The Basel skinning
The Basel Media Group's new management structure focuses on efficiency and northwestern Switzerland
A new management structure at the Basel Media Group focuses on efficiency and on northwestern SwitzerlandBy Daniel SchifferleAfter a lengthy restructuring phase, the Basel Media Group (BM) has spruced up its management structure for the road ahead. However, the focus on northwestern Switzerland does not mean that ambitions for the national publishing market have been definitively buried.
Simple structures, short decision-making channels, clear areas of responsibility - the Basler Media Group is giving itself a new look per
June 1, a radically new management structure. No fewer than 29 points comprise the restructuring measures, which had already begun in spring 2000 and reached their conclusion with the sale of Jean Frey AG at the beginning of February. "Two and a half turbulent years in which the Basel media group has undergone fundamental change," writes CEO Beat Meyer in the in-house magazine Net Spezial.
The background to the restructuring: too many business units were making too high losses. "The entire Basel media group had lost a lot of substance, both financially and structurally," writes Net Spezial. According to Meyer, the main problem was "the many duplications in the various business areas and activities, as well as numerous companies that were not part of the core business". These have now been eliminated.
Under the unchanged leadership of Chairman of the Board Matthias Hagemann and CEO Beat Meyer, activities are now divided into three areas: "Media," "Production" and "Services.
The "Media" division with Basler Zeitung, Baslerstab, the various local gazettes, specialist media, audiovisual media and service companies reports directly to CEO Beat Meyer. The "Production" division with the Basler Zeitung printing center, the companies of Birkhäuser+GBC AG, Schnelli AG and SyncMedia Global Processing is headed by Daniel Merkel. The "Services" division reports to CFO Peter Wyss. It comprises the IT, Finance, Human Resources, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Quality Management and Central Purchasing divisions.
After the reorganization, the Basler Mediengruppe comprises a total of 17 subsidiaries in addition to the parent company Basler Zeitung. The Group also has significant holdings in six other companies.
The most lasting correction to the strategy came with the sale of Jean Frey AG, which sealed the company's withdrawal to northwestern Switzerland. The new goal for the near future is to focus on a multi-channel strategy with newspapers, local radio and the Internet, as well as cooperation with local television.
More profit expected for the current fiscal year
But Meyer says that concentrating on northwestern Switzerland does not mean that the company's publishing ambitions in the national market are definitely buried. "If an opportunity arose somewhere that proved to be right and important for our company, we would seize it." For the moment, however, he says, northwestern Switzerland clearly has priority. "We want to increase the circulation of the Basler Zeitung again, and the entry into Radio Basilisk is keeping us busy," says Meyer.
Nevertheless: The annual financial statements, which will be completed at the Basel media group at the end of June, should be better than last year. "We expect a profit that will be greater than the 1.1 million Swiss francs of the 2000/2001 financial year," Meyer reveals. Sales will be around 420 to 430 million Swiss francs. In the previous year, it amounted to 512.2 million Swiss francs, which already meant a decrease of 24.2 million Swiss francs.
Simple structures, short decision-making channels, clear areas of responsibility - the Basler Media Group is giving itself a new look per
June 1, a radically new management structure. No fewer than 29 points comprise the restructuring measures, which had already begun in spring 2000 and reached their conclusion with the sale of Jean Frey AG at the beginning of February. "Two and a half turbulent years in which the Basel media group has undergone fundamental change," writes CEO Beat Meyer in the in-house magazine Net Spezial.
The background to the restructuring: too many business units were making too high losses. "The entire Basel media group had lost a lot of substance, both financially and structurally," writes Net Spezial. According to Meyer, the main problem was "the many duplications in the various business areas and activities, as well as numerous companies that were not part of the core business". These have now been eliminated.
Under the unchanged leadership of Chairman of the Board Matthias Hagemann and CEO Beat Meyer, activities are now divided into three areas: "Media," "Production" and "Services.
The "Media" division with Basler Zeitung, Baslerstab, the various local gazettes, specialist media, audiovisual media and service companies reports directly to CEO Beat Meyer. The "Production" division with the Basler Zeitung printing center, the companies of Birkhäuser+GBC AG, Schnelli AG and SyncMedia Global Processing is headed by Daniel Merkel. The "Services" division reports to CFO Peter Wyss. It comprises the IT, Finance, Human Resources, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Quality Management and Central Purchasing divisions.
After the reorganization, the Basler Mediengruppe comprises a total of 17 subsidiaries in addition to the parent company Basler Zeitung. The Group also has significant holdings in six other companies.
The most lasting correction to the strategy came with the sale of Jean Frey AG, which sealed the company's withdrawal to northwestern Switzerland. The new goal for the near future is to focus on a multi-channel strategy with newspapers, local radio and the Internet, as well as cooperation with local television.
More profit expected for the current fiscal year
But Meyer says that concentrating on northwestern Switzerland does not mean that the company's publishing ambitions in the national market are definitely buried. "If an opportunity arose somewhere that proved to be right and important for our company, we would seize it." For the moment, however, he says, northwestern Switzerland clearly has priority. "We want to increase the circulation of the Basler Zeitung again, and the entry into Radio Basilisk is keeping us busy," says Meyer.
Nevertheless: The annual financial statements, which will be completed at the Basel media group at the end of June, should be better than last year. "We expect a profit that will be greater than the 1.1 million Swiss francs of the 2000/2001 financial year," Meyer reveals. Sales will be around 420 to 430 million Swiss francs. In the previous year, it amounted to 512.2 million Swiss francs, which already meant a decrease of 24.2 million Swiss francs.
