"We need to be closer to the product and closer to the readers"
Théo Bouchat, Member of the Management Board of Edipresse, on Le Matin and Le Matin Dimanche
Théo Bouchat, Member of the Management Board of Edipresse, on Le Matin and Le Matin DimancheThe publisher Edipresse in Western Switzerland has restructured and expanded its management team. The new division of responsibilities is intended to bring the company even closer to its products and readers. The facelift for Le Matin Dimanche and Le Matin is the first step in this direction.Edipresse has restructured its management and abolished your position as Director of Publications. What are the reasons?
Théo Bouchat: There was a bit much work for one person in this directorate position. The function as such was not abolished, but distributed among several people. So we can now deal more intensively with the development of the individual titles.
But you have lost influence as a result. What does that mean for you personally?
Bouchat: I will probably be able to work under better conditions. The products Le Matin, Le Matin Dimanche, Femina, Tele Top Matin and Bilan alone provide enough work. Before that, I still had to take care of 24 Heures, Tribune de Genève, marketing coordination and deal with advertising issues.
Do you regret the loss of the dual function of Editor-in-Chief of Le Matin and Director of Publications?
Bouchat: No, the chief editorial role was clearly intended as an interim solution from the outset. Although this dual function was an enrichment for me, I was never able to commit myself one hundred percent to one or the other function. On the other hand, the reorganization as it has now taken place is a natural development. We need to be closer to the product and closer to the readers. That's why the Media Directorate now also consists of six people instead of just three, as before.
Didn't you want to take the opportunity to return to journalism full time as editor-in-chief of Le Matin?
Bouchat: It's enough for me to say that I can still do it. For a moment, I actually flirted with it. But then I immediately thought about the numerous experiences I have gained in other areas over the past few years. I came to the conclusion that I would reduce myself in my function if I were to switch to journalism altogether.
Why is it difficult to find an editor-in-chief for Le Matin?
Bouchat: We only started the search a week ago.
Have you not searched before?
Bouchat: No. After the break with Daniel Pillard, we wanted to get the relaunch over the line first. But now we are searching intensively and hope to be able to present the new editor-in-chief before the end of this year.
The Sunday newspaper Le Matin Dimanche recently underwent a facelift. What has changed for readers as a result?
Bouchat: The newspaper appears more orderly and better structured, which means it has become clearer. Its appearance is now also more elegant. The editorial content has been adapted even more to the requirements of a sophisticated Sunday newspaper.
Why didn't they also choose a different format with the facelift, as was done for the daily newspaper Le Matin?
Bouchat: The reading habits for a Sunday newspaper are not the same as those for a daily newspaper. This already starts with the place of reading. During the week, the newspaper is often consumed on the go in a hurry; on Sunday, people sit down comfortably to read in peace. One exchanges the individual volumes in the family. I think that in this context, the frets play an important role. One chooses what one wants to read first.
Is the tabloid format the formula of the future for a newspaper?
Bouchat: You can't generalize that. Rather, I believe that the format and character of the newspaper have to fit together.
Can you already come up with figures that say something about the success of Le Matin's new format?
Bouchat: A telephone survey of 1,000 people in French-speaking Switzerland shows that 33 percent of respondents read the newspaper with more enthusiasm and 12 percent buy Le Matin more often. After all, 88 percent claim that they read no other newspaper with as much interest. And 93 percent rate the newspaper as a "journal populaire." A remarkable detail in this survey: about ten percent did not even notice the new format. Next year, we would like to be able to present Wemf-audited data showing an increase, even though the new Le Matin will only be four months old at the end of 2001. We will then already be able to present reader habits with MACH-Basic 2002. Compared to October 2000, we registered 2000 (4 percent) additional buyers this year.
Are advertisers happy with the new format? We have often heard the accusation that with the tabloid format, a full page is not a full page.
Bouchat: Those who say that simply want to haggle over the price. The reaction of advertisers has generally been positive, as the new format offers them interesting alternatives.
Last spring, you launched an advertising campaign for Femina, the women's magazine that accompanies Le Matin Dimanche, to give the magazine a boost over its competitors. Wouldn't it make sense to make this magazine independent and sell it on the newsstand?
Bouchat: At present, we want to enhance the overall offering of Le Matin Dimanche, and this is also being done with the supplements. With the Sunday edition, we reach a multi-layered audience that we wouldn't be able to address in the same way if it weren't for the various supplements. Besides, there are already enough women's magazines here at the newsstands in western Switzerland.
