As the new Managing Director of the TPC, Alexander Krombholz is starting off with a
large-scale production at the Olympic Games in Turin.
"You have to imagine the effort in Turin
like 15 world championships at the same time. The Olympic
For SRG SSR idée suisse, the 2006 Winter Games are the most complex and
most elaborate production that has ever been realized," explains Alexander
Krombholz. A total of 220 employees ensure that the Swiss
audience via radio and television in all language regions
program is offered. The new managing director of the
TV Productioncenter Zurich TPC works with over 100 people in
Turin. "Everyone here wants to deliver top performance. That applies
of course also for television," says Krombholz, looking forward to his
first job under the Swiss flag.

The graduate engineer from Munich was previously responsible for the
Production of all television productions of Bayerischer Rundfunk in
technical, artistic and macroeconomic perspective. In Turin
the TPC not only supplies the technology for the Swiss public.
In a tough qualification run against ORF, the Swiss
also the worldwide broadcast of the speed events downhill skiing and super-G
for both men and women. The
Competitive price was the decisive factor for this order
as well as the fact that SRG is regularly involved in the Lauberhorn race.
International award for "the best produced ski race"
will.

"The TPC has a very good reputation," says Krombholz, explaining his move to
Switzerland. For him and his wife - who is a
Journalist - always heard that she would one day work abroad
wanted. But of course, for people from Bavaria, Switzerland is not the
generally perceived foreign countries such as America. "Foreign countries light",
he would say. A country where Germans usually go on vacation.
"Now we are allowed to live and work here. That is already a
quality," he says happily.

Last year's chairman of the ARD and ARD production managers' conference
ZDF also mentions another motivation: "I have some cross-comparisons
and can say that Swiss television is right at the forefront.
The TPC is the most economically developed
television company. Some ARD stations could be proud of that."
The television personality, who holds a chair in
I have always wanted to work in the media industry.
Krombholz studied electronics and economics in Munich. For the
engineer, the two areas belong closely together. "You cannot
Selling technology that is not affordable. Conversely, no
A commercial enterprise without technology. This is a symbiosis that
appealed to me right from the start."

In his 20 years at Bayerischer Rundfunk, Krombholz would also have
could already switch to radio or broadcasting technology, but: "If
Once you've had a taste of television, you won't let it go.
more going on," he says. Krombholz was responsible for the technical
planning of production studios. He also gained a good overview as
consultant to the technical director of Bayerischer Rundfunk before he
has virtually taken on the role of producer himself. Own films
But he never wanted to shoot. Nevertheless, he considers himself artistically
competent. The technician completed his studies as a press photographer
financed. Today, he says: "For me, it's part of
editorial requirements. Only then can a good
program, if the service provider has also understood what the
customer wants."

He sees the following as an important technical innovation during his time in Bavaria
Conversion from analog to digital. For the people of Munich, he has "certainly
most modern broadcasting center in Europe". It is also Krombholz
"We have succeeded in introducing internal cost allocation and
new management methods significantly improve production technology
more economically". In doing so, he wanted to "lay the foundations for
production continues to be an economic partner for the program
can". This has enabled Krombholz to expand his artistic production,
that Bavaria won several camera awards last year.

In Zurich, too, the new head of the TPC in the HD division is already finding the
most modern OB van in Europe. "The development will
faster than we expected," he predicts, knowing that
his new employer intends to broadcast the first programs in HD from 2008.
to broadcast. The TPC still considers the most important customer to be the
Swiss Television, then the other SRG business units
SSR. The TPC also has an excellent international reputation with
wireless productions such as cycling races. In the advertising sector
the field should continue to be left to independent producers. The
TPC concentrates primarily on special forms for which it acts as a
specialist - such as Telescope, Amag-News or
the live spots for Migros last year. "We are not a classic
spot producer. We don't have a 35 mm camera either," says Krombholz.

He finds the biggest challenge in his work,
"Reconciling creativity, technology and economic efficiency
bring". He sees television as a team sport. In his private life, he loves individual sports more. From tennis in Bavaria
Junior squad has now become squash and occasionally also a
round of golf. He also enjoys playing the piano in his free time. On the
On March 1, he also plans to move his wing from Munich to Switzerland.
What is more uncertain, however, is the extent to which he still finds time to
his retro band with music from the 70s and 80s to play the guitar.
play. In future, rehearsals in Munich will probably only be
can take place sporadically.

