Advertising rates The most important national title combination, Metropool, finally announced its rates for 2008. The fact that the decision was delayed until the end of 2007 is due to two important changes: Firstly, the large circulations of the Tages-Anzeiger and the Berner Zeitung (BZ) had to be integrated. In concrete terms, the Metropool is retaining its basic prices; in the normal circulation of the Tagi, BZ and Basler Zeitung (BaZ), a 1/1 page vf costs CHF 5,3900. However, due to the 3 percent reduction in reach, the price per thousand readers will increase by 1.44 francs. The Metropool is now also offered in three modules. Basic circulation (see above), basic circulation with large circulation (GA) of BZ and BaZ, basic circulation with Tagi-GA and basic circulation with the GAs of all three titles. The latter costs 67949 francs and has an (estimated) CPM of 39.19 francs, which is close to that of Blick and 20 Minuten. These cost 35.61 and 32.46 francs respectively. (mk)

 In Germany, the sale of TV advertising time for Euro 08 has been slow so far. The official partners of the sporting event, who are allowed to book in advance, are showing little interest. At ZDF, only two of the ten official sponsors of Euro 2008 have so far made use of their first booking rights, as Pressetext.ch reports. This still leaves enough advertising space for those companies that are not partners of Euro 08. According to ZDF, the start of sales for the 2006 World Cup was also hesitant, but in the end all blocks were sold. In Switzerland, the host country, the situation appears to be better: According to spokesman Peter Kaufmann, the marketing of Publisuisse offers is going well. The cross-media sponsorship offer has been booked by three sponsors and is sold out. The TV advertising offer was published on December 7, 2007. "The bookings we have received so far are in line with our expectations," Kaufmann told Werbewoche. The same can be said for the marketing of the UBS arenas.

 
Prevention Health Promotion Switzerland calls on people to slim down in January.
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Every fifth child and every third adult is too fat. Health Promotion Switzerland therefore launched a major campaign last year together with the agency Jung von Matt/Limmat. This triggered some heated discussions among experts. In the meantime, however, scientific monitoring has proven that the prophylactic campaign works very well and has been demonstrably successful in raising awareness of the problem of obesity, which is rampant throughout the country, and in mobilizing people to rethink their approach. A representative survey conducted by Health Promotion Switzerland and the University of Lugano has shown: The majority of the Swiss population knows what it takes to maintain a healthy body weight, but one-third of overweight people do not feel affected by the problem.
"The goal in 2008 is therefore to trigger consternation," as the responsible CDs Alexander Jaggy and Lukas Frei at JvM formulate the continuation of the mission. Already during the festive season and for the start of a healthy new year, their new ideas have been on display. Now follow three phases with further measures to encourage especially fat children, but also adults to a healthier body weight.
A TV commercial opens the awareness campaign for 2008, starring cars used to drive children to school or shopping. This is because parents are increasingly using cars even for short journeys. The result: children can move even less and are therefore getting fatter and fatter. In the commercial, this goes so far that the cars tilt backwards and drive on the rear axle due to increased rear seat weight. It is no coincidence that the style of the commercial is based on the legendary comedy "Traffic" by Jaques Tati.
Furthermore, the topic of children and obesity is addressed on posters throughout Switzerland. Wide child seats in shopping carts and on kiddie rides symbolize that special designs for fat children could soon threaten to become the norm. Children should move actively and not passively.
Later, specific tips against obesity follow in the mobilization phase. Parents of toddlers to school-age children and expectant mothers are the focus. Prison romper suits, excavator cutlery, sugar sops, toy cars with claws, and TVs in the shape of cookies urge babies and children to eat more sensibly and get more exercise. Pregnant women are encouraged to eat a balanced diet with a melon belly. The earlier you start with healthy nutrition and exercise, the less prone children are to obesity.
This message is also communicated, for example, with a "Znünibox" campaign, where sensible snacks are given to children.
The print subjects were photographed by Felix Streuli. Glarner-Waldvogel built the models. The films were realized by Cobblestone, directed by Axel Laubscher, with a sound by Jingle-Jungle.
Andreas Panzeri

 
Gratisanzeiger The inflation of commuter newspapers and their waste problem give the Association of Swiss Free Newspapers new impetus. 
 
