Le Temps: Agefi, NZZ, Hersant, Blocher/Tettamanti?
Following the announcement by media companies Ringier and Tamedia that they are putting the French-Swiss newspaper Le Temps up for sale, various names of potential buyers have been mentioned. The publishing house Agefi has already expressed interest.
Agefi shareholder Antoine Hubert told French-speaking Swiss radio station RTS that he had already discussed this possibility with major shareholder Alain Duménil, on the occasion of an analysis of Agefi's various strategic options. "Tamedia and Ringier know of our interest," Hubert said. So far, however, neither of the two Le Temps shareholders has shown itself open to talks. The Agefi media company publishes the business newspaper L'Agefi in western Switzerland.
According to the emeritus media scientist Roger Blum, the NZZ Group, the duo Tito Tettamanti and Christoph Blocher or the French Hersant Group could also be considered as buyers of Le Temps. Blum said this in an interview with the newspaper La Liberté on Wednesday. However, he also does not rule out a "mixed" solution - with one of the two current publishers as well as a private investor group.
Imprint worries about quality
The journalists' association Imprint hopes that Le Temps will find a new sponsor that is anchored in the media, as it announced on Wednesday (Werbewoche.ch reported). The association expressed particular dismay at the unusual procedure of publicly putting a company up for sale. This provokes uncertainty. Imprint is particularly concerned about the quality of the newspaper, the independence of its editorial staff, jobs and media diversity in French-speaking Switzerland.
Ringier and Tamedia had announced on Tuesday that they would be looking for a buyer for Le Temps by June 2014. If no convincing offer is received, both Ringier and Tamedia intend to consider buying each other's stake. Ringier and Tamedia each hold 46.2 percent of Le Temps. (SDA)
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