The private broadcasting window of Swiss sports television is changing channels. The events prepared by Sportfernsehen will now be shown on Star TV instead of U1 TV. This is in response to the decision by Bakom (see ""), which allowed Cablecom to remove U1 TV from its analog offering. This is practically the death blow for the local channel, even if the ruling is not yet legally binding due to a super-provisional injunction. Cablecom must keep U1 on its cable network until January 7. What will happen after that is uncertain.Star TV had previously specialized primarily in the areas of film, lifestyle and entertainment. Sports TV productions are now to be integrated into the channel's previously rather sparse sports offering.
The collaboration ensures that the partnerships between Swiss sports television and the sports associations and organizers can be implemented, according to a statement. The two contractual partners intend to announce more detailed information on the collaboration in January.
Swiss sports television is supported by a group of investors led by former national councillor and Buureradio operator Peter Weigelt.

 The fact that the world today is indeed a village should be known to anyone who knows what is behind the words Skype and Google Earth. However, the fact that this village is called Davos at the end of January and is only accessible to those who earn at least 100 billion dollars a year is still part of the game. However, the less well-off part of the global village no longer has to put up with this so easily. "We want to show the powerful of the world the muscles of YouTube," explained YouTube's Head of European Marketing to Pressetext and, in view of the next forum with the theme "The Power of Shared Innovation", activated a channel that allows users to get in touch with the world's powerful through their own videos. As part of the project "The Davos Question", everyone is invited to comment in their own short film on the question: "What is the most important thing that countries, companies and individuals should do to make the world a better place in 2008?" The most original videos will then be shown in Davos and used in the plenary sessions of the WEF to introduce the topics. However, as user "Headcrap Zombie", for example, recognized behind his huge mask, a real dialogue is not possible. Perhaps this is why many use the channel as an experimental field for cabaret interludes.

 The Art Directors Club for Germany has extended the submission deadline for the 2008 ADC Festival competition by one week: entries for the creative competition can be submitted until January 11. Since 2007, works from Switzerland and Austria have also been admitted to the competition. Last year, Swiss creatives submitted 111 entries (see ). Walker and Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett were delighted to receive prizes in the form of finished nails. Anyone who wants to win a prize in 2008 can apply online at Adc.de. The award ceremony will take place on April 12 in Berlin.

 The current structural change in the media is having a lasting impact on the practice of public relations. This is the result of a study conducted by the University of Leipzig together with the German Association of Public Relations Agencies. Twenty-two decision-makers from companies such as ABB, McDonald's, Procter & Gamble and Microsoft were surveyed. According to the results, the linking of strategy and communication as well as the selection of suitable instruments for differentiated target groups is becoming more difficult, as the University of Leipzig reported. The classic focus on press relations, corporate publishing and events will no longer be sufficient in the future. However, PR people have recognized the growing importance of active recipients and the creeping decline of print media. According to study author Prof. Dr. Ansgar Zerfass, what is needed is genuine dialog competence, but it is not enough to simply switch to online communication and social networks.
The study identifies six key challenges for communications agencies: PR service providers can meet the needs of clients if they become trend scouts and guides for media change. In addition, they must enable dialog competence across all channels and expand their expertise in moving image and face-to-face communication. PR people should raise the profile of their specialist knowledge, make communication processes and impact chains comprehensible and become genuine sparring partners for strategy and communication.

 With this issue, the Werbewoche Newsmail returns from the Christmas break. We wish you a happy and successful new year. Thank you for your interest and we look forward to providing you with news from the advertising and communications industry in 2008.

 The year 2008, which has just begun, brings a reunion with Sarah Kuttner and Marco Rima on German TV channels. However, Kuttner fans can only admire their star on pay TV: The ex-MTV presenter is hosting the "Slam Tour mit Kuttner" on the pay channel Sat.1 Comedy. In eight episodes for the time being, Kuttner visits "poetry slam" events in German cities where undiscovered speaking and writing talents entertain the audience with live presentations. Rima gets his chance on free TV: he is given his own comedy show on Sat.1, which is simply called "The Marco Rima Show" in honor of the prankster. During the 30-minute program, there will be stand-up segments as well as one-act sketches. Rima is also on the road as a trapper with a hidden camera. The show marks the Swiss broadcaster's return to Sat.1: from 1996 to 1999, he was part of the "Wochenschau" ensemble.

 A paedophile who is currently in prison has had his complaint against the coverage of his case in Blick and Sonntagsblick rejected by the Press Council. The man in custody had complained that the articles had violated his human dignity and spread falsehoods. In Blick, the man was described as the "worst abuser of boys in Switzerland". However, it was clear to the readership that this questionable label was to be classified as a judgment. The critical assessment of the man's autobiography was also permissible. Anyone who goes public with an autobiography must expect that the author and his background will also be discussed critically by the media, argued the Press Council. 

