The Fluid Landscape of Cayman Media

Over the past twelve months the Cayman media has seen much fluctuation and change as is so vividly described by Lynne Byles in her LinkedIn post ‘Musical chairs anyone? Cayman’s ever changing landscape.’ As the main newspaper Cayman Compass experienced some political whiplash, their competitors over at the Cayman Reporter lapped up the hole in the market for a daily paper. Although, these circumstances didn’t last long and neither did a few of the movers and shakers switching between different publications.

This atmosphere for the media in Cayman is not new, however (as described by Alan Markoff in his Cayman Compass article here). Since 1956, when the media first took hold in the Cayman Islands in the form of the short-lived weekly newspaper Cayman Times, the landscape for print, broadcast, and eventual online media has been in almost constant fluidity. There have been a total of 13 print newspapers launched since and only three have managed to last the test of time. Alternatively, since broadcast media launched itself on the airwaves in 1973, the radio industry seems to be thriving with at least 16 stations in Cayman.

With so many publications popping up over the years and now the online landscape offering a different variety of media altogether, it’s no wonder the last year has been a dance for the Cayman media. Keeping a close eye on the movements in Cayman will be key in ensuring that you are approaching the right people at the right place and right time.