Merrick Andrews
Today (Oct. 1) one year ago, Andrews Media Services Corp. officially launched St. Lucia News Online (SNO), www.stlucianewsonline.com, after several weeks of development and testing.
The online-only, up-to-the-minute newspaper has since exceeded expectations: moving from 25 likes to almost 17,000 likes on Facebook in one year to become the number one St. Lucia news media page on the popular social network, as well as the fourth largest St. Lucia business page; successfully expanded news dissemination via Whatsapp (over 400 contacts) and Blackberry Messenger (over 4,000 contacts); recorded over 47,000 unique visitors on the website in one month; attracted advertising from some of the top businesses on island, and most importantly, becoming a nationally recognized alternative news source in St. Lucia.
All this and more has been achieved with meager internal resources in a stagnating domestic economy primarily resulting from the worldwide financial troubles.
The company’s founder and director, Merrick Andrews, speaks about the highs and lows of his latest project in this 5,000-word feature.
Q: How and when did this idea of doing a St. Lucia News Online come about?
A: St. Lucia News Online is an offshoot of other successful news sites that I founded and operated in other Caribbean islands almost eight years ago.
BVI News Online (bvinews.com), launched in 2006 in the British Virgin Islands, was my first news site. It was a pioneer project in the Virgin Islands. I was the first to create a site that provided news as it happens 24-7, and was also the first to transform a website-only news medium into an independent commercial operation. BVINews.com began as a blog and quickly turned into a respected news site that was the envy of the traditional media.
While a lot of people were excited about getting the news instantly, I experienced a lot of challenges from competitors who were pushing the government to shut my site down, while there were others who were just skeptical of how fast I was getting the news. They thought I was some sort of informant for the police. Some even remarked jokingly that I had to be committing some of the crimes based on how quickly I got on the scenes early or late mornings, and how quickly I got the news before other media houses, even though I did not have a car or a driver’s license at the time. But as other online competitors came on stream and began to do the same thing I was doing, some of the pressure came off my back. There were no Blackberry Messengers or the type of social media we have now.
After the success of bvinews.com, I started dominicanewsonline.com in the Commonwealth of Dominica. That project was also a pioneer effort. Both bvinews.com and dominicanewsonline.com created the foundation for the development of the online media landscape, not only in their respective countries, but in the Caribbean. After dominicanewsonline.com, I launched other news sites, between 2008 and 2009, in St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla, Montserrat, Grenada, and Antigua and Barbuda. I also had a Caribbean Daily News site. However, it was around that time that the worldwide recession began, plus it was difficult managing so many news sites along with those in the BVI and Dominica. I realized that to get them successful without deep pockets, I needed to have a physical and sustained presence in each of the islands I operated in. Part-time correspondents alone would not cut it. I needed at least one-full time, competitive presence on each island, but that would’ve been too costly.
With the exception of bvinews.com and dominicanewsonline.com, I closed all the websites temporarily, including stlucianewsonline.com, between 2008/2009. I told myself I would tackle them one at a time in the near future. St. Lucia News Online was restarted on Oct. 1, 2012 after I decided to move to St. Lucia permanently. I however count our ‘birth day’ as Oct. 1 because we only operated for about 18 weeks when we first went live in 2009.
Q: But why St. Lucia?
A: Well, in 2011 I decided I need another challenge and another fresh start. I was living in Dominica at the time, and after three years, I felt I needed a change of environment too.
I chose Grenada as my next stop and moved there in the summer of 2011. The economy was a bit more vibrant than Dominica, so I restarted grenadaherald.com, however I shelved the plan quickly and in less than two months I was out of Grenada and heading for St. Lucia. I felt Grenada was not yet ready economically for such a news site. The Grenadian economy had begun to struggle. After examining St. Lucia, I realized it was the most economically vibrant of all the eastern Caribbean countries. Antigua, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands, and Anguilla were going through economic hardships. St. Vincent reminded me of the Dominican economy based on my research: it has been stagnant in terms of attracting major and sustainable economic investments and infrastructural developments.
I felt St. Lucia was the best to do business at the time, not because it was the largest economy in the OECS, but it also had a slot wide open for the online news business. No one else was doing what I had in mind so that made it even better. By the way, online news sites have since been started in Grenada and St. Vincent though there are still major weaknesses that I can capitalize on at anytime.
