Bermuda with US network TV

[cd637299]

I've wondered.....

How come the island of Bermuda, not being a US territory, has TV stations which are affiliates of US networks, and has had them for decades?

Why Bermuda, and not other countries, say, in the Caribbean?

Could a TV station sign on, say, in Jamaica, and try to hook up with one of our networks? How about Barbados? The Bahamas? Heck--has a *Canadian* TV station ever wanted to get a US affiliate, and if so, why couldn't they?

Why have the US networks been able to strike deals with Bermuda, and they could not land any with TV stations in other lands?

There must be some sort of explanation for this.

[Edit: One could bring up the cases of Fox 2 XHRIO & Fox 6 XETV in Mexico---but because they are in border towns, I won't count them in this case. Bermuda is almost 700 miles from the US mainland!]

(I know that with satellite distribution so common now, the TV stations in Bermuda could theoretically go independent if they wished. I was there in 2005 and it seemed like all cable & OTA networks from the US & Canada were available.)

cd

 

[Poledo]

As I recall, Canadian TV stations have to carry a certain amount of Canadian produced content. The Government up there doesn't want to let Canada become too Americanized, especially Quebec.

I also believe the Fox and UPN X-affiliates from Mexico only slipped through the loophole because they weren't broadcasting enough hours of "network programing" to truly be considered networks by the FCC. They still had to carry mandated Mexican government produced contend.

Of course, I don't know a dang thing about what I'm talking about.

What about the US territories that don't even have a full lineup of ABC, CBS, NBC, & PBS available OTA?

 

[Fenway1912]

Here are the cable TV listings for Hamilton, Bermuda

They even have the NHL and NHL Networks ???

http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCGrid.do?fromTimeInMillis=1347138000000

Canada's CTV had one US affiliate in the late 60's in Jamestown, NY

 

[fybush]

I suspect Bermuda's carriage of US networks probably dates to the pre-satellite era. Unlike any of the Caribbean islands, Bermuda was able to see US TV from Miami with the use of a decent antenna. I also have a vague recollection that Bill Paley had a vacation home there and wanted to be able to watch CBS...

 

[Fenway1912]

I suspect Bermuda's carriage of US networks probably dates to the pre-satellite era. Unlike any of the Caribbean islands, Bermuda was able to see US TV from Miami with the use of a decent antenna. I also have a vague recollection that Bill Paley had a vacation home there and wanted to be able to watch CBS...

Scott I think you mean the Bahamas as Bermuda is hundreds of miles off shore.

http://goo.gl/maps/eS6gn


I was wondering how I was going to watch a Bruins game when in Bermuda - turns out Bermuda cable carries NESN ;D

 

[fybush]

Indeed, I do, Fenway...

OK, then I have no idea how Bermuda ended up with US network TV.

 

[azumanga]

I have no idea how Bermuda ended up with US network TV.

I imagine that they made special arrangements with the networks, as the US mainland was closer to Bermuda than the UK itself, meaning that more-timely programming, in the form of kinescopes and videotape, could make it to Bermuda faster than it could from the UK.

 

[blizzard59]

Why Bermuda, and not other countries, say, in the Caribbean?

Actually, Bermuda isn't the only non-U.S. land in the Carribbean to have an affiliate of a U.S. television network. Here are the others:

Saba, in what was once the Netherlands Antillies but now a part of The Netherlands proper has PJF-1, an ABC affiliate
Oranjestad, Aruba, also a part of The Netherlands, has PJA, an NBC affiliate
The independent country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has ZBG, a CBS affiliate

In all three cases, the station is affiliated with more than just the U.S. network, so not all of the programming produced by the U.S. network is necessarily going to be aired.

 

[Fenway1912]

Bermuda is also NTSC with no plans to upgrade to digital.

I have no idea how Bermuda ended up with US network TV.

I imagine that they made special arrangements with the networks, as the US mainland was closer to Bermuda than the UK itself, meaning that more-timely programming, in the form of kinescopes and videotape, could make it to Bermuda faster than it could from the UK.

 

[Poledo]

I wonder how many folks in Bermuda bought BUDs back in the 1970's or if they may have been early adopters of cable? If enough folks did it would have made good sense to get local advertising on the air.

