Caymanian Times celebrates 10 years Launches new talk show

‘Cayman Conversations’ is the latest venture from the publisher behind the Caymanian Times Newspaper, adding to the media offerings of the news outlet. 

The launch of the new talk show, which will take place on Monday, 3 April at 12pm on BOBO 89.1 FM and coincides with the ten-year anniversary of the paper, which will be celebrated during the month of April.

The first Cayman Conversations talk show and discussion, will feature Caymanian Times’ Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Mr. Ralph Lewis, who was interviewed by Reporter/Writer, Mr. Stuart Wilson, who also serves as a staff-writer for the Caymanian Times.

Mr. Lewis explained the reason for the new spinoff and why it was important to have a forum to discuss the topics happening in the community and featured in the paper.

“I saw the need the need to grow the platform not only in print but also on the radio, online and other facets, the idea is to use multiple outlets,” said Mr. Lewis, who explained that the new talk show would be airing, Monday through Thursday and will be presented at 12pm till 2pm on Bobo FM.

During the interview several topics will be discussed, including how the Caymanian Times newspaper started and some of the highlights of the publication along the way.

“We started out as a publication that is upbeat and focused on examining the region in relation to what was happening here in the Cayman Islands.

“There have been many highlights along the way, including the passing of Fidel Castro, which happened during a trip I took to Cuba to learn more about the tourism industry there, as there was a lot of run-off in the market, with more tourists visiting Cuba and I wanted to see how we could duplicate this success in the Cayman Islands,” said Mr. Lewis.

He added that as a Caymanian, and someone who had made the Cayman Islands his home, it is important for him to contribute to the Islands’ society in meaningful ways.

A part of this was giving back to the community with a service that allowed persons to source Jobs, which was the impetus behind the genesis of the Caymanian Times, as the paper was originally meant to be an advertising tool for employers and job seekers. 

Upon the initial publication of the Caymanian Times, Mr. Lewis said there were some challenges, including the setback of having his first application for license, denied.

During the period of time, he was waiting for the license to create a job seekers publication, he decided to go fully into publishing a newspaper. 

The paper was first called Caymanian Weekly. It started out looking at all the issues of the day, including immigration, education, finance and politics.

Prior to Covid-19, the Caymanian Times was publishing the paper, five days per week and is now revamping back to its original frequency.

Incidentally, the pandemic was also a focal point for the paper’s profile.

Mr. Lewis explained why it was an important time to launch the talk show at this juncture:

“We want to have more of a live presence and piggy-back off the goodwill and profile that was established during the pandemic and through the years of publishing the paper,” said Mr. Lewis.

“Readers of the newspaper will now be able to hear a live discussion that takes a deeper look into the news, with guests ranging from politicians to musicians and other notable representatives in the community,” he added.

“We want to have a focus on the arts and the local music is very important to us, we want to explore all areas of life in Cayman and give a platform for the community to engage in meaningful discussion,” said Mr. Lewis.

The Caymanian Times now publishes two days per week and will start ramping up to three days per week, once flights return normally, according to Mr. Lewis.

Look out for Cayman Conversations on your local radio dial on BOBO 98.1 FM, Monday - Friday from 12pm to 2pm.