Criticism of the merger of the NZZ regional media
The directors of economic affairs in Eastern Switzerland are concerned about the NZZ's announcement that it will place its regional media outlets based in St. Gallen and Lucerne under a single management structure.
The Conference of Economic Directors of Eastern Switzerland (VDK Ost) discussed the current development at their meeting in Frauenfeld. The Tagblatt media group affects the basic journalistic supply in Eastern Switzerland, they wrote in a press release on Wednesday. The changes give cause for serious concern.
At the end of October, the NZZ Group announced that it would be closing its regional media (daily and Sunday newspapers, the portals Tagblatt.ch and Luzernerzeitung.ch as well as Radio Pilatus and Tele 1) into a single division under the umbrella of Freie Presse Holding. Jürg Weber from Central Switzerland will be in charge.
For the economic directors of Eastern Switzerland, the need to rethink and adapt existing business models due to the crisis in the media industry is understandable. Nevertheless, the latest announcements by the NZZ Group should be viewed very critically, writes the VDK Ost.
Journalistic decline feared
It is unacceptable to be supplied with journalistic content by a merged editorial team that has to cover two separate areas. This would lead to a journalistic uniformity that would not do justice to the specific characteristics of the two regions. According to the VDK Ost, the regional relevance of important domestic and economic policy issues would be diluted or lost completely. The region is threatened with a journalistic decline with considerable consequences for the self-image and identity of Eastern Switzerland.
The Conference of Economic Directors of Eastern Switzerland has intervened with the Board of Directors of NZZ. It wants to know what measures the media company is taking to secure the basic media supply in Eastern Switzerland.