Meanwhile, when I moved to St. Lucia in late 2011, the country was preparing for its general election and there was talk about the Value Added Tax (VAT) coming on stream. I was a bit turned off by that news because I paid VAT in Dominica through Dominica News Online, and I just did not like it. I mean, who likes to pay taxes anyway? The VAT can be very deceptive. One of the reasons I moved to St. Lucia was because there was no VAT to contend with so when I heard it was coming, I was like “yikes”.
Anyway, in mid December 2011, immediately after selling Dominica News Online, I moved back to my native Jamaica and shelved my plans for St. Lucia News Online. I had plans to do a Jamaica news site but after six months, I changed my mind. The Jamaica I left 10 years ago is not the same Jamaica now. The crime situation is worst and the economy continues to plummet, plus the middle class is being taxed to death, and not to mention taxation on businesses. Almost everything is being taxed. So I thought: I could deal with the VAT better than paying literally 100 taxes every month. St. Lucia was not bad after all, so I moved back to St. Lucia in June 2012 and began putting in place plans to re-launch St. Lucia News Online. Within five months this became a reality.
Q: What is it like doing business in St. Lucia?
A: St. Lucia is awash with ideas for new business opportunities. It is very easy to set up a business in St. Lucia compared to the British Virgin Islands. The discrimination I have experienced elsewhere because I am a non-national is not as bad as in St. Lucia. Once you are equipped with the right idea, the right information and the right contacts, you can be successful in St. Lucia.
It is a ripe territory for making money and lots of it but you must have endurance and patience. It has one of the most vibrant tourism industries in the Caribbean which makes it very attractive to long-term sustainable investments. Yes, investments attract investments, especially tourism.
The downside to doing business in St. Lucia is the human resource. If St. Lucians can be more aggressive, then Barbados would need to watch out. Most eastern Caribbean islanders are laid-back and easygoing. Even the landscape is laid-back which makes it even more attractive for tourists. However, this can be a drawback for investors. The government needs to invest more in developing the skilled labour force and in education. The island is lacking skilled labourers especially plumbers, journalists, electricians, mechanics, bus drivers (smile), among others. St. Lucia has some really good chefs.
The public service is really in need of modernization especially in the way it does business with not only St. Lucians but investors and potential investors. Many business services are not customer-friendly and SOME (note I said some) public servants are too laid back. Sometimes you visit a government department for information and ALL the important employees are at lunch or out doing other things. There are times when I meet a cleaner or a security manning a front desk for VERY important ministries and departments. Some people working at the front desks know little or nothing about the function of their departments, they’re always on their phones, playing around with other co-workers, and they seem to always lose your information and sometimes have no clue how to answer your questions.
This problem is also rampant in the private sector. Some businesses take weeks or months to say yes or no, even when you’re offering to spend money with them. I have had experiences whereby I request information because I want to spend a couple thousand dollars with a business. I was told Mr so and so will call me back with information and no one ever did. And it was like no big deal. St. Lucians have so much potential to do better. We’re sitting on a pot of gold, we just need to find it, and some of the ways to find it, are to be more proactive, consistent, creative, and aggressive. St. Lucians just need to prioritise more as well and cut the decision-making, management red tapes.
Nothing is better than going to a country or an organisation and you get ALL the investment information you need from one source, either by email or telephone call or a visit. And there is someone there ready and willing to help you right away – no forgetting to return your calls, answer your emails; no excuses… just doing things right away and as soon as possible. I must say that we have some great St. Lucian tourism workers.
Q: What are some of the difficulties you encounter operating a news business in St. Lucia?
A: The most challenging was getting people to take us seriously as a news organization, especially through an online-only medium. St. Lucia is a visual culture. St. Lucians love to see, hold and feel. Giving them the information in their hand, giving them videos and photos to see, and stuff to listen to are what makes the St. Lucian news culture. St. Lucia is sadly not a readership culture like Dominica, Tortola, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad etc., meaning most St. Lucians will prefer to blog on Facebook about a nice roro (gossip) or comment on a headline or watch the news on TV. St. Lucia is a Facebook country.
