Ringier plans Buzzfeed copy

In parallel, the former editor-in-chief of 20minuten.ch, Hansi Voigt, is planning to launch his new online portal Watson. Voigt had left the Tamedia publishing house in a dispute because he did not agree with the merging of the print editorial staff of the free newspaper and the online editorial staff. According to the NZZ, many former web editors of 20minuten.ch have since followed him. Voigt wants to compete with his old employer with the new portal from the first quarter of 2014. Apparently Ringier now wants to beat him to the punch with the new Blick am Abend portal.

According to the Handesblatt, Swiss media circles say Ringier wants to model its new project on the successful US portal Buzzfeed. The U.S. site is very successful in the U.S. with a mixture of entertainment and journalism and now employs around 225 people. Instead of classic articles, Buzzfeed relies heavily on animated graphics and networking; readers can register and have their own page set up on Buzzfeed to post articles there.

The background to the new online project is apparently also SBB's intention to equip its trains and stations with free Internet access via wifi in the near future. In this way, commuters will be able to click into the new Blick am Abend portal in addition to the print edition. It is also reported that publisher Michael Ringier and publishing boss Marc Walder are personally behind the project.