Meier + Cie is the first Swiss media company to launch a digital Sunday newspaper, according to a statement. The publisher is thus expanding its regional market position in the multimedia sector: The texts and images in the SN am Sonntag will be supplemented by current radio reports and film reports in close cooperation with Radio Munot and Schaffhausen Television. News and reports from Saturday, including the regional sports results, would form the core of the new Sunday newspaper, while background reports from all areas would provide Sunday entertainment. On the one hand, this Sunday edition would close the regional journalistic gap on Sundays, but on the other hand it would also help the media house Meier + Cie to gain further experience in the promising field of electronic media.

According to the announcement, the app is now available in Apple's iTunes app store directly via iPad. The offer is free until the end of 2011 and will be added to the Schaffhauser Nachrichten subscription system from January.
 

This fall, it's cards on the table, the agency writes in a statement. Because saving is also the trump card for McDonald's customers. The savings trump card is being played with the 18 vouchers that were distributed throughout Switzerland by direct mail this October. The McDonald's card set, with specially illustrated card motifs, served as a hook and also as an after-sales goodie. The card set can be used to play for the next menu while enjoying a round of Big Mac and Coke, or the receipts can be placed on the edge of the table as a stake. Rules for a kind of Tschau-McSepp are of course also included.

Responsible at McDonald's Switzerland: Yvonne Maurer (Local Restaurant Marketing Manager). Responsible at TBWA\Zurich: Thomas Ammann, Benny Goldstein (CD), Sabine Grossmann (graphics), Natasa Maricic (text), Guido Zehnder (account director), Simona Mink (DTP), Thomas Kriebaum (illustration), S+K (photography).

The SVP in particular took a shot at him. At last they had proof of the alleged left-wing infiltration of Swiss television. De Weck's friendliness toward Europe was also a thorn in their side. Then, when negotiations between the Swiss Football League and SRG broke down in July, there were boos again. The SRG had lost the TV rights to the soccer championship matches; they were sold by the league to Cinetrade for 186 million.

Right-wing circles have long been calling for SRG structures to be slimmed down. The campaigns Bye-Bye-Billag and Gebührenmonster, which were launched on social media and strongly supported by SVP National Councilor Natalie Rickli, were well received. After all, over 140,000 signatures were collected for a petition for a steep fee reduction from 462 to 200 francs. The parties are unhappy. Politicians of all stripes complain that they are disadvantaged compared to the politicians of the respective opposing parties.

The publishers are also dissatisfied. Their criticism is not about forbidding SRG to give its viewers the opportunity to find new access to the programs via online and thus also with mobile devices. Rather, the publishers are right to oppose the expansion of the content of SRG's own station portals. Because such a move threatens a clear distortion of competition. Thanks to the guaranteed income from the license fees, the SRG could easily free up sufficient resources to build up a high-quality news portal. If advertising were then allowed on this portal, the online portals of the private publishers would come under heavy pressure.

So trouble is everywhere. So it comes in handy that, coincidentally, good news can be announced now of all times. Cinetrade and SRG have reached an agreement.

Starting next season, there will be a live broadcast of a soccer match every Sunday at 4 pm. 18 times per season, SRG can choose which match it wants to broadcast. And in international match quality. The deal was probably not cheap. But even the SVP will only cautiously voice criticism, because they don't want to mess with the football fans.

Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]
 

The award recognizes a young initiative of journalists from German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland who are committed to promoting the principle of publicity in Switzerland and making it more accessible to the media. The award is presented every other year for the "best quality initiative in Swiss journalism". According to the press release, the nine-member jury was particularly impressed by the Oeffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch internet platform, which has been online since June 2011. Applications to federal and cantonal authorities can be formulated there with just a few mouse clicks. The website is currently being translated into French. As soon as funding is secured, it will also be available in English. According to the press release, the association Öffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch aims to promote a change in awareness among the media and the administration. In its articles of association, it has set itself the goal of making the Publicity Act "an effective working tool for media professionals".

