Observer Newspaper forced to cut publication to three days a week

11
Old Logo for Observer Publications still being used (FILE PHOTO)

The OBSERVER Media Group of Companies (OMG) announced today that it will no longer be a Daily Newspaper.

The cut in production is the most visible indication to date that the company is crumbling under hard times.

But the company said the move is in keeping with the global trend toward multimedia delivery platforms and the growing preference of customers to receive their news and entertainment electronically.

“The Daily Observer will now print a physical paper three days per week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday),” a notice indicated.

It will continue to produce an electronic version of the newspaper six days per week.

The company said for the month of March, during the election campaign period, the electronic versions of the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday newspapers will be available FREE to those who request the paper.

Darren Derrick the company’s CEO described the reduction in publication days as an “exciting time for OBSERVER!”

He said, “Our statistics show that our product is consumed digitally far more than it is in its traditional paper format, and we are making this move to keep up with the demands of our customers.”

The Daily OBSERVER claims to be Antigua and Barbuda’s only independent newspaper but is seen by many as an anti-government publication.

It is currently in its 25th year of publication and run by the Derricks themselves who have found it difficult to pay the company’s electricity bills.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]

11 COMMENTS

  1. Oh plz Darren! you are sounding like a damn politician. The very people you like to pick apart and feast on via your radio station. Who do you think you are fooling? Stop trying to “nice it up” and “pretty it up” Just face the fact that OMG is in the middle of a financial crisis. First you try to get people to buy the share by saying it’s an investment in free speech and democracy blazzy blazzy blah blah blah (with no return on said investment). Luckily the ECSE called you out for not following proper regulations. Now you are here trying to say that the reduction in publication days as an “exciting time for OBSERVER!” Tap ya shit and face reality. Today’s paper was printed in black and white – no colour at all. Winston Derrick must be rolling over in his grave. Watta shame and disgrace that you have brought OMG to its knees given its history. Its “ink” will be on your hands.

  2. Winston should have xome out of his grave and knock Darren one etrinal box for ruining his legey. He work so hard and fought tooth and nail for his legecy and now Darren run it into.the ground

  3. Darren has succeeded in bringing observer to its knees. Greed and badmind are not good traits to cling to. After going all the way to the privy council, this is what Darren Derrick choose to do with the baton passed to him?? Have mercy Jesus. If Winston were alive, this would kill his spirit. Darren Derrick will go down in history as the person who single handedly snuffed out the light in “Let there be light” observer’s motto. Congrats on contributing to the demise of free media and the voice of the people.

  4. I have stated this on there website before. There is only one revenue stream in this business and that is advertisement. Antigua does not have many advertisers. And unless you have deep pocket one day you have to close the doors if businesses do not advertise with you any longer. Especially when they perceive you as constantly being embroiled with the government in fights. It is one thing to report news but it is another thing to always spin it one way. The only way to make money in this industry these day is to go online with a good website and create traffic. So Google will place their links on your sites and you will get Google money for every hit. Which you can later change into hard dollars. Running an operation in a Stanford facility is very costly. Just the electricity bills as we could see is a killer. Stanford had deep pockets to pay that every month.
    And than they have the internal family feud to solve. The children from Winston and his wife are left out the business as we could see. But that is family. They will have to solve that. But I also noticed that the brothers and his wife are living the live of persons who are doing great. Just the other day a saw a boat for sale at the Cedar Valley Spring housing projects from Stanford. I understand that is from one of the brothers. They seem to own several properties over there. i do not envy anyone but when you live large and later one start crying about things than I think its all your fault. They PM always said that when guys of his age were driving big SUV he would drive a normal car and invest his money. Well this is the season that usually brings lots of advertising from the political parties. But who knows they are not getting anything from ABLP. Cause Gaston has his own Pointe FM to spread the words for ABLP and ZDK the faithful one.

  5. All Darren had to do was run an independent media, that’s it. He allowed Watts and upp to turn the station into a blue independent station. All news articles are UPP friendly. The current administration does nothing right, UPP can fix everything and is always right. So only UPP supporters will spend their money with OMG. If they were truly independent everyone would be spending with OMG. Listen to VOP for 10 seconds Paul and Nikki have the UPP thing locked, “that’s what’s up”.

    I listen to Beach Limerz getting free promo all week long Nikki is at that spot every Friday night it looks funny to me. When Pleasure is mixed with business watch out for business failure. Then There is Movement Radio on Observer radio??? Perhaps a movement program on Observer radio but surely the hijacker movement radio is crippling.

    The morning show that use to deal with real issues with an opportunity to call in, is now a political talk shop and terrible sense of humor and sarcasm. I love Darren, but he has taken the morning show into a backward position that does not benefit OMG.

    Darren has made some poor decisions and is now suffering from it. LISTEN TO YOUR CRITICS THEY WANT THE BROTHERS LEGACY TO LIVE ON, SEEM LIKE YOU ARE HELL BENT ON DESTROYING IT

  6. Darren want one bullbud is he ass. Smh Winston bone mussa bite he in he grave fu see he pikney mash up he newspaper and radio especially after he one go ah privy counsel fu this ya

  7. OMG how can u cut down now its election season. Plenty money is there to be made from advertising.

  8. The answer to save their company as it always used to be was always there as Dorothy would have said to the scarecrow(? ) : An independent route. If everyone is listening to and patronizing your business because of its fair mindedness and independence you will likely be a step ahead of your problems.
    Antigua is practically suffering from not having an independent media. An unbiased media that people can look or listen to would be a luxury as this point in time.

  9. OMG has already burned that bridge. Darren and company did not expect the ABLP to be returned to power. And being all the horrible things the UPP did to ZDK Radio they would assume it would happen to them to. But that just shows the difference between the two parties and it pisses me off with APUA. Cause me can’t owe two months bill before my damn light cut😡

Comments are closed.