I was warned about the readership culture when I came here. I somewhat underestimated the warning because I felt change is always good and I was confident in what I was doing. However as the weeks rolled by I realized it was difficult to keep people visiting stlucianewsonline.com consistently on a daily basis.
In Dominica and Tortola, most readers will need no extra motivation to come to the site. Most of those readers make it their duty to visit the website throughout the day. People were on the site constantly, checking every half hour. In St. Lucia, unless something big happens, most tend not to visit the site. And you had to get them their by other means, and this is where I was successful. I have now been able to not only grow the readership, but to sustain and increase the readership on the website at an adequate level.
We’ve jumped from 12,000 unique visitors to an average of 35,000 unique visitors per month. We have attracted over 200,000 unique visitors since we launched, and every month, between 25,000 and 47,000 people visit the site. The majority of these readers are St. Lucians, which is an even greater success considering the readership culture.
Most St. Lucians won’t bother with the news unless it is really sensational with crimes or political controversy. This is a natural characteristic of the human being BUT as I said before, in some territories people make it their duty to keep up-to-date with good or bad news. I visit my Jamaican newspapers three to five times daily. I am just grateful to all my readers in St. Lucia for helping me change to the readership culture on my website somewhat. And this has great benefits. An informed population is a powerful one. Knowledge is power. My teachers and editors always encouraged me to read, read, read. The more we know the less garbage we swallow and digest.
The other main challenge is that a lot of businesses do not yet know and/or believe the benefits of advertising on the Internet, especially on a news site. However, I must say this is improving. This is not exclusive to St. Lucia. I had a similar experience in Dominica. The internet news business was virgin territory and many businesses were skeptical. Some still are but it is a far cry from where it was five years ago.
The British Virgin Islands was the only market that adapted to advertising online immediately. No questions asked: the businesses in the BVI were ready to come onboard, especially if you had the readership. Here, like in Dominica, businesses are moving cautiously. The downturn in the economy makes it even worst but I am very grateful to my current advertisers and those who are considering doing business with us.
I must say thanks to Digiciel who was our very first advertiser, then Bank of St. Lucia. We have since attracted business from St. Helens University, Superior Shipping Services (Netshop), LIME, LightSparc, QHomes, SoleLace, QuickDelivery, St. Lucia National Lottery, Heineken, and Autospecialist, in addition to several individuals. Trust me, this is a lot of business based on the fact that the economy has slowed, the news readership culture is totally different, and the fact that we are still very new. I am very grateful.
Q: St. Lucia News Online is known for covering crime stories, what are some of the challenges you encounter covering crime?
A: There are not many challenges. People are willing to speak to the media including SNO. In my experience, having lived in five other islands and visited many others, St. Lucia is one place that people welcome the media with open arms and speak freely to them.
My main challenge is the coverage of drug operations. We have been criticized by a few senior police officers on our coverage of drug busts. Usually, these operations are deemed to be confidential. That is fine. However, in my opinion, once that operation is carried out successfully, I see no reason why the media cannot report it right away, whether they get it directly from the police press office or by a news source.
I know I have been scrutinized for breaking news on drug busts. I am disappointed that some senior police officers will spend more time trying to find out how I got the information than spending time telling the public about the good job the police are doing. I am aware that sometimes news about certain operations, following their occurrences, is treated with confidence to protect and aid in investigations. However, basic facts must be disclosed as soon as possible. In the other countries I have operated in, the police are very fast on publishing news of drug busts. In those cases, we rarely rely on second-hand sources. And the police do not want to find out how you got the information UNLESS it is incorrect.
I understand that there was a drug bust last Saturday at sea. Monday has passed and the information has not been officially released to the media by way of press release. And this is news! This should have been out by the latest Monday morning. However, in such cases the media is forced to get it through other sources.
I believe the police should stop focusing on where we get our info and concentrate on fighting crime. We have a lot of hard working officers who would love to let taxpayers know that they’re doing their jobs. I have however seen improvements in the dissemination of police news from the press office. I hope to see more as time goes by.
Q: Where do you see St. Lucia News Online in the next five years?
A: Once all goes well, St. Lucia News Online will have a team of experienced and qualified reporters and editors. Currently, I am the only one doing the news consistently through a variety of strategically sources.
