Projekt Ambient Media GmbH from Eastern Switzerland is the first foreign company to be accepted into the German trade association Ambient Media e.V.. The admission was only made possible by an amendment to the articles of association. The Fachverband Ambient Media (FAM) is a non-profit association based in Hamburg. It addresses the concerns of this form of advertising, in which advertising is used in the direct living environment of the target groups. The association has 23 members and awards a quality seal that is intended to contribute to greater transparency and planning security when using ambient media.
The company Projekt Ambient Media is based in Horn and markets fresh shirt advertising, among other things. This involves flyers or product samples being attached to clothes hangers and passed on to customers by dry cleaners.

 At least two applicants are vying for the concession for the Zurich-North-Eastern Switzerland TV coverage area: TeleZüri and Tele Top. Schaffhauser Fernsehen and ZüriPlus, both of which had previously expressed an interest in the license, have refrained from applying (see ). TeleZüri has applied for the Zurich-North-Eastern Switzerland coverage area, as Tamedia spokesperson Christoph Zimmer confirmed at the request of Werbewoche: "TeleZüri has the highest reach of all Swiss regional TV stations, the longest average viewing time and has become an important information medium in Zurich. We assume that Bakom will take this track record into account and grant TeleZüri the license".
Tele Top has also submitted an application for the Zurich-North-Eastern Switzerland region, as station manager Günter Heuberger said. "I consider our chances for the license to be intact," explained Heuberger. "We have extensive experience with program windows and provide a regional public service. In addition, in accordance with Art. 45 Para. 3 of the Radio and Television Act, preference will be given to the applicant who most enriches the diversity of opinion and offerings if the performance mandate is largely equivalent".
Schaffhausen Television did not apply for a license, as editor-in-chief Norbert Neininger said: "There is no license for Schaffhausen alone, and it would not be possible for us to cover the large area of Zurich-North-Eastern Switzerland". Originally, Schaffhausen Television wanted to apply for the license for the Zurich-North-Eastern Switzerland area together with Ringier and IP Multimedia, but Neininger's station decided against this. "After careful consideration, this group with Ringier, IP Multimedia and others did not submit a license application, as the chances were considered too small," said Neininger. Schaffhausen Television has made contact with a number of broadcasters who could be considered for the Zurich-North-Eastern Switzerland license. They talked about a possible collaboration on regional windows and reached an agreement with a potential partner, Neininger continued.
The regional television station ZüriPlus, which broadcasts from Wallisellen, has also decided not to apply for a license. "In our view, the conditions imposed by Bakom simply cannot be met," explained Managing Director Peter Steinmann to Werbewoche. "The Zurich-North-Eastern Switzerland coverage area is completely wrongly constructed: It implies, for example, that Romanshorn belongs more to the Zurich area than Rapperswil!". If only the Zurich region had been put out to tender, the station would have applied, said Steinmann. Now the station wants to go its own way without a license and pursue its own projects.

 Roger Schawinski has submitted two licence applications to the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom) for his new station Radio 1. One concerns the Zurich-Glarus area, the other the greater Zurich area. Schawinski believes that he "optimally fulfills" all the conditions required for the Zurich-Glarus area known as "Room 23", as he explained on Thursday according to SDA. His radio station will broadcast a very high quality program with highly qualified staff. In addition, the station fulfills the criterion of diversity, as it is explicitly aimed at adults.
According to Schawinski, Radio 1 makes a clear contribution to the diversity of opinion required by law. It is also important that Radio 1 is journalistically and economically completely independent and not part of a media group, he continued.
Schawinski has also applied for coverage area 24. This is to be the alternative if Bakom does not award him the contract for area 23.
Radio 24 and Energy Zurich have also applied for area 23. This was confirmed by the spokespersons of Tamedia and Ringier respectively at the request of Werbewoche.

 
AZ Medien Group, which holds a 17.5 percent stake in Solothurn-based Vogt-Schild Holding, is increasing this holding by a further 17.5 percent to 35 percent. The partnership between the AZ Medien Group and the holding company was already significantly strengthened in 2005, according to a press release issued on Thursday. At that time, it was decided to acquire a strong minority stake of 35 percent from Publigroupe in two stages. 17.5 percent went immediately to the AZ Medien Group. The acquisition of the second tranche of 17.5 percent has now been completed by the Boards of Directors of AZ Medien, Vogt-Schild Holding and Publigroupe. Dr. Jürg Schärer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AZ Medien, and Prof. Dr. Georg Müller, member of the Board of Directors of AZ Medien, were newly elected to the Board of Directors of Vogt-Schild Holding. Max Bühlmann, former representative of Publigroupe, will remain on the Board of Directors of Vogt-Schild Holding as an additional representative of the Gottlieb and Hans Vogt Foundation.

