Parade on the Wigger
Local newspapers With four bundles and more color, the Willisauer Bote sets out to conquer the Wiggertal.
Local newspapers With four bundles and more color, the Willisauer Bote sets out to conquer the Wiggertal.
The Lucerne hinterland is becoming too small for the Willisauer Boten. With a coverage of over 70 percent of households, growth is hardly possible. The local newspaper (circulation: 10715 copies) is therefore expanding into the Wiggertal. From the end of April, it will be published with the split edition Wiggertaler Bote. "We see potential in the Lucerne part of the Wiggertal," says publishing director and editor-in-chief Josef J. Zihlmann, who prefers to speak of a headline paper. The Willisauer Bote has been under pressure for years to expand its presence in this region. However, the area around Reiden and Nebikon is not a journalistic wasteland: the weekly newspaper Der Oberwiggentaler has been published there for 100 years. Until the end of 2003, the two titles were combined with the Trienger Anzeiger in the Nord-West-Kombi.
Merger offer rejected
For Zihlmann, the Oberwiggertaler cannot be compared with the quality standards of the Willisauer Boten. However, he does not want to displace anyone and has also held talks with the competitor about a collaboration. However, nothing came of it.
This is confirmed by Othmar Meyer, publisher of the Oberwiggentaler. There had been discussions about whether the two newspapers could be merged. "But that didn't come about from our side," says Meyer. He takes the invasion of the Willisauer Boten into his home territory in his stride. "The Zofinger Tagblatt also tried to expand here once. Today it is concentrating on its core area again." However, the situation should not be underestimated: "Every paper in its own area is a competitor, right up to the local newspaper."
The Willisauer Bote uses the launch of the split edition for a comprehensive relaunch. The paper will be in four colors throughout. The new
The new layout was developed by local designer Roger Wermelinger, who himself completed his training at the Boten. In the future, the local newspaper will comprise four bundles instead of one: Mantel, Hinterland, Wiggertal and Sport. The only difference between the two editions is the front page, where region-specific topics are touched on.
The publication frequency will be reduced from three to two times a week. This will make it easier to fill the four frets. This step also takes the pressure off the editorial team to keep up to date. "With three issues a week, we always had to chase after the daily newspapers," explains Zihlmann. Now background reporting from the region can take center stage. The weekend supplement Quattro will no longer be published.
or integrated into the newspaper as a reportage page.
Full-time positions instead of traineeships
The publisher does not want the reorganization to be seen as a cost-cutting measure: "We are healthy and are not under financial pressure." The Willisauer Bote will expand its editorial output. Three trainee positions will be converted into full-time positions.
However, the company's own printing press is shut down and the Neue Luzerner Zeitung AG takes over the printing of the Boten. The capacity of the old press was limited to 32 pages with one spot color. Alternatively, four pages could be printed in four colors, but this reduced the size to 24 pages. "If Migros and Coop wanted to advertise in color at the same time, for example, we were pretty much blocked," says Zihlmann. The Willisauer Bote also had to repeatedly turn down advertisements for this reason. The relaunch now creates space for everyone.
Traditional paperThe Willisauer Bote was founded in 1887. Since 1922, the local newspaper has been published by the Willisauer Bote Medien und Print cooperative. It has around 950 members - according to publishing director Josef J. Zihlmann "right across the board, from workers to directors". Until now, the newspaper has been published in the Willisau district and the neighboring Rottal valley on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. From the end of April, it will switch to Tuesdays and Fridays. 9500 copies of the Willisauer Boten and 6500 copies of the Wiggertaler Boten are printed. Josef J. Zihlmann (the J. distinguishes him from his father of the same name) has been running the paper since 1976.
Last fall, he was elected to the board of the Swiss Press Association. There he will take over the planned Social Partnership department. (sm)
Movement in the hinterland: The Willisauer Bote expands into the Wiggertal.
Stefano Monachesi
The Lucerne hinterland is becoming too small for the Willisauer Boten. With a coverage of over 70 percent of households, growth is hardly possible. The local newspaper (circulation: 10715 copies) is therefore expanding into the Wiggertal. From the end of April, it will be published with the split edition Wiggertaler Bote. "We see potential in the Lucerne part of the Wiggertal," says publishing director and editor-in-chief Josef J. Zihlmann, who prefers to speak of a headline paper. The Willisauer Bote has been under pressure for years to expand its presence in this region. However, the area around Reiden and Nebikon is not a journalistic wasteland: the weekly newspaper Der Oberwiggentaler has been published there for 100 years. Until the end of 2003, the two titles were combined with the Trienger Anzeiger in the Nord-West-Kombi.
Merger offer rejected
For Zihlmann, the Oberwiggertaler cannot be compared with the quality standards of the Willisauer Boten. However, he does not want to displace anyone and has also held talks with the competitor about a collaboration. However, nothing came of it.
This is confirmed by Othmar Meyer, publisher of the Oberwiggentaler. There had been discussions about whether the two newspapers could be merged. "But that didn't come about from our side," says Meyer. He takes the invasion of the Willisauer Boten into his home territory in his stride. "The Zofinger Tagblatt also tried to expand here once. Today it is concentrating on its core area again." However, the situation should not be underestimated: "Every paper in its own area is a competitor, right up to the local newspaper."
The Willisauer Bote uses the launch of the split edition for a comprehensive relaunch. The paper will be in four colors throughout. The new
The new layout was developed by local designer Roger Wermelinger, who himself completed his training at the Boten. In the future, the local newspaper will comprise four bundles instead of one: Mantel, Hinterland, Wiggertal and Sport. The only difference between the two editions is the front page, where region-specific topics are touched on.
The publication frequency will be reduced from three to two times a week. This will make it easier to fill the four frets. This step also takes the pressure off the editorial team to keep up to date. "With three issues a week, we always had to chase after the daily newspapers," explains Zihlmann. Now background reporting from the region can take center stage. The weekend supplement Quattro will no longer be published.
or integrated into the newspaper as a reportage page.
Full-time positions instead of traineeships
The publisher does not want the reorganization to be seen as a cost-cutting measure: "We are healthy and are not under financial pressure." The Willisauer Bote will expand its editorial output. Three trainee positions will be converted into full-time positions.
However, the company's own printing press is shut down and the Neue Luzerner Zeitung AG takes over the printing of the Boten. The capacity of the old press was limited to 32 pages with one spot color. Alternatively, four pages could be printed in four colors, but this reduced the size to 24 pages. "If Migros and Coop wanted to advertise in color at the same time, for example, we were pretty much blocked," says Zihlmann. The Willisauer Bote also had to repeatedly turn down advertisements for this reason. The relaunch now creates space for everyone.
Traditional paperThe Willisauer Bote was founded in 1887. Since 1922, the local newspaper has been published by the Willisauer Bote Medien und Print cooperative. It has around 950 members - according to publishing director Josef J. Zihlmann "right across the board, from workers to directors". Until now, the newspaper has been published in the Willisau district and the neighboring Rottal valley on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. From the end of April, it will switch to Tuesdays and Fridays. 9500 copies of the Willisauer Boten and 6500 copies of the Wiggertaler Boten are printed. Josef J. Zihlmann (the J. distinguishes him from his father of the same name) has been running the paper since 1976.
Last fall, he was elected to the board of the Swiss Press Association. There he will take over the planned Social Partnership department. (sm)
Movement in the hinterland: The Willisauer Bote expands into the Wiggertal.
Stefano Monachesi