I have a full-time admin assistant and a very hard working and honest part-time web programmer. We also use the services of Daniel Lester from Movielink. He is one of the most diligent and consistent photographers on island. He covers the entertainment events from time to time. We have done so much despite the lack of resources. We have used a model of doing more with little because of the fact that we wouldn’t be able to currently afford a news team like DBS or HTS. They each have at least four to six news staff.
As we get more business, then we will be able to hire more reporters. So just imagine what a force we will be when we have an editor and a team of reporters? BVINews.com and Dominicanewsonline.com started off similarly and are now equipped with more human resources. SNO will reach there soon. My company will eventually branch out into other areas if all goes well, but in the meantime we are moving carefully as the economic climate is very fragile at the moment.
In the New Year, or before, we plan to launch more features, tweak the design of the site, create new mobile apps for the site, and expand news coverage.
Q: What is it like being a Jamaican in St. Lucia?
A: It is like anywhere else: people expect Jamaicans to be of a certain nature regardless of who you are. St. Lucians love the Jamaican accent and I know why. I also love to hear other accents. It sounds funny.
As a result of living in other Caribbean countries for many years, I have been able to speak in a way that the average St. Lucian or Dominican can understand. However, when am around Jamaicans, I speak raw Jamaican patois. I have some Jamaican friends who just cannot speak plain English. Of course, some St. Lucians don’t really care. It sounds funny to them. They also expect you to be a dancer or a singer as we also have a very influential entertainment culture. I can dance but I am not a dancer. There is a big difference between a dancer and someone being able to dance. Everyone can dance. People also expect you to smoke marijuana. I remember the days when I never smoked and people were surprised.
People here also remark that we are violent and aggressive. But not all of us are like that. Yes, our country’s murder rate is one of the highest in the world, but that does not necessarily paint a picture of every single Jamaican. We have a lot of successful business people in St. Lucia who have contributed significantly to the social-economic status of the country. I am honestly an aggressive person. I am not the laid-back type, though I am becoming Lucianised (joking). Sometimes being laid-back isn’t a bad thing. It’s good to relax now and then. However, I am not used to doing business later or next week or next month. I like to get things out the way now, hence my success. My news comes now! Anything that is instant is successful – from coffee to food.
I also get a lot of criticism such as “why is a Jamaican doing St. Lucian news?” I also got that question asked of me in other countries. I do not really make an issue of it because any countryman would prefer to see their own doing big things. I would not like to see a St. Lucian become prime minister of Jamaica. However, I am open-minded about business. Globalisation has changed many economies. You have St. Lucians doing business and working in Jamaica. T
he important factor that everyone should be concerned about is the number of locals being employed by foreign nationals. Unless there is a real shortage of local human resources, then it would not make sense allowing foreign companies to employ only foreigners. What about a Jamaican employing 60 to 100 percent skilled St. Lucian workforce? That’s a good thing. That’s real investment. That’s how we should look at it. Not, “oh why this Jamaican doing St. Lucian news?” I must say I do not encounter this personally. I have only seen people mention it on blogs and I have been told it has been mentioned on talk shows. But I do feel welcomed in St. Lucia. I do not feel any animosity related to my nationality.
There will always be a few detractors or people who will express their opinions but once it is not a culture of discrimination then I can live with that.
Q: What are your views on politics in St. Lucia?
A: I have only lived here for about a year and a half so my analysis is may not appear deep. Off the bat, St. Lucians breathe, eat and sleep politics. I find the political stories on stlucianewsonline.com capture as much readership as the crime stories. St. Lucia is essentially a two-party system like most Caribbean countries.
I am going to comment on the political parties but before I do I will make it known that I do not support any, simply because I cannot vote and as a news journalist I have never taken any political side. Politics and news does not go well.
When I moved here in 2011, I got a glimpse of the political culture. I knew the UWP would not have regained power. Why? Most governments who took power when the worldwide recession begun and started to trickle down to their respective economies, did not last another term. That’s no surprise. For example, it is not easy to accept that you’re used to getting $5,000 per month and suddenly only able to earn $800 a month. You will switch jobs or the situation, even though you know it is not the fault of employer. Better yet, you will accept a better offer. The previous government was also handicapped by Hurricane Tomas. It is like having a budget of $100 to buy a shoe but your son gets sick and you have to use that money for something else, plus borrow more.
