11125+ web files in a constantly updated compendium on Bermuda's business, culture, cuisine, customs, districts, economy, education, food, geography, government, history, internet access, laws, parishes, politics, religions, traditions, wildlife etc. For tourists, business visitors, employers, employees, newcomers, researchers, retirees, scholars. Funded by and linked to The Royal Gazette, Bermuda's only daily newspaper.

Bermuda News Media

Newspapers, magazines, cable, radio, television

By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) exclusively for Bermuda Online

To refer by e-mail to this file use "bermuda-online.org/media" as your Subject

Media below wishing to have their websites and email addresses shown below are welcome to contact the author, if they act in accordance with our Reciprocal Links policy.

Daily newspaper (only one)

The Royal Gazette, cover price BDA$0.90 (since December 2007, prior to that 80c, electronic Edition will remain at 75 cents). Use the "Contact Us" link to see all key staff by name, department, office phone numbers and e-mail addresses. A world-class daily (except Sunday) newspaper, with a daily size and scope far in excess of newspapers abroad  covering much larger communities.  Member of the Newspaper Association of America and Inland Press Association, etc. Established in 1828, it incorporates The Colonist and Daily News (established in 1866). The Royal Gazette Limited is a subsidiary company of the Bermuda Press (Holdings) Ltd, incorporated in Bermuda. Its physical address is 2 Par La Ville Road, Hamilton HM 08, Bermuda. Its mailing address is P. O. Box HM 1025, Hamilton HM DX, Bermuda. Telephone (441) 295-5881. Editorial fax is (441) 292-2498. Letters to the Editor are letters@royalgazette.bm. The daily abbreviated Internet edition is usually published by 10 am EST. The full electronic edition is complete with all advertisements for those with an international interest in professional employment or contemplating an international business based in Bermuda. The full print edition publishes 6 days a week, Monday though Saturday.  It produces more than 80 percent of the daily community and business news of Bermuda and from overseas, is the only daily newspaper in Bermuda, is read by more than 80 percent of the entire population of Bermuda and 100 percent of all of the international business leaders in Bermuda. By any international standard, it is a fair, honest, factual and not sensational newspaper, with a superb international reputation. It has an electronic newsroom, satellite facilities, wire and syndicated services.

Because they are fully independent of the Bermuda Government and/or are often the minority complexion - white - Royal Gazette reporters are regularly verbally attacked and belittled by politicians at press conferences and public events. It is the only developed country in the free world where this kind of constant government hostility towards the free press goes unchallenged; not good for Bermuda's image as a tourism resort and business center. Even in the United Kingdom, where the leading independent newspapers regularly police and often challenge the government, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Cabinet, always conscious of the freedom of the press as a unique democratic right, have never ended government's advertising or stopped subscription deals with any newspaper. In complete contrast, the Cabinet of the Bermuda Government decided in March 2008 to end the Government's advertising and subscription deals with this newspaper, claiming it was a cost-saving measure. A press release at the time said: "The Cabinet determined it was not cost-effective or penetrative enough to rely heavily on print advertising in an electronically advanced community." However, despite repeated requests the methodology used has never been revealed. However it continues to place adverts with other, far less frequent print media and to select one of them, only a twice a week publication, as its Official Gazette, despite its much higher-to-government bidding cost. 

Other newspapers

• Bermuda Sun. Twice weekly, Wednesday, Friday or day earlier if a public holiday. The Bermuda Government is its single biggest client by far. On behalf of the government, it publishes the Official Gazette, meaning all Bermuda Government notices and vacancies, under contract to the Bermuda Government. 
• Mid Ocean News. Weekly, Friday or day earlier if a public holiday. A sister newspaper of the daily The Royal Gazette. 2 Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton 08. Telephone (441) 295-6666. Fax (441) 295-9650. A condensed internet edition appears online a day or so following the offline, bigger, Friday edition.
• Worker's Voice. Every other Friday. From the Bermuda Industrial Union at telephone 292-0044.

History of Newspapers by date order

Newspapers from overseas

Available from local stores, but at very high prices, sometimes as much as 350% more than the domestic price in the country of origin. A Sunday English newspaper can now cost as much as $10 - far higher than in USA or Canada - and without most of the inserts included in Britain. Most daily newspapers are not available until later that day or at least a day later than their published dates, usually without some or all of the supplements, TV Guides, etc. They include the Miami Herald International Edition. 