WW: In September, FriendScout24 launched its first TV campaign in Switzerland. Why only now, six years after the Swiss offshoot was founded?
Martina Bruder: We are not appearing on Swiss television for the first time. FriendScout24 has successfully sponsored the series "Joya rennt" and "Super Single" for four years. Now we are taking a different, more direct approach. Our new campaign succeeds in presenting our messages in an even more pointed and emotional way. Other providers try to position themselves scientifically, or they have a couple recite slogans. We don't say anything in our commercial. We simply show the most beautiful and emotional moment of love, the kiss. FriendScout 24 is all about the feeling of life, the lightness and the pure joy.

Why didn't you hire a Swiss agency for the TV campaign?
Our TV sponsorship in collaboration with Mediafisch underlines that we know and appreciate the creative work of Swiss agencies. Initially, our campaign "Küssen kann man nicht allein" was only intended for Germany. But because the spot was so well received and, moreover, our cooperation partner Max Raabe is also touring Switzerland, our agency Kolle Rebbe adapted it for Switzerland.

"Küssen kann man nicht allein" has a budget in the double-digit millions in Germany. Other online intermediaries are making a more massive appearance, including in Switzerland. Why so shy?
Quantity does not equal quality. Our advertising budget in Switzerland is in the single-digit millions. What's more, we were already on Swiss TV when our competitors weren't even thinking about it. We rely on continuity. FriendScout24 has thus also become the market leader in Switzerland and a recognized institution.

Your bottom line after just over a month of operation?
Just as in Germany, we are experiencing a high level of attention and positive response in Switzerland. We have succeeded in drawing the attention of new users to us and directing them to our partner portal.

A colleague once calculated that the membership of online dating providers should actually be completely renewed every year, if you believe the figures. Isn't your business also a huge deadbeat business?
A very clear No. The quality of our partner portal is characterized by the activity of our members. Data protection rules alone oblige us to delete inactive profiles after a certain period of time. In Germany and Switzerland, this is 180 days. Of course, members log off when they have found a partner. But they also log back in if the partnership doesn't work out. Some have several profiles set. That's how high totals are generated. Ultimately, the decisive factor is the user experience and result for our customers. Deadbeats can't respond. We encourage activity. We succeed very well in this. At FriendScout24, 18,000 new photos are uploaded per month in Switzerland. We have 60,000 active partner seekers per month.

According to the market analysis by Singlebörsen-Vergleich, two local providers, Swissfriends and Swissflirt, are only in the midfield so far. How seriously do you take the Swiss competition?
Even in the position of clear market leader, we should of course take competitors seriously. We see the two companies as enriching the market.

At the beginning of 2011, Ringier entered online dating with Citykiss.com. Annoyed?
Not upset at all. Citykiss is also an expanding market offering that has a very local approach and is aimed at mobile dating.

But Ringier has a stake in Scout24 via Mediaswiss. How high is this stake actually?
Ringier holds a minority interest in Scout24 Schweiz AG via Mediaswiss. The majority is held by Scout24 GmbH, Munich, which in turn is the parent company of FriendScout24 GmbH.

What influence does Mediaswiss exert on Munich-based FriendScout24 GmbH? Do certain cooperations have to be entered into, certain ad placements?
We have a very good partnership with Mediaswiss and support each other.

A few months ago, the NZZ praised your competitor Parship as a successful market leader. Jealous?
These and many other publications prove first of all how strongly the topic of dating on the Internet has arrived in society and is attracting attention. But the NZZ did its research correctly and portrayed FriendScout24 Switzerland as the leader with 475'000 members. In the meantime, we have 500'000 members.

But who is the market leader?
FriendScout24 was founded in 2000 and, believe me, has been the market leader in all areas of online dating for years. We have by far the most members in the German-speaking world and the most active target group. We don't think in niches or segments, but address all the relationship needs of our users. This makes us the number 1 partner portal.

Are you a dating site or a singles site?
FriendScout24 is also the number 1 partner portal in Switzerland. As I said, a distinction makes no sense to us. We see ourselves as a "full-service provider for all relationship needs" and are self-confidently also the number 1 Swiss cooperation portal. We cooperate with the leading Swiss online brands such as Swisscom, Blick, MSN, GMX and others.

However, this customer base does not seem to be particularly close to your heart. There is not a single FriendScout office in the whole of Switzerland.
As a market-leading online company, our success is independent of a local presence. Of course, the 150 employees at our Munich headquarters include proven experts for the Swiss market. This applies to product development, online marketing and especially customer service.

