New free sheet .ch wants free sites
The new free newspaper .ch has always touted door-to-door delivery as its trump card against 20 Minuten and Heute. But according to the Berner Zeitung (BZ), this very feature could now become a sticking point, because the new free newspaper does not want to pay for newspaper stands.
The new free newspaper .ch's trump card over 20 Minuten and Heute has always been delivery to doorsteps. However, according to the Berner Zeitung (BZ), this could now become a sticking point because the new free newspaper does not want to pay a stand rental fee. .ch will be launched in mid-September with a circulation of 425,000 copies. These will not only be distributed in public spaces, but will also be offered in front of building entrances in a total of 35,000 newspaper stands. According to research by BZ, the competitor 20 Minuten pays high rents of up to CHF 500 per year and stand in Bern and up to CHF 600 in the city of Zurich to the landowners for setting up the distribution boxes, depending on the location. In the case of 20 Minuten and Heute, these are mainly the transport companies and various stores and company properties.
However, there are no plans to pay rent to the property owners in front of whose properties the .ch boxes will be installed, writes the BZ. They would merely be "informed in advance". According to the homeowners' association, the owners can indeed demand payment for the location. The initiator of .ch, Sascha Wigdorovits, vows to remove the stands if there are any complaints. And such complaints are certainly conceivable, as many passers-by misuse the stands as litter bins, which could lead to additional costs for property maintenance. And property owners certainly don't do this for free.
However, there are no plans to pay rent to the property owners in front of whose properties the .ch boxes will be installed, writes the BZ. They would merely be "informed in advance". According to the homeowners' association, the owners can indeed demand payment for the location. The initiator of .ch, Sascha Wigdorovits, vows to remove the stands if there are any complaints. And such complaints are certainly conceivable, as many passers-by misuse the stands as litter bins, which could lead to additional costs for property maintenance. And property owners certainly don't do this for free.
