Sometimes relieved, sometimes shocked
The 2002 WEMF circulation figures show a further decline in circulation due to commuter newspapers
Wemf circulation figures for 2002 show further circulation erosion due to commuter newspapersBy Daniel Schifferle Commuter newspapers have taken another hit: according to the latest Wemf circulation figures, the Tages-Anzeiger has fallen to its lowest level since 1977. But readers also ran away from the business press in German-speaking Switzerland. The magazine market in French-speaking Switzerland had to digest a veritable shock.
Commuter newspapers once again left deep marks in the certified circulation figures for 2002. However, a whole series of titles such as Blick, Aargauer Zeitung and even NZZ no longer had to let their hair down as in the previous year. Only the Zurich Tages-Anzeiger and the Basler Zeitung were really shaken up in the third year after the commuter newspapers entered the market.
However, this was substantial. The Tages-Anzeiger had announced that circulation would fall again after last year's massive drop. However, the severity of the slump is still surprising: over 18,100 copies (-6.8%) were sold this time - that's a third more than the previous year's loss. All in all, the Tages-Anzeiger has lost almost 30,000 copies of its circulation in just two years - absolutely unprecedented dimensions in the history of the traditional paper from Zurich's Werdstrasse, which has thus fallen back to its 1977 level.
After all, Tamedia has turned the debacle into a nice round figure: exactly a quarter of a million copies have been certified. The new circulation should not only be memorable, but also provide a solid foundation for the future. At least that's what Tamedia spokesman Peter Hartmeier promises. The bottom of the trough
has now definitely been achieved (see interview on page 5).
The Basler Zeitung, which last year emerged virtually unscathed from the battle with the commuter newspapers, has suffered a really painful decline. Now, however, the Basler Zeitung has lost over 5400 copies (-4.7%) in the final tally. In addition to the commuter newspapers, BaZ publishing director Daniel Sommer also blames the editorial expansion of the Baslerstab for the losses. "While the Baslerstab was even able to improve slightly, we have to assume that it also hurt BaZ," says Sommer. The situation at Basler Zeitung has generally become more difficult: in retail sales, in retaining subscribers and in advertising emails for new subscribers.
Berner Zeitung only temporarily in fourth place
The perpetrators themselves, the commuter newspapers, are not presenting any current circulation figures this year. We won't be seeing any more of the Metropol, which was discontinued in February, anyway. But we still don't expect to see any annual circulation figures from 20 Minuten either. "We would like to, but the Wemf is not ready," explains 20 Minuten publishing director Rolf Bollmann. Above all, the reduced circulation during the school and university vacations poses problems. As an indication, Bollmann cites an average circulation of just over 28,000 copies. However, he has to wait for the Wemf (Mach Basic) readership figures in the fall for Wemf-approved figures that would allow comparisons.
The Berner Zeitung (BZ) has had quite an event this year. It took a giant leap past Südostschweiz to become the fourth-largest daily newspaper in German-speaking Switzerland. This is made possible thanks to the newly added headlines Thuner Tagblatt and Berner Oberländer, which are certified together with the BZ for the first time. With the two new titles, the BZ now has 16,2202 copies (+18.7%), putting it just 8,000 copies behind the NZZ. However, its position in fourth place is short-lived. This is because the Mittelland Zeitung has been on the move since January. With around 200,000 copies, the newspaper association comprising Aargauer Zeitung, Solothurner Zeitung, Oltner Tagblatt and Zofinger Tagblatt is already in third place, just behind Blick and Tages-Anzeiger.
Sunday market with deceptive stability
The Sunday market shows a very stable calm before the storm. The Sunday press on both sides of the language border is on a solid footing. All titles - SonntagsBlick, SonntagsZeitung (SoZ), Le Matin Dimanche, dimanche.ch - held their ground at a high level.
