners on Bermuda. If FM from the
> US east coast could get there via skip or trop, I'm sure TV
> could do the same. Back in the 50s, people went to great
> extremes to recieve programs where no TV station was close
> by. If there were already TVs in existance there, whoever
> started up the first station probably figured it would be
> easier to stay with NTSC. And people would still be able to
> tune to east coast stations since the local stations were in
> the high VHF band.
Actually, that's a great explanation that probably makes a lot of sense. Bermuda is much geographically closer to the U.S. mainland than anything else, so NTSC ruled the day. That, however, is in contrast to the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, which are far, far closer to North America, yet to this day use French TV standards. But, then again, that's the French for you.... (grin)
It reminds me of the story of how Denver fared back in the days of the TV channel "freeze" of the early 50's. Several hundred people had already bought TV sets in anticipation of a local channel, but then the freeze hit and Denver was left in the lurch. Somebody there then discovered "skip" and for quite some time, Denverites used the occasional opening not to "DX" but simply to watch TV. They even had a phone relay -- a chain of set owners who would notify each other when a skip opening was in progress so they could watch a few hours of Milton Berle or whatever -- sure, fading now and then and with interference, but better that than no TV at all. I'm sure there were those on Bermuda who did likewise in the 50's.
> before local Tv debuted there in 1958. I say this because I
> remember FM stations in the Tidewater area of VA talking all
> the time about having listeners on Bermuda. If FM from the
> US east coast could get there via skip or trop, I'm sure TV
> could do the same. Back in the 50s, people went to great
> extremes to recieve programs where no TV station was close
> by. If there were already TVs in existance there, whoever
> started up the first station probably figured it would be
> easier to stay with NTSC. And people would still be able to
> tune to east coast stations since the local stations were in
> the high VHF band.
Actually, that's a great explanation that probably makes a lot of sense. Bermuda is much geographically closer to the U.S. mainland than anything else, so NTSC ruled the day. That, however, is in contrast to the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, which are far, far closer to North America, yet to this day use French TV standards. But, then again, that's the French for you.... (grin)
It reminds me of the story of how Denver fared back in the days of the TV channel "freeze" of the early 50's. Several hundred people had already bought TV sets in anticipation of a local channel, but then the freeze hit and Denver was left in the lurch. Somebody there then discovered "skip" and for quite some time, Denverites used the occasional opening not to "DX" but simply to watch TV. They even had a phone relay -- a chain of set owners who would notify each other when a skip opening was in progress so they could watch a few hours of Milton Berle or whatever -- sure, fading now and then and with interference, but better that than no TV at all. I'm sure there were those on Bermuda who did likewise in the 50's.
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