Continuing our Black History Month feature on the history of public broadcasting in Bermuda and the revolutionary part played by Montague Egbert Sheppard, we broaden the tapestry this week and bring into perspective Sheppard’s impact on television in Bermuda. Last week our focus was on his role in radio.

In shedding some light on the history of public broadcasting in Bermuda we must cast our minds back to the social, political and economic order which prevailed in Bermuda in the mid 1950s and the 1960s.

At that time the demographics were substantively different. We lived in a society that was dominated by racism and public sanctioned segregation in which everything was controlled by a powerful, vindictive white minority at the expense of black majority population.

There was one cardinal feature, which in the conduct of normal business affairs, sought to challenge the status quo. A new era was ushered into existence by Montague Egbert Sheppard upon his incorporation of Capital Broadcasting Company Limited, which owned and operated ZFB Radio and Television.

The old guard, former establishment perceived Sheppard’s venture as a social experiment that in their estimation was destined to fail. In accordance with the conventional wisdom of the day, it was perceived that black people lacked the business acumen and technical expertise to undertake a business venture of such grandeur and magnitude. Much to their dismay, Mr Sheppard’s Capital Broadcasting established a niche in the arena of public broadcasting that was prolific, unparalleled and unprecedented in the history of public broadcasting in Bermuda.

One aspect of great significance of which many may not be aware, is that, Capital Broadcasting Company was the first enterprise that was owned, controlled and operated by black people in the western hemisphere! That was inclusive of Canada, United States of America and the Caribbean. Substantively, Capital Broadcasting was not only a trend-setter it was also a Company that was on the cutting edge of broadcasting and television.

Capital Broadcasting established an historical precedent when it was the first broadcasting company to introduce the production of colour television into Bermuda. Capital Broadcasting was also the first broadcasting company to secure an affiliation with one of the major three television networks in the United States of America, upon the procurement of a highly coveted affiliation with the ABC Network which produced the ABC News with the famous broadcaster Harry Reasoner.

The brainchild of Capital Broadcasting, as we had mentioned in our article last week was entrepreneur and businessman, Mr Montague Sheppard. He exhibited the foresight and vision which catapulted the broadcasting industry into a different orbit.

Other individuals who were instrumental in playing a pivotal role in galvanising the Company into the cutting edge of broadcasting were of course, yours truly, Ira Philip and Everard Davis; and on the engineering side, Delano Ingham.

Capital Broadcasting had a marketing strategy that was unparalleled.

Unlike its major local competitor, Bermuda Broadcasting Company and its ZBM entities industry which historically and primarily relied on expatriates from Canada and the West Indies, Capital Broadcasting was instrumental in training local talent many of whom we named last week, and others who subsequently sought fame and fortune in the field of broadcasting the United States. Some noted alums include Elroy [RC] Smith, Sturgis Griffin whom we mentioned last week, up and coming young Mike Sharpe, and Chuck Welch.

For a period of two decades, and under the auspices and stewardship of yours truly, Capital Broadcasting was instrumental in chronicling the major news events that dominated both the international and local landscape in Bermuda. Significantly, Sheppard introduced live mid-day Television News hosted by Marlene Butterfield.

As the News Director, of ZFB radio and television, Ira began the day with a provocative radio morning editorial. He conducted personal interviews with a host of local and international personalities visiting Bermuda over the years. Bermuda’s Governor Lord Martonmere personally ensured that VIPs visiting Government House got on ZFB TV. Upon an historical and official visit to Bermuda, Ira interviewed The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Right Reverend and Right Honourable the Lord Ramsey of Canterbury.

ZFB News was also instrumental in covering the arrival and visit to Bermuda of Marshall Tito, the former President of Yugoslavia. He also personally interviewed noted international broadcast journalist Ted Koppel, best known as the anchor of ABC News programme ‘Nightline’.

One other unforgettable international personality of world renown interviewed was Geoffrey Bing QC. Mr Bing was a former British politician who served as a Labour Member of the British House of Commons from 1945-1955. Mr Bing was also a distinguished Oxford-trained Barrister, who practised in England and West Africa. He was appointed the Attorney General under the Government of Kwame Nkrumah, the first postcolonial President of Ghana.

Mr Bing ruffled a few feathers when he visited Bermuda during the latter period of the 1960s. He exchanged a few barbs with the old political potentate Sir Henry Tucker. When Ira called on Sir Henry for his reaction to what Bing had claimed, Sir Henry said he was not impacted by what “a grotesque old man” like Mr Bing was saying.

Upon a most brilliant retort, Mr Bing said where he came from Sir Henry Tucker would be regarded as a “little Country Banker”. With all of its political banter, that was an epithet to which old Sir Henry did not take very kindly.

Two other famous personalities Ira interviewed were Rex Nettlesford, who became Chancellor of the University of the West Indies; and Civil Rights revolutionary Shirley Chisholm, the Congresswoman who was the first woman, and black person, to challenge for the Presidency of the US.

Ira had his personal challenges with local leaders, like Wilfred [Mose] Allen, Alex Romeo (whose byline was ‘Escape Me Never’) and Walter Astwood, naming just a few. He made international headline news during the local riots during one of which his car was set afire.