However, the reported situation in German-speaking Switzerland is a reflection of the past that will look very different next year. With the launch of NZZ am Sonntag on March 17, a new chapter has begun in which SoZ in particular could lose ground. The augurs agree on this. The fact that neither the SoBli nor the SoZ have experienced any real growth is not a good omen for the hoped-for expansion of the market for Sunday readership in German-speaking Switzerland. And this has not been the case for years. This could be an indication of a saturated market in which a new competitor can only attract readers at the expense of existing titles.
The daily press in French-speaking Switzerland, which was badly hit last year, was relieved.
Le Matin Semaine, which in some cases had been in massive decline in recent years (-3.4% last year), has recovered (+0.6%). The smaller newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland, which had also been in reverse gear in the previous year, also made up ground: La Liberté (+2.7%), L'Express (+1.9%), Nouvelliste (+1.5%), La Presse Riviera-Chablais (+1.6%), L'Impartial (+1.0%) - they all posted positive developments that are worthy of note.
The daily press in Ticino gave just as little cause for concern, remaining absolutely stable this year.
Consistently lean times for the business press
There is only one piece of really good news from the Swiss weeklies: Weltwoche has found ground under its feet. After almost uninterrupted falls in circulation in previous years (2000: -8130 copies or -8.8%), this time it is making a positive impression. It is even entering its next era with a slight increase of 750 copies (+0.9%). This begins on May 8 as a magazine. By then at the latest, however, renewed circulation turbulence is certain - whether upwards or downwards remains to be seen.
The heyday of weekly newspapers from the business sector is clearly over. The abrupt end to last year's stock market highs and the economic slump have also brought the wild growth era of individual titles to an abrupt halt. With the exception of the French-speaking Swiss Bilan (+761 copies or +4.0%), all titles have suffered losses.
Finanz und Wirtschaft (FuW) was hit hardest by the stock market boom. The circulation climber of previous years (2000: +4350 copies or +8.9%), which had benefited from the stock market boom like no other business paper, shrank this time by 2657 copies (-5.0%).
Only Cash was even more dramatic. With a loss of 3,683 copies (-5.1%), the business newspaper made the biggest dive in its history. Last year was undoubtedly a year of crisis for Cash. The hapless successor to Gisler, Fred David, who stepped down after just nine months, was unable to give the paper the necessary boost.
However, other business newspapers did not fare much better. HandelsZeitung lost 1026 copies (-2.8%). Bilanz even had to live with 2171 fewer copies sold (-3.8%). Stocks' result is also rather disappointing, but hardly to be expected given the stock market situation. The newcomer, which should really still be in full growth just one and a half years after its launch, is certified at 26,282 copies. This is even slightly less than the provisional certification from the previous year, when the financial magazine reported 26,996 copies.
"Stocks has never been called into question," explains Ralph Büchi, head of the HandelsZeitung publishing group. Rumors to the contrary have no basis whatsoever. "Stocks is and is regarded as a successful launch. Even at our parent company Axel Springer in Germany," adds Büchi and adds: "The magazine is rock solid."
For the other titles in the Swiss magazine market, there is everything from shock to relief. The good news first: Facts is returning to growth after a worrying decline last year. However, with the additional 2133 copies sold (+2.1%), the gap from the previous year has not yet been fully filled. According to Tamedia spokesman Peter Hartmeier, the gain at Facts is mainly due to the "increasing loyalty of subscribers".
A veritable shock has reached us from the magazine landscape in French-speaking Switzerland. L'Hebdo lost a hefty 5424 copies or a whole 9.7%. This means that the decline in circulation already observed in previous years has reached a dramatic low point this year. In the French-speaking Swiss magazine market, the program title TV8 also suffered a massive decline, losing 2962 copies (-5.3%). But it is not only L'Hebdo and TV8 that are not giving Ringier Romandie much joy at the moment. L'Illustré also went into reverse, losing 1526 copies (-1.6%).
One consolation: there were also bright spots among the French-speaking Swiss magazines. Bon à Savoir, for example, continued to gain ground and increased by 2700 copies (+2.7%). In addition to the aforementioned Bilan, Animan magazine can also be pleased with its increase of 1056 copies (+4.8%). At last Tuesday's annual media conference, Michael Ringier nevertheless expressed his satisfaction with the circulation development of his French-speaking Swiss titles. With regard to the particularly hard-hit magazine L'Hebdo, he said that the magazine had now been significantly revised.
