ZBM TV news anchorman Gary Moreno has been linked with a possible move to the soon-to-air Government Information TV channel, and several of his colleagues are in the process of leaving Bermuda Broadcasting Company for higher paid jobs at the Government station.

Bermuda Broadcasting Company chief Rick Richardson warned the arrival of the new Government channel is proving a drain on the Island's limited pool of broadcasting professionals and he was aware of a number of his staff being lured to the proposed Government channel.

He was aware that Mr. Moreno, one of the Island's most instantly recognisable TV presenters, had spoken informally of taking a position with the soon-to-launch cable and satellite Government station, but as of yesterday was unaware of any resignation letter from the channel's leading news anchorman.

A caller to The Royal Gazette said they believed Mr. Moreno had tendered his resignation but when Mr. Moreno was contacted directly to establish if he was or wasn't leaving the company he declined to confirm or deny.

Higher salaries on offer at the Government station, which is expected to go live in June, have been cited as the reason for a mini-exodus of staff at ZBM.

Discounting the question mark over Mr. Moreno, Mr. Richardson said he was aware of three definite departures that appear directly linked to the new Government venture.

"We have had a couple of people in the traffic department leaving and I've had a couple of reports of technicians leaving that I have to confirm and I believe it is all down to the Government station," he said.

"There is a limited work pool. Broadcasting is a specialist field and the labour pool is limited. I'm analysing things at the moment. About three people have given indications they are leaving and all are about the time the Government station is due to open.

"The Government station is offering some hefty salaries. I'll be meeting with my managers to see what is real and what is speculation."

Because of the small number of trained broadcasting professionals on the Island it has become more a struggle in recent years to retain those staff as more radio stations have launched, commented Mr. Richardson. The arrival of a Government TV station, which is being promoted as a way for Government to release information unfiltered by traditional media outlets, has added to the competition for trained professionals.

"It is a challenge. Each time a new entity has been given authority to operate in our area it has had an impact on labour and expertise within the limited professional pool. It also fragments an already fragmented market.

"It will force broadcasters to make some really serious business decisions in the months ahead and it is likely there will be further automation (of the broadcasting process)."

Of the status of presenter Mr. Moreno, Mr. Richardson said: "I'm aware from speaking to (news editor) Jannell Ford that Gary has talked about possibly taking a position with the Government station. I have not heard anything official of that nature and have not seen a resignation letter."

The Bermuda Broadcasting Company managing director said his company would look to recruit talented youngsters returning to Bermuda from colleges and universities, as it has done in the past when faced with such recruiting challenges.

Kenneth DeFontes, president of DeFontes Broadcasting Company which airs rival VSB TV news, said he was not aware of any of his staff leaving to join the Government station.

He is waiting to see what impact the Government channel will have commercially on DeFontes Broadcasting.

"We have two (terrestrial) TV stations and the only ones that are going to survive are the ones that are very lean and mean. At the moment we have two independent TV newsrooms (in Bermuda), if one or both of them go then it is going to be a problem. We have to work harder and smarter," said Mr. DeFontes.

"We will be monitoring the figures daily and monthly to see if we are losing revenue."

The Government channel is slated for television providers WOW and CableVision, both on channel two. Both are awaiting a date when the channel will go live.

Asked when Government's open information TV channel will be go public, a Department of Communication spokeswoman replied: "We'll let you know when it is ready."