New journalistic voice in letterboxes for the first time
Obwalden and Nidwalden are set to get a new newspaper at the end of April. This will create a company with 15 full-time positions.
The ONZ Obwalden und Nidwalden Zeitung is aimed at the local population who are interested in a lively media landscape, according to a statement from the initiators. The social and cultural diversity of the region is to be presented in all its diversity through good journalism. The initiators are relying on the concept of the micro-newspaper, which has already been implemented in the Bernese Oberland with the Jungfrau Zeitung. It focuses entirely on local topics. And it links the Internet, cell phones, television and printed editions.
The ONZ enjoys broad support from the population and local businesses in both cantons, the initiators continued in the press release. Within a few weeks, share capital amounting to one million francs has already been pledged. On Friday of this week, all households in both cantons will receive a trial edition of the new newspaper.
The initiators of the ONZ are the Nidwaldner Volksblatt society and media enthusiasts. They approached Urs Gossweiler with their request to give Obwalden and Nidwalden a second journalistic voice again. This followed the closure of both the Nidwalden and Obwalden weekly newspapers in August 2009. Since then, the Neue Obwaldner and Neue Nidwaldner Zeitung, published by LZ Medien AG, have dominated the two cantons. Urs Gossweiler is best known as the publisher of the Jungfrau Zeitung, which has been operating as a so-called micro-newspaper in the Bernese Oberland for ten years, focusing exclusively on local topics. Internet, cell phone, television and print edition are networked with each other. According to SDA in Lucerne on Thursday, Gossweiler expressed his conviction to the media that ONZ will be successful according to the same principle.
An editorial team - consisting of 800 full-time employees - will publish local topics in the areas of politics, business, culture and sport on an online and mobile platform seven days a week. On Tuesdays and Fridays, the news will be summarized in a four-bundle newspaper. On
(tomorrow) Friday, all households in both cantons will receive a sample edition of ONZ.
The editor-in-chief of ONZ has not yet been appointed; the position is currently being advertised. The position will be filled at the beginning of March, after which the rest of the editorial team will be appointed. The publishing house and editorial team are based in Alpnach Dorf NW.
Online free of charge, print for a fee
The online edition of ONZ is free, the print edition costs CHF 165 per year. Shareholders receive a subscription for 150 francs. The cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden have around 33,000 households. The aim of the initiators is to sell around 5,000 subscriptions in the initial phase and around 10,000 in the medium term. ONZ AG is owned by Nidwaldner Volksblatt, Obwalden entrepreneurs and Brienzer Gossweiler Media AG. In order to launch ONZ at the end of April, the capital had to be increased from CHF 105,000 to CHF 3 million. According to Gossweiler, share capital of CHF 1 million has been raised so far.
francs have been pledged.
Gossweiler's aim is to gain as many individual shareholders as possible in order to launch a product that is "as independent as possible". Board member Marlène Wirthner also emphasized that ONZ should not be a newspaper "against Lucerne", i.e. against LZ Medien. Rather, it is a newspaper for Obwalden and Nidwalden.
The ONZ enjoys broad support from the population and local businesses in both cantons, the initiators continued in the press release. Within a few weeks, share capital amounting to one million francs has already been pledged. On Friday of this week, all households in both cantons will receive a trial edition of the new newspaper.
The initiators of the ONZ are the Nidwaldner Volksblatt society and media enthusiasts. They approached Urs Gossweiler with their request to give Obwalden and Nidwalden a second journalistic voice again. This followed the closure of both the Nidwalden and Obwalden weekly newspapers in August 2009. Since then, the Neue Obwaldner and Neue Nidwaldner Zeitung, published by LZ Medien AG, have dominated the two cantons. Urs Gossweiler is best known as the publisher of the Jungfrau Zeitung, which has been operating as a so-called micro-newspaper in the Bernese Oberland for ten years, focusing exclusively on local topics. Internet, cell phone, television and print edition are networked with each other. According to SDA in Lucerne on Thursday, Gossweiler expressed his conviction to the media that ONZ will be successful according to the same principle.
An editorial team - consisting of 800 full-time employees - will publish local topics in the areas of politics, business, culture and sport on an online and mobile platform seven days a week. On Tuesdays and Fridays, the news will be summarized in a four-bundle newspaper. On
(tomorrow) Friday, all households in both cantons will receive a sample edition of ONZ.
The editor-in-chief of ONZ has not yet been appointed; the position is currently being advertised. The position will be filled at the beginning of March, after which the rest of the editorial team will be appointed. The publishing house and editorial team are based in Alpnach Dorf NW.
Online free of charge, print for a fee
The online edition of ONZ is free, the print edition costs CHF 165 per year. Shareholders receive a subscription for 150 francs. The cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden have around 33,000 households. The aim of the initiators is to sell around 5,000 subscriptions in the initial phase and around 10,000 in the medium term. ONZ AG is owned by Nidwaldner Volksblatt, Obwalden entrepreneurs and Brienzer Gossweiler Media AG. In order to launch ONZ at the end of April, the capital had to be increased from CHF 105,000 to CHF 3 million. According to Gossweiler, share capital of CHF 1 million has been raised so far.
francs have been pledged.
Gossweiler's aim is to gain as many individual shareholders as possible in order to launch a product that is "as independent as possible". Board member Marlène Wirthner also emphasized that ONZ should not be a newspaper "against Lucerne", i.e. against LZ Medien. Rather, it is a newspaper for Obwalden and Nidwalden.