 German presenter Johannes B. Kerner regrets how the infamous show went last October, which Eva Herman left prematurely. He had "only wanted the best" with the show, said the talk show host in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung. However, "the right thing didn't come out of it". He had made the wrong decision at the time: "When Eva Herman wanted to leave, I could have said: No, no, stay here. Nobody gets kicked out here. There's enough room back there," explained Kerner. He wanted to talk to Herman about the role of mothers in society. He only wanted to deal with the presenter and author's controversial statements about the Nazi era as an introduction. The show did not develop as he had assumed: "The mistake was that we didn't think the show through to the end editorially. We didn't have such a reaction from her in mind," says Kerner.
In the same interview, the presenter also announced that he wanted to give up his cooking show and concentrate more on sports reporting instead.

Mathis Lüdin, publisher of the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (bz), explains the reasons behind the sale of his newspaper to AZ Medien. He also discusses the role the Basler Zeitung played in this decision. Werbewoche: Mr. Lüdin, in your press release, you describe the partnership with the MittellandZeitung, which began in September 2006, as a success. Based on what criteria? Mathis Lüdin: Our newspaper has gained immensely in terms of content through this partnership. We’re now playing in the big leagues. We have a national section that I could never have imagined achieving on my own. In return, we’ve been able to focus on the regional section—which has also benefited the newspaper. Quantitatively, we also offer a larger volume thanks to numerous special features—even if not all readers appreciate this. And we’re part of a group with extensive expertise in all areas.
WW: How did the bz fare in the classifieds sector? Lüdin: We were able to fully tap into the national classifieds market. As a result, we now also feature the full-page ads from Migros and other clients we didn’t have before. The MZ job market is also surprisingly large and, commercially speaking, far more interesting than the previous joint venture with the Basler Zeitung’s (BaZ) “Stellefant.” That said, I would still very much like to have the “Stellefant” ads because they are more closely tied to our region. But from a purely financial standpoint, the MZ job section is significantly better.
WW: Be honest: How did the volume of ads from the bz’s core market develop in 2007? Lüdin: There was definitely some cannibalization here. That’s because some advertisers from the national market—whom we previously had directly and at our own bz rates—now come to us only through the MZ and at completely different rates. Aldi, for example, opened a store in Lausen and ran a full-page ad twice a week in the bz—at full price. Since we switched to the MZ, they’ve been booking through the MZ—and the bz now only receives a share of about 10 percent. That’s the downside. Overall, we gained significantly more volume at a lower price. But at the end of the day, it more than pays off.
WW: Can you quantify this increase a bit? Lüdin: Compared to 2006, our net-net advertising revenue increased by about 25 to 30 percent.
WW: So far, the bz’s circulation and reach have remained stable. But this year, we added the Sunday edition and raised the subscription price by 10 percent. Will you lose subscribers? Lüdin: Yes, in the per-thousand range. We also receive new or trial subscription orders every day. Subscription cancellations are currently slightly outnumbering new subscriptions. But the final tally won’t be in until February, because in January, we expect some people whose BaZ subscriptions are expiring to switch to us. Interest—partly because of the Sunday edition—is very high. In addition, many people realize that while the bz, at 368 francs, is more expensive than the BaZ, which costs 347 francs, with the bz they also receive a Sunday edition that can certainly hold its own against the Sunday editions of Tamedia or the NZZ, as well as a TV guide.
WW: What impact did the BaZ's large print run (GA) have this year? Lüdin: That's hard to say. It certainly made the market more nervous.
WW: Did she cost the bz readers or advertisers? Lüdin: Not noticeably. She probably struck a few deals with advertisers and offered perks and free space. Overall, she took a very aggressive approach. But our regular advertisers didn’t seem too impressed by it. We only lost a few, though.
WW: Even though the BaZ-GA costs only half as much as the bz, with nearly the same circulation? Lüdin: That did make advertisers a bit suspicious at first. They figured that 90,000 copies of the GA are 90,000 copies of the GA—so why should they pay twice as much for the bz as they do for the BaZ? But we say: Our GA has 111,000 verified readers, while the BaZ-GA, as a newcomer, is likely to reach barely more than 0.6 readers per issue—that is, only about half the bz’s reach. In that respect, our higher price is entirely justified. Many customers have come to see that as well.
WW: Why did you sell the bz right now? Lüdin: The timing is more or less coincidental. But we realized that the market today is much tougher than we had imagined three years ago. I’ll just mention three key points that illustrate this: free newspapers, the “Sonntag” project, and the online sector. The chances of survival for a medium-sized regional newspaper have gotten even worse. That’s why we decided to sell the entire company—and thereby establish clear ownership structures.
WW: You could also look at it this way: The bz has reached a temporary peak. The growth rates in the advertising sector—thanks to the merger with the MZ—will certainly not be repeated in 2008, and the situation in the subscription sector is, at the very least, uncertain. So the real MZ adventure is only just beginning for the bz. You’ve therefore chosen the right moment to hand over primary responsibility. Lüdin: The pace over the last three years has been tremendous. Everything happened in rapid succession: first the merger with the MZ, then the Sunday edition, and now we’re looking for a response to the free newspaper News. All of that—and the associated risks—naturally accelerated the decision on our end. In that sense, I’d say: The timing—given the circumstances—is certainly not bad, and it forced AZ Medien to show its true colors. In any case, I’m convinced that if the bz belongs 100 percent to them, they’ll take better care of it than if we were still holding onto half of it. We’ve found, so to speak, an ideal combination: The ownership structure has been clarified, but the publisher, the team, and the printing—everything remains as it was. With one downside: The newspaper no longer belongs to us.
WW: What has the ownership structure of Basellandschaftliche Zeitung AG actually looked like up to now? Lüdin: The Lüdin family—consisting of my brother Alex, myself, and four other people—owns a good two-thirds of the shares.
WW: Did you sell exclusively for cash, or did you also receive shares in AZ Medien? Lüdin: No. It was a straight sale.
WW: Did the Basler Zeitung Medien’s behavior prompt your decision to finally sell to Peter Wanner? Lüdin: No. The BZM is reacting to us, not the other way around. But in reality, they aren’t reacting at all—they’re being controlled remotely from Zurich.
WW: The bz was founded 175 years ago as a Basel-Landschaft newspaper—amid the turmoil surrounding Basel’s separation. Today, however, the two Basel half-cantons are closer than ever, both politically and economically. Selling the bz to Basel would have symbolically underscored this—especially at Christmas. Don’t you think you missed a historic opportunity there? Lüdin: No. When two newspapers with overlapping geographic coverage collaborate, it sooner or later leads to a single newspaper. That’s the difference from the MZ model: there, we had no overlap. Take a look at the mastheads of the Berner Zeitung—they may still look a bit different, but essentially it’s the same paper throughout. In short: with the BaZ, we would have given up our own newspaper.
Markus Knöpfli

