"Whassup in Geneva?"
Western Switzerland has another young publisher with a knack for the English-language niche:
French-speaking Switzerland has another young publisher with a nose for the English-speaking niche: Addison Holmes realized that Geneva's native English speakers do not receive enough information about local events - both political and cultural. He also sees his Geneva English Speaking Magazine (GEM) as a platform for encounters between the people of Geneva and their English-speaking fellow citizens. The first issue in January 2003, for example, will deal with the various religions practiced in the city on the Rhone, says the publisher. Ten issues of GEM are planned per year. The initial print run will be 5000 copies, later to be increased to 15000. The magazine will have a planned 60 pages, cost four francs and will also be available at newsstands. Holmes is counting on 60,000 to 100,000 potential readers in Geneva, whose hunger for local information he wants to satisfy with his magazine.
The fact that other publishers have already tried their luck with English-language titles in Geneva in vain does not deter Holmes. Not long ago, the Geneva Post had to cease publication. It had the same objectives and the same audience in mind. Holmes, however, believes in his concept and is also confident that GEM will be a welcome alternative for local advertisers. In any case, this was the result of an initial preliminary investigation, he told WerbeWoche.
Noble restraint when it comes to money
Charly Schwarz from XL Media is not quite as optimistic about the opportunities for new print products in this reader segment. Because local TVs and local radio stations have grown enormously in terms of viewer and listener numbers, the competitive situation has become much tougher. A lot also depends on whether a new product has the funds for the necessarily high investments, he points out.
But Holmes doesn't like to talk about it. If you ask him how much money he wants to spend to enable his youngest baby to take its first steps into the Geneva newspaper landscape, he remains stubbornly silent. Of course, the 33-year-old Australian has already launched various magazines in Melbourne and worked for the United Nations in Geneva. He is anything but a greenhorn from the Aussie jungle. In the industry, he is described as smart and intelligent.
Gabriel Sigrist, co-editor of the magazine Violet, another start-up in search of English-language readers in Switzerland, says of the young publisher: "Addison Holmes is a brilliant guy. We are not ruling out the possibility of working with him on a one-off basis." However, there are no concrete plans for this as yet. Anita Vaucher
The fact that other publishers have already tried their luck with English-language titles in Geneva in vain does not deter Holmes. Not long ago, the Geneva Post had to cease publication. It had the same objectives and the same audience in mind. Holmes, however, believes in his concept and is also confident that GEM will be a welcome alternative for local advertisers. In any case, this was the result of an initial preliminary investigation, he told WerbeWoche.
Noble restraint when it comes to money
Charly Schwarz from XL Media is not quite as optimistic about the opportunities for new print products in this reader segment. Because local TVs and local radio stations have grown enormously in terms of viewer and listener numbers, the competitive situation has become much tougher. A lot also depends on whether a new product has the funds for the necessarily high investments, he points out.
But Holmes doesn't like to talk about it. If you ask him how much money he wants to spend to enable his youngest baby to take its first steps into the Geneva newspaper landscape, he remains stubbornly silent. Of course, the 33-year-old Australian has already launched various magazines in Melbourne and worked for the United Nations in Geneva. He is anything but a greenhorn from the Aussie jungle. In the industry, he is described as smart and intelligent.
Gabriel Sigrist, co-editor of the magazine Violet, another start-up in search of English-language readers in Switzerland, says of the young publisher: "Addison Holmes is a brilliant guy. We are not ruling out the possibility of working with him on a one-off basis." However, there are no concrete plans for this as yet. Anita Vaucher
