ZBM-TV

ZBM-TV, virtual channel 20.9 (UHF digital channel 20), is a CBS-affiliated television station serving the British territory of Bermuda that is licensed to Hamilton. The station is owned by the Bermuda Broadcasting Company, as part of a duopoly with ABC affiliate ZFB-TV (channel 19.7). The two stations share studios on Fort Hill Road in Devonshire Parish.

ZBM-TV
Hamilton, Bermuda
ChannelsDigital: 20 (UHF)
Virtual: 20.9 (DVB-T)
BrandingZBM TV 9 (general)
ZBM 9 News (newscasts)
Programming
AffiliationsCBS (since 1960)
Ownership
OwnerBermuda Broadcasting Company Ltd.
ZFB-TV
History
Founded1958 (1958)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
10 (VHF, 1958–1982)
9 (VHF, 1982–2016)
Call sign meaning
Z BerMuda
Technical information
Licensing authority
Regulatory Authority of Bermuda (RAB)
Links
Websitebermudabroadcasting.com

History

ZBM-TV was founded in 1958 by Bermuda Broadcasting Company as the first local television station in Bermuda. Before then, residents living near Kindley Field at the East End of Bermuda could watch television via unauthorized reception of the TV signal on base. An affiliation with CBS was added in 1960. The station transitioned to color in 1968, possibly the first color television service on the island of Bermuda. Originally, ZBM-TV broadcast on channel 10, but in 1982, Capital Broadcasting Company merged with Bermuda Broadcasting Company, and ZBM-TV was moved to channel 9.

Analog-to-digital conversion

On the week of March 9, 2016,[1] Bermuda Broadcasting ended analog broadcasts and converted ZFB-TV and ZBM-TV to digital, with both services sharing a multiplex on channel 20. The transmitter was knocked out of service some time later when lightning struck the transmitter. In 2017, in time for the America's Cup, Bermuda Broadcasting completed an upgrade that added a second transmitter for ZFB, using virtual channel 19.7, allowing both ZFB and ZBM to broadcast in HD; it also replaced its radio transmitters.[2] With the upgrade, ZBM began using virtual channel 20.9.

References
  1. "BBC's All-Digital TV Output Plans "On Course" - Bernews.com". 9 March 2016.
  2. "BBC terrestrial TV service to return — in HD". Bernews. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2019.


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