The economic downturn played a major part in the UWP’s downfall as well the individual credibility campaigns against their politicians. The SLP was voted in office on the promise of better days. But as everyone can see, the economy is still struggling, not necessarily because of failed plans, policies and ideas, but because it is a worldwide phenomenon.
Many wealthy countries are struggling. Barbados, Trinidad, Cayman, Bahamas, the USA, Russia, Britain, some of the most powerful countries on earth are struggling, particularly the European and Caribbean countries. I do not see the economy getting better any time soon unless the government cut spending drastically and attract new major sustainable investments. And it is not easy to do that in these times because investors are very tight on their purse strings because of the harsh economic realities. Governments around the world must act. The bag of talking won’t work. It won’t shake the voters.
The imposition of VAT has affected some businesses. Any tax, regardless of how it is structured, will have a negative effect on the economy. Yes, taxes are needed to pay the government’s debts and bills including its ballooning workforce, but when taxes are introduced on goods and services in a tight economy, people will spend less, and this will have a negative chain reaction on all industries, leading to cuts and unemployment.
I believe the UWP government would have imposed VAT eventually; the government does not have much choice. It is basic math. If you’re paying out more than you’re earning, and you have debts to pay, then you must find an alternative source of income to pay those debts or you will end up in bankruptcy.
I believe people in St. Lucia should read more, tune into the news more often and watch every step of their political representatives. Do not rely on hearsay; rely on facts so that when you go to the polls you can make an informed decision. Look at which government has the best plan to grow the economy. Before putting a vote, each party should tell us what specific plans they have to grow the economy. Track records are important but realistic plans are more sensible. People will no longer swallow talks such as these “We plan to attract $1 billion worth of new investment over the next five years”, “we plan to bring in a new hotel to employ 100 people”. People will need to know how you will do this and proof that you’re already onto these plans. Otherwise it will become just another failed political promise and gimmick to attract votes. Politicians need to learn to act efficiently and voters need to educate themselves more. Otherwise the cycle will continue.
As for the LPM, they are trying very hard and should be commended. To be taken more seriously, they should have a slate of candidates who are out there all-year round, not just a two-man show. In the eyes of the people, it is “yes these guys are good, have great intentions but it is only two of them”. They need to have a consistent team who rally all year-round to be taken seriously as a full political force. The UWP stands a great chance of winning the next election because of the current economic situation. Times are hard, people are starting to suffer more.
The SLP can be credited for not allowing the economy to suffer a collapse like those in Antigua, Turks and Caicos, Anguilla and Grenada where civil servants have difficulty getting paid. Regardless of who gets in power, the task will not be easy. And until the world economy improves, Caribbean countries, including St. Lucia, will need almost a miracle to stay financially afloat and grow the economy beyond 10 percent.
Q: What makes St. Lucia News Online?
A: We are unique because of the fact we give you news now, for today. We are reliable. While most people wait on the next morning’s news or the next Monday’s news, they can rely on SNO for giving it to them now or the same day. That is very refreshing. What’s even better is that people can get news on their phones via Whataspp and Blackberry Messenger.
We also have a very vibrant Facebook page where we publish the lottery results and weather reports two to three times every day; we publish photo galleries from major events; we have introduced very successful features such as Photo of the Day, Joke of the Day and Inspirational Quote of the Day. We have also launched Dear Willie which has been a hit. Our Facebook page is constantly updated, not just with news from the website, but international and regional weird and interesting news pieces, photos, funny and interesting videos.
Our website has free classifieds, meaning you can post classifieds free of charge such as apartment for rent, care for sale, items for sale, etc. We have links to Caribbean and international news sites. Some people criticize us when we post an interesting international/regional story or jokes on the Facebook page, saying this is not St. Lucian news or it’s not news. But we must have an open mind. No news organization publishes only local news. It is like having a meal with just rice and beans and no meat or lemonade without sugar.
Open the St. Lucia Star or the Voice, is there local news only? No. Watch the BBC, which is a British network, do you see only British news? No. Newspapers carry jokes, puzzles, and exciting features. A lot of people simply do not understand but that’s why it is important to read as much as possible and educate ourselves on what others do. We have to be creative, otherwise we will not last. News alone will not keep people coming back.