The Association of Swiss Free Newspapers (VSGZ) was quiet for a long time. Until mid-2007, when the ten remaining VSGZ members appointed Thomas Akermann (34), Director of Anzeiger Luzern and Luzerner Woche, to the post of President, which had been vacant since 2002. Jean-Marc Vellmann, General Director of GHI and Lausanne Cités, was elected Vice President. From the outset, the two of them set a fast pace: Akermann said at the time that the aim was to win over the highest-circulation titles in each region for membership of the VSGZ within six months. This has now largely been achieved: at the beginning of December, Akermann and Vellmann presented eight new members. Joining the VSGZ boat are Baslerstab, Berner Bär, Bündner Anzeiger, Quartier-Echo (Zurich), Stadtanzeiger Winterthur and Zuger Presse as well as Arc Hébdo and Courrier Neuchâtelois in western Switzerland. However, Akermann does not hide the fact that there are still gaps on the VSGZ map: For example, in Aargau, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Ticino and Valais. However, the VSGZ President says that talks are underway there.
The VSGZ's dual strategyFilling these gaps is important for the VSGZ not only for quantitative reasons, but also because it wants to press ahead with a project that has been on the drawing board for a long time: This involves language-regional advertising combinations or even the establishment of a national pool of free newspapers. The VSGZ is closer than ever to this goal. The 18 members have also set themselves a deadline: The corresponding offer should be ready in a year's time - if only all parent publishers join in. "Larger groups in particular still have reservations about this - because some of them have other interests," says Akermann, alluding to 20 Minuten, News and Metropool.
In addition to the combination issue, the VSGZ is also increasingly pursuing generic marketing again - with a dual strategy: differentiating itself qualitatively and communicating its own advantages. VSGZ members must have their circulation and reach certified by the Wemf, and they should also have at least 0.75 readers per copy and an editorial share of 20 percent or more of the volume. In this way, the VSGZ wants to set itself apart from purely official journals or PR publications, including the titles from the Zehnder publishing house in Wilhelmshaven. And VSGZ's main arguments against commuter newspapers are gross home delivery and household coverage. "We reach more people than the free newspaper .ch. And thanks to distribution to letterboxes, we contribute practically nothing to the littering problem. In many places, our members therefore have a sympathy bonus," says Akermann.
Non-readers read free newspapersAnother argument in VSGZ marketing is the so-called exclusive readers: according to an evaluation by Wemf, 14 of the 18 VSGZ members reach a total of 603,000 people who do not read a regional subscription daily newspaper (the figures for the other four VSGZ titles are not yet available). The 12 Swiss-German VSGZ titles surveyed alone have 446,000 exclusive readers. This is a respectable figure, especially when you add the 15 percent of the population who speak a foreign language, who also frequently leaf through free newspapers but are not (or cannot be) surveyed by Wemf. However, the exclusive readership survey has a flaw: it only takes into account the overlaps with the regional daily subscription newspapers, but not those with the ubiquitous commuter newspapers.
Markus Knöpfli
 
 
 
See
an overview of the free ads  
An example of the reawakened self-confidence among the regional free newspapers can be found in Geneva, where the title GHI had a reader analysis carried out at the end of 2007, which revealed the following strengths: In its core area WG 11, GHI is the absolute leader with 187,000 readers, ahead of Tribune de Genève, Matin Bleu or 20 minutes. The GHI is also ahead in all age groups, among the affluent (household income of CHF 8,000 or more per month) as well as among the less affluent and also among decision-makers. In combination with Lausanne Cités, the GHI also covers 467,000 households, which corresponds to 52% of all households in French-speaking Switzerland.
The result in terms of exclusive readers is particularly interesting: the GHI alone reaches 89,000 people who do not read the Tribune de Genève, 125,000 people who do not read Tout l'immobilier, 115,000 people who do not read Matin Bleu and 134,000 people who do not read 20 minutes. In terms of price per thousand readers, the GHI is also cheaper than the other titles in the region (with the exception of Tout l'immobilier). (mk)

 
 
 
 

 Maxomedia is currently promoting the real estate portal Immoscout 24 throughout French-speaking Switzerland with a broad-based cross-media campaign under the slogan "Scoutez, trouvez, gagnez", in which Scouty, the mascot with the blue hat, is causing a stir. The advertising campaign is the continuation of a previous campaign: in December, the French-speaking Swiss selected a new dream home for Scouty from ten properties on the French-language version of the Immoscout 24 website. Now it's all about finding your new home in French-speaking Switzerland. As the main prize, the portal is giving away a rental apartment for a year among all participants. You can take part in the competition by text message or on the microsite Scoutez-trouvez.ch, which Scouty is encouraging French-speaking Swiss to do via online banners, scratch-off flyers, outdoor and streetcar posters and a TV commercial. The campaign will run until the end of February. Maxomedia is responsible for the concept, content, design and implementation.

