ZBM-TV
 | |
| Hamilton, Bermuda | |
|---|---|
| Branding |
ZBM TV 9 (general) ZBM News 9 (newscasts) |
| Channels |
Digital: 20 (UHF) Virtual: 20.1 (PSIP) |
| Affiliations | CBS |
| Owner | Bermuda Broadcasting Company |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Call letters' meaning | Z BerMuda |
| Sister station(s) | ZFB-TV |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 9 (VHF) |
ZBM-TV is a television station serving Hamilton and the British territory of Bermuda. It is owned by Bermuda Broadcasting Company and is an affiliate of United States television network CBS. The station broadcasts over-the-air on analog channel 9 and is carried on channel 3 on the local cable television system.
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. 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 1974, Capital Broadcasting Company merged with Bermuda Broadcasting Company and ZBM-TV was moved to channel 9.
Digital television
On the week of March 9, 2016, ZBM-TV and sister ZFB-TV shut off their analog transmitters and converted to digital television broadcasts on UHF 20. Unlike other digital terrestrial television broadcasters in North America (which have switched to ATSC, Bermuda uses DVB-T for its digital television system.[1]