The cooking and certain women's titles also cause problems
The Swiss-German magazine market was not spared from bitter disappointment. The cultural title Du lost a whopping 4348 copies (-16%). And Tamedia's other niche product, the ad-free Spick, also suffered a massive decline (-7938 copies or -15.0%).
Meyer Verlag in Jona can hardly be satisfied with the current development of its titles either. The cooking magazine Chuchi slipped by no less than 9,301 copies (-8.7%), falling below the magic 100,000 mark for the first time in over ten years. However, publishing director Max Frei is convinced that the bottom has now been reached. "The change of editors (from Annemarie Wildeisen to Hanspeter Eggenberger) and a greatly improved concept will counteract the decline in circulation," he explains. However, the AZ Media Group, for which Wildeisen recently began producing the magazine Kochen, expects exactly the opposite. Some of Wildeisen's fan base will switch from Chuchi to Kochen, they are convinced. A small consolation: the other two cooking magazines, Le Menu and Saisonküche, have also lost significant circulation.
Verlag Meyer again had circulation problems with its women's magazine Meyer's, which also fell below the 100,000 mark for the first time. However, the loss (-6653 copies or -6.4%) was almost halved compared to the previous year. With this year's Taucher, however, Meyer's should now also have bottomed out, says Frei. "After the decline in 2000 caused by a relaunch, circulation has fully stabilized in 2001," he explains.
In contrast to Meyer's, the other Swiss-German women's titles have held up well. Annabelle was able to stabilize its circulation after years of decline last year. Bolero was also able to maintain its circulation at exactly the same level as the previous year. The home magazine Annabelle Création was certified for the first time, with 10,2866 copies sold.
There are still no circulation figures for AZ Fachverlage's sports magazine. Even two years after its launch, the magazine, which is often revealing in terms of its female charms, has not yet provided any insights into its own sales figures - which is certainly no indication of outstanding results. "But we will certainly certify next year," promises publishing director Riccarda Mecklenburg. But AZ Fachverlage was not blessed with circulation luck in other respects either: Fit for Life was down by 869 copies (-4.1%) and still certified at just over 20,000.
KI Konsumenteninfo AG was badly hit this year. Its leading magazines K-Tipp and Puls-Tipp were on a downward trend for the first time in their history. And massively so. K-Tipp lost no fewer than 41496 copies (-10.9%). The ad-free Saldo from the same publisher, on the other hand, only attracted 20002 additional buyers (+14.2%). This means that the bi-weekly consumer titles published by KI Konsumenteninfo suffered a net loss of over 20,000 copies. However, René Schuhmacher's publishing house also has strong young horses in its stable. K-Spezial, which is published four times a year, climbed by 24,316 copies (+30.7%). K-Geld (six times a year), which is certified for the first time, sold 42,974 copies. The SRG-related niche product Radiomagazin from KI Konsumenteninfo is also performing well at the moment. It realized an increase of no less than 11450 copies (+36.6%).
The laughing third next to K-Tipp and Saldo is Beobachter (+0.3%). Its lead over K-Tipp, which was still at 50,000 copies three years ago, has now shrunk to 2,200 copies. The leap back to the top of the Swiss-German magazines is within reach. But whether the Beobachter will succeed this year is still up in the air given its internal tensions and uncertain future.
The program press has not had a good year. Buyers ran away from most programmies. TR7 from Jean Frey AG lost 5002 copies (-2.9%). And the Ringier magazine Tele was also in decline by 3800 (-1.4%). In the economically gloomy past year, there seems to have been little appetite for program guides in general. This is also indicated by the dip of TV8 in French-speaking Switzerland discussed above. TV Vier probably bears at least some of the blame for the slide in German-speaking Swiss program guides. However, the four-week program guide published by the Vierwaldstätter Verlag, which has been trying to shake up the Swiss-German programming market since March 2001, is not certified. And no information on current developments was available from the publisher either.