Regional TV challengers are threatening established television pioneers or media houses in the cantons of Vaud, Valais and the Jura Arc. 
Surprise in French-speaking Switzerland: seven regional television projects are applying for a license in the four broadcasting areas. Whatever the decision of the licensing authority, it is likely to cause bad blood, at least in the canton of Valais. There, the Bakom provides for a bilingual license that seemed tailor-made for Canal 9, which is well established with the public. This regional television station, which is run by a non-profit association, has been broadcasting in French-speaking Lower Valais for 25 years. 54% of its income comes from viewers who are prepared to pay a voluntary monthly subscription fee. The association is made up of representatives from the various regions and political, economic and social groups. With this kind of audience loyalty, Canal 9 seemed ideally equipped to set up a second, German-language editorial office in the Upper Valais, and director Aline Nicol was looking forward to establishing a bilingual regional television station. Upper Valaisans mobilizeBut she had not reckoned with the German-speaking Upper Valaisans: radio producer Christian Stärkle, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Radio Rottu in the Upper Valais, made himself the spokesperson for the dissatisfied. His conviction: "The Valaisans are not bilingual!" They are either of German or French culture, and above all: "They only consume media in their mother tongue."
And so, in recent months, a brand new Tele Oberwallis AG, an equally new Tele Valais Romand SA and, most recently, a Valais Wallis TV Aktiengesellschaft were founded. Valais Wallis TV is intended as an umbrella company and licensee; it would redistribute the CHF 3.1 million in fees to Tele Valais Romand and Tele Oberwallis. Stärkle envisages two different programs in two languages, produced by four different television teams: two in each part of the canton and two working as correspondents in the other part of the canton.
Hardened fronts in ValaisA consortium of the most important German and French-language media is behind the challengers' application for a license. This is a hard blow for Aline Nicol, who remains convinced that Canal 9, with its 25 years of experience, still has a head start.
But why couldn't Canal 9 and Valais Wallis TV get together? The question remains unanswered, with both parties accusing the other of a lack of willingness to talk. Jean-Yves Bonvin, director of Nouvelliste and contact person for Télé Valais Romand, gives an indication: "Canal 9's association structure is outdated." To which Nicol replies sharply: "Our focus is on the viewers, not the shareholders and not the dividends."
Dispute in the Jura ArcThe challengers in the Vaud-Fribourg and Arc Jurassien regions are no newcomers either. In the Jura Arc, radio man Pierre Steulet is disputing the license of Canal Alpha, which has been broadcasting for twenty years, and thus the 2.6 million francs in licence fees. Although the rivals spoke to each other, they were unable to reach an agreement. Steulet then joined forces with Sylvio Bernasconi, president of the Neuchâtel football club Xamax. In the alliance, the latter brings the finances, the former the know-how and the information network of his three local radio stations.
In the license application for the Arc TV project, Steulet argues, among other things, that his channel will be independent of large media groups. The side blow is directed at Canal Alpha and its cooperation with the Société Neuchâteloise de Presse (SNP). The SNP and Canal Alpha are planning a joint multimedia platform for regional information. Fabien Wolfrath, the former owner and current director of SNP, who holds a 5.5% stake in Canal Alpha, is one of the main sponsors of the television license application. According to co-owner and director Joël Pelet, Canal Alpha wants to remain independent and there are no plans for a capital increase. But the French media czar and current SNP owner Philippe Hersant is known for not turning down anyone he can help at some point.
The battle for the fee potThe situation in the canton of Vaud has also become complicated with two competing license applications. Here, the Vaud-Fribourg TV project was as good as set after the major partners in both cantons were finally able to rally behind a license application. Although Edipresse itself is one of the main sponsors of the application, it estimates that, despite the substantial fee share of CHF 3.2 million, the television station will have to go to great lengths to become economically viable in view of the culturally disparate broadcasting area.
It is therefore a surprise that the Rouge FM radio group has also entered the race. "We knew that there were interested parties, but it wasn't so clear who would get involved," says Philippe Sordet from Edipresse, who also acts as secretary of the pilot group. Rouge FM is owned by the French entrepreneur Hugues de Montfalcon. His statements against the hated "protectionism" and "subsidies in the Swiss media landscape" are well known. Now Montfalcon, whose ambitions are obviously just as big as his bank account, wants to obtain the difficult Vaud-Fribourg license - and thus dip into the fee pot himself. In its application for the license, the Rouge-FM Group plays the trump card that it is completely private and "free from political constraints and dependencies" - a side blow to the rival project, in which the public sector can get involved with 32% of the shares.
Helen Brügger
The competitorsWallis:
Canal 9 is the historic, association-run regional television station in the French-speaking Lower Valais. It is bidding for the bilingual Valais concession put out to tender by OFCOM, but faces competition from the brand new Valais Wallis TV AG, a media conglomerate comprising the most important, also French-language Valais media. Vaud-Fribourg:
For years, the publisher Edipresse has been trying to merge several local stations run by municipalities with a view to creating a Vaud regional television station. After Bakom extended the broadcasting area to the French-speaking part of the canton of Fribourg, Edipresse brought the publisher of the Fribourg regional newspaper La Liberté and Radio Fribourg on board. Their Vaud-Fribourg TV project faces competition from the radio group Rouge FM, owned by the French entrepreneur Hugues de Montfalcon, who is based in Lausanne:
The regional broadcaster Canal Alpha, which has been broadcasting in the canton of Neuchâtel for 20 years, is seeking to collaborate with the Société Neuchâteloise de Presse SNP (L'Express, L'Impartial) in the multimedia sector. SNP is owned by the French media magnate Philippe Hersant, who lives in Geneva. The second concession application for the region comes from the kitchen of radio man Pierre Steulet and thus from the canton of Jura. Steulet runs three successful radio stations (RJB, RFJ, RTN) and has had a regional television project in the pipeline for years. (hb)

