The editor-in-chief of the Catholic newspaper "L'Avvenire" has resigned from his post. Dino Boffo announced his resignation in a letter to the Italian Bishops' Conference CEI on Thursday, as reported by Italian media. He cited the personal attack on his person by the newspaper "Il Giornale" and the ensuing media hype as his reasons. The newspaper is part of Silvio Berlusconi's media empire. His editorial office, as well as his life and that of his family, had been brutally attacked, Boffo said in the letter.
In recent months, Prime Minister Berlusconi has been repeatedly criticized by the church and in the newspaper "L'Avvenire" for alleged sex stories and wild parties. Among other things, "Il Giornale" had insulted Boffo as gay and published an alleged court ruling according to which Boffo had been convicted of threatening
the wife of a homosexual friend to pay a fine
is said to have been sentenced.
Berlusconi had distanced himself from the article last week. A planned meeting between the Prime Minister and the Cardinal Secretary of State
Tarcisio Bertone was canceled by the Vatican at short notice after the publication. Italian media speculated about a crisis between the Vatican and the government, but this was rejected by both sides.

www.sda.ch

The communications agency Felder Vogel has made some major changes. With Fred Blattner, the Lucerne-based agency is strengthening its brand management expertise. The new head of consulting and operations previously worked in international branding agencies in Berlin and Zurich. At the same time, Felder and Vogel will become Felder Vogel, Kommunikation in Wirtschaft und
Society.

www.feldervogel.ch

The former editor-in-chief of Blick, Bernhard Weissberg, is leaving Ringier at the end of November. According to Weissberg, he had the most exciting jobs at Ringier for 20 years. Now he wants to put his energy into his own company. In December, Weissberg will open the company Weissberg Consulting for strategic communications consulting in Zurich.
.
Bernhard Weissberg has held various journalistic and management positions at Ringier since 1990. Among other things, he was Editor-in-Chief of Blick and Sonntagsblick, launched the free evening newspaper heute - now Blick am Abend - in 2006 and was Head of Newspapers from 2002 to 2006, making him a member of the Ringier Group Executive Board.

www.ringier.ch

The Federal Council's third programme to stabilize the economy is scheduled for the autumn session.
economy on the agenda. The Swiss Tourism Association STV is committed to supporting tourism marketing with 25 million Swiss francs. According to a press release issued by the STV on Friday, it is already clear that the stimulus program initiated in the second stage has been successful and has generated greater demand from tourists.
CHF 400 million is to be used for the Federal Council's third programme to stabilize the economy.

www.swisstourfed.ch

ADC Summit 2010: Location issue decided between Frankfurt/Main and Munich
The Art Directors Club for Germany ADC will hold the "Summit of Creativity" next year in Frankfurt/Main or Munich. This was decided by the ADC Board at a meeting in Berlin on September 3, 2009. In June 2009, the club announced the location of the industry highlight nationwide for the first time.
In addition to Frankfurt and Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg were also shortlisted. The final decision on the festival location will be made in the coming weeks. The ADC's industry gathering has been held in Berlin without interruption since 1994. The club decided to put the location out to tender in order to gain new impetus and greater support for the festival.
The program surrounding the ADC competition has also been steadily expanded in recent years. In addition to the exhibition of competition entries for the public and a major awards ceremony, a congress has been held since 2008, at which speakers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Jonathan Meese, Michael Ballhaus and Mario Testino have been represented on the podium. For the first time, the ADC Summit 2010 will take place together with the ADC Junior Days, the ADC's conference for young talent.

www.adc.ch

The specialist publisher of management literature presented an anti-crisis book at Suisse Emex 09. "Action instead of complaining!" is the author's motto and in this spirit he provides 177 practical suggestions and concrete action plans, all of which can be implemented immediately and encourage the reader to roll up their sleeves and take action, writes the publisher. The current economic situation does not look rosy and will probably remain so for a while. Many are trying to keep all their options open by waiting. However, the Midas press release goes on to say that passivity is not good advice. Because right now there are good opportunities to not only survive, but even emerge stronger from these difficult times by acting wisely and quickly.
The focus is on the following questions, among others:
- In which areas can I improve?
- What specific steps do I need to take to stabilize my company?
- What is the most effective way to put my ideas into practice?
- How do I overcome any difficulties that arise?
The author, Nicholas Bates, is the founder and CEO of Strategic Edge, a consulting firm that works with companies such as Microsoft, Barclays Bank and the BBC, as well as numerous small businesses and non-profit organizations. He is the author of the two business guides "Unplugged! Have it your way" and "Instant MBA".
The book will be available in bookstores from 9.9.09. A reading sample can be found at:
www.antikrisenbuch.de.