Self-declaration with reservations The circulation figures shown are based on self-declaration by the publishers. As not all figures had been checked by Wemf by the cut-off date, April 1, it cannot be ruled out that there may still be slight changes for some titles. Wemf will publish the official circulation bulletin in May.
Commuter newspapers once again left deep marks in the certified circulation figures for 2002. However, a whole series of titles such as Blick, Aargauer Zeitung and even NZZ no longer had to let their hair down as in the previous year. Only the Zurich Tages-Anzeiger and the Basler Zeitung were really shaken up in the third year after the commuter newspapers entered the market.
However, this was substantial. The Tages-Anzeiger had announced that circulation would fall again after last year's massive drop. However, the severity of the slump is still surprising: over 18,100 copies (-6.8%) were sold this time - that's a third more than the previous year's loss. All in all, the Tages-Anzeiger has lost almost 30,000 copies of its circulation in just two years - absolutely unprecedented dimensions in the history of the traditional paper from Zurich's Werdstrasse, which has thus fallen back to its 1977 level.
After all, Tamedia has turned the debacle into a nice round figure: exactly a quarter of a million copies have been certified. The new circulation should not only be memorable, but also provide a solid foundation for the future. At least that's what Tamedia spokesman Peter Hartmeier promises. The bottom of the trough
has now definitely been achieved (see interview on page 5).
The Basler Zeitung, which last year emerged virtually unscathed from the battle with the commuter newspapers, has suffered a really painful decline. Now, however, the Basler Zeitung has lost over 5400 copies (-4.7%) in the final tally. In addition to the commuter newspapers, BaZ publishing director Daniel Sommer also blames the editorial expansion of the Baslerstab for the losses. "While the Baslerstab was even able to improve slightly, we have to assume that it also hurt BaZ," says Sommer. The situation at Basler Zeitung has generally become more difficult: in retail sales, in retaining subscribers and in advertising emails for new subscribers.
Berner Zeitung only temporarily in fourth place
The perpetrators themselves, the commuter newspapers, are not presenting any current circulation figures this year. We won't be seeing any more of the Metropol, which was discontinued in February, anyway. But we still don't expect to see any annual circulation figures from 20 Minuten either. "We would like to, but the Wemf is not ready," explains 20 Minuten publishing director Rolf Bollmann. Above all, the reduced circulation during the school and university vacations poses problems. As an indication, Bollmann cites an average circulation of just over 28,000 copies. However, he has to wait for the Wemf (Mach Basic) readership figures in the fall for Wemf-approved figures that would allow comparisons.
The Berner Zeitung (BZ) has had quite an event this year. It took a giant leap past Südostschweiz to become the fourth-largest daily newspaper in German-speaking Switzerland. This is made possible thanks to the newly added headlines Thuner Tagblatt and Berner Oberländer, which are certified together with the BZ for the first time. With the two new titles, the BZ now has 16,2202 copies (+18.7%), putting it just 8,000 copies behind the NZZ. However, its position in fourth place is short-lived. This is because the Mittelland Zeitung has been on the move since January. With around 200,000 copies, the newspaper association comprising Aargauer Zeitung, Solothurner Zeitung, Oltner Tagblatt and Zofinger Tagblatt is already in third place, just behind Blick and Tages-Anzeiger.
Sunday market with deceptive stability
The Sunday market shows a very stable calm before the storm. The Sunday press on both sides of the language border is on a solid footing. All titles - SonntagsBlick, SonntagsZeitung (SoZ), Le Matin Dimanche, dimanche.ch - held their ground at a high level.
However, the reported situation in German-speaking Switzerland is a reflection of the past that will look very different next year. With the launch of NZZ am Sonntag on March 17, a new chapter has begun in which SoZ in particular could lose ground. The augurs agree on this. The fact that neither the SoBli nor the SoZ have experienced any real growth is not a good omen for the hoped-for expansion of the market for Sunday readership in German-speaking Switzerland. And this has not been the case for years. This could be an indication of a saturated market in which a new competitor can only attract readers at the expense of existing titles.
