Nearly 9 in 10 Statia news readers turn to BES-Reporter, and Saba is following suit

ORANJESTAD/WINDWARDSIDE — BES-Reporter has further strengthened its position as the leading online news platform on St. Eustatius, while also continuing to grow on neighboring Saba, according to newly presented media research commissioned by the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland (RCN).

The research, conducted by Opinion Carib and presented this week, examined media consumption habits across the Caribbean Netherlands.

The results for St. Eustatius show a particularly dominant position for BES-Reporter among local and regional news websites. According to the 2026 figures, 87.5 percent of respondents who visit local news websites indicated they read BES-Reporter. Saba-News.com followed at 32.5 percent, while Breakingnews.li/Live99FM and Dossier Koninkrijksrelaties both recorded 15 percent. Bonaire.nu followed at 12.5 percent.

The figures represent a further strengthening of BES-Reporter’s already strong position on Statia compared to earlier research conducted in 2022. In that earlier survey, 73.2 percent of respondents indicated BES-Reporter as the news website they visited most frequently on the island.

The new research also suggests continued growth for BES-Reporter on Saba, where Saba-News.com remains the dominant online news source. According to the 2026 survey, Saba-News.com reached 88.5 percent among respondents visiting local news websites, while BES-Reporter recorded 69.2 percent. Caribbean Network followed at 23.1 percent, ahead of Dossier Koninkrijksrelaties at 11.5 percent and Bonaire.nu at 7.7 percent.

Compared to the 2022 media research, BES-Reporter appears to have significantly expanded its position on Saba as well. At that time, BES-Reporter recorded 59.6 percent among respondents visiting local news websites on the island.

Radio

The survey also highlighted the continued importance of radio within the Windward Islands. On St. Eustatius, Radio Statia remained by far the dominant radio station with 85.7 percent, followed by FAB Radio at 38.1 percent and CTC Radio at 28.6 percent. On Saba, Voice of Saba led the market with 62.5 percent.

The media research was presented Thursday as part of a broader study into media usage and communication trends within the Caribbean Netherlands.