ZNS-TV

Last updated

Public Television of Bahamas (PTB)
ZNS-TV HD 2017.png
Channels
BrandingZNS Network HD
Programming
Affiliations Independent (branded as ZNS Network)
Ownership
OwnerThe Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas
ZNS-1 AM/FM, ZNS-2 AM/FM, ZNS-3 AM/SW, ZNS-3-FM, ZNS News Channel
History
Founded1936 (Radio) July 4 1977 (Television)
Former names
ZNS Network (1936-2024)
CBS/NBC/ABC (all secondary, 1977–1992)
Call sign meaning
Zephyr (balmy breeze)
Nassau
Sunshine
Technical information
Licensing authority
Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA)
ERP 54 kW
Links
Website znsbahamas.com

ZNS (Zephyr Nassau Sunshine) is a national television broadcaster operated by the state-owned Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (BCB). ZNS-TV's two transmitters, serving Nassau and Freeport, are the only over-the-air TV stations in the country. The rest of the country receives these channels (and a privately owned station) via Cable Bahamas, a privately held company that maintained an exclusive licence to operate cable TV services until 2009.

Contents

BCB also owns ZNS-1 AM Radio 1540 (a clear-channel station), its repeater, ZNS-1 on 104.5, ZNS-2 AM 1240, 107.9 "Inspiration 107.9 FM" in Nassau, and ZNS-3 AM 810 / FM 104.5 "Power 104.5" in Freeport.

History

Older ZNS-TV logo, with variant colors ZNS-TV.jpg
Older ZNS-TV logo, with variant colors

ZNS radio was founded in 1937 to broadcast hurricane warnings to the islands throughout the archipelago. At its inception, the station broadcast for two hours a day, featuring news and musical recordings from the BBC [1] and Nassau sources. The radio station eventually established another transmitter in Freeport on the island of Grand Bahama.

ZNS-TV launched in Nassau on New Providence Island in 1977. Before ZNS-TV is launched, television can be received from stations in the United States. [2] The station aired programming to entertain, educate and inform. It aired sitcoms, sports, dramas, and even movies. In 1992, the station started to air only public affairs programming.

In October 2010, the BCB implemented a major restructuring exercise in which approximately 80 employees were made redundant. This event sparked much public debate. The government offered a severance package to employees who separated from the company. One reason for restructuring was that the previous governments had declared the BCB to be a major strain on the public purse, bringing in little revenue. The further reason for the downsizing was to enable the corporation's transition to a public broadcasting service.

The people behind the changes were then Minister of National Security with Responsibilities for Broadcasting, Hon. Tommy Turnquest, and the chairman of BCB, Michael Moss, along with his board and managers. Payouts were reported to cost the government around $4 million. Many of those who received separation packages and termination letters generally were unhappy, because it did not reflect their years of service. However, the government maintained that the separation package was generous, considering the economic climate in the country and that they were greater than required by law. In addition to the monetary payouts, those affected were provided with health insurance for 12 months.

On 14 December 2011, ZNS-TV announced that it was planning on converting to ATSC digital terrestrial television, with the additional capability of adding a mobile DTV feed. [3]

In 2017, ZNS-TV shut down its on-channel repeater in Freeport, ZNS-TV-1 (also using VHF 13), and substantially reduced power at its remaining transmitter in Nassau.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FM broadcast band</span> Radio broadcast band

The FM broadcast band is a range of radio frequencies used for FM broadcasting by radio stations. The range of frequencies used differs between different parts of the world. In Europe and Africa and in Australia and New Zealand, it spans from 87.5 to 108 megahertz (MHz) - also known as VHF Band II - while in the Americas it ranges from 88 to 108 MHz. The FM broadcast band in Japan uses 76 to 95 MHz, and in Brazil, 76 to 108 MHz. The International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT) band in Eastern Europe is from 65.9 to 74.0 MHz, although these countries now primarily use the 87.5 to 108 MHz band, as in the case of Russia. Some other countries have already discontinued the OIRT band and have changed to the 87.5 to 108 MHz band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMTW (TV)</span> ABC affiliate in Poland Spring, Maine

WMTW is a television station licensed to Poland Spring, Maine, United States, serving the Portland area as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside CW affiliate WPXT. The two stations share studios on Ledgeview Drive in Westbrook; WMTW's transmitter is located in West Baldwin, Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBMT-DT</span> CBC Television station in Montreal

CBMT-DT is a television station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, broadcasting the English-language service of CBC Television. It is owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation alongside Ici Radio-Canada Télé flagship CBFT-DT. The two stations share studios at Maison Radio-Canada on René Lévesque Boulevard East in Downtown Montreal; CBMT-DT's transmitter is located atop Mount Royal.