 

[dhett]

American television in Bermuda was first provided OTA to US Armed Forces personnel stationed at Kindley AFB (1948-1970) on the east end of the island, and non-military residents living near the base were also able to receive the signal. In 1958, the first Bermuda television station, ZBM-TV ch. 10, opened. The station moved to ch. 9 in 1974. I guess since Bermuda residents were already used to watching American TV from Kindley, it made sense that the local station would also affiliate with an American network. It remains a CBS affiliate.

ZBM-TV

 

[Poledo]

Did any other American military bases broadcast anything besides the Armed Forces Network OTA? I'm thinking Japan, Germany, Italy, Cuba... I'm sure I missed a whole bunch... Kuwait or Turkey maybe?

I assume the answer is yes. If I'm right, were they only broadcasting in ntsc in countries that didn't use the ntsc standard?

 

[arnoldevns]

Here are the cable TV listings for Hamilton, Bermuda

They even have the NHL and NHL Networks ???

http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCGrid.do?fromTimeInMillis=1347138000000

Canada's CTV had one US affiliate in the late 60's in Jamestown, NY

What station in Jamestown? (or is it now defunct?)

 

[Fenway1912]

Here are the cable TV listings for Hamilton, Bermuda

They even have the NHL and NHL Networks ???

http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCGrid.do?fromTimeInMillis=1347138000000

Canada's CTV had one US affiliate in the late 60's in Jamestown, NY

What station in Jamestown? (or is it now defunct?)

WNYB-TV now uses the Jamestown allocation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNYB

 

[azumanga]

Canada's CTV had one US affiliate in the late 60's in Jamestown, NY

What station in Jamestown? (or is it now defunct?)

WNYB-TV now uses the Jamestown allocation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNYB

The station was the first TV station owned by Bud Paxson (who later founded HSN and Pax), who was a major investor in the station, which opened as "WNYP" in 1966. As it was relaying American shows from Toronto affiliate CFTO, the US networks weren't happy. The station closed in 1969 after three years of numerous technical gaffes and low viewership.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Has the BBC ever aired in Bermuda, cable or OTA?

 

[crainbebo]

ZFB/7 airs BBC World News, especially late nights. [According to Wikipedia]. They are Bermuda's ABC affiliate.

-crainbebo

 

[glc]

BBC World is carried on channel 8 according to CableVision guide for Bermuda. (If you couldn't get the previous link to work for you, try this one: http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCGrid.do?aid=haberg )

Noticed a couple of other interesting things. There's three Miami stations carried (PBS, Fox and NBC), two NYC (WWOR and WPIX), two Canadian (CBLT from Toronto and Citytv), plus NESN and MSG networks.

There's a local NBC affiliate, but it appears to be WNBC with a local newscast inserted.

They carry both ESPN (U.S.) and ESPN International feeds. Also, CNN and CNN International.

 

[fybush]

The HD channels are even weirder: KRMA Denver for PBS, WUHF Rochester for Fox (probably both sourced from Canadian satellite), but apparently no NBC/CBS/ABC HD. And they get TSN from Canada in HD, too!

 

[Fenway1912]

The HD channels are even weirder: KRMA Denver for PBS, WUHF Rochester for Fox (probably both sourced from Canadian satellite), but apparently no NBC/CBS/ABC HD. And they get TSN from Canada in HD, too!

and NHL and NFL in HD ???

Bermuda is tiny ( only 20 square miles or roughly 1/4 the size of Martha's Vineyard. Population is about the size of Portland, Maine - 65,000 )

I was invited to Bermuda years ago by someone that I met when I was driving a cab to get through school. I picked him up at Logan and he hired me for the day as he wanted to go to a bar in Hopkinton, MA and then had me wait to take him to the Lenox Hotel in Boston. He paid me $1200 for 8 hours which was big money in 1973. Turns out he controlled all seafood in Bermuda and he said if I ever wanted visit and bring a lady friend just call him. He paid for everything and said to us when you go into Hamilton just show this card ( his biz card ) and you will be taken care of. We could not spend a dime.

He told me that Bermuda wanted to be the 14th colony but the British Navy made that impossible. I still correspond with him and he keeps saying if you want a Bermuda passport ( actually a UK one ) just send him my photos.

It is a strange rock.