Is Western Switzerland ready for a free newspaper?
Bouchat: The market is too small. French-speaking Switzerland has no urban centers with important transport arteries, so distribution is also likely to be problematic. Interview: Anita Vaucher
Théo Bouchat: There was a bit much work for one person in this directorate position. The function as such was not abolished, but distributed among several people. So we can now deal more intensively with the development of the individual titles.
But you have lost influence as a result. What does that mean for you personally?
Bouchat: I will probably be able to work under better conditions. The products Le Matin, Le Matin Dimanche, Femina, Tele Top Matin and Bilan alone provide enough work. Before that, I still had to take care of 24 Heures, Tribune de Genève, marketing coordination and deal with advertising issues.
Do you regret the loss of the dual function of Editor-in-Chief of Le Matin and Director of Publications?
Bouchat: No, the chief editorial role was clearly intended as an interim solution from the outset. Although this dual function was an enrichment for me, I was never able to commit myself one hundred percent to one or the other function. On the other hand, the reorganization as it has now taken place is a natural development. We need to be closer to the product and closer to the readers. That's why the Media Directorate now also consists of six people instead of just three, as before.
Didn't you want to take the opportunity to return to journalism full time as editor-in-chief of Le Matin?
Bouchat: It's enough for me to say that I can still do it. For a moment, I actually flirted with it. But then I immediately thought about the numerous experiences I have gained in other areas over the past few years. I came to the conclusion that I would reduce myself in my function if I were to switch to journalism altogether.
Why is it difficult to find an editor-in-chief for Le Matin?
Bouchat: We only started the search a week ago.
Have you not searched before?
Bouchat: No. After the break with Daniel Pillard, we wanted to get the relaunch over the line first. But now we are searching intensively and hope to be able to present the new editor-in-chief before the end of this year.
The Sunday newspaper Le Matin Dimanche recently underwent a facelift. What has changed for readers as a result?
Bouchat: The newspaper appears more orderly and better structured, which means it has become clearer. Its appearance is now also more elegant. The editorial content has been adapted even more to the requirements of a sophisticated Sunday newspaper.
Why didn't they also choose a different format with the facelift, as was done for the daily newspaper Le Matin?
Bouchat: The reading habits for a Sunday newspaper are not the same as those for a daily newspaper. This already starts with the place of reading. During the week, the newspaper is often consumed on the go in a hurry; on Sunday, people sit down comfortably to read in peace. One exchanges the individual volumes in the family. I think that in this context, the frets play an important role. One chooses what one wants to read first.
Is the tabloid format the formula of the future for a newspaper?
Bouchat: You can't generalize that. Rather, I believe that the format and character of the newspaper have to fit together.
Can you already come up with figures that say something about the success of Le Matin's new format?
Bouchat: A telephone survey of 1,000 people in French-speaking Switzerland shows that 33 percent of respondents read the newspaper with more enthusiasm and 12 percent buy Le Matin more often. After all, 88 percent claim that they read no other newspaper with as much interest. And 93 percent rate the newspaper as a "journal populaire." A remarkable detail in this survey: about ten percent did not even notice the new format. Next year, we would like to be able to present Wemf-audited data showing an increase, even though the new Le Matin will only be four months old at the end of 2001. We will then already be able to present reader habits with MACH-Basic 2002. Compared to October 2000, we registered 2000 (4 percent) additional buyers this year.
Are advertisers happy with the new format? We have often heard the accusation that with the tabloid format, a full page is not a full page.
Bouchat: Those who say that simply want to haggle over the price. The reaction of advertisers has generally been positive, as the new format offers them interesting alternatives.
Last spring, you launched an advertising campaign for Femina, the women's magazine that accompanies Le Matin Dimanche, to give the magazine a boost over its competitors. Wouldn't it make sense to make this magazine independent and sell it on the newsstand?
Bouchat: At present, we want to enhance the overall offering of Le Matin Dimanche, and this is also being done with the supplements. With the Sunday edition, we reach a multi-layered audience that we wouldn't be able to address in the same way if it weren't for the various supplements. Besides, there are already enough women's magazines here at the newsstands in western Switzerland.
Is Western Switzerland ready for a free newspaper?
Bouchat: The market is too small. French-speaking Switzerland has no urban centers with important transport arteries, so distribution is also likely to be problematic. Interview: Anita Vaucher