You made headlines when you founded Secret. The Kress Report headlined "Queen of Hearts" and asked "Ms. Bruder, how's your sex business?" An awkward showdown?
What is supposed to be embarrassing about that? In its cover story, Stern described Secret as the "youngest player in the erogenous zone. All relevant women's magazines are currently focusing intensively on the casual dating trend in the target group of self-confident women 35+. This is exactly where Secret is positioned as a unique premium offer.

How is your escapade portal received in Switzerland?
The term fling is antiquated and morally insane. We are talking about the self-confident woman who is not looking for "Mister Right," but "Mister Right Now. By the way, she often pursues both relationship needs in parallel, even in Switzerland.

How does the Swiss differ from the German single?
The needs for flirtation, eroticism and cohabitation are the same across borders.

What is your communication strategy in Switzerland? What comes after the TV campaign?
In the future, we will present ourselves even more clearly via Switzerland's leading media. In addition to TV, this naturally includes print and, above all, our strong local online partners.

Experts estimate the current market volume of the Swiss online partner market at EUR 23 to 25 million. Around ten million more than in Austria. What do you think the development will be in the next five years?
I, too, expect further growth in the Swiss market. However, it is not determined by more users, but by more attractive offerings. As in Germany, market consolidation is to be expected. As the market leader, we see ourselves in the best possible position.

Did you actually meet your husband through a dating portal as well?
I have known my husband since our student days. But we once took the relationship test at Friend- Scout24 and found our decision wonderfully confirmed. Interview: Peter Ehm

In addition, there are further high costs for the complete takeover of the British television group BSkyB, which was ultimately called off under political pressure. This was announced by News Corp.
at the company's headquarters in New York on Wednesday. The media tour led by Rupert Murdoch suffered a five percent drop in profits compared to the same period last year to a bottom line of 738 million dollars due to the charges in the July to September quarter.

But what the newspaper business messes up, TV stations make up for. Because apart from the wiretapping scandal, business was pretty good. Turnover rose by seven percent to almost eight billion dollars. This is because the Group's own television channels in particular were able to record higher revenues thanks to the flow of advertising money. The film division with the studio 20th Century Fox also generated more money. The blockbuster was "Planet of the Apes: Prevolution" proved to be a blockbuster.

The newspaper division also includes the Sun and Times in the UK. In the USA, Rupert Murdoch took over the Wall Street Journal. As the founder of the company, he holds around 40 percent of the voting rights. Together with the shares of the allied Saudi prince Al-Walid bin Talal, he even has 47 percent of all votes on his side. Shareholders complained that Murdoch was exploiting this power and running the group like a family business.

However, Pro Sieben Sat.1 earned slightly less money on the bottom line. This was also due to the costs of reorganizing the financing structure, as the company announced in Munich on Thursday. The contributions from the businesses sold in the Netherlands and Belgium in the summer have already been deducted from all figures.

The net result fell from 19.7 million euros a year ago to 11.4 million euros. In contrast, the operating profit EBIT grew from 96.6 million to 101 million euros. The basis for the positive business development was the strong positioning in the core business of television, said Group CEO Thomas Ebeling according to the press release.

The Sat1, Pro Sieben and Kabel broadcasting group aims to generate additional revenues of EUR 750 million by 2015 without acquisitions, also with businesses outside the TV advertising market such as content production, online offerings or pay-TV. Ebeling confirmed his positive outlook for this year. The Group CEO recently also held out the prospect of growth for 2012, even if the year is unlikely to be a "boom year". (SDA)
 