The daily press in French-speaking Switzerland, which was badly hit last year, was relieved.
Le Matin Semaine, which in some cases had been in massive decline in recent years (-3.4% last year), has recovered (+0.6%). The smaller newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland, which had also been in reverse gear in the previous year, also made up ground: La Liberté (+2.7%), L'Express (+1.9%), Nouvelliste (+1.5%), La Presse Riviera-Chablais (+1.6%), L'Impartial (+1.0%) - they all posted positive developments that are worthy of note.
The daily press in Ticino gave just as little cause for concern, remaining absolutely stable this year.
Consistently lean times for the business press
There is only one piece of really good news from the Swiss weeklies: Weltwoche has found ground under its feet. After almost uninterrupted falls in circulation in previous years (2000: -8130 copies or -8.8%), this time it is making a positive impression. It is even entering its next era with a slight increase of 750 copies (+0.9%). This begins on May 8 as a magazine. By then at the latest, however, renewed circulation turbulence is certain - whether upwards or downwards remains to be seen.
The heyday of weekly newspapers from the business sector is clearly over. The abrupt end to last year's stock market highs and the economic slump have also brought the wild growth era of individual titles to an abrupt halt. With the exception of the French-speaking Swiss Bilan (+761 copies or +4.0%), all titles have suffered losses.
Finanz und Wirtschaft (FuW) was hit hardest by the stock market boom. The circulation climber of previous years (2000: +4350 copies or +8.9%), which had benefited from the stock market boom like no other business paper, shrank this time by 2657 copies (-5.0%).
Only Cash was even more dramatic. With a loss of 3,683 copies (-5.1%), the business newspaper made the biggest dive in its history. Last year was undoubtedly a year of crisis for Cash. The hapless successor to Gisler, Fred David, who stepped down after just nine months, was unable to give the paper the necessary boost.
However, other business newspapers did not fare much better. HandelsZeitung lost 1026 copies (-2.8%). Bilanz even had to live with 2171 fewer copies sold (-3.8%). Stocks' result is also rather disappointing, but hardly to be expected given the stock market situation. The newcomer, which should really still be in full growth just one and a half years after its launch, is certified at 26,282 copies. This is even slightly less than the provisional certification from the previous year, when the financial magazine reported 26,996 copies.
"Stocks has never been called into question," explains Ralph Büchi, head of the HandelsZeitung publishing group. Rumors to the contrary have no basis whatsoever. "Stocks is and is regarded as a successful launch. Even at our parent company Axel Springer in Germany," adds Büchi and adds: "The magazine is rock solid."
For the other titles in the Swiss magazine market, there is everything from shock to relief. The good news first: Facts is returning to growth after a worrying decline last year. However, with the additional 2133 copies sold (+2.1%), the gap from the previous year has not yet been fully filled. According to Tamedia spokesman Peter Hartmeier, the gain at Facts is mainly due to the "increasing loyalty of subscribers".
A veritable shock has reached us from the magazine landscape in French-speaking Switzerland. L'Hebdo lost a hefty 5424 copies or a whole 9.7%. This means that the decline in circulation already observed in previous years has reached a dramatic low point this year. In the French-speaking Swiss magazine market, the program title TV8 also suffered a massive decline, losing 2962 copies (-5.3%). But it is not only L'Hebdo and TV8 that are not giving Ringier Romandie much joy at the moment. L'Illustré also went into reverse, losing 1526 copies (-1.6%).
One consolation: there were also bright spots among the French-speaking Swiss magazines. Bon à Savoir, for example, continued to gain ground and increased by 2700 copies (+2.7%). In addition to the aforementioned Bilan, Animan magazine can also be pleased with its increase of 1056 copies (+4.8%). At last Tuesday's annual media conference, Michael Ringier nevertheless expressed his satisfaction with the circulation development of his French-speaking Swiss titles. With regard to the particularly hard-hit magazine L'Hebdo, he said that the magazine had now been significantly revised.
