"A shot in the arm"
Regional Publishers Vogt-Schild/Habegger, the publisher of the *Solothurner Zeitung*, is struggling with competition from the *Solothurner Tagblatt*. Its managing director of media, Christian Müller, accuses Espace Media of using unfair practices.
Regional publishers The Solothurner Zeitung publisher Vogt-Schild/Habegger is suffering from competition from the Solothurner Tagblatt. Its Managing Director Media, Christian Müller, accuses Espace Media of unfair methods.WW Does the Solothurner Zeitung feel the growing circulation of the Solothurner Tagblatt (ST)?Christian Müller: Not really. We are experiencing a marginal decline in subscriptions of one to two percent, but not because of the ST. This is because the decline in the Solothurn area, where the ST is published, is no greater than in the areas of our split editions Grenchner Tagblatt, Langenthaler Tagblatt and Berner Rundschau.
This is surprising given the steep difference in subscription prices.
The ST's dumping price does worry us. Subscribers we contact by telemarketing are increasingly giving economic reasons. We therefore suspect that some are switching to the ST, whose subscription costs half as much.
In August, the ST will also start early delivery in Grenchen with a separate page. How are you looking forward to this?
Without much concern, because there are few commuter movements from Grenchen to Bern. That's why this initiative will probably also be a shot in the arm. Our Grenchner Tagblatt will hardly suffer.
So for the time being, the ST is hardly causing you any stomach ache? it is hurting us: we generally have higher marketing costs, for example in the area of sponsorship. Because Espace Media (EM) often makes our sponsoring partners very high financial offers, we also have to spend more money. In addition, Bevo, which is partly owned by EM, snatched away the early delivery for NZZ and Tages-Anzeiger. Unfair advertising methods by EM are also causing us problems. Two weeks ago, for example, the ST advertised for advertisements in a mailing - with the readership figures of the entire Berner Zeitung edition! But this was not declared. The letterhead and signature of the ST media consultant suggested that the figures related to the ST. This is fraud - and not for the first time: the Commission for Fairness in Advertising has already described an ST mailing as "unfair". But fairness is simply not a guideline for the EM...
Interview: Markus Knöpfli
This is surprising given the steep difference in subscription prices.
The ST's dumping price does worry us. Subscribers we contact by telemarketing are increasingly giving economic reasons. We therefore suspect that some are switching to the ST, whose subscription costs half as much.
In August, the ST will also start early delivery in Grenchen with a separate page. How are you looking forward to this?
Without much concern, because there are few commuter movements from Grenchen to Bern. That's why this initiative will probably also be a shot in the arm. Our Grenchner Tagblatt will hardly suffer.
So for the time being, the ST is hardly causing you any stomach ache? it is hurting us: we generally have higher marketing costs, for example in the area of sponsorship. Because Espace Media (EM) often makes our sponsoring partners very high financial offers, we also have to spend more money. In addition, Bevo, which is partly owned by EM, snatched away the early delivery for NZZ and Tages-Anzeiger. Unfair advertising methods by EM are also causing us problems. Two weeks ago, for example, the ST advertised for advertisements in a mailing - with the readership figures of the entire Berner Zeitung edition! But this was not declared. The letterhead and signature of the ST media consultant suggested that the figures related to the ST. This is fraud - and not for the first time: the Commission for Fairness in Advertising has already described an ST mailing as "unfair". But fairness is simply not a guideline for the EM...
Interview: Markus Knöpfli