 Dominique von Burg, the new President of the Swiss Press Council, supports the inclusion of publishers and SRG in the supervisory body. The negotiations to achieve this goal will take time, said von Burg on Tuesday at the Epiphany Conference in Zurich. The "maturing process in the journalists' associations" had not yet been fully completed. The associations had postponed the decision in November until next spring (see The CLA as a bargaining chip
). In the media industry, employers and employees have the same interest in media ethics, von Burg was convinced. Both sides are interested in credible information. The Press Council, which monitors compliance with professional ethics, contributes significantly to the credibility of the media. The Press Council can only become stronger if it is more broadly based, said von Burg. His predecessor Peter Studer had already expressed this opinion.
Von Burg did not hide the fact that if publishers and the SRG were to join, this would provide the Press Council with additional funds. These funds could be used for more efficient public relations work. He believes it is particularly important that young professionals quickly become familiar with professional ethics.

 Complaining about cannibalization is out, according to a publisher's imperative at the traditional Epiphany Conference of Publishers in Zurich. The debate within the media industry is currently dominated by the issue of war. New free newspapers are springing up, the Sunday market is expanding and publishing houses are upgrading on the Internet. These are actually very exciting signs for an event from which one can usually expect one or two headlines. But this year, the publisher president, who always guarantees a wry tone, disappointed with a speech that left many things in the dark.
Free press: A temporary epidemic Hanspeter Lebrument initially wondered why the BZ prize for local journalism in German-speaking Switzerland did not find a winner, not least in a press landscape dominated by local journalism. With the polemical question of whether search engines and the free press had taken the place of paid newspapers, Lebrument turned to the commuter press, which does make the public hungry for reading material. But the free press today has the character of an epidemic and: "They will pass again at some point," said Lebrument. But the subscriber press will probably realize that today's free readers will hardly be tomorrow's subscribers.
Lebrument's second story probably left the majority of those present with question marks. The Graubünden publisher tried to explain how an alliance between the Vorarlberg publisher Eugen A. Russ (shareholder in the free newspaper .ch) and former radio pirate Roger Schawinski (applicant for a radio license in Graubünden and Glarus) had conspired against Lebrument's own Radio Grischa.
Neither a gravedigger nor a panacea As a result, there was nothing new from Pietro Supino, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tamedia, that his CEO Martin Kall had not already explained on previous occasions (for example in Werbewoche). The successor to Hans Heinrich Coninx gave his first speech to the publishers as a member of the board of the publishers' association.
Regarding the state of the industry, Supino said that the scope and complexity were increasing, which posed major challenges for paid newspapers. New approaches are needed, such as the partnership-based cooperation between Tamedia and Basler Medien with the free newspaper News and the planned online network. Commuter newspapers are generally overrated by the industry, as they are not very profitable worldwide. "They are neither the gravediggers of paid newspapers nor a panacea," said Supino.
The communication spaces of the media have also changed. As a result, German-speaking Switzerland is growing together into a dynamic economic area with various centers. Today, nobody is entitled to their own space, said Supino, alluding of course to the recent expansion of Tamedia's free news title into the Mittelland. Supino also took up the cudgels for independent research as a recipe against state and private sector communication, which were increasingly threatening the independent media with ready-made reports. Only in this way could the media differentiate themselves and the media landscape be cultivated.