Bernina has been at home in Steckborn on Lake Constance for over 100 years. With revolutionary ideas and pioneering technologies, the family business quickly grew beyond its national borders and is now represented in over 80 countries worldwide. With 60 percent of Group sales, the US market now accounts for the largest share. Last year, Publicis Communications won a pitch against agencies from Germany and the USA and was commissioned by Bernina to develop a completely new, cross-market brand identity. Special attention was paid to attracting a younger target group. Most sewing machine suppliers still advertise in the same way today as they did many years ago. A woman presents a sewing machine with a friendly smile. This is no longer in keeping with the times. Sewing has become a hobby, a passion and a way of expressing oneself creatively and pursuing one's desire for individuality. In addition, the appreciation for carefully crafted products has increased significantly. For some years now, this has resulted in a growing trend towards homemade products, which is also influencing the world of fashion and accessories. New sewing magazines have been created for a young target group, and there are numerous blogs and stores on the Internet where young sewing artists show or sell their home-made products. The new communication concept from Publicis around strategist Achill Prakash and CD Sacha Moser picks up on the creative process in which sewing artists immerse themselves. The images and stories in the new campaign open up magically dreamy and aesthetic worlds. Individual ingredients tell stories about the creation of lovingly crafted garments. The ingredients are as individual as the works of art that are created from them. Only one ingredient appears in all the stories: Bernina. Because Bernina is the reliable tool with which almost any idea can be realized. With its numerous products, Bernina creates space for creativity and serves as a source of inspiration and a supplier of ideas. pan

According to the study, telecoms companies and providers of search engines and online classifieds will be the main beneficiaries. This is because two thirds of the growth will come from higher expenditure on more powerful Internet connections, TV fees and subscriptions and increasing Internet advertising, regardless of the economic situation. On the other hand, the prospects for television and outdoor advertising as well as newspaper revenues are heavily dependent on the economy and are therefore currently uncertain, PwC reported on Thursday.

In recent years, it has taken economic growth of over 2 percent for advertising expenditure (excluding the Internet) to increase, said PWC sector head Patrick Balkanyi to journalists in Zurich. However, if the small recession of -0.4 percent recently forecast by a first economic research institute materializes, advertising expenditure is likely to fall by 9 percent. PWC's basic forecast is based on annual GDP growth of 2.5 percent. If it is only 0.9 percent, total sales will still rise by 4.4 percent annually to CHF 15.0 billion.

Newspapers still under pressure

While advertising on digital channels is becoming increasingly direct and selective in its approach to consumers, publishers' Internet advertising is still not growing into the sky. Although PWC predicts growth from 67 to 113 million dollars by 2015, it remains a small niche in terms of the overall advertising pie. According to the study, newspaper publishers will also only generate 22 million francs from fees for their portals in 2015. According to Balkanyi, some publishers are considering more flexible subscription models, such as digital access in the first half of the week and printed editions in letterboxes only in the second half. In 2010, however, publishers did better than expected, not least thanks to higher subscription fees.

Content producers are also having a hard time in the music business: product piracy is reducing growth to 1.7% per year. In 2015, sales from legal digital distribution (199 million) will have overtaken the declining sales of physical sound carriers (115 million).

The digital transformation is continuing in the media and entertainment market, said Balkanyi. A recession would only accelerate this. By 2015, expenditure on internet connections (CHF 2.7 billion) and TV fees and subscriptions (CHF 2.5 billion) will exceed that of newspapers (CHF 2.2 billion). In addition to broadband connections and fiber optic networks, smartphones and tablet computers are booming. The 299 cinemas still operating in Switzerland, on the other hand, need to upgrade, for example in 3D. Outdoor advertisers are also starting their first trials with 3D ads. And digital posters will enable fast-changing advertising: the coffee chain in the morning, the brewery at the end of the day. (SDA)
 

For the population, daily newspapers and television, radio and personal conversations are the most important sources of information. These findings were explained by experts at an SRF media symposium in Zurich on Thursday. The views of the public were surveyed in all parts of the country. The surveys were conducted in the four weeks before and the week after the election. A total of around 3,600 Swiss voters were included.

According to the survey, daily newspapers and television are the most popular sources of information, followed by radio and personal conversations with acquaintances, friends or family. The internet is much less important, and social media are hardly used in connection with the elections. The correlation between age and information channel is not surprising: while daily newspapers and television are used more by older people, the internet is used most by young people, as Markus Jedele, SRG media officer, said. In terms of radio use, the researchers identified a clear deficit among young people. There are no major differences between men and women.

Great competition for topics
In contrast to 2007, the elections were not the dominant topic this year, explained sociologist Kurt Imhof according to SDA. Reports on exchange rate policy, UBS, the war in Libya and much more competed strongly with the topic of elections. According to Imhof, this meant that the parties were unable to carry out their campaigns properly. As a result, the parties and their exponents were less able to turn up the heat than in 2007, when Christoph Blocher's media presence outstripped everything - there was an "un-Swiss personalization" that seemed almost "somewhat North Korean", according to Imhof.

