Casiano Communications
A Puerto Rican publishing company best known for Caribbean Business and a portfolio of regional lifestyle and business publications.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Casiano Communications was a Puerto Rican publishing and media company founded in 1973 by Manuel A. Casiano. It began with a business and financial newsletter focused on Puerto Rico, filling a gap in English-language coverage of the island's economy and commercial community. That newsletter developed into Caribbean Business, an English-language weekly that became one of the best-known business publications in Puerto Rico and the wider Caribbean. Its readership included corporate executives, investors, bond-market participants, suppliers, government officials, and policymakers in Puerto Rico and the mainland United States. Over time, the company expanded beyond its flagship business newspaper. Its publishing portfolio included the annual Caribbean Business Book of Lists, which ranked companies across numerous Puerto Rican industries and served as a business reference and prospecting guide. Casiano Communications also developed magazines and guides covering local lifestyles, health, family life, weddings, parenting, home decoration, older consumers, quinceañera celebrations, tourism, and entertainment. Titles and properties associated with the company included Imagen, Buena Vida, ¡Qué Pasa!, TVaquí, and other specialized publications. The editorial strategy emphasized locally produced coverage rather than relying on imported Spanish-language magazines that did not reflect Puerto Rican people, institutions, events, and social issues. The company also invested in digital media. In 2000 it introduced Puerto Rico WOW!, a search engine and web portal with a Puerto Rican business directory. In 2008, that online property was converted into CaribbeanBusinessPR.com, which became a significant digital channel for business news and advertising. TVaquíPR.com was launched as an online complement to the TVaquí entertainment publication. Caribbean Business also operated a website, identified in source material as CB.pr, that supplied daily business news in addition to the weekly print edition. Casiano Communications faced severe financial pressure during Puerto Rico's prolonged economic downturn. After losing several important accounts at its sister contact-center operation, Direct ResponSource Inc., Casiano Communications and Direct ResponSource sought Chapter 11 protection in 2014. In 2015, the United States Bankruptcy Court in San Juan approved a restructuring and the sale of the companies' assets to a consortium associated with Miguel A. Ferrer and led by Puerto Rico-based German financier and entrepreneur Heiko Faass. The assets were assigned to Latin Media House, LLC and DRSI Call Center, LLC, which operated together as Grupo LMH. The transaction took effect on November 2, 2015. Following the transaction, Latin Media House continued publishing and developing several established properties, including Caribbean Business, Imagen, Buena Vida, and the Book of Lists. The new ownership emphasized a digital edition of Caribbean Business and broader coverage of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and other Caribbean islands, while also seeking readers in the continental United States. Manuel Casiano served as an adviser to the new ownership through November 2016. Because the operating assets were acquired out of bankruptcy, Casiano Communications is best treated as a defunct original company whose publications and publishing activities continued under Latin Media House rather than as an independently operating current corporation.