Code of Conduct about to be implemented The Code of Conduct, the code of conduct on the separation of editorial and publishing, has now been signed by 147 titles, which have committed to complying with its provisions. The actual implementation is now imminent. Ralph Büchi, CEO of Axel Springer Switzerland, spoke out against lengthy implementation provisions so that the work does not degenerate into a paper tiger. For Res Strehle, President of the Editors-in-Chief Conference and a key initiator of the paper, the Press Council would be the appropriate body to monitor compliance with the charter.
Simply do a good job The following round of speakers from the local press strung together the familiar clichés about newspaper publishing, which provided few concrete insights into how local newspapers should respond to the current challenges and threats posed by electronic media and the moves of the major publishing houses. Essentially, the recipe for survival was limited to Fritz Lötscher, publisher of the twice-weekly Entlebucher Anzeiger, who said that local newspapers simply have to do a good job.
Christine Fivian, editor-in-chief of the Unterländer, sees the threat from a large publishing house (Tamedia) as an enrichment - "competition invigorates" - and Kathrin Spross, third-generation publisher of the Anzeiger der Stadt Kloten, emphasized that even a small "cheese paper" has to write critically about big issues (airport). Finally, Guido Blumer, busy publisher of the Winterthur Stadtblatt, took up the cudgels for the newspaper per se, which with its concentrated offering is always superior to the electronic medium ("I can take a newspaper under my arm").
Publishers pay too little attention to brands The editor-in-chief of Le Matin, Peter Rothenbühler, then gave an example of what a presentation can also be: Namely, the best and most authentic entertainment. Apart from repeated advertising spots for his papers Le Matin and Le Matin bleu ("I don't have any figures with me, but we are way ahead in French-speaking Switzerland"), he said that the free press (Matin bleu and 20 minutes) was eating into the paid newspaper Le Matin far less than had originally been expected. The choice of the same name for both the paid and the free title had proved to be very successful in the case of Le Matin and had strengthened the brand. In general, the publishers were not daring enough with their brands. Rothenbühler sees the success in the fact that Le Matin was a first mover in French-speaking Switzerland with its innovations (e.g. tabloid format). Despite the successes that have been heralded, Rotenbühler also has to slim down. He believes that better journalism is still possible with fewer journalists.
René Worni

In February, the culture magazine Du will be relaunched. It is now published by Persönlich Verlag and is being launched with a completely renewed editorial concept: each issue gives an artist carte blanche. Following a facelift, Du has a fresh new look, with the classic logo as a reference to the magazine's long tradition. In the announcement ad, however, the advertising agency Euro RSCG Zurich does not dramatize the editorial concept or the content. Rather, it demonstrates that the new you (and culture per se) is an omnipresent part of society and that the culture magazine is now back at the heart of the media landscape, according to a press release. True to the motto "The medium is the message", every single "du" syllable in the current issue of Persönlich has been colored bright red. The solution follows on the last page with the headline
"Culture permeates everything". Responsible at Du:
Oliver Prange (publisher), Walter Keller (editor-in-chief). Responsible at Euro RSCG Zurich: Frank Bodin (overall responsibility), Charles Blunier (AD), Alexander Fürer (text).