CICI-TV is a television station in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. The station is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, and has studios on Frood Road in Sudbury; its transmitter is located near Huron Street.

CHBX-TV is a television station in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on 6 Line East in Sault Ste. Marie.

CKCW-DT is a television station in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It serves as the network's outlet for both New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, CKCW-DT maintains studios at Halifax and George Streets in Moncton, with a PEI bureau in Charlottetown. Its transmitter is located on Wilson Road in Hillsborough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHAU-DT</span> TVA affiliate in Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec

CHAU-DT is a French language television station serving as an affiliate of TVA in Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec, Canada. It broadcasts an analogue signal on VHF channel 5 from a transmitter near Rue de la Montagne in Carleton-sur-Mer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHO (AM)</span> Clear-channel news/talk radio station in Des Moines, Iowa

WHO is a commercial AM radio station in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and carries a conservative news/talk radio format, with studios on Grand Avenue in Des Moines.

WFNO is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Gretna, Louisiana, and serving the New Orleans metropolitan area. The station is owned by Crocodile Broadcasting and airs a Spanish-language hot adult contemporary radio format.

A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth's surface to any number of tuned receivers simultaneously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation</span> Public radio and television broadcaster of Barbados

The Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is a public radio and television broadcaster, located in The Pine, St. Michael in Barbados. It was founded in 1963 as Radio Barbados. The CBC falls under the ministry and jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Office.

Television in the Bahamas was introduced in 1977, though television broadcasts had already been available from the United States for several decades. The television stations in the Bahamas include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFZM</span> Radio station in Toronto, Ontario

CFZM is a commercial AM radio station in Toronto, Canada. It is owned by ZoomerMedia, headed by Canadian broadcaster Moses Znaimer. It airs an oldies and adult standards radio format, branded as Zoomer Radio, with the slogan "The Original Greatest Hits". The studios and offices are on Jefferson Avenue in the Liberty Village neighbourhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPTT (AM)</span> Radio station in Hartford, Wisconsin

WPTT is a commercial AM radio station in Hartford, Wisconsin, serving the Greater Milwaukee radio market. It airs an adult hits radio format and is owned by Tomsun Media LLC, which is operated by David and Connie Stout. The radio studios are on North Main Street at Summer Street in Hartford.

This is a list of media outlets in the city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

Digital terrestrial television in Canada is transmitted using the ATSC standard. Because Canada and the U.S. use the same standard and frequencies for channels, people near the Canada–United States border can watch digital television programming from television stations in either country where available. The ATSC standards are also used in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, and South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commonwealth Broadcasting Association</span>

The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) is a representative body for public service broadcasters throughout the Commonwealth, founded in 1945. A not-for-profit non-government organisation, the CBA is funded by subscriptions from 102 members and affiliates from 54 countries. The stated goal of the CBA is to promote best practices in public service broadcasting and to foster freedom of expression. It also serves to provide support and assistance to its members through training, bursaries, consultancies, networking opportunities and materials for broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadcast relay station</span> Repeater transmitter

A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats the signal of a radio or television station to an area not covered by the originating station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZNS-1</span> Radio station in Nassau, Bahamas

ZNS-1 is the oldest broadcast station in the Bahamas. It has a news/talk format, and broadcasts on 1540 kHz and 104.5 MHz in Nassau, with a repeater in Freeport on 107.7 MHz. It is under ownership of the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas. The AM station has a Class A clear-channel allocation under NARBA and its nighttime signal can be heard throughout the Bahamas, most of Cuba, and southeastern Florida.

The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1540 kHz: 1540 AM is a United States clear-channel frequency. KXEL Waterloo, Iowa, and ZNS-1 Nassau, Bahamas, share Class A status on 1540 AM.

References

  1. "About". ZNS Network. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  2. "World Communications" (PDF). UNESCO. 1975. p. 139. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  3. "Bahamas national TV to get multi-million dollar digital upgrade – video". The Bahamas Investor. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2012.

}