The quality of Olympic coverage being offered in Bermuda has come under serious fire following the opening weekend of the games.

Viewers were irate Friday when a signal snafu left them staring at blank television screens rather than the scheduled Opening Ceremonies from Salt Lake City and now hockey fans are skating into the fray charging a virtual blackout of the popular winter sport.

Technical problems prevented ZFB channel 7 - the Bermuda Broadcasting Company (BBCo) station with the rights to Games in Bermuda - from airing the opening ceremonies as scheduled. Viewers hopeful of seeing Bermudian athlete Patrick Singleton carry the flag for the Island - clad in traditional Bermuda shorts despite the chilly Utah weather - were furious when the signal failure and cable TV Olympic blackout left them without any coverage at all.

Competing in luge, Singleton is Bermuda's only participating athlete at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

The station fixed the problem late Friday night and re-broadcast the Opening Ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics Saturday.

While the station is now regularly airing Olympic coverage, it is interspersed with regular programming for much of the day at times when the cable channel CNBC is broadcasting other Olympic sports - and, in particular, hockey.

"I'm very concerned ZFB is stopping channel 25 (CNBC) from broadcasting and now they're not broadcasting Olympic coverage until 9 p.m.," said one disappointed caller to The Royal Gazette last night.

I don't feel it's right that BBC black out other channels if there not going to cover it themselves," added the caller. "I would ask them to permit other channels to broadcast when they don't."

Hockey fans are getting the stick, another disappointed viewer said last night.

"If (ZFB 7) isn't showing Olympics, why can't I watch it on CNBC," said one hockey fan. "I'm paying for the cable service."

The anger of the hockey set may grow louder toward the end of the week when the most competitive teams are expected to hit the ice - Canada, Sweden, Russia, USA.

"Right now it is just the preliminary games so not that bad," said one hockey fan. The big countries aren't playing until next Friday. What I'm curious to see is whether the bars will step in and show hockey."

Last night, local sports bars told The Royal Gazette they would seize the opportunity to lure in hockey fans opened by the gaps in local Olympic coverage.

"If Channel 7 isn't showing it, they should allow Cablevision to unblock CNBC," said Sonny Sullivan of MR Onion's.

Mr. Sullivan said the bar would be getting its satellite system organised to broadcast Olympics as much as possible for the remainder of the Games and certainly show the major hockey matches this weekend.

The manager of Flanagan's said the satellite system is often weather dependant and the bar was having difficulty picking up Olympic coverage last night due to the high winds.

"Obviously, if we have it or can get it, we'll have it on downstairs (in the sports bar) definitely," said David Cromwell.

The Royal Gazette was unable to reach BBCo CEO Rick Richardson last night for comment but the company issued a statement this weekend apologising for the problems experienced on Friday night.

"The Bermuda Broadcasting Company deeply regrets the disappointment (Friday) night by local viewers," it stated.

The statement explained the station had established a digital satellite link with NBC in the United States earlier in the day Friday but, "at the crucial hour", the signal failed and was not re-established until 11:30 p.m.

The competing local television station - VSB TV 11 of Defontes Broadcasting - stepped in to air the NBC feed from 10:30 p.m. Friday until the BBCo re-established its signal.

The local cable provider also issued a statement this weekend offering to remove their blackout of Olympic coverage on WDIV and CNBC (channels 6 and 25) in the event of recurring technical problems.

"Cablevision is not responsible for technical difficulty (Friday) that prevented viewing the opening ceremonies," the company said.

"Cablevision has informed Mr. Rick Richardson that in the event the problem should re-occur, we can assist by removing the blackout until the problem is resolved."