ZNS-1 (branded as Radio Bahamas) 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, southeastern Florida and in the Yucatan Peninsula .Fitz, Jose "The Oldest Broadcaster in the Bahamas"Ten Watts (blog) Oct. 2018 Accessed Jan. 5, 2022
History
The Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (BCB) was created as a state-owned radio broadcast service in 1936, out of a primary concern of providing accurate hurricane warnings to all of the islands of the Bahamas. A callsign of ZNS (standing for "Zephyr Nassau Sunshine") was chosen and the first broadcast was held for the coronation of Britain's King George VI and his wife on May 12, 1937."ZNS to be honored by Bahamas Press Club" Bahamas Weekly (Nov. 15, 2015) (Accessed Jan. 5, 2022)
In the early days, ZNS broadcast for only two hours per day using a 500 watt transmitter. Programming included global news from the BBC, local news and musical recordings (from the BBC)."About ZNS" ZNSBahamas.com Accessed Jan. 5, 2022
All programming from 1936 to 1950, was aired on a non-commercial basis by the colonial government."About ZNS" ZNSBahamas.com Accessed Jan. 5, 2022 The station began commercial operation in August 1950, and since that time the station has functioned as a government-owned but commercially funded station.Lent, John A. Third World Mass Media and their search for modernity: The Case of Commonwealth Caribbean, 1717-1976 (Bucknell Univ. Press 1977) Accessed Jan. 5, 2022
Today
Radio Bahamas (ZNS-1) operates from its premises on Third Terrace, Centreville, in Nassau (the station's home since 1959)."About ZNS" ZNSBahamas.com Accessed Jan. 5, 2022 Today programming is a mix of news, cultural affairs,Brown, Susan Love This is the Real Bahamas: Solidarity and Identity in Cat Island (Univ. of California-San Diego 1992), p. 120. and music, and is described as being "the national voice of the Bahamas".
References
External links Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas FCC information for ZNS-1