Bermuda Network News

Website with some nice features, including local news, events and happenings. Also with advertisements from some private-sector businesses, including one in which the Premier of the Bermuda Government is involved.

Broadcasting Commissioners

Under the Broadcasting Commissioners Act 1953. See in alphabetical order under "Bermuda Government Boards." E-mail gtelecom@bdagov.bm.

Broadcasting regulations and stations

All commercial, no PBS or BBC equivalent

Broadcasting content on cable, radio and local television and political broadcasting are controlled by the Bermuda Government appointed Broadcasting Commissioners set up under the Broadcasting Commissioners Act 1953. They are answerable to a cabinet minister. They act as the Film Control Authority, under the Film/Control of Exhibition Act 1959. They also advise the Minister on matters concerning the Obscene Publications Act 1973.

The only periodic exception to the all-commercial content is when the Government Emergency Broadcasting Facility operates, during a storm or hurricane or when no commercial station can broadcast because power lines are down. The Bermuda Government does not hold an equity position in any of the broadcasting companies but awards contracts to them for certain programming.

On January 14, 1994 in Bermuda, new regulations were officially introduced affecting local radio and television stations. Enacted by the House of Assembly six months earlier, they required callers to identify themselves; stations to put into effect a seven-second delay in broadcasting such calls; as well as a ban on tobacco advertising; a ban on alcohol advertising (except beer and wine) between 6 am and 9 pm; the requirement for all such advertising to include the message "Excessive alcohol may be harmful to your health;" stations to produce a daily record of programs; regular publication of time schedules for programming; and the requirement that local television stations not broadcast any program which solicits funds from the public except by an approved and registered charity.

Magazines

Media below wishing to have their websites and email addresses shown below are welcome to contact the author, if they act in accordance with our Reciprocal Links policy. Include:

Bermuda Online.  With its detailed and accurate 120+ web files on Bermuda, many of which are updated daily.  Online only. E-mail the Editor & author, Keith Archibald Forbes, at kaforbes@ibl.bm.  

Bottom Line. A news and features oriented quarterly business magazine, for locals and visitors. Published six times a year from 2002 by The Royal Gazette. Given away with newspaper.

RG Magazine. A news and features oriented monthly, for locals and visitors. Published by The Royal Gazette. Free with daily newspaper.

Radio Stations

Media below wishing to have their websites and email addresses shown below are welcome to contact the author, if they act in accordance with our Reciprocal Links policy. Radio broadcasting in Bermuda began in 1946, long before TV. Radio talk shows are popular in Bermuda. In music, there is a "local content" requirement of at least two locally sung or locally orchestrated songs or pieces of music per hour.

AM Radio

• 1160. VSB-3. Local, tourist, news, including BBC World Service from the United Kingdom.
• 1230. Bermuda Spirit, formerly ZFB-AM. Local.
• 1280. VSB-2. All-Christian radio with conservative music and programs 24 hours a day
• 1340. ZBM-2. Since 1953.
• 1450. VSB-1 (Gold). Country.

FM Radio

• 89.1. FM 89 (ZBM-FM). Since 1962.
• 94.9. Power 95 (ZFB-FM). Since 1971.
• 98.1. KJAZ. Since 2005. Jazz, blues.
• 106.1. Mix 106 (VSB FM)
• 107.5. Hott 107.5. Since 2004

Local electronic news stations often rely heavily on the daily news published very early in the morning in the only Bermuda daily newspaper, The Royal Gazette, which broadcasts about 75 percent of all Bermuda news.

Government Emergency Broadcasting Facility

This goes on the air at 1610 kHz on the AM band only when all the commercial stations are unable to broadcast. The station provides music, emergency information and announcements. They are handled jointly by public relations officers within the Police Community Relations office and Government Information Services. In recent years, the station has fulfilled a useful role as an information source during island-wide power failures, especially during hurricanes. It is operated around the clock until any one of the commercial radio stations can resume service.

Short Wave Radio

• For shipping and yachts, Bermuda Harbour Radio, Bermuda Government.
• Radio Canada International (RCI) short-wave broadcasts to Bermuda. 

