AZ Medien: Special supplement for the 175th anniversary
On Wednesday, the media company AZ Medien celebrated its 175-year history with an anniversary supplement. In 1836, the great-great-grandfather of the current publisher, Peter Wanner, published his first newspaper.
Aargauer Volkszeitung, that was the name of the political fighting paper published by Josef Zehnder in Baden. Although this newspaper title did not live long, it became the starting point of today's media company AZ Medien. Over the past 175 years, four personalities from four generations have managed and shaped the media house: Zehnder's grandson, Otto Wanner (the elder), Otto Wanner (the younger) and today's publisher Peter Wanner.
The publishing company received its most important growth spurt when Peter Wanner merged his Badener Tagblatt with its archrival Aargauer Tagblatt to form the Aargauer Zeitung in 1996. In 2001, the affiliated title Mittelland Zeitung was launched. AZ Medien took over Basellandschaftliche Zeitung in 2007 and Solothurner Tagblatt (Vogt Schild AG) in 2009. For the past four years, Der Sonntag has also been published as an independent paper on the seventh day of the week. The media company also owns regional TV stations (Tele M1, Tele Züri and Tele Bern).
The 92-page special supplement on the occasion of "175 Years of AZ Medien" covers the turbulent history of the Aargau-based company. Several authors also look at the opportunities for print media in the future. "Times have not become easier for the media industry, but they were difficult before," writes publisher Peter Wanner. (SDA)
