VSB-TV
| File:VSB.PNG | |
| Hamilton, Bermuda | |
|---|---|
| Branding | VSB TV-11 (general) VSB TV 11 News (newscasts) |
| Channels | Analog: 11 (VHF), Cable 4 |
| Owner | DeFontes Group Ltd. |
| First air date | June 1991 |
| Last air date | August 31, 2014 |
| Former affiliations | NBC (1991-2014) |
| Website | vsb.bm/vsb-tv-channel-11 |
VSB-TV was an NBC television affiliate serving Hamilton and the British territory of Bermuda. The station broadcast on channel 11. In addition to carrying the full NBC network East Coast feed, VSB locally produced a half-hour nightly newscast at 7 p.m., preceding the NBC Nightly News (which aired at 7:30 p.m. Atlantic Time in Bermuda). The station was owned by DeFontes Group, a Bermuda-based company which also owned and operated radio stations in the island nation. As of August 31, 2014, VSB-TV ceased broadcasting over-the-air on Channel 11 due to financial difficulties but still provides daily news via their online website.
Programming and Newscasts
VSB's schedule runs an hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone without any delays, which means primetime begins at 9:00 p.m. AT and Today begins live at 8:00 a.m. AT, with the late local news carried at midnight AT. The station runs Access Hollywood Live at noon AT and Ellen at 5:00 p.m AT.
Other station newscasts are carried at 7:00 p.m. AT and 8:30 p.m. AT, with the NBC Nightly News airing live at 7:30 p.m. AT. VSB currently does not carry a local morning newscast or the local :25/:55 cut-ins during Today.
Discontinuation of operations
On 29 August 2014, the ownership of VSB announced that over-the-air broadcasting would be suspended indefinitely due to financial losses, effective 31 August 2014, whilst expressing the hope that the station might reorganize and return to the air in the future. Declining advertising revenues resulting in continual deficits were cited by DeFontes Group.[1] A daily 20-min. video streaming of VSB News Online continued for another year, produced by VSB staff.
On 1 September 2015, it was announced that Defontes Group would cease all remaining operations and lay off all 19 of its staff.[2] The station's news director said, "declining advertising revenues concurrent with the explosion of electronic media had been our death knell”, when DeFontes Broadcasting ceased operations completely on 30 September 2015, including its radio stations and online streaming.[3]