 The Tamedia media group is selling a further division of its subsidiary Huber & Co: the Frauenfeld-based book publisher Huber will be transferred to Orell Füssli Verlag on January 1, 2008. The publishing house, which was founded in 1809 and has around 200 available titles, will continue to operate as an independent program division within Orell Füssli Verlag at the Frauenfeld site, as Tamedia announced. All employees will be taken over and the central functions will be merged. According to the announcement, the purchase will be made in cash and the parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The almost two-hundred-year-old publishing house Huber has a range of non-fiction books in the fields of history, linguistics, cultural history, communication and militaria. One pillar of the range is works specific to Thurgau. The takeover by Orell Füssli should ensure that the publishing house continues to produce books largely independently in the future.
Tamedia acquired the company Huber & Co. in 2005 (see
). The Zurich publishing house had already sold parts of it last September: the commercial printing division of Huber Printpack and the magazine publishing division of Huber & Co (see ).

 The Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (bz) is to be sold to the AZ Medien Group. This was decided by the shareholders of BZ. This step is intended to secure the future of the daily newspaper. In the opinion of the shareholders, it would have been difficult to go it alone in economic independence, the two parties announced on Friday. The sale was triggered by the cooperation that the bz has maintained with the Mittelland Zeitung since 2006. Even after the takeover by AZ Medien, the current shareholders want the newspaper to remain an independent journalistic voice for Baselland. Mathis Lüdin will continue to act as Chairman of the Board of Directors of bz. He will remain associated with the newspaper as publisher. In addition to Lüdin, the following persons will join the Board of Directors: Peter Wanner, Board Delegate (new), Dr. Beat Guldimann (current), Alex Lüdin (current), Dr. Jürg Schärer (new).
The bz editorial team will be headed by editor-in-chief Thomas Dähler. Lüdin AG (printing plant, real estate, stationery, photo and book trade) remains in the possession of the family shareholders. It will continue to print the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung.
The Basellandschaftliche Zeitung has a circulation of 22,579 copies and reaches 58,000 readers. A large circulation of 84,227 copies is published on Wednesdays, reaching 108,000 readers. Since September 2007, the paper, which has been integrated into the Mittelland Zeitung network, has also been published on the seventh day of the week, as Sonntag bz.

 It was a brief guest appearance: Zurich SVP cantonal councillor Claudio Zanetti is already leaving the Trimedia communications agency. They are parting "by mutual agreement at the end of the year", Trimedia announced in a brief press release. For Zanetti, the move into consultancy work after many years in active politics proved to be more difficult than expected. As Zanetti told SDA on request, he had to represent mandates that went against the grain. He sees his professional future more in the political-publicistic direction again. Zanetti only joined Trimedia in October. He was party secretary of the SVP in the canton of Zurich for eight years. He left the party secretariat in the middle of the year, but is still a cantonal councillor.