Telebasel editor-in-chief takes early retirement
Willy Surbeck, the former editorial director of the Basel-based local television station, is taking early retirement at age 59. The station is now looking for a new editor-in-chief.
The 59-year-old journalist has been editor-in-chief of Telebasel since 1999. He was also Managing Director until 2008. The Telebasel Foundation announced Surbeck's resignation in a press release on Friday. Deputy editor-in-chief Miriam Jauslin will take over journalistic responsibility for the station on an interim basis from September 1.
Surbeck's resignation does not come as a complete surprise: Roger Thiriet, President of the Telebasel Foundation, had already indicated in February, when announcing a new organizational structure, that the successor to the Editor-in-Chief would have to be taken in hand at an early stage.
Since the reform in February, CEO Dominik Prétot has been at the helm of the company alone. Previously, the managing director and the editor-in-chief ran the channel together.
New generation for a new strategy
In addition to a new structure, the Telebasel Board of Trustees also decided on a new "multichannel" strategy in February. Surbeck is quoted in the press release as saying that he now wants to leave its implementation to a younger generation that will tackle this task with an unbiased view and fresh energy. According to Surbeck, this strategy strengthens factors such as cost efficiency and market proximity.
When Surbeck joined the editorial team of the former city channel in 1996, the station had just three full-time editors. Today, Telebasel has over 120 employees. As editor-in-chief, Surbeck has also doubled the daily program output, according to the press release. Telebasel currently offers more than 30 programs.
According to the press release, the broadcaster is debt-free and entrepreneurially and journalistically independent. Surbeck will continue to work for Telebasel as a freelancer on temporary assignments, it added.
