News: Fischer Media AG sells magazines
In the future, the publishing company Fischer Media AG will focus on the printing sector.
In future, the publishing house Fischer Media AG will concentrate on the printing sector.NewsFischer Media AG sells magazines
Most of the publishing products are sold. Fischer Media produces a wide range of publications in the nature, leisure and service sectors. "We are too small to finance all these projects," explained Chairman of the Board of Directors Hans-Rudolf Wiederkehr. A solution has been found for all products or is at least within reach. The SBB magazine Via will be published by Vogt-Schild in future. There are interested parties for the bicycle magazine Move and for the book publisher. The magazine Astrea, previously published jointly by Fischer Media and the Swiss Pharmacists' Association in the Pharmedia joint venture, will be taken over by the Pharmacists' Association alone in future. The publication Schweizer Garten will go to Fischer AG für Data und Print. The future of the staff is still unclear. According to Wiederkehr, some employees have resigned and others are moving to the new publishers. Eleven Pharmedia employees have been given notice. It remains to be seen whether they will be taken on by the pharmacists' association. Fischer Media AG is owned by Fischer Management AG, based in Münsingen. Fischer AG für Data und Print is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fischer Management AG.
Edipresse ventures into audio/videoEdipresse wants to penetrate the audio/video sector. The first step is to integrate films and sounds into the Edicom Internet platform. The development of TV programs could follow later. Tibère Adler, Director of Edipresse On Line, told SDA that the Lausanne-based publisher is not making a major move into the television business. "But we believe that this is a necessary development to complement our products," he confirmed media reports. The first contributions could be broadcast at the beginning of 2002. "These will only be simple productions that we will broadcast via Edicom's channel," Adler explained. In a second step, Edipresse is also considering marketing specialized TV programs. "We could, for example, broadcast a weekly 15-minute program on the subject of health via a local television station in collaboration with Optima magazine, which we publish," said Adler. In February, an attempt to enter the television business via a partnership with Star TV failed.
TV channels back on the Balcab network after protestsAfter massive protests, five television channels are back on the Basel cable network. The network operator Balcab had taken the channels N3, M6, ERT, RTS and CNBC off the network in February to make room for the digital channel package SwissFun. Balcab admitted that switching off the channels had led to complaints. "Technical measures taken at short notice" have now made it possible to switch them back on as of April 23. SwissFun can now be expanded without having to make way for other channels. The launch of the digital channel has met with consumer approval.
Newspaper titles have shrunk by almost a quarterThe number of newspaper titles in Switzerland has fallen by almost a quarter in the last 20 years. In addition, more and more papers are splitting their editorial pages, which is having a negative impact on the diversity of the press. These are the findings of a study by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). For the first time, the FSO has investigated how the change in the newspaper landscape between 1980 and 1999 has affected the diversity of the press. According to the BfS, mergers, closures and concentrations have shaped the picture since the economic slump of the 1990s. From 1990 to 1999 alone, the number of titles published at least once a week fell by 22 percent and the number of publishing units by 29 percent. In the last 20 years, the number of newspaper titles has fallen from 266 to 201. Between 1995 and 1998 alone, the cut-throat competition led to an 18 percent loss of titles. According to the BfS study, the situation appears to have stabilized again since 1998. A summary as a PDF file is available at www.statistik.admin.ch
Most of the publishing products are sold. Fischer Media produces a wide range of publications in the nature, leisure and service sectors. "We are too small to finance all these projects," explained Chairman of the Board of Directors Hans-Rudolf Wiederkehr. A solution has been found for all products or is at least within reach. The SBB magazine Via will be published by Vogt-Schild in future. There are interested parties for the bicycle magazine Move and for the book publisher. The magazine Astrea, previously published jointly by Fischer Media and the Swiss Pharmacists' Association in the Pharmedia joint venture, will be taken over by the Pharmacists' Association alone in future. The publication Schweizer Garten will go to Fischer AG für Data und Print. The future of the staff is still unclear. According to Wiederkehr, some employees have resigned and others are moving to the new publishers. Eleven Pharmedia employees have been given notice. It remains to be seen whether they will be taken on by the pharmacists' association. Fischer Media AG is owned by Fischer Management AG, based in Münsingen. Fischer AG für Data und Print is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fischer Management AG.
Edipresse ventures into audio/videoEdipresse wants to penetrate the audio/video sector. The first step is to integrate films and sounds into the Edicom Internet platform. The development of TV programs could follow later. Tibère Adler, Director of Edipresse On Line, told SDA that the Lausanne-based publisher is not making a major move into the television business. "But we believe that this is a necessary development to complement our products," he confirmed media reports. The first contributions could be broadcast at the beginning of 2002. "These will only be simple productions that we will broadcast via Edicom's channel," Adler explained. In a second step, Edipresse is also considering marketing specialized TV programs. "We could, for example, broadcast a weekly 15-minute program on the subject of health via a local television station in collaboration with Optima magazine, which we publish," said Adler. In February, an attempt to enter the television business via a partnership with Star TV failed.
TV channels back on the Balcab network after protestsAfter massive protests, five television channels are back on the Basel cable network. The network operator Balcab had taken the channels N3, M6, ERT, RTS and CNBC off the network in February to make room for the digital channel package SwissFun. Balcab admitted that switching off the channels had led to complaints. "Technical measures taken at short notice" have now made it possible to switch them back on as of April 23. SwissFun can now be expanded without having to make way for other channels. The launch of the digital channel has met with consumer approval.
Newspaper titles have shrunk by almost a quarterThe number of newspaper titles in Switzerland has fallen by almost a quarter in the last 20 years. In addition, more and more papers are splitting their editorial pages, which is having a negative impact on the diversity of the press. These are the findings of a study by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). For the first time, the FSO has investigated how the change in the newspaper landscape between 1980 and 1999 has affected the diversity of the press. According to the BfS, mergers, closures and concentrations have shaped the picture since the economic slump of the 1990s. From 1990 to 1999 alone, the number of titles published at least once a week fell by 22 percent and the number of publishing units by 29 percent. In the last 20 years, the number of newspaper titles has fallen from 266 to 201. Between 1995 and 1998 alone, the cut-throat competition led to an 18 percent loss of titles. According to the BfS study, the situation appears to have stabilized again since 1998. A summary as a PDF file is available at www.statistik.admin.ch
