“The government is very concerned about the loss of Caymanian jobs and will make available all of government’s resources to assist with finding them alternative employment,” he said.

“The decision to close the station was one made by its owner on the basis that it was not commercially viable,” the premier stated, adding, “The government believes that a television station that produces and broadcasts local programmes and news is a critical piece of Cayman’s information infrastructure and will immediately begin exploration as to how the void created by the closure of Cayman27 can quickly be filled.”

Although McLaughlin’s ministerial portfolio includes responsibility for the utilities regulator, OfReg, which Randy Merren, the TV station’s owner and director, said had played a part in its demise, he said that questions regarding the regulatory breaches should be put to OfReg.

CNS has contacted OfReg about the chain of events and the failure to address the inequities surrounding the issue of local content provision from cable companies and we are awaiting a response. However, the director of OfReg said the regulator would be issuing a statement “in due course”.

Merren, who is also an owner of C3, one of three companies providing cable services, he was the only one investing in the production of local content but was not receiving support from the other providers.

Even before the creation of OfReg, when the ICTA had responsibility for the broadcast sector, the regulator has been examining the question of local content and what cable providers should be required to broadcast as part of their cable TV licence to operate.