End of an era

The announcement by this newspaper of its intention to cease publication of the Searchlight newspaper has taken many people by surprise. This newspaper burst upon the scene some thirty one years ago founded by four gentlemen who had already established their prominence nationally as columnists of note: Oscar Allen, a rural based activist; Sebastian “Bassy” Alexander, with his peculiar folksy style; Historian Dr Adrian Fraser; and journalist and social activist Renwick Rose. These gentlemen sought the services of retired educator Norma Keizer, as Editor and the new publication hit the market with a bang on April 7, 1995.

The style was fresh, the look was bold, indeed A New Era for journalism in St Vincent & the Grenadines was being announced. Searchlight, the name chosen, was a nod to the ill-fated call-in radio programme on the National Broadcasting Corporation (still referred to as Radio 705) which had suffered closure by the government of the day, therefore, stifling a very welcomed medium of free expression by the people.

Searchlight employed a team of young, talented reporters who hit the ground running, literally, bringing stories to avid readers who looked forward to its appearance on Fridays. The new organ brought a different approach to coverage of the news of the day, and its readership and circulation grew very quickly. The paper’s marketing strategy ensured that papers were being sold in areas not then served by the competition.

In those early years Searchlight shone its light on social issues of the day such as Street Kids, a phenomenon which, although exposed, still remains a problem for our society. At the same time, there was a marked emphasis on education to the point where it included a section of past papers dedicated to preparing students for the important Common Entrance Examinations.

But there was also a focus on Culture and Entertainment to the point where a popular pullout section called Buzz was experimented with. Sports was given added coverage with a dedicated sports reporter and columnist.

There was a new way of presenting news and analysis and Searchlight’s circulation grew considerably. That encouraged the paper to introduce a mid-week edition, which joined the weekend print edition and later became an online only publication.

But the global media environment has changed drastically from when Searchlight was born. The very rapid changes occasioned by the rise of social media has created serious challenges for the print media. We are no longer competing against two other local papers but against a worldwide web where information of every kind bombards us on our mobile devices. Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok feed information directly to a captive audience almost instantly.

Then there is the new media where one person can post articles from the comfort of their home and corral a market with breaking news at minimal cost. A legacy newspaper such as Searchlight has costs which are no long being covered by advertising. It is tragic that it is Meta, with its Facebook and other platforms, and Google, which have been increasing their earnings constantly, including from the diversified content of newspaper operations, while legacy operations in developing nations, are being forced to close.

Meanwhile a newspaper operates from an office, employs staff and must pay for printing. And the advertising revenues on which it operates diminish constantly. It is just about impossible to compete.

Right here in the region we have seen the Advocate in Barbados go under in 2023 after 128 years in business. The Starbroek Newspaper in Guyana closed operations after 39 years; The Trinidad and Tobago Newsday closed after 32 years; Loop, a digital experiment, operated by Digicel closed after just eleven years on the market.

Internationally the trend has been similar. Even the billion dollar operations have had to reinvent themselves and have reached the point where an outfit like the New York Times now charges a low cost for online subscriptions. One no longer sees discarded newspapers on trains and in the subways in New York any more. Where once people read their papers then dumped the sections of lesser interest, nowadays just about everyone reads from their mobile devices during their commute.

Change is constant and as we pause our operations, and assess our digital services, we reflect with pride on the high standards Searchlight has maintained throughout. We are very heartened with the very positive comments we have received and seen expressed about the value of Searchlight since our announcement of the planned cessation of publication on Wednesday. We note too that, with the changing seasons of life, we have lost along the way, our stalwarts who gave birth to this newspaper: Managing Editor Normal Keizer, founder Oscar Allen, and only three months ago, founder, columnist and regular editorial writer Renwick Rose. Their dedication to excellence has never been lost.

As we acknowledge the inevitability of change in every aspect of life and living, we are satisfied that throughout these 31 years, we have produced Journalism that you, our readers, could trust, and proudly so.