Where the pictures will go

It is already safe to predict a very bright future for television on the Internet. Web TV has developed into a media form in its own right. Video blogs, for example, can be realized by imaginative authors with simple means, even without the backing of large publishing houses. The industry is booming in the USA and on our continent in Germany. In Switzerland, the company WebComTV in Winterthur is one of the most important pioneers. The company's own Sport Szene fernsehen (SSf) broadcasts "VLOG" twice a month. At first glance, this video blog could also be seen as a continuation of TV programs such as "Neu im Kino" in the world of YouTube. The magazine opens with a "best-of" of the YouTube films currently receiving the highest number of views on the global web. This is followed by contributions from independent Swiss video producers. "That's a bit true, but it's not the basic idea. We want to be more than just a collection point for gems from YouTube's gigantic offering," says Julian Kirchner. The Head of Production and Direction at WebComTV sees the blog he has launched primarily as a platform for Swiss YouTubers who want to get to grips with the new medium professionally. The initial idea was to compile videos from ambitious bloggers and freelance producers into a 24-minute program. This is broadcast every 14 days on Thursday evenings at 7.35pm and 8.35pm on the SSf TV channel or can of course also be watched online at www.vlogspot.ch at a different time. In just over a year, the idea has grown into its own community. There are now already 31 programs in the archive. VLOG is moderated by Adrian von Sparr, who also works as an editor and animation specialist at the magazine. The concept of the contributions is simple and efficient: every video blogger - or vlogger for short - is free to choose their own topics and can express themselves in their own personal narrative style. You can see short video portraits, interviews, sketches or funny pranks, but also experience reports, self-experiments with the camera, moving image collages or music videos. With the VLOG, WebComTV has also realized a format that Julian Kirchner himself was missing during his training as a film director. "When I started out, it wasn't easy to get a foot in the door in the film business. It was slammed in my face at the film academy. I had to find my own way. But it still worked out somehow."

"Generation Internship": what next?

After a "detour" at university to study German and art history and later media technology, Kirchner, as a member of the internship generation, "learned a lot but earned nothing" at companies such as RTL, NDR and various advertising film productions. Finally, a job for "Bauer, ledig, sucht ..." brought him to Switzerland via 3+. These contacts ultimately led him to Web-ComTV, where he is now a member of the management team. But even in this position, Kirchner has not forgotten that a newcomer to the film business first needs a chance to put his skills in front of an audience. And this is precisely why he founded his VLOG. Julian Kirchner has identified a lot of untapped talent in Switzerland, particularly in the field of music. "Music videos with a very high standard are created here with the simplest of means." Some of the vloggers have already been able to recommend themselves for jobs in the advertising film sector with their work. On the other hand, the "VLOG" program also offers commercial filmmakers an opportunity to test their productions directly with a broad audience. Exact figures are no longer measured at SSf. However, Managing Director Jean-Claude Bruhin can confirm: "The customers of our sales programs integrated into the daily schedule would have bailed long ago if we had too few viewers. "

The boom years have only just begun

"The YouTube community is growing enormously and people are realizing what potential it has," says Bruhin. Prosumers are discovering the platform so that they can upload their own films. The new medium is also being used more and more by advertisers on a professional level. In the field of marketing, YouTube films - also in combination with social media - have become a buzzword. Among the web TV channels in Germany, which were already estimated to number at least 1,500 in 2012, there is a rapidly growing number of bloggers covering every conceivable topic from fashion and food to satire and animals. Worldwide, there are around 45,000 channels that stream video blogs with advertising for cosmetic products alone. With a good 750,000 subscribers, Sami Slimani, for example, is one of the most successful beauty bloggers in Germany, whose recommendations and reviews carry a lot of weight with customers. In Switzerland, the vlogger scene is still manageable. In addition to WebComTV, they find their audience via their own blogs or on video platforms such as Vimeo.