Andreas Panzeri

Michael Hug wants to break new ground as editor-in-chief
at the Berner Zeitung with a dual leadership together with
Markus Eisenhut: It was not a forced marriage. But
Michael Hug has never met his future co-editor-in-chief Markus Eisenhut.
in person before the two of them stood for the joint mandate at the
Berner Zeitung have been brought together. Albert Stäheli, the
Delegate of the Board of Directors of Espace Media Groupe, had the idea for this
solution and with both desired candidates in parallel, but independently
negotiated. Only when both showed interest was a meeting
threaded. And Hug can agree with Stäheli's assessment: "We have
immediately realized that we tick the same way."

Michael Hug from Solothurn began his journalistic career as a
freelancer at the Solothurner Nachrichten. As a
stage at the newspaper was followed by the study of history for the
became a minor matter. In 1987, Hug moved to the Solothurner Zeitung. Here
he was responsible for the entire canton when, after two years of pleasure
felt like something completely different - agriculture: "We wanted to
Trying out models to see how you can feed yourself." That's how
the journalist on a farm in the Emmental. He completed a diploma
as a milker and looked after cows, sheep and pigs. Despite
hard work, the farm was barely enough to live on - and so the
The desire to write has reawakened. He first worked for the Bernese
newspaper for the Langnau region. When the experiment with the farm was
"very valuable years" had also come to an end in his private life,
Hug moved to the domestic editorial office of the Berner Zeitung.

Under Beat Hurni, he was pleased with the way he dealt with the
domestic reporting "wanted to try something new". The
increased independence in writing in 1998 is also Facts
attracted attention. He switched to the news magazine, but worked as a
single father spends most of his time away from his home in Burgdorf
off.

What he liked about Facts was that he could often tell big stories over weeks.
was able to research. He was particularly moved by a report on
Premature births. Hug is here to answer fundamental questions about life
that still occupy him as a journalist today: Where
the limits of medical possibilities should be drawn when
man can decide more and more about death and life?

After three years at the news magazine, a dream came true. The
Espace Media Groupe has launched a new newspaper in Solothurn, the Solothurner
Tagblatt, was founded. "As Solothurn residents and journalists, we often talked about
There should be a little more competition with the Solothurner Zeitung.
This was now a unique opportunity to prove that another
newspaper is possible." Hug worked from 2001 to October 2005 as
Editor-in-Chief.

Because he liked this development of a new voice in Solothurn,
Hug wanted to think carefully about his move to Bern. He has the
He accepted the challenge because his publisher was able to convince him,
that Espace Media Groupe wants to break new ground. "You can feel that with
something has to happen at BZ." All traditional daily newspapers
are in the difficult process of a still open
Distribution of roles between television, the Internet and new
Free newspapers. Who serves which target groups here?

Hug finds it exciting that his partner gets the credit, the
Switzerland's first free newspaper. "20
minutes was refreshingly different." Good ideas from this concept,
that can be implemented, the duo certainly wants to incorporate them into their
regional newspaper. "But you have to find the exact boundary:
What is 20 minutes good at, and what can we do?"
Of course, it is a problem for established newspapers that 20 Minuten
has become so successful. "On the other hand, it also hurts us
good, because the kick came in the butt."

Hug is regarded as a very good team player. He explains the compliment,
because it is indeed the greatest joy for him when
employees can develop and use their talents thanks to him. "When
I can support that, the job is to a large extent already good
made".

The two editors-in-chief do not want to distribute the tasks until the
March, when Eisenhut has also taken up his position. Already
We are aware that the editorial team needs to be structured differently.
should. "The traditional departmental structure, where everyone has their territory,
should be broken," reveals Hug. And what he is particularly
is delighted: Today, an editor-in-chief is increasingly becoming a management job.
have become. By distributing these tasks over two shoulders, the aim is to
The two bosses will also alternate more and more in publicizing the
appearance.

Andreas Panzeri