History
Casiano Communications was established in Puerto Rico in 1973 by Manuel A. Casiano. The company's initial product was a business and financial newsletter intended to serve an underserved audience interested in Puerto Rican commerce, finance, and public policy. The publication gradually developed into Caribbean Business, an English-language weekly newspaper that became the company's principal title and a recognized source of business reporting for Puerto Rico and the region. Caribbean Business differentiated itself through local reporting and analysis. Its coverage was read by business leaders, investors, suppliers, government officials, and participants in the Puerto Rican bond market. In addition to the weekly newspaper, the company maintained a digital news presence that supplied daily business reporting. The publication's audience extended beyond Puerto Rico to corporate headquarters and investors in the United States and other markets with interests in the island's economy. During the late 1980s, Casiano Communications introduced the Caribbean Business Book of Lists. The annual publication ranked leading companies by industry and provided commercial information useful for market research, sales, and business development. It became a recurring reference work associated with the Caribbean Business brand. In 1988, Manuel Casiano's daughter Kimberly Casiano joined the company's executive ranks, later becoming president in 1994. The company subsequently broadened its portfolio into magazines and guides addressing Puerto Rican culture and everyday life. Its rationale was that imported Spanish-language magazines from South America did not provide sufficient local reporting or reflect the island's own people, events, concerns, and institutions. Casiano Communications therefore launched publications covering women's and family interests, health, weddings, motherhood, home decoration, consumers aged 50 and above, quinceañera celebrations, tourism, and entertainment. Properties associated with this expansion included Imagen, Buena Vida, ¡Qué Pasa!, and TVaquí. Casiano Communications also pursued online publishing and directory products. In 2000 it launched Puerto Rico WOW!, a search engine and portal dedicated to Puerto Rico that included a digital business directory. In 2008 the portal was converted into CaribbeanBusinessPR.com, which reportedly exceeded the earlier site's traffic and advertising performance. TVaquíPR.com was launched during the same period as a digital companion to the TVaquí celebrity and entertainment publication. These initiatives reflected the company's attempt to combine established print franchises with web distribution and digital advertising. The wider Puerto Rican economic downturn created serious challenges. In 2014, after Direct ResponSource lost several key contact-center accounts, Casiano Communications and that sister operation filed for Chapter 11 protection. The bankruptcy process lasted nearly a year. In August 2015, the United States Bankruptcy Court in San Juan approved a proposed restructuring and the sale of the companies' assets to a consortium of Puerto Rican businesspeople associated with Miguel A. Ferrer and led by Heiko Faass. The assets were ultimately assigned to Latin Media House, LLC and DRSI Call Center, LLC, which operated together as Grupo LMH. The transfer became effective on November 2, 2015. The original Casiano Communications corporation did not continue as an independent operating company after the asset transaction. Latin Media House retained and developed several of its publishing properties, including Caribbean Business, Imagen, Buena Vida, and the Book of Lists. The new owner placed particular emphasis on a digital version of Caribbean Business, planned wider coverage of the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and other Caribbean islands, and sought to build readership among people in the mainland United States. Manuel Casiano was retained as an adviser to the new ownership through November 2016. He died on May 19, 2017, at age 86. The company's historical legacy therefore consists both of its role in building Puerto Rico's English-language business press and of its locally oriented magazine portfolio, while its surviving publishing assets belong to the post-bankruptcy Latin Media House structure.
- 2017
Death of founder
[1]Founder Manuel A. Casiano died on May 19, 2017, at age 86.
- 2016
Founder completes advisory role
[1]Manuel A. Casiano's advisory engagement with the new ownership group concluded in November.
- 2015
Assets acquired by Latin Media House
[1]A bankruptcy-court-approved transaction transferred the company's assets to Latin Media House and related entities; the transfer became effective November 2.
- 2014
Chapter 11 filing
[1]Casiano Communications and Direct ResponSource filed for Chapter 11 protection amid economic pressure and the loss of major contact-center accounts.
- 2008
Digital properties expanded
[1]Puerto Rico WOW! was converted into CaribbeanBusinessPR.com, and TVaquíPR.com was launched as a companion to the TVaquí publication.
- 2000
Puerto Rico WOW! portal launched
[1]Casiano Communications introduced a Puerto Rico-focused search engine, web portal, and business directory.
- 1994
Kimberly Casiano becomes president
[1]Kimberly Casiano rose to the presidency of Casiano Communications.
- 1988
Kimberly Casiano joins the executive team
[1]Kimberly Casiano entered the company's executive ranks; she later became president.
- 1988
Caribbean Business Book of Lists introduced
[1]The company launched its annual ranking and business reference publication covering Puerto Rican industries and companies.
- 1973
Company founded
[1]Manuel A. Casiano founded Casiano Communications in Puerto Rico and began with a business and financial newsletter.
Products and positioning
A locally focused Puerto Rican media house combining English-language business journalism with Spanish-language lifestyle, family, tourism, and entertainment publishing.