Internet-only Radio

Various.

TV stations, local & satellite

Media below wishing to have their websites and email addresses shown below are welcome to contact the author, if they act in accordance with our Reciprocal Links policy. 

Unlike in the United Kingdom, no annual TV license fee is payable by individuals or households. Bermuda uses the North American NTSC television broadcasting standard. Reception is island wide but much better in some areas than in others, when only using rabbit-ears as an aerial. There is no equivalent in Bermuda of UK-style Freeview TV. Bermuda TV stations do not follow the methodology in the United Kingdom and North America of presenters on morning TV shows from national stations such as BBC in the UK showing  pictures and leading stories from daily newspapers. 

Cable

Bermuda Cablevision Limited.

World on Wireless (WOW).

There is not yet any two way digital cable modem or wireless operated and internet service in Bermuda similar to those now common in USA, Canada, Europe and beyond. 

Local stations

Fresh TV. 

CITV (Community Information Television). Government TV channel.  citv.gov.bm. Began September 20, 2007. In 2006, Government allotted $840,000 for the station and in the 2007 budget set aside $690,000 and five full-time staff for the station, which is housed among the classrooms at the new Berkeley school site in Pembroke. Channel 2 on CableVision and on 102 on WOW. The programming includes a current affairs show, health and family show and entertainment show. In 2007, the Progressive Labour Party often claimed that some of the media – the Royal Gazette in particular – is biased against it. The truth is that the media, faced with an often hostile Government public relations apparatus that sometimes gives the impression that its main job is to keep journalists away from Cabinet Ministers, simply reports the news as it happens. Cabinet Ministers tried to defend the idea by comparing it to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) or the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), but the comparisons are wrong. While CBC is an independent organization that receives Government funding but is entirely free of charge to the television and broadcasting public, the BBC is not free but hugely expensive to every British-UK household. The UK Government's Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport sets the amount of the licence fee. The UK Government's Communications Act 2003 states that all households, including individuals living by themselves, need a television licence to receive or record television programmes and use videos and/or DVDs in the process, even when they do not want to watch or record any non-BBC television program, unlike in the democratic countries where such a regulation is not the case and would not be tolerated by the public. In the UK, the Government, not the BBC, sets an annual licensing fee per household of £139.50 (US$279) from April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009), as mentioned in the UK's TV Licencing with only the over 75-year olds exempted and with huge fines of £1,000 ($2,000) to anyone who flouts the law. The cost to individual and non-commercial households and consumers is the same as those paid by UK business which are small hotels, bed and breakfasts, etc. and have many more TVs per household. This licence is paid only to the BBC for its television and radio programming, not to other television or radio providers. TV-detecting vans police the country, to trace TV owners who have not paid. The cost of the TV licence is the highest by in Europe. The BBC uses its compulsory licencing fee to fund incredibly high salaries to some individuals.  The BBC does not issue any accounting to the general public - its TV licence payers - on how its TV licence funds are used. Its accounting profile is not posted on its website or that of the BBC Trust for all to see. The BBC no longer has the vastly superior programming it once had, as American and Canadian residents of the UK complain about constantly and the matter of its  compulsory TV Licence has recently been severely criticised in a Daily Telegraph newspaper article.  Brits clearly still love their highly taxed system while North Americans are aghast.

Government announced in April 2008 a deal with a free-to-the-public (PBS) Pittsburgh public TV station, which will benefit CITV in training and programming, will reportedly come at a cost of $200,000. Premier Ewart Brown, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, announced that Pittsburgh's WQED Multimedia (a public broadcasting TV and radio station) will provide the expertise to launch CITV and allow for unique training of CITV employees. An article on the deal between the TV stations recently appeared in the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. It said Bermuda will pay WQED approximately $200,000 to consult through the end of the year on CITV The station is funded by $500,000 from the Bermuda Government.

LookTV. 

OnionTV. Cable channel 75, run by the Caines family. Representing and promoting the wide diversity of Bermuda's community. A subsidiary of Bermuda Style Management.  Pembroke. Email info@otv.bm or 3caines@northrock.bm.

ZFB TV. 

ZBM TV.

VSB TV. 

Satellite

Many local residents have this instead of Cable TV. Systems include Direct TV, DISH satellite TV and C-Band, mostly American.