Why the NZZ wants to strengthen the regional papers
The NZZ newspaper is expanding its services for regional editions with the aim of strategically strengthening the industry.
Newspaper The NZZ is expanding its service for regional newspapers and thus wants to strategically strengthen the industry.In connection with the Zurich newspaper deal between the NZZ and PubliGroupe, a company has been mentioned time and again whose purpose has hardly ever been examined in greater detail: Freie Presse Holding (FPH), until now a 100 percent subsidiary of the NZZ. The company came into the public eye because PubliGroupe wants to acquire an as yet undetermined minority stake in it - in exchange for the stakes it is ceding to the NZZ in the Zürichsee Zeitung and the Zürcher Unterländer. These negotiations are currently underway. It is known that FPH serves as a kind of depository for all of NZZ's holdings in regional newspapers (see box). Less well known is that FPH also houses FPH Services, which provides a range of services to regional newspapers. "FPH Services came into being when we analyzed the situation of regional newspapers in more detail," says Beat Lauber, a member of the NZZ Group Management and Managing Director of FPH Holding. He continues: "Our industry is facing major challenges: The classic value chain is dead, media genres are facing cut-throat competition, and political and competition law restrictions are looming."
That's why regional newspapers in particular are faced with the question of how they can still ensure their quality. "This is only possible in a cooperative model; you can't do it alone," says Lauber. This is exactly where FPH Services comes in: "Through them, we want to take more care of the industry and help it look for new solutions, get discussions going and strengthen regional newspapers."
FPH does this by initiating the so-called press network, through which editorial teams can exchange their articles. It is currently running in test mode. Then, together with the St. Galler Tagblatt, an Internet-based reader survey tool was developed (see WW 44/04), there is now an idea pool at www.fph-services.ch (see box), and finally, FPH Services wants to get involved with consulting and training. The key words here are quality assurance, customer loyalty and networking.
The managing director of FPH Services is the former Bund publishing director J. Pepe Wiss. Lauber did not want to disclose what the commitment costs, only this much: The preliminary investment for the press network amounted to CHF 150,000, and participation is currently still free for an editorial office. And the customer dialog system is to be refinanced through license fees.
But why is FPH Services so involved? Is it to lure other regional newspapers? "On the contrary, with our network we want to strengthen them so that we can cooperate with healthy and independent regional newspapers," says Lauber. "Because only if the regional publishers are strong enough do they not have to sell and don't end up in foreign hands. After all, we can't buy up everything."
The FPH portfolioIn addition to FPH Services, NZZ has accumulated the following shareholdings in FPH: 70 percent in St. Galler Tagblatt, 40 percent in Bund Verlag, 40 percent in Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich, 57 percent in Buchs Medien (Werdenberger & Obertoggenburger) and 51 percent in LZ Medien Holding (Neue Luzerner Zeitung).
The portfolio also includes the 97 percent stake in Radig AG, the advertising marketer for Radio BE1. Soon to be added are 20 percent of Zürichsee Presse (Zürichsee Zeitung), 37 percent of Zürcher Oberland Medien (Zürcher Oberländer) and 40 percent of Akeret (Zürcher Unterländer). (mk)
Bring in good ideas!Recently, the website www.fph-services.ch launched an idea pool for "good ideas and concepts that have been tried and tested at regional newspapers around the world". Anyone who has come across a good idea, developed one themselves or even tried it out can enter it there according to a certain grid. Conversely, it is also possible to browse and view existing ideas. "Individual newspapers often have very good ideas that could actually benefit the entire industry," says Beat Lauber. And because regional newspapers rarely compete with each other, the exchange of ideas is hardly ever a problem. Lauber: "That's why we now want to institutionalize the exchange." (mk)
FPH CEO Beat Lauber (left) and J. Pepe Wiss of FPH Services.
Markus Knöpfli
That's why regional newspapers in particular are faced with the question of how they can still ensure their quality. "This is only possible in a cooperative model; you can't do it alone," says Lauber. This is exactly where FPH Services comes in: "Through them, we want to take more care of the industry and help it look for new solutions, get discussions going and strengthen regional newspapers."
FPH does this by initiating the so-called press network, through which editorial teams can exchange their articles. It is currently running in test mode. Then, together with the St. Galler Tagblatt, an Internet-based reader survey tool was developed (see WW 44/04), there is now an idea pool at www.fph-services.ch (see box), and finally, FPH Services wants to get involved with consulting and training. The key words here are quality assurance, customer loyalty and networking.
The managing director of FPH Services is the former Bund publishing director J. Pepe Wiss. Lauber did not want to disclose what the commitment costs, only this much: The preliminary investment for the press network amounted to CHF 150,000, and participation is currently still free for an editorial office. And the customer dialog system is to be refinanced through license fees.
But why is FPH Services so involved? Is it to lure other regional newspapers? "On the contrary, with our network we want to strengthen them so that we can cooperate with healthy and independent regional newspapers," says Lauber. "Because only if the regional publishers are strong enough do they not have to sell and don't end up in foreign hands. After all, we can't buy up everything."
The FPH portfolioIn addition to FPH Services, NZZ has accumulated the following shareholdings in FPH: 70 percent in St. Galler Tagblatt, 40 percent in Bund Verlag, 40 percent in Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich, 57 percent in Buchs Medien (Werdenberger & Obertoggenburger) and 51 percent in LZ Medien Holding (Neue Luzerner Zeitung).
The portfolio also includes the 97 percent stake in Radig AG, the advertising marketer for Radio BE1. Soon to be added are 20 percent of Zürichsee Presse (Zürichsee Zeitung), 37 percent of Zürcher Oberland Medien (Zürcher Oberländer) and 40 percent of Akeret (Zürcher Unterländer). (mk)
Bring in good ideas!Recently, the website www.fph-services.ch launched an idea pool for "good ideas and concepts that have been tried and tested at regional newspapers around the world". Anyone who has come across a good idea, developed one themselves or even tried it out can enter it there according to a certain grid. Conversely, it is also possible to browse and view existing ideas. "Individual newspapers often have very good ideas that could actually benefit the entire industry," says Beat Lauber. And because regional newspapers rarely compete with each other, the exchange of ideas is hardly ever a problem. Lauber: "That's why we now want to institutionalize the exchange." (mk)
FPH CEO Beat Lauber (left) and J. Pepe Wiss of FPH Services.
Markus Knöpfli
