Street magazine Surprise with 200th issue
The 200th issue of the street magazine *Surprise* will be published on Thursday. The anniversary issue is eight pages thicker than the regular issues and also features unusual content.
The 200th issue of the street magazine *Surprise* will be published on Thursday. The anniversary issue is eight pages thicker than the regular issues and also features unusual content: What if, for once, people on the margins of society were to occupy central public spaces such as the Federal Palace, the Stade de Suisse, or the Zurich Opera House? What do the prominent figures there have to say about it? This «change of perspective,» as Surprise Managing Director Fred Lauener told the Basler Zeitung, is complemented by stories about the extraordinary talents of street vendors and a photo essay on street vending.
Surprise began in 1997, shortly after splitting from the unemployment newspaper Stempelkissen, starting small with just a few issues and street vendors in Basel. Today, Surprise can count on a loyal readership; according to the Basler Zeitung, its readership consists primarily of socially conscious, well-off middle-aged women. According to Lauener, up to 30,000 copies are sold per issue. Each copy is read by an average of four people, which disproves the cliché that people buy it purely out of pity.
Surprise began in 1997, shortly after splitting from the unemployment newspaper Stempelkissen, starting small with just a few issues and street vendors in Basel. Today, Surprise can count on a loyal readership; according to the Basler Zeitung, its readership consists primarily of socially conscious, well-off middle-aged women. According to Lauener, up to 30,000 copies are sold per issue. Each copy is read by an average of four people, which disproves the cliché that people buy it purely out of pity.
