TVs in French-speaking Switzerland are upgrading - Advertising Week
Vaud Fribourg TV has been founded, and Tele Bielingue is investing in a digital studio.
A company based in Lausanne was recently founded under the name Vaud Fribourg TV SA. The share capital amounts to CHF 2.7 million. The eleven-member Board of Directors, which also includes representatives from the municipalities of Lausanne, Yverdon, Aigle and Vevey, is chaired by Philippe Sordet from the Edipresse Switzerland media group. The municipalities of Vaud hold 38 percent of the station (with Lausanne alone holding 22 percent), Edipresse has 28.6 percent, media from Fribourg, including Groupe Saint Paule (La Liberté) and Freiburger Nachrichten (FN), hold 20.4 percent, and the remainder is divided among numerous private shareholders. According to Sordet, Edipresse has a total of three representatives: Eric Hoesli, head of journalism, and Yvon Duboule, head of finance, are also on the Board of Directors. There are two representatives from the canton of Fribourg: Pierre Savary, co-director of Radio Fribourg, and Albert Noth (Fondation Saint Paule, FN).
Senior positions at operational level have already been filled, says Sordet: Christoph Rasch, Head of TV and Interactive Media at Edipresse, has been appointed Managing Director of Vaud Fribourg TV. Rasch played a key role in the new broadcasting concept and in bringing together the fragmented Vaud TV scene. With Fathi Derder (38), an editor-in-chief has also been appointed who previously worked at Radio Suisse Romande. According to Sordet, the start of broadcasting is planned for the middle of the year. Vaud Fribourg TV will have an operating budget of CHF 7 million and an editorial team of around 14 employees, a third of whom will be based in the canton of Fribourg.
TeleBielingue is also expanding: The shareholders increased the share capital from CHF 300,000 to CHF 800,000. The two media companies Büro Cortesi, publisher of the free newspaper Biel-Bienne, and Multimedia Gassmann AG (Bieler Tagblatt, Journal du Jura) each hold half of the shares in the Biel-based broadcaster. This ratio will not change and everything will remain the same in terms of personnel, said Roger Burckhard, Head of Finance at Gassmann. The increase in AK is because the company wants to invest in a digital TV studio. The company is currently evaluating this.
Markus Knöpfli
Senior positions at operational level have already been filled, says Sordet: Christoph Rasch, Head of TV and Interactive Media at Edipresse, has been appointed Managing Director of Vaud Fribourg TV. Rasch played a key role in the new broadcasting concept and in bringing together the fragmented Vaud TV scene. With Fathi Derder (38), an editor-in-chief has also been appointed who previously worked at Radio Suisse Romande. According to Sordet, the start of broadcasting is planned for the middle of the year. Vaud Fribourg TV will have an operating budget of CHF 7 million and an editorial team of around 14 employees, a third of whom will be based in the canton of Fribourg.
TeleBielingue is also expanding: The shareholders increased the share capital from CHF 300,000 to CHF 800,000. The two media companies Büro Cortesi, publisher of the free newspaper Biel-Bienne, and Multimedia Gassmann AG (Bieler Tagblatt, Journal du Jura) each hold half of the shares in the Biel-based broadcaster. This ratio will not change and everything will remain the same in terms of personnel, said Roger Burckhard, Head of Finance at Gassmann. The increase in AK is because the company wants to invest in a digital TV studio. The company is currently evaluating this.
Markus Knöpfli