What was reported on and how was directly related to the type of medium. While the elections were the number one topic in the subscription and Sunday newspapers, they hardly played a role in the tabloids and especially the free newspapers. And when they did, emotional topics were preferred, such as the kidnapping of SVP mascot Zottel.

Although financial issues were the top topic on public radio and television stations, elections followed immediately behind in second place (radio) or third place (TV). They hardly featured at all on private radio stations. They were also in second place on private TV stations. Finally, the attention of social media users was particularly attracted by "outrage management", according to Imhof. They liked to deal with the Zottel kidnapping, the perceived unjust punishment of a recruit, discussions about (de)regulation, petty criminals and the like.
 

On November 20, 2010, the main and late editions of the Tagesschau reported on the status of wage negotiations in the main construction industry. On that day, the unions reacted with great incomprehension to what they saw as a completely inadequate offer from the Association of Master Builders. The main edition of the Tagesschau reported the views of both parties, the late edition only the unions' point of view. The master builders' association lodged a complaint against this.

The fact that the focus of the late edition's contribution was on the union's point of view was not objectionable, the UBI states in its decision published on Thursday. However, the omission of the position of the master builders had impaired the free opinion formation of the audience in a considerable way. The contribution of the late edition had thus violated the requirement of objectivity. Therefore, the Ubi approved the complaint of the association of master builders by 5:3 votes. (SDA)
 

The fun is over in Zurich: for the past two years, city employees have no longer been able to maintain their private contacts via the Facebook internet platform during working hours. After the countless accesses massively impaired the performance of the network, the city council had access blocked. After all, people should be working, not surfing.

Legally speaking, an employer can justify such a ban with his right to issue instructions. He can tell his employees what tasks they have to carry out during their working hours and how they may use the work equipment provided to them. This includes blocking certain sites and restricting or completely prohibiting private Internet use.

However, legal doctrine is of the opinion that employees may make private telephone calls during work unless otherwise stipulated in the company regulations, provided they do not do so excessively. Otherwise, private telephone calls are permitted during breaks. If a company has no company regulations governing private Internet use, employees may assume that the same rules apply to surfing the Internet and private e-mailing as to private telephone calls. The data protection officer of the Canton of Zurich goes even further, based on a federal court ruling: in his opinion, employers must provide their employees with Internet access for use during breaks if use at the workplace is prohibited or not possible.

Monitoring options and sanctions

What should you do if employees surf and email privately to an excessive extent? In practice, it is difficult to prove misconduct at all. Employment law prohibits the permanent monitoring of employees. Employers are only allowed to check what their employees are doing on the Internet during working hours within certain legal limits. Such monitoring is permitted if the workforce is informed that random checks are occasionally carried out. Continuous monitoring is only permitted if it does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the user.

If an employee is found to be surfing, emailing or chatting excessively in private during working hours, the employer must first issue a warning. If this is unsuccessful, the employment relationship can be terminated for breach of employment law obligations.
Employees can now easily avoid being monitored by using their private devices to make calls, chat and surf the internet at work. A ban on cell phones during working hours is generally permissible, but only in very specific exceptional cases. For example, if the work process, performance or safety in the company would be disrupted, such as in professions with public contact, in the public sector or in hospitals. However, employers may not prohibit their employees from using their cell phones during breaks. To prevent conflicts, companies with a certain number of employees should regulate such issues in company regulations.

Link: Fact sheet "Explanations on telephone surveillance at the workplace" from the Federal Data Protection Commissioner: http://www.edoeb.admin.ch/themen

Book tip

Labor law
From contract to termination
This handbook by the Beobachter employment law specialist provides an overview. What should be included in an employment contract? What to do in the event of a pay cut? What about overtime? How do I give notice correctly? How can I defend myself? Here you will find competent answers to your questions, groundbreaking court rulings and lots of practical tips.
272 pages, Fr. 36.- 11th, revised and updated edition, 2011
ISBN 978 3 85569 440 2 Beobachter-Buchverlag