More scoops and trends please
The successor to resigned editor-in-chief Ariane Dayer must give L'Hebdo more dynamism
The successor to resigned editor-in-chief Ariane Dayer must give L'Hebdo more dynamismNo, no, says Gérard Geiger. The editor-in-chief of L'Hebdo, Ariane Dayer, has by no means had to resign, as the Swiss-German media have reported. On the contrary: the head of Ringier Romandie and the editorial team of the weekly magazine regret the resignation of the editor-in-chief. But the journalist, who learned the craft of political research in the Swiss parliament, is regarded as a tough doer with a character that does not allow any compromises or half-measures.When Group CEO Michael Ringier invited the editor-in-chief to Zurich for an interview at the beginning of last week, he knew what he had to be prepared for. On the one hand, he was plagued by the declining reach of his flagship in French-speaking Switzerland; on the other, he did not want to lose the high-profile editor. He offered her a post in Brussels. "No," was Dayer's response - she quickly handed in her notice and resigned.
Even though Ringier did not call for a tabloid magazine for French-speaking Switzerland, the publisher probably demanded a little more adaptation to the greatly changed environment in which news magazines also have to assert themselves in French-speaking Switzerland. L'Hebdo, which celebrated its twentieth birthday last year, no longer surprises readers. It lacks scoops and a feel for trendy topics.
Ariane Dayer's credo was to get readers, especially younger ones, more interested in politics again. This idée fixe could not be shaken. Initially a correspondent for L'Hebdo in Bern and later head of the politics department, this topic was understandably close to her heart. The only thing was, the topic of political events had to be presented in a reasonably sexy way in order to be noticed by readers without a university degree. L'Hebdo's presentation of topics, not just of a political nature, comes across as brittle.
The fact that Ariane Dayer is supposed to have pursued a feminist and left-wing line never became apparent, at least in the magazine. This is why the campaign by Christiane Brunner, a member of the SP Council of States, is completely out of place and pointless. In Saturday's edition of Le Temps, she called for solidarity with Ariane Dayer in an advertisement reminiscent of an obituary. The ad was co-signed by politicians from French-speaking Switzerland as well as personalities close to trade unions and cultural circles. The advertisement praises Ariane Dayer's commitment to the cause of women and minorities in our country. The SP member of the Council of States seems to have completely missed the fact that Ariane Dayer was not shown the door, but resigned of her own free will.
Gérard Geiger is confident that a successor to Ariane Dayer will be found very soon. He told WerbeWoche that he had received dozens of emails and letters from highly qualified candidates expressing their interest in the editor-in-chief position as soon as Dayer's departure became known. This in turn signals to him that L'Hebdo is obviously still a desirable product, he notes with satisfaction. Gérard Geiger describes rumors that Dimanche.ch or L'Illustré are merging with L'Hebdo as nonsense.
Anita Vaucher
Even though Ringier did not call for a tabloid magazine for French-speaking Switzerland, the publisher probably demanded a little more adaptation to the greatly changed environment in which news magazines also have to assert themselves in French-speaking Switzerland. L'Hebdo, which celebrated its twentieth birthday last year, no longer surprises readers. It lacks scoops and a feel for trendy topics.
Ariane Dayer's credo was to get readers, especially younger ones, more interested in politics again. This idée fixe could not be shaken. Initially a correspondent for L'Hebdo in Bern and later head of the politics department, this topic was understandably close to her heart. The only thing was, the topic of political events had to be presented in a reasonably sexy way in order to be noticed by readers without a university degree. L'Hebdo's presentation of topics, not just of a political nature, comes across as brittle.
The fact that Ariane Dayer is supposed to have pursued a feminist and left-wing line never became apparent, at least in the magazine. This is why the campaign by Christiane Brunner, a member of the SP Council of States, is completely out of place and pointless. In Saturday's edition of Le Temps, she called for solidarity with Ariane Dayer in an advertisement reminiscent of an obituary. The ad was co-signed by politicians from French-speaking Switzerland as well as personalities close to trade unions and cultural circles. The advertisement praises Ariane Dayer's commitment to the cause of women and minorities in our country. The SP member of the Council of States seems to have completely missed the fact that Ariane Dayer was not shown the door, but resigned of her own free will.
Gérard Geiger is confident that a successor to Ariane Dayer will be found very soon. He told WerbeWoche that he had received dozens of emails and letters from highly qualified candidates expressing their interest in the editor-in-chief position as soon as Dayer's departure became known. This in turn signals to him that L'Hebdo is obviously still a desirable product, he notes with satisfaction. Gérard Geiger describes rumors that Dimanche.ch or L'Illustré are merging with L'Hebdo as nonsense.
Anita Vaucher
