A race for reach
Newspaper Consortium: Last year it was Solothurn, now it’s Baselland. Where will the Mittelland Zeitung (MZ) go next? How much more can this consortium take? And where does it stand? AZ-Medien CEO Peter Wanner provides the answers.
Solothurn, now Baselland. Where is the Mittelland Zeitung (MZ) going as a
What's next? How much more can this network take? And where does it position
themselves? Answers from AZ media boss Peter Wanner.WW: Mr.
Wanner, after your latest coup in the Basel region, you already sounded off,
that you are not yet full. Where are the limits of the
MZ growth?
Peter Wanner: The MZ is
already a strong, "rich" network. But one thing is clear: high readership figures
are becoming increasingly important in the advertising market, provided that the
thousand contact price (CPM) is falling. There is therefore a race for high
ranges take place. With our growth in the Basel region, we achieve
now 450000 readers. This motivates us to look for further candidates.
to look around.
WW: Will the name Mitteland Zeitung remain?
Wanner:
For the time being, but that could still change. Because we are talking
internally from the Central and Northwestern Switzerland region. And when the politics of
Northwestern Switzerland, then the cantons of Aargau,
Solothurn, Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt. This is a
standing term. We are now number 1 in this area.
WW: Keyword
Golden Triangle: The Metropool focuses on the magazine, 20
Minuten, the free newspaper Heute from Ringier, Cash daily probably also
...
Wanner: All
This is happening in the centers, not in the countryside. That is our
Opportunity: We are closing the gap between Zurich, Berne, Basel and
Lucerne completely. In my opinion, too much money is being spent in the centers.
areas, however, where single-family homes with two cars
tend to be under-advertised. This potential is usually
underestimated.
WW: Doesn't the MZ want to penetrate the centers?
Wanner: Our model is open, even for centers. We have no fear of contact.
WW: So the non-aggression pact with Tamedia is not set in stone?
Wanner: You
do you mean the gentlemen's agreement? We said to Tamedia: If you are in
Aargau, we go to Zurich. And they told us that
The same in reverse. So far, we have respected each other.
WW: And in the direction of Basel: would an MZ-BaZ advertising combination make sense from your point of view?
Wanner: Yes,
a job combination in northwestern Switzerland, for example, I could well imagine
imagine. There would also be further opportunities for cooperation with BaZ.
It was not our intention to attack the BaZ, rather we wanted to
of the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (bz). I was therefore
surprised by the strong reaction of Matthias Hagemann, as we had
generally seek cooperation.
WW: You
are now present in the Basel region with print, but still lack a TV. With
NW1 there is now one for sale. Are you not interested?
Wanner: That would be nice, but according to the new RTVA you are only allowed to own two TV stations. With Tele M1 and TeleTell, we already have two.
WW: With
Tele M1 will take you as far as Pratteln today. Expand its
broadcasting area as far as Basel, which you have already applied for.
had (and canceled again), at the same time you could use the name
and at best buy the studio from NW1.
Wanner: The
could be a possibility. But that's your idea (laughs). Correct
is, however, that because of the cooperation with the bz we are now also able to
are interested in broadcasting with Tele M1 in the Basel region.
Interview: Markus Knöpfli
