Landbote: Weko approves purchase by Tamedia

Tamedia announced in August that it was buying a majority stake in Ziegler Druck- und Verlags-AG, which publishes the Landbote (Werbewoche.ch reported). The Zurich-based group intends to acquire 90.5 percent of the shares by the beginning of 2014. According to the press release, talks will be held "in the coming weeks" with the individual shareholder who owns the remaining 9.5 percent. Uncertainty had prevailed for a long time after the owner family of Ziegler Druck- und Verlags-AG announced its intention to sell. Tamedia had already acquired a 20 percent stake in the Winterthur-based media company, which currently has 230 employees, in 2005. It is now buying a further 70.5 percent of the shares for 49.6 million Swiss francs. The purchase agreement was not negotiated by Tamedia, but by another potential buyer, but Tamedia exercised its right of first refusal.
use. The media company is thus acquiring the share package on the terms negotiated by its competitor.

"Third strong newspaper voice in the canton of Zurich"

With the takeover, all activities and employees will be transferred to Tamedia. In addition to the Landbote (circulation of just under 32,000 copies) and the free newspaper Winterthurer Stadtanzeiger (circulation of 64,000 copies), this also includes the print shop specializing in magazines and business stationery as well as various properties. Tamedia announces that it will continue its cooperation with its partners Zürcher Oberländer, Zürcher Unterländer and Zürichsee-Zeitung. According to Tamedia, the Zürcher Regionalzeitungen (ZRZ) newspaper association will be retained as the "third strong newspaper voice in the canton of Zurich".

No job cuts

The newspaper group will work together with the Berner Zeitung on foreign and domestic reporting. The number of editorial offices in Winterthur is not expected to change significantly as a result. However, as already announced, there will be relocations within the editorial offices of Landbote, Zürcher Unterländer, Zürichsee-Zeitung and the ZRZ editorial office, according to Tamedia. How the editorial, publishing and service areas will be organized will be determined once the takeover has been completed in the first quarter of 2014, according to the press release. The future prospects of the print shop will be examined over the course of next year. Tamedia will examine whether the initial situation can be improved through additional printing orders from third parties and from its own media. (SDA)