The Viral Video Award at the 25th International Short Film Festival Interfilm Berlin will present the best virals of the year for the second time. To date, several hundred films from 24 countries have been submitted. Films can still be submitted for the international award at viralvideoaward.com until September 10. These can be self-produced or already existing films. Whether for or against brands, ideas or images, the important thing is that the films convey a message and were produced with the intention of spreading this message virally on the Internet.
After the closing date, the best films will be shown to the public from October 5 to November 5 on
www.viralvideoaward.com presented for voting. In parallel and independently of this, the expert jury will select the best spots. The two winning films will be presented with the Viral Video Award at the festival, which takes place from November 3 to 8.
The Viral Video Award receives media support from the weekly newspaper Der Freitag and the German weblog Nerdcore.de, among others.

www.interfilm.de
www.zucker-kommunikation.de

Owning unique Swiss cultural objects does not have to be expensive: at Pro Patria. culture lovers were able to symbolically purchase some of the most beautiful cultural assets and landscapes in the spring with a donation of 5 francs or more. The collection can now be completed in this way. Created by Euro RSCG Zurich, the campaign promotes three new objects of desire: the bridge in Averstal, the Teatro Sociale in Bellinzona and the Chapel of St. George in Berschis.
For the second wave, the creative agency developed a radio spot in addition to the print motifs. This spot focuses on the joy of a new co-owner of Leuk Bishop's Castle. With an audible wink.
The second wave starts on September 7, 2009 and will be seen and heard in all language regions of Switzerland.
Responsible at Swiss Pro Patria Foundation: Roman G. Schönauer, Secretary General
(project support). Responsible at Euro RSCG Zurich: Frank Bodin (overall responsibility), Axel Eckstein (creative direction), Philipp Lengyel (art direction), Wolfgang Bark (text), Regine Cavicchioli (graphics), Sarah Gianesi, Walter Tagliaferri (consulting), Matthias Müller (strategy). Sound studio: Selmi Tonstudio. Photographer: Taiyo Onorato & Nico Krebs. Image editing: Felix Schregenberger.

www.eurorscg.ch

Following its foundation in summer 2008, the market research company Mafo Concept is already on course for expansion and is taking over the Publitest brand from the Wirz Group. The brand, which has existed since 1962, will be retained and will complement Mafo Concept's portfolio of services, according to a press release issued on Thursday.
For Rolf Hintermann, Partner at Mafo Concept, this acquisition closes a circle. As Managing Director and co-owner, he was involved with Publitest for 30 years. His equal partners and co-managing directors at Mafo Concept, Sonja Wedekind and Vanessa Pejchar, also have a Publitest past. They were both under contract as project managers at Publitest before becoming self-employed.

According to the Federal Administrative Court, SRG engaged in unlawful advertising when it launched the online game "Football Challenge 08". Whether Swiss television is allowed to place a link to download such games on its website remains to be seen.
According to SDA, SRG presented the online game, which was sponsored by Swisslos, on the "Sport Aktuell" program on SF Zwei in mid-April 2008. The presenter, Jann Billeter, tested the game himself on the program and pointed out the danger of addiction. Billeter later provided information about the great prizes and the opportunity to download the game from the homepage of Swiss Television, which had acquired the rights to use the computer game from an Austrian company in view of Euro 08. The game was also presented on the Swiss Television website.
SRG's appeal dismissed
Last year, the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) found that SRG had carried out unauthorized advertising for its game by advertising it in "Sport aktuell" and on its website. The Federal Administrative Court has now confirmed this decision and dismissed SRG's appeal. According to the ruling, it remains to be seen whether SRG may place a link to the download on its website for games such as "Football Challenge 08" or the "Ski Challenge" offered in winter. The decision can still be appealed to the Federal Supreme Court.

Radio 1 boss Roger Schawinski has followed up his words with deeds and reported Daniel Büchi, managing director of Zurich-based private broadcaster Radio Energy Zürich, and several employees to the police. They are allegedly guilty of unfair competition. The complaint was received by the Zurich-Limmat public prosecutor's office on Wednesday, as confirmed by SDA. It concerns an Energy advertising brochure. Among other things, the brochure compares listener figures for the two stations. According to Schawinski, the figures are incorrect.
The dispute flared up after the distribution of three radio licenses for the Zurich/Glarus broadcasting area last autumn. Both stations are claiming a license for themselves. The Uvek awarded the license to Schawinski's Radio 1. The second and third went to Radio 24 and Radio Zürisee. Energy came away empty-handed. In December, the broadcaster appealed against the Uvek's decision. The decision of the administrative court is expected shortly. According to the Uvek, there are currently no free FM frequencies available in the greater Zurich area.