Willisauer Bote: Swiss media parodied
This year, the Willisauer Bote (WB) has produced a special kind of summer series. Under the motto "Der WB geht fremd", the local newspaper has imitated the content and presentation of a Swiss print product in newspaper format in six episodes. The "Schweizer Simulierte" kicked things off on July 23. This was followed by "50 Minuten", "Bleck", "Annabella", "Die Napfwoche" and finally "Tiernapf".
In addition to the front page with a slightly different title, the layout and jargon of the second and third pages were also adapted to the parodied medium. "It's pure lust that drives us," wrote WB editor-in-chief Stefan Calivers in an editorial for the summer series. "The desire for fat headlines and slim celebrities. The desire for big pictures and small texts. The desire for supple breasts and plump bosoms. The desire for one-sided analyses and ambiguous advertisements... "
The series did involve additional work, Stefan Calivers told the SDA news agency, but this was no greater than for the other summer series: Sometimes the boundaries of the office were crossed or employees were sent on the slopes with 50 francs and reported on it. The TV series "Big Brother" was countered in Willisau with "Big Sister".
The series did involve additional work, Stefan Calivers told the SDA news agency, but this was no greater than for the other summer series: Sometimes the boundaries of the office were crossed or employees were sent on the slopes with 50 francs and reported on it. The TV series "Big Brother" was countered in Willisau with "Big Sister".
Great response
Never before has a series triggered such a great response, says Calivers. And the response was overwhelmingly positive. After consulting the in-house lawyer, there was no fear of legal action from the parodied media. And no such action was taken. Only one kiosk operator had mixed feelings about the 20 Minuten parody. The supposedly free newspaper was "stolen" from his stand.
