First contours of the new Tagblatt

Presse Tagi-Stadtsplit affects Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich On November 6, the Tages-Anzeiger launches further regional splits, including a city edition. This will affect the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich, which Tamedia owns 60 percent of. So what will happen to the free paper, which is delivered five times a week to all letterboxes in Zurich? Nothing has been nailed down yet, but Rolf Bollmann, Publishing Director of the Tages-Anzeiger and also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tagblatt, is drawing the first outlines of the new concept: the Tagblatt will remain the official publication of the city of Zurich - but it will appear less frequently and with a new layout. The NZZ, which holds a 40 percent stake in Tagblatt Verlag, supports the new concept, as do the city clerk and the city's head of communications, says Bollmann. He expects the city council to make a final decision by the end of August, which is surprising: according to earlier statements by Urs Neuenschwander, media spokesman for the city of Zurich, the Tagblatt contract, which is valid until 2015, requires, among other things, that the newspaper be published five times a week. But Bollmann disagrees: the Tagblatt does not have to be published five times a week, but must be tailored to the city's information needs. "The new concept is so contractually compliant that we didn't even have to consult the city," he says. There was no comment from Neuenschwander himself or the NZZ.   
Markus Knöpfli