Sundays free of charge
Weekly Press In Winterthur, the free newspaper craze is spilling over into the weekend: The Stadtblatt will soon be published on Sundays, free of charge and with a circulation 11 times larger.
Weekly press
In Winterthur, the free newspaper euphoria is spilling over into the weekend: The city paper will soon be published on Sundays, free of charge and with eleven times the circulation.
From January 6, the small Winterthur city paper will no longer be published on Thursdays but on Sundays. The previous subscription price of 150 francs will no longer apply and the newspaper will now be distributed free of charge to every household. The circulation will increase accordingly from 4377 to 46000 copies. This makes the Winterthur Stadtblatt the first free Sunday newspaper in German-speaking Switzerland - and with home delivery to boot. Whether this heralds a new era in the Sunday market remains to be seen.
It was not financial hardship that prompted Stadtblatt majority shareholder Guido Blumer to make this change. "The trigger was my age," he says. At 55, he decided to take stock. And because he had always been interested in producing a Sunday paper, he developed a concept and is now putting it into practice.
He has two goals in mind: his newspaper should be able to continue to exist without him one day. It should also be interesting for the national advertising market, if not indispensable. Blumer now expects around 70,000 readers. He is increasing the advertising price from the current 2328 to 3136 francs per 1/1 page in four colors. However, Blumer will have to pay a tribute: His city paper will no longer be the publication organ of the city of Winterthur and the municipality of Seuzach.
However, Blumer does not want to do without subscription income altogether. That's why he is setting up voluntary partnership subscriptions at 100 francs, which in turn entitle the holder to discounted purchases in 28 Winterthur stores.
Aiming for more scopeBut little else will change in the Sunday city paper. The tabloid format will be retained and the editorial section will continue to be colorless. Only the logo has changed slightly: instead of reading from bottom to top, it now reads from top to bottom. And it is only half visible. In terms of content, Blumer's paper remains "a reflective weekly newspaper", which is likely to increase slightly in size (to 48 pages), but remains true to itself and its left-liberal course. Commentary and cartoons will continue to lead the front page, with a weekly focus, arguments, opinions and an agenda. A new feature is a reflective column written alternately by a priest, a rabbi or a Muslim woman. True to the intention of the publisher and the five-strong editorial team, the primary aim is to encourage discussion and build bridges - even across party lines.
The fact that the Stadtblatt exists is a minor miracle, as it has to coexist with the daily Landbote and the weekly newspapers Stadtanzeiger Winterthur (majority owned by Ziegler Druck) and Winterthurer Zeitung (Zehnder). But Blumer does not regard them as competitors. "Because we are not interested in current affairs and news, nor in people and lifestyle," he says.
The city paper emerged from the Winterthur AZ, which was published three times a week. In 1997, Blumer took over from the SP and turned the title into a weekly newspaper. Blumer holds 60 percent of the shares, with two other people each holding 20 percent.
Markus Knöpfli
In Winterthur, the free newspaper euphoria is spilling over into the weekend: The city paper will soon be published on Sundays, free of charge and with eleven times the circulation.
From January 6, the small Winterthur city paper will no longer be published on Thursdays but on Sundays. The previous subscription price of 150 francs will no longer apply and the newspaper will now be distributed free of charge to every household. The circulation will increase accordingly from 4377 to 46000 copies. This makes the Winterthur Stadtblatt the first free Sunday newspaper in German-speaking Switzerland - and with home delivery to boot. Whether this heralds a new era in the Sunday market remains to be seen.
It was not financial hardship that prompted Stadtblatt majority shareholder Guido Blumer to make this change. "The trigger was my age," he says. At 55, he decided to take stock. And because he had always been interested in producing a Sunday paper, he developed a concept and is now putting it into practice.
He has two goals in mind: his newspaper should be able to continue to exist without him one day. It should also be interesting for the national advertising market, if not indispensable. Blumer now expects around 70,000 readers. He is increasing the advertising price from the current 2328 to 3136 francs per 1/1 page in four colors. However, Blumer will have to pay a tribute: His city paper will no longer be the publication organ of the city of Winterthur and the municipality of Seuzach.
However, Blumer does not want to do without subscription income altogether. That's why he is setting up voluntary partnership subscriptions at 100 francs, which in turn entitle the holder to discounted purchases in 28 Winterthur stores.
Aiming for more scopeBut little else will change in the Sunday city paper. The tabloid format will be retained and the editorial section will continue to be colorless. Only the logo has changed slightly: instead of reading from bottom to top, it now reads from top to bottom. And it is only half visible. In terms of content, Blumer's paper remains "a reflective weekly newspaper", which is likely to increase slightly in size (to 48 pages), but remains true to itself and its left-liberal course. Commentary and cartoons will continue to lead the front page, with a weekly focus, arguments, opinions and an agenda. A new feature is a reflective column written alternately by a priest, a rabbi or a Muslim woman. True to the intention of the publisher and the five-strong editorial team, the primary aim is to encourage discussion and build bridges - even across party lines.
The fact that the Stadtblatt exists is a minor miracle, as it has to coexist with the daily Landbote and the weekly newspapers Stadtanzeiger Winterthur (majority owned by Ziegler Druck) and Winterthurer Zeitung (Zehnder). But Blumer does not regard them as competitors. "Because we are not interested in current affairs and news, nor in people and lifestyle," he says.
The city paper emerged from the Winterthur AZ, which was published three times a week. In 1997, Blumer took over from the SP and turned the title into a weekly newspaper. Blumer holds 60 percent of the shares, with two other people each holding 20 percent.
Markus Knöpfli
