Searchlight celebrates 29 years

“SEARCHLIGHT is here. A searchlight is an instrument the main function of which is to illuminate. This is what we are about”.

That bold statement in our first editorial announced the presence of the “new kid” on the newspaper block in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on April 7, 1995. In fact, the paper, printed abroad like the other local papers at the time, did not arrive here until one day later, April 8.

Though not an encouraging start, it was destined to play a role in spurring SEARCHLIGHT to co-operate with the other local publishers in a joint effort to print all our weeklies locally, a positive development for all concerned.

That initial editorial also set out the role and expectations of the publishers, both in terms of lifting the standard of journalism locally as well as reaching out to the Vincentian diaspora scattered across the globe. We can largely say with satisfaction that we have lived up to those expectations. We have made a vital contribution to local journalism, in lifting its standard and in helping to stimulate local and even international discussion on a wide variety of issues.

Over the almost three decades of our existence, there have been massive changes in the journalistic world, with major implications especially for the print media.

The changes in technology ushered in by the internet revolution has affected every aspect of production and distribution. They have had great bearing on income streams to the extent that even huge names in the global newspaper business have found it difficult to operate in the drastically changed environment. Some, in business for over a century, have disappeared in the process.

It has been doubly hard for local newspapers in small markets to survive but utilizing some of the same technologies which confronted us with challenges, we have been able to take a multi-media approach which has enabled us to survive. It has also provided the opportunity for many young people to embrace those skills and even when they embarked on new stages of their life’s journey, they have done so enriched by the

SEARCHLIGHT experience. We would like to thank our readers and contributors, our shareholders, our staff, advertisers, and all who have contributed in one way or another over the years to allowing us to stay the difficult course for these 29 years. We pay tribute to the vision and tenacity of our first Editor, the late Norma Keizer and other departed former directors- Messrs C.I. Martin and Oscar Allen who played pioneering roles in establishing this enterprise.

Even after death Mrs. Keizer left us a gem in her daughter, Clare, who stepped readily into her boots, embracing the technological challenges.

The road ahead presents even more formidable challenges but we will meet them with the same resolve that has marked our existence thus far.