The cooking and certain women's titles also cause problems
The Swiss-German magazine market was not spared from bitter disappointment. The cultural title Du lost a whopping 4348 copies (-16%). And Tamedia's other niche product, the ad-free Spick, also suffered a massive decline (-7938 copies or -15.0%).
Meyer Verlag in Jona can hardly be satisfied with the current development of its titles either. The cooking magazine Chuchi slipped by no less than 9,301 copies (-8.7%), falling below the magic 100,000 mark for the first time in over ten years. However, publishing director Max Frei is convinced that the bottom has now been reached. "The change of editors (from Annemarie Wildeisen to Hanspeter Eggenberger) and a greatly improved concept will counteract the decline in circulation," he explains. However, the AZ Media Group, for which Wildeisen recently began producing the magazine Kochen, expects exactly the opposite. Some of Wildeisen's fan base will switch from Chuchi to Kochen, they are convinced. A small consolation: the other two cooking magazines, Le Menu and Saisonküche, have also lost significant circulation.
Verlag Meyer again had circulation problems with its women's magazine Meyer's, which also fell below the 100,000 mark for the first time. However, the loss (-6653 copies or -6.4%) was almost halved compared to the previous year. With this year's Taucher, however, Meyer's should now also have bottomed out, says Frei. "After the decline in 2000 caused by a relaunch, circulation has fully stabilized in 2001," he explains.
In contrast to Meyer's, the other Swiss-German women's titles have held up well. Annabelle was able to stabilize its circulation after years of decline last year. Bolero was also able to maintain its circulation at exactly the same level as the previous year. The home magazine Annabelle Création was certified for the first time, with 10,2866 copies sold.
There are still no circulation figures for AZ Fachverlage's sports magazine. Even two years after its launch, the magazine, which is often revealing in terms of its female charms, has not yet provided any insights into its own sales figures - which is certainly no indication of outstanding results. "But we will certainly certify next year," promises publishing director Riccarda Mecklenburg. But AZ Fachverlage was not blessed with circulation luck in other respects either: Fit for Life was down by 869 copies (-4.1%) and still certified at just over 20,000.
KI Konsumenteninfo AG was badly hit this year. Its leading magazines K-Tipp and Puls-Tipp were on a downward trend for the first time in their history. And massively so. K-Tipp lost no fewer than 41496 copies (-10.9%). The ad-free Saldo from the same publisher, on the other hand, only attracted 20002 additional buyers (+14.2%). This means that the bi-weekly consumer titles published by KI Konsumenteninfo suffered a net loss of over 20,000 copies. However, René Schuhmacher's publishing house also has strong young horses in its stable. K-Spezial, which is published four times a year, climbed by 24,316 copies (+30.7%). K-Geld (six times a year), which is certified for the first time, sold 42,974 copies. The SRG-related niche product Radiomagazin from KI Konsumenteninfo is also performing well at the moment. It realized an increase of no less than 11450 copies (+36.6%).
The laughing third next to K-Tipp and Saldo is Beobachter (+0.3%). Its lead over K-Tipp, which was still at 50,000 copies three years ago, has now shrunk to 2,200 copies. The leap back to the top of the Swiss-German magazines is within reach. But whether the Beobachter will succeed this year is still up in the air given its internal tensions and uncertain future.
The program press has not had a good year. Buyers ran away from most programmies. TR7 from Jean Frey AG lost 5002 copies (-2.9%). And the Ringier magazine Tele was also in decline by 3800 (-1.4%). In the economically gloomy past year, there seems to have been little appetite for program guides in general. This is also indicated by the dip of TV8 in French-speaking Switzerland discussed above. TV Vier probably bears at least some of the blame for the slide in German-speaking Swiss program guides. However, the four-week program guide published by the Vierwaldstätter Verlag, which has been trying to shake up the Swiss-German programming market since March 2001, is not certified. And no information on current developments was available from the publisher either.
Self-declaration with reservations The circulation figures shown are based on self-declaration by the publishers. As not all figures had been checked by Wemf by the cut-off date, April 1, it cannot be ruled out that there may still be slight changes for some titles. Wemf will publish the official circulation bulletin in May.
