Look not so snuffy after all
Ringier Media Group expects a significant increase in revenue and profit for 2000 and a less rosy outlook for 2001
Media house Ringier expects marked increase in sales and profits for 2000 and a less rosy 2001By Daniel Schifferle Lower circulation losses than expected for the flagship Blick, excellent sales and profit expectations for 2000 and improved prospects in foreign business: The media house Ringier looks back on a good year, but expects a slowdown in growth for 2001.
The 2000 financial year ends with a striking step at the Ringier media company. Only two years after Marco Solari took office as deputy to Group CEO Michael Ringier, the management is already being reorganized again. The reason: Solari has been appointed operational president of the Locarno Film Festival. Michael Ringier made the official announcement at this year's fall press briefing.
The new deputy to the Group CEO is Martin Werfeli, who at the same time retains his current responsibilities as Head of Finance and Newspapers. But Solari, who will still be in Zurich two to three weekdays in the future, will also remain with the Ringier media company.
In the future, he will be responsible for marketing and key account management at Group level. The new philosophy of the Executive Board - in which only the operating units are represented - also has consequences for Jacques Pilet; he is leaving the Executive Board. He will now head the "Media Development" staff unit, where he will be responsible for new projects.
Blick suffers less from free newspapers than Tagi
Michael Ringier announced an encouraging outlook for the current financial year. He said that a marked increase in sales and, above all, profits could be expected this year, although he did not yet want to give more precise details. On the other hand, the prospects for the following year are no longer so rosy. After all, CFO Martin Werfeli expects "at least an operating result in the order of magnitude of the current year" for 2001.
The Blick Group performed particularly well this year. Among all newspapers in Switzerland, Blick achieved the highest growth in advertising and, probably the most important surprise, the Ringier flagship "only" lost between 3,000 and 5,000 copies in the environment of the new commuter newspapers.
That is far less than the Tages-Anzeiger, for which Kurt W. Zimmermann recently announced losses in the order of 10,000 copies in an interview with HandelsZeitung. "Nevertheless, it is still too early to sound the all-clear," said Michael Ringier. For a definitive answer, one would have to wait for developments in the next few years.
Ringier was optimistic about most of its company's titles. Particular praise was given to dimanche.ch and the Ticino free Sunday newspaper Il Caffè, which was already in the black in its first year. The situation had also improved in the foreign business. This was thanks to streamlining of the business units and an improved economy. Ringier cited the situation in French-speaking Switzerland, where the advertising market should be better, and Glückspost, which is struggling with circulation losses, as less pleasing exceptions.
Anyone at the press conference who expected a quick end to "Täglich ran" on Sat 1, as the SonntagsZeitung recently suspected, was disappointed. "We will definitely hold out until June 2001," emphasized Michael Ringier. In terms of viewer numbers, the show is not yet where it wants to be, but it is not "so far away from the goal" either. Once again, Ringier reminded viewers that television takes more time and patience than is often assumed.
The 2000 financial year ends with a striking step at the Ringier media company. Only two years after Marco Solari took office as deputy to Group CEO Michael Ringier, the management is already being reorganized again. The reason: Solari has been appointed operational president of the Locarno Film Festival. Michael Ringier made the official announcement at this year's fall press briefing.
The new deputy to the Group CEO is Martin Werfeli, who at the same time retains his current responsibilities as Head of Finance and Newspapers. But Solari, who will still be in Zurich two to three weekdays in the future, will also remain with the Ringier media company.
In the future, he will be responsible for marketing and key account management at Group level. The new philosophy of the Executive Board - in which only the operating units are represented - also has consequences for Jacques Pilet; he is leaving the Executive Board. He will now head the "Media Development" staff unit, where he will be responsible for new projects.
Blick suffers less from free newspapers than Tagi
Michael Ringier announced an encouraging outlook for the current financial year. He said that a marked increase in sales and, above all, profits could be expected this year, although he did not yet want to give more precise details. On the other hand, the prospects for the following year are no longer so rosy. After all, CFO Martin Werfeli expects "at least an operating result in the order of magnitude of the current year" for 2001.
The Blick Group performed particularly well this year. Among all newspapers in Switzerland, Blick achieved the highest growth in advertising and, probably the most important surprise, the Ringier flagship "only" lost between 3,000 and 5,000 copies in the environment of the new commuter newspapers.
That is far less than the Tages-Anzeiger, for which Kurt W. Zimmermann recently announced losses in the order of 10,000 copies in an interview with HandelsZeitung. "Nevertheless, it is still too early to sound the all-clear," said Michael Ringier. For a definitive answer, one would have to wait for developments in the next few years.
Ringier was optimistic about most of its company's titles. Particular praise was given to dimanche.ch and the Ticino free Sunday newspaper Il Caffè, which was already in the black in its first year. The situation had also improved in the foreign business. This was thanks to streamlining of the business units and an improved economy. Ringier cited the situation in French-speaking Switzerland, where the advertising market should be better, and Glückspost, which is struggling with circulation losses, as less pleasing exceptions.
Anyone at the press conference who expected a quick end to "Täglich ran" on Sat 1, as the SonntagsZeitung recently suspected, was disappointed. "We will definitely hold out until June 2001," emphasized Michael Ringier. In terms of viewer numbers, the show is not yet where it wants to be, but it is not "so far away from the goal" either. Once again, Ringier reminded viewers that television takes more time and patience than is often assumed.
