By Joan Wilson – written then with much love and re-published today with much sadness.

CITN’s 10th ANNIVERSARY

Oh wow! – My goodness! It’s so nice to see you all here

Our friends and subscribers from far and near

Ten years seems like only yesterday

Since switching on with colour bars – making history in a way.

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And then with only 10 channels 10 years ago

We’ve grown some 29 others as you all know,

Five local stations alone Cayman has got

And for an island this size that’s really a lot.

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We’ve been told many times we’re the best in the Caribbean

But with Our busy lifestyles we hardly have time for viewing.

The soaps are very popular with certain folks I know

If they’re not shown every day we’re soon told where to go!

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As for me though, I prefer a good mystery

I have always fancied myself as a detective, you see

And my father Roddy Watler would’ve been proud of me today

Owning a TV station – and speaking to you all this way.

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He always thought of me as being very daring

He disciplined me but always called me his darling,

I remember his sending me 100 pounds when I lived in the UK

“Buy Malta sweepstake tickets, you might win big one day.”

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I followed his advice and bought a ticket now and then

And no matter what the prize was I never seemed to win

But folks CITN is a real prize for Colin and me,

Have a good look around I know you’ll agree.

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No ticket purchased just a daring investment

And to us it’s a TV station that’s worth every cent,

We’re proud of Cayman 27 and we take pride in providing

A combination of local, Caribbean and international programming.

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With WestStar behind us providing all your cable

We could search forever but we’d never be able

To find a more professional management team

Believe me, without Weststar it wouldn’t be the same.

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So to Rod, Mike, Anita and Donna just to name a few

We thank you for your professionalism – you’re a wonderful crew

And to all our viewers and advertisers I’d like to say

We thank you all – keep tuned to CITN every day

Cause CITN is the local station and today we’re 10 years new

And I would remind you that we ‘Bring the world to you.’

To all you soap watchers:-

May the ‘Passions’, of ‘All My Children’, ‘Far and Away’ teach them to be ‘Bold and Beautiful’, as they look after ‘The Young and the Restless’, ‘All the Days of our Lives’, ‘As the World Turns’, to the ‘Guiding Light’, from the ‘General Hospital’, into ‘Port Charles’, seeing as they’ve ‘Only One Life to Live’.

Editor: Both of us (Joan and myself – Colin) are too upset at the moment to write a statement on the closing of CITN/Cayman27 but we will be sending one out to all the Media houses. However, it is a disgrace by the worst government body, OfReg, ever put in place by any government. It has not done its job to properly regulate entity, especially the prices of fuel, has cost the tax payer millions in dollars to provide salaries, entertainment and luxurious stays abroad, etc. to the management team, and now has shut down the only free over the air local television station. It sent out a few years ago a notice asking the public’s opinion on whether they supported a local television station. They provided every question with a loaded comment giving a reason why the public should not, presumably at the government’s initiation!!