Q: Have you had really really bad days?
A: If you have never had really, really, really bad days then you’re not human. There are many times when I have felt like giving up, simply because of negative people. I have a lot of fans out there but there are some that just do not understand the nature of my work and take it personally. They do not understand journalism.
Or there are many who do not understand how we operate and the challenges we go through. People will criticize us for typos and some grammatical error which we always take full responsibility for. However, I have seen typos in newspapers that have four editors. I have seen typos on BBC, CNN, The Times and The Post. These newspapers have up to 10 copy editors. At SNO, it’s just me with some help from my admin assistant in that department. And we rely a lot on press releases which we post verbatim most times because we just do not have the resources to edit everything. But I promise that this WILL improve.
As time goes by readers can be assured of better journalism from SNO. Trust me when I say we will be way better than where we are now in the coming months. I am not perfect. None of us are. Instead of trying to pull down, let’s uplift. There are people out there wishing that we will not be successful any further. I had a horrible experience in losing control of one of my businesses earlier this year. And though I have gotten over that, it was a lesson learned that you should trust people only to a certain degree. Some of the very people I expected to have my back betrayed me and continue to tell lies about me – all because of dollars and cents. So as I move forward, I have those lessons fully in mind. My advice to young people is to work hard and build your business by yourself.
You will make mistakes but trust me when I say, it is better to do business on your own. Partnerships are no good unless you’re buying shares in a multi-million dollar company. Otherwise do it on your own. If you must have help, pay for it. Partnerships always become a point of greed and betrayal. And that’s when you will know who was real. Make your really, really bad days be your motivation to have a good season tomorrow. Some people call my news organization “mediocre”, “so-called social media site” and all sorts of names. They criticize every day.
I am from a country where journalism has a high standard so do not be fooled with what SNO is producing now. There is plenty in store. I am smiling because I know where I am headed and I know we are not complacent and can do way better once we get the right staff.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: I am always home. I cook, workout, sleep, and watch movies online. I also love interacting with my readers on Whatsapp and Blackberry Messenger. Sometimes they make me happy, sometimes sad, sometimes angry but I love them all the same. Also, I am now in a serious relationship so I spend time with my significant other as much as possible. I also try to have as less friends and acquaintances as possible. Less people and less trouble. I just like to be home.
Q: What is your advice to young entrepreneurs like yourself?
A: My advice is to do a business that you love a lot, not because it makes a lot of money. Do it because it is your passion. You will get more out of it. Also be very consistent. Too many times, we start and stop.
I recalled stopping once because if I did not, none of the businesses I founded would’ve been here today to be enjoyed by who owns them currently. But there are a lot of entrepreneurs who give up too easily and quickly. Nothing good comes easy, trust me. If you have a great business idea and it is not bearing fruit, it is because you’re doing something wrong. Young entrepreneurs should also learn to network, something which I have not been doing a lot of but will begin doing. I did a lot of networking when I was an employee but I suck at business networking.
I encourage young entrepreneurs to get involved in non-profit business organizations, attend more social events where influential people attend, create Facebook pages for your business and personal ones too; start Linkedin accounts; just simply reaching out to other businessmen. Touch base with successful business owners and find out what made them successful. Some of them will tell you they began from nothing to something. Be inspired. And finally, please do something different, be creative.
Too many times young business people do the same thing most are doing. Everyone wants a shoe store, a clothing store, a gift shop – most times selling the same thing. And as you become successful don’t be complacent, expand, expand and invest. Never be contented with one source of income. Always have something to fall back on. Life is unpredictable.
Q. What your your final thoughts?
A: I am trying to stay positive in these hard times. The struggle is not about dollars and cents but against the negative forces and people who are aching to see me fail. I will lose business, I will lose readers, but that will not shatter my dreams of making St. Lucia News Online a powerhouse. It will grow and flourish once no major hurdle is put in my way. By God’s will, SNO will be many steps ahead of what it is now on our second anniversary. For those who trying to see us fail, please put those negative thoughts and action into something productive because stress is not a good thing. What goes around, always comes around. It is a small world. The same place and people you loathe may be the same people to employ you and help you. As for my readers and advertisers I say thank you once more. I appreciate your support very much and this is what drives me to serve you better.