Reference and external links
- Article originally written by Don Moore in the January 1989 Monitoring Times with a 1996 addendum
- Channel 5's G. Michael Reid on losing the BCB
- Radio World's frequency listings for Belize [ dead link ]
The Broadcasting Corporation of Belize, otherwise known as Radio Belize (using the call-sign of VPM; no relation to the current VPM-FM), was a radio station in Belize that shut down in November 1998. Until the 1980s it was Belize's only radio station.
The BCB began as the British Honduras Broadcasting Service, modeled on the home country's British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Amandala columnist Selvin "Smokey Joe" Wade remembers the station by its original callsign, ZIK 2, with which it signed on in the 1930s. At this stage it played mainly music from abroad. With the rise of the nationalist movement efforts were made to bring the BHBS closer to Belizean identity and it assumed the name Radio Belize.
Edison Denburg Clifford Coleman, better known to Belizeans as "Sefe", entered the radio business in the 1960s and completely revolutionized radio in Belize. He was very popular and funny and was Belize's foremost comedian. Coleman was a mainstay of Radio Belize through the 1980s until his death in 1994. Son Gerard Coleman has followed him into the radio business at LOVE FM and Positive Vibes. During this time Radio Belize was considered the official voice of the ruling People's United Party.
Radio Belize entertained Belizeans with a variety of music. In that era television broadcasting was unavailable in Belize, so the population was dependent on the only radio station in the country for entertainment and news. Popular programs from the BBC stable included "Portia Faces Life", and Doctor Paul which were aired daily and nightly.
With the accession of the UDP in 1984, Radio Belize began to experiment with being more of a culture-oriented station rather than simply playing music. Now known as Belize Radio One, it mixed contemporary music with chatter from local radio personalities: Debbie Tillett, Mike Nicholson, Rudy Aguilar, Andy Palacio, Paul Mahung, and in the 1990s, Silvana Woods, Clover Broderick and Brian Mossiah. But the revamped Belize Radio One, even with a new television wing, still found trouble holding its own against the all-music format of KREM Radio, established in 1989. The government first tried privatizing the BCB and then extending its brand to include an all-music station named Friends FM, but with the proliferation of radio stations in Belize and an increase in technology, the BCB was rapidly becoming obsolete. General Manager Rene Villanueva Sr. resigned in 1992 after helming the BCB for two years and working there for 23.
As it entered its last decade the BCB seemed anachronistic compared to other local stations. While still owning some of the best equipment in Belizean radio at that time, it could not handle the introduction of competitive and new formats of radio. All that remained was to shut it down, and after one last act of service—informing the nation of the progress of 1998's Hurricane Mitch—DJ Neil Hall (and, according to Villanueva, himself and Patrick Jones) shut down at noon Central Standard Time (18:00 G.M.T.) on 30 November 1998. The equipment was bidded out and purchased by LOVE FM and KREM Radio, respectively. While the BCB itself is defunct, former employees are still to be found on the Belizean airwaves, working for other stations. LOVE FM is unique in this respect; former BCB manager Villanueva now owns and operates that station and Mossiah, Terry Gordon, Ruben Morales Iglesias and some other veterans work there. Mike Nicholson worked for FM 2000 and now for Positive Vibes FM. In this way, the BCB remains, as its slogan says, "The Voice of Belize."
(all frequencies in MHz)
WCVE-FM is a public radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia, serving the Richmond/Petersburg area. WCVE-FM is owned and operated by Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation. CPBC also owns Channel 23 WCVE-TV, the PBS member station in Richmond, as well as other TV and FM stations in Virginia.
FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting offers higher fidelity—more accurate reproduction of the original program sound—than other broadcasting techniques, such as AM broadcasting. It is also less susceptible to common forms of interference, having less static and popping sounds than are often heard on AM. Therefore, FM is used for most broadcasts of music and general audio. FM radio stations use the very high frequency range of radio frequencies.
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WBBT-FM is a non-commercial public FM radio station licensed to Powhatan, Virginia, and serving the Greater Richmond Region. WBBT-FM is owned and operated by VPM Media Corporation. It airs an eclectic music format, focusing on classical music on weekdays, jazz in the evening and diverse musical genres on weekends, including world music, opera and blues. It carries programming from NPR, Classical 24 and the WFMT Jazz Network.
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Amandala is a Belizean tabloid newspaper. Published twice weekly, it is Belize's largest newspaper. Amandala was established in 1969 as the print organ of the now-defunct United Black Association for Development (UBAD), but has been politically independent since the mid-1970s. Its offices are located at 3304 Partridge Street in Belize City.
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RSV Media Center is a broadcasting company in Belize established on February 14, 1993.
KREM Radio is a Belize City radio station operating on the F.M. band at 96.5, 91.1 and 101.1 MHz since November 17, 1989. Its headquarters are located at 3304 Partridge Street in Belize City, also the home of the Amandala newspaper and Krem Television. It brands itself the "first private radio station in Belize".
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Denburg Edison Clifford Coleman was a radio pioneer, comedian and journalist. He worked primarily with Radio Belize and is recognized as having brought that station to a position of prominence in the small Central American nation.
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