Versatile conglomerate

WebComTV has been around since 2009 and is one of three companies under the umbrella of "Die Marketing-Manufaktur AG" - DMMAG in Winterthur, which was founded by Tom Mörker. Among various clients, WebComTV has also managed content for Swiss Sports Television (SSF). When this broadcaster had to go through "a few painful experiences", it merged with its service provider in 2013. SSf program director Jean-Claude Bruhin was originally employed to market all activities of the three companies eins1, Fair Meetings andWebComTV under the umbrella of DMMAG. Since the takeover of SSF, he has now been responsible as Managing Director of WebComTV for two years. The competence center for digital media employs fifteen people, three of them in video and film production, four in web and IT, three still work mainly for the broadcaster SSf and the rest are employed in the back office. Jean-Claude Bruhin sees a quality in the composition of a crew in the fact that all specialists in the marketing agency conglomerate "can be deployed across teams for all tasks and customers". In addition to the video blog VLOG, WebComTV's portfolio also includes the satire program "Bild mit Ton" by Lara Stoll. Two years ago, the actress and author was asked by Marketing-Manufaktur whether she would "like to do such a show". Since then, Lara Stoll has "carteblanche" and has just presented the second season of her quirky satirical show to much positive media coverage. This can be seen on SSf as well as on the Internet. Jean-Claude Bruhin sees "growing demand and a lot of creative potential" in the "webazine" genre. The name is WebComTV's own creation. In the field of corporate publishing, the format can be described as a "digital customer magazine with moving images". Current examples are a webazine for the ZAG (Center for Education in Healthcare Canton Zurich) or Nano Frazor for Swiss Litho AG.

On the subject of SSf in WebComTV's portfolio, Jean-Claude Bruhin says: "We operate a private channel that covers its costs. Of course we are proud of that. But the project calls for expansion. That's why we are looking for partners. But we have no need." Bruhin can announce the broadcast of the "Superbowl" on February 2 as an upcoming highlight. SSf has bought the rights to the American TV hit from SRG. "However, we don't get any of the advertising revenue from the legendary spots around the final game," jokes the managing director of WebComTV.

Andreas Panzeri

Three under one roof
The three companies eins1, Fair Meetings and WebComTV are organized under the umbrella of Marketing-Manufaktur. The success story began twelve years ago with the marketing agency eins1, founded by Tom Mörker. The "somewhat different" advertising agency works according to the claim of being able to "cover 360° marketing". This start-up later evolved into the event and trade fair organizer Fair Meetings. The company develops ideas and projects in the event and trade fair sector. For example, the "tun" project in Basel, Bern, Zurich and St. Gallen. In this "trade fair within a trade fair", children and young people can be introduced to job profiles in a playful way. Another prestigious event from the Fair Meetings portfolio is the multicultural festival "Afro-Pfingsten", which attracts over 70,000 visitors to Winterthur every year. Founded in 1990, the world music festival is being organized by Fair Meetings for the third time in 2015. Using the same infrastructure, the "Legends on Stage" festival will be added a week later. This will bring stars such as Barclay James Harvest, Boney M. and The Supremes to Winterthur in May 2015 with "Music for a large audience". The third initiative under the umbrella of Marketing-Manufaktur has been WebComTV since 2011. This online production company creates websites, designs and produces commissioned films for a wide range of industrial clients, designs branded entertainment content and produces content for the "Webazine" format: accessible, digital (customer) magazines. WebComTV originally produced content for Swiss sports television. Following the takeover in 2012, the channel was merged with WebComTV and now continues to operate as SSf "Sport Szene fernsehen". The managing director of WebComTV is Jean-Claude Bruhin.

The station's archive already contains31 "VLOG" magazines. These can be accessed via www.vlogspot.ch. The topics of the programs range from music videos and artist portraits to fashion, lifestyle and events. The films are produced by a permanent team of YouTubers. They work completely independently. The editorial team is open to further talent. However, the offerings already exceed the magazine's broadcasting times, which naturally raises the quality of the selection.