Although the Bahamas has had a lively and relatively free press since the early 1800's, broadcasting was government controlled until 1992.

A public radio station was established in the 1930s as a hurricane warning service, using the call letters 'ZNS' (Zephyr Nassau Sunshine).

In the 1970s, a statutory broadcasting corporation was formed to operate ZNS television and radio channels (TV was introduced in 1978). The stations are partly funded by advertising, but heavily subsidised by the public treasury.

This monopoly was broken in 1992 when the new Free National Movement government licensed private radio stations, and in 1994 when Canadian investors were licensed to provide cable television service. There are currently 10 private radio stations on New Providence and four in the Family Islands (on Grand Bahama, Abaco and Eleuthera).

Cable Bahamas Ltd (partly owned by the government and local shareholders) began installing an advanced fibre-optic network in 1995. Over 98% of New Providence and Freeport households now have access to cable service. Family Island connections began in 1997 on Abaco, Bimini and Eleuthera.

With an exclusive 15-year license, Cable Bahamas offers a 52-channel basic service plus premium movie channels, a pay-per-view service and digital audio. Cable also carries ZNS TV and operates a parliamentary channel and a community channel. Due to government regulations, no commercial advertising is currently accepted. However, the community channel runs non-commercial programming and public announcements.

The country's oldest newspaper is the Nassau Guardian, which has published continuously since it was founded in 1844 by an Englishman named Edwin Charles Mosely. Its chief competitor, The Tribune, was founded in 1903 by Leon Dupuch, a Bahamian. A twice-weekly tabloid, the Punch, was established in 1990 by Bahamian journalist Ivan Johnson. The more cerebral Bahama Journal hit the streets in 1987 as a weekly and is now published daily.

Television
Number of stations - 1
Penetration - over 80% of population

ZNS Channel 13
Format: Heavy American sports emphasis, otherwise mainly foreign soaps and movies with some local productions.
Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas
P. O. Box N-1347. Telephone 242-322-4623.

Radio
Number of stations - 15
Penetration - 100% of population
Commercial time per hour - average 6-12 minutes
Audience peaks - morning/afternoon drive time, midday talk shows.

ZNS-1 - National coverage, news, music, talk.
ZNS-2 - New Providence. Religious music and talk.
ZNS-FM - New Providence. Pop music and news.
ZNS-3 - Grand Bahama. Pop music and news (local and networked).
Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas
P. O. Box N-1347. Telephone 242-322-4623.

100 JAMZ FM - New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco. Pop music and news briefs.
First private radio station.
Tribune Radio
P. O. Box N-3207. Telephone 242-328-4771.

JOY FM - New Providence. Gospel music and spiritual talk.
managed by Tribune Radio
P. O. Box N-3207. Telephone 242-328-4771.

MORE FM - New Providence. Upbeat pop programming, news.
P. O. Box N-1347. Telephone 242-322-4623.

ISLAND FM - New Providence. Caribbean and world music, news and talk.
P. O. Box N-1807. Telephone 242-322-8826.

GEMS Radio 105.9 FM - New Providence. Talk and inspirational.
Bartlett McWeeney Communications
51 Montrose Avenue, Nassau, Bahamas

COOL 96 FM - Grand Bahama. Adult contemporary music, news and talk.
P. O. Box F-40773. Telephone 242-352-7440.

RADIO ABACO FM - Abaco. Island music, local news and talk.
P. O. Box AB20418. Telephone 242-367-4935.

SPLASH FM - Eleuthera. Island music, local news and talk.
P. O. Box EL27495. Telephone 242-333-4638

BREEZE 98.3 FM - Exuma. Island music, local news and talk.

Newspapers
Nassau Guardian (broadsheet)
Circulation - 6-17,000 daily
Colour - Spot & process
Format - National news/features/syndicated material.
Owned by Bahamian shareholders.
P. O. Box N-3011. Telephone 242-323-5654.

The Tribune (broadsheet)
Circulation - 11-17,000 daily
Colour - Spot & process
Format - National news/features/syndicated material.
Family-owned.
P. O. Box N-3207. Telephone 242-322-2768.

The Punch (tabloid)
Circulation - 20,000-plus twice a week
Colour - Spot & process
Format - National news/gossip/syndicated material.
Owned by Bahamian shareholders.
P. O. Box N-4081. Telephone 242-322-7112.

Bahama Journal (broadsheet)
Circulation - 2,000 daily (estimate)
Colour - Spot & process
Format - News, political analysis and commentary.
Owned by Bahamian shareholders.
P. O. Box N-8610. Telephone 242-325-3082.

Freeport News (broadsheet)
Circulation - 3,000 daily
Colour - Spot
Format - National/local news/syndicated material.
Owned by the Nassau Guardian 1844 Ltd.
P. O. Box F-7, Freeport, Grand Bahama. Telephone 242-352-8321.

The Abaconian (tabloid)
Circulation - 7,000 bi-monthly
Colour - spot and process
Format - Local news.
Owned by Dave & Kathy Ralph.
P O Box AB 20551
Marsh Harbour, Abaco. Telephone 242-367-3677.

Magazines
Bahamas Naturalist & Journal of Science
Circulation - 200 twice a year
Format - articles of scientific interest relating to The Bahamas
Publisher - Media Enterprises Ltd, P.O. Box N-9240, Nassau, Bahamas

Financial Digest
Circulation - 3,000 monthly
Format - regurgitated economic/political news
Publisher - Symonette Marketing, P.O. Box N-4271, Nassau, Bahamas

Destination Magazine
Circulation - 50,000 twice yearly
Format - Tourism-oriented news and features.
Publisher - Bahamas Hotel Association, P.O. Box N-4846, Nassau, Bahamas

THE INTERNET
Telecommunications services are being deregulated in the Bahamas, but it is still unclear whether or when the government-owned phone utility will be privatized. Systems Resource Group became the first private company to offer fixed voice services in the Bahamas in late 2004, operating under the brand name IndiGo.

The total Bahamas market is about 90,000 households. Cable Bahamas provides television and pay-per-view services to 65,000 of these households over its advanced fibre-optic network.

Cable Bahamas launched broadband Internet service in early 2000 and later installed a fibre cable between Florida and the Bahamas to upgrade connection speeds. It has 28,000 cable modem subscribers.

The government-owned Bahamas Telecommunications Company has 12,000 DSL subscribers. Bahamas Online - the country's first private Internet provider - was acquired by Cable Bahamas in 2004.

Cable Bahamas:
P. O. Box CB-13050, Nassau, Bahamas.
E-mail: info@coralwave.com.
Telephone 242-356-2200

BaTelNet:
P. O. Box N-3048, Nassau, Bahamas.
E-mail: info@batelnet.bs.
Telephone 242-328-0990.