Business newspaper and digital news service
Caribbean Business
Casiano Communications' flagship English-language business publication. It began as a Puerto Rico-focused business and financial newsletter and developed into a weekly newspaper with reporting and analysis on the island's economy, companies, finance, public policy, and regional commerce. A related website provided daily business news. After the 2015 asset acquisition, Latin Media House continued the title with a stronger digital and Caribbean-oriented strategy.
Business reference publication · 1988
Caribbean Business Book of Lists
An annual business reference work ranking leading Puerto Rican companies by industry. It supplied information on local industries and businesses and functioned as a guide for market research, commercial prospecting, and understanding the Puerto Rican business landscape.
Lifestyle magazine
Imagen
A locally oriented magazine associated with the company's expansion into Puerto Rican lifestyle publishing. The broader magazine program sought to provide coverage rooted in Puerto Rican people, events, culture, and social concerns rather than reproducing the perspective of imported regional magazines.
Lifestyle and family magazine
Buena Vida
A Casiano Communications lifestyle title associated with the company's local magazine portfolio. It formed part of the group's effort to address family, health, and everyday-life interests for Puerto Rican readers.
Tourism guide
¡Qué Pasa!
A tourism-oriented guide presenting information about Puerto Rico for visitors and local audiences. It belonged to the company's group of specialized magazines and guides focused on the island's places, activities, and visitor economy.
Entertainment magazine
TVaquí
A weekly celebrity and entertainment publication with a companion website, TVaquíPR.com, launched in 2008. It represented the company's move into popular culture and digitally supported magazine publishing.
Web portal and business directory · 2000
Puerto Rico WOW!
A Puerto Rico-focused search engine and online portal launched in 2000. It included a digital business directory and was later converted into CaribbeanBusinessPR.com as the company shifted its online strategy.
Brand decisions
2015
Sale of assets to Latin Media HouseM&ABackground
A consortium proposed to acquire the assets of Casiano Communications and Direct ResponSource through the bankruptcy proceedings.
Action taken
The United States Bankruptcy Court in San Juan approved the restructuring plan, and the assets were assigned to Latin Media House, LLC and DRSI Call Center, LLC.
Aftermath
The businesses operated together as Grupo LMH. Latin Media House continued several publications and emphasized digital expansion and broader Caribbean coverage.
2014
Chapter 11 restructuringOtherBackground
Casiano Communications faced pressure during Puerto Rico's economic downturn, while its sister contact-center company lost several key accounts.
Action taken
Casiano Communications and Direct ResponSource filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Aftermath
The bankruptcy process led to a court-approved asset sale and transfer of the publishing operations to Latin Media House and associated entities in 2015.
2008
Shift from Puerto Rico WOW! to CaribbeanBusinessPR.comStrategyBackground
The company was developing digital channels for its established publications and sought stronger traffic and advertising performance.
Action taken
It converted Puerto Rico WOW! into CaribbeanBusinessPR.com and launched TVaquíPR.com as a companion to TVaquí.
Aftermath
The reference material states that CaribbeanBusinessPR.com surpassed Puerto Rico WOW! in traffic and advertising revenue.
2000
Launch of Puerto Rico WOW!Product launchBackground
The company sought to extend its publishing and directory activities into online search and Puerto Rico-specific web services.
Action taken
It introduced a search engine and web portal featuring a digital business directory.
Aftermath
The property was later converted into CaribbeanBusinessPR.com in 2008.
Recent events
- 2015
Court approves sale and restructuring of Casiano Communications assets[1]
Bankruptcy · M&A
The United States Bankruptcy Court in San Juan approved a restructuring plan and the acquisition of Casiano Communications assets by a consortium associated with Latin Media House and Grupo LMH.
- 2015
Latin Media House continues Caribbean Business publishing[1]
M&A
After acquiring the assets, Latin Media House stated that it would continue the existing publications and place greater emphasis on a digital edition of Caribbean Business with expanded Caribbean and United States reach.
- 2014
Casiano Communications files for Chapter 11 protection[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
Casiano Communications and sister company Direct ResponSource sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after economic deterioration in Puerto Rico and the loss of important contact-center accounts.
Sources1 sources
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