 
At its Epiphany conference on Wednesday, the Swiss Press Association presented the People’s Choice Award for the 2007 «That Can Only Be an Ad» campaign. Martin Arnold and Beni Haslimeier won with 4,082 votes for their entry «Folding Instructions» (pictured left). Isabelle Hauser came in second with 3,095 votes for her entry «Ad-Free.» The presentation of the People’s Choice Award marks the conclusion of the 2007 «That Can Only Be an Ad» campaign.The public could choose from a total of ten entries, which were featured between spring and fall 2007 in over 120 newspapers and magazines in German- and French-speaking Switzerland. The ten entries were selected by the ADC jury from a total of 86 submissions by young creatives. Each of the ten designs was awarded 5,000 Swiss francs. The jury consisted of Andreas Prokesch (copywriter and copywriting coach, jury president), David Allemann (Vitra), Petra Bottignole (Euro RSCG Zurich), Beat Mühlemann (Migros Cooperative Federation), Uwe Schlupp (Krieg, Schlupp, Bürge/Springer + Jacoby), and Urs Schrepfer (then at Advico Young & Rubicam).
Just like the audience vote, the jury’s choice for best teams also went to Martin Arnold, Beni Haslimeier, and Isabelle Hauser. However, they selected two different winning concepts («Gutschein Glacé» and “Formel E=mc2”). They sent the two teams to BestYET in Paris, a sort of European follow-up to “Das kann nur ein Inserat.” There, Isabelle Hauser, together with Iris Alder, caused a stir with another campaign and placed third among the 36 international creative teams from nine countries.
The Audience's Choice 2007:

1. Martin Arnold, Beni Haslimeier: Folding Instructions (Kids). 4,082 votes
2. Isabelle Hauser: No ads. 3,095 votes
3. Martin Arnold, Beni Haslimeier: Gift Certificate (Ice Cream). 2,630 votes
4. Isabelle Hauser: Formula E=mc². 1,835 votes
5. Jeff Gerber, Barbara Müller: *The Torn Page*. 1,501 votes
6. Leila Kerner, Pablo Sciuscio: True Greatness . 1,273 votes
7. Martin Arnold, Beni Haslimeier: Coupon (HB Zurich). 1,272 votes
8. Daniel Bischof, Daniel Hug: Mailbox. 1,079 votes
9. Martin Arnold, Beni Haslimeier: Mitten in den News (TV). 806 votes
10. Rahel Krabichler, Simon Matz: Refrigerator (Beer). 803 votes
In 2008, the Swiss Press Association’s «That Can Only Be an Ad» campaign will take place for the sixth time. As in 2007, young creative duos will have the chance to submit a concept. The twelve best entries will once again be widely publicized starting in April 2008. In a second step, the top entries will have the opportunity to participate in the international creative competition BestYET 2008 (best Young European Team), this time in Stockholm.

 The founding family of today's Tamedia has extended the shareholders' agreement concluded in 2000 until 2017. The representatives of the fourth and fifth generations of the family, who currently hold around 72 percent of the company's shares, are thus committed to jointly exercising their voting rights in the election of the Board of Directors and in voting on significant transactions. With the extension of the shareholders' agreement, the founding family is expressing its commitment to Tamedia and securing the long-term independence of the Swiss media company through a stable shareholder base, Tamedia announced. At the same time, the 21 participating members of the founding family have confirmed their intention to increase the proportion of freely tradable shares in Tamedia to around 33 percent over the next few years. To this end, around 500,000 existing registered shares are to be made available for further transactions or placed on the market. The targeted increase is a commitment to the capital market and will lead to an increase in the liquidity of Tamedia shares in stock exchange trading, the Group writes further.

 
The Nidwalden online newspaper Onlinequer plans to publish a maximum 20-page electronic newspaper with information from Nidwalden every two weeks in future. The first issue in the new form was published as a PDF on Tuesday. Until now, Onlinequer.ch has managed with very limited resources and a minimal team. Now the newspaper is produced by a four-strong editorial team and other media professionals. During the project phase, the expanded online newspaper will receive financial support from external sponsors, among others, according to the press release. The aim is to have sold so many subscriptions in a few months that the work can be self-financed. An annual subscription costs 75 francs. The reason for the new newspaper is a media policy one: for the makers of Onlinequer, a second newspaper voice alongside the Neue Nidwaldner Zeitung is important, according to the press release. They want to offer an alternative in terms of information, with independent, well-researched and independent articles.