Agence Trio from Lausanne and Zurich has developed a concept for the watch brand Marvin to present the new watch collection to the media: Instead of the usual press conference, a converted old Postbus will cross Switzerland and visit the editorial office, according to a press release issued on Thursday. There will be a showroom on board where journalists can discover the watchmaker's latest creations as a preview.

 
On February 1, 2008, Thomas Estermann will take over the newly created position of Publishing Director at the magazine. The previous managing director Res Strehle, who is also deputy editor-in-chief of the Tages-Anzeiger, will concentrate on his tasks at the Tages-Anzeiger and the News and Online News Network projects from May 1, 2008.39-year-old Thomas Estermann has been working for Tamedia since 1999. After five years at Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich and Zürich Express, Estermann joined Facts in 2004 and took over as advertising manager in 2006.
There will also be a change in the magazine's advertising management next year: in summer 2008, the current sales manager Monika Brändli will take over as advertising manager. Long-time advertising manager Fridolin Holdener is retiring.
The magazine is to be integrated into Tamedia's Media Switzerland division. Together with the editorial team under the management of Finn Canonica, Estermann, Holdener and Brändli will continue the course taken by the weekend supplement of Basler Zeitung, Berner Zeitung and Tages-Anzeiger, according to a press release from Tamedia.

The advertising agency In Flagranti, based in Lyss, is gaining new staff: Christin Häller has been supporting the team as a graphic designer since the beginning of December, according to a press release issued on Thursday. Häller has several years of experience in agencies in Eastern Switzerland. She previously completed a graphics course at the School of Design in St. Gallen. The company is looking forward to having her on board and is eagerly awaiting her creative flights of fancy, according to the press release.

 As of January 1, 2008, Marcel Tappeiner will take over as publishing director of the Tages-Anzeiger and overall responsibility for the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich. Until now, Rolf Bollmann, Head of Newspapers Zurich, was directly responsible for the Tages-Anzeiger. In the new corporate structure of the publishing house, Bollmann will head the Media Zurich & Northeastern Switzerland division.
In his new role, Tappeiner will be responsible for the advertising market and the Zurich reader market. Stephan Gartenmann, Publishing Director of the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich, will also report to him.
The 39-year-old Tappeiner has been working for Tamedia since September 2000 and has been Head of the Corporate Management Projects department since 2005. He was previously Publishing Director of the magazine Spick and also ad interim Head of Advertising Market Magazines in 2004. Tamedia will announce his successor in the Projects department "in due course", according to the media group.

 The carousel of license applications continues to turn: LZ Medien also wants to make regional television. On Wednesday, the publishing house submitted an application to operate a new station in Central Switzerland called Tele 1. The operating company Tele 1 AG, in which LZ Medien Holding AG holds a majority stake, is currently being founded. The station is to bear the name Tele 1, as Central Switzerland is historically the first region in Switzerland, according to a press release. Tele 1's programming focuses on information and culture, with a strong emphasis on regional reports. The station is planning its magazines in collaboration with the University of Lucerne and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, among others.
Tele 1 wants to create 75 part-time positions. The training for this will be coordinated by the Swiss School of Journalism MAZ in Lucerne. The station's studios will be located in Lucerne. Some of the programs will also be produced at the Swiss Museum of Transport.
Until now, Tele Tell, which belongs to the AZ Medien Group, has been broadcasting in Central Switzerland. LZ Medien currently holds a minority stake of 6.5 percent in the TV station.

 The social networking platform Facebook is to change a newly introduced advertising program. This is in response to protests from numerous Facebook members who have complained about data protection violations, as reported by SDA on Thursday. Since last November, so-called beacon (lighthouse/flashing light) ads have been displayed on Facebook. These inform members about the activities of their friends on third-party sites. This could be a purchase transaction at an online bookstore, for example, provided the bookstore has concluded a cooperation agreement with Facebook. Many members felt that their privacy had been violated as a result.
In his blog, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg admitted that he had misjudged the reaction of users in connection with the advertising system.
Facebook was founded in 2004 and was initially aimed primarily at students. However, other user groups are now also being reached. According to a study by Emarketer Inc., the advertising market in social networks is expected to grow to 3.6 billion dollars by 2011.

 Roger Schawinski also wants to operate a private station in south-eastern Switzerland, having already announced his plans for radio stations in Zurich and Aargau. Together with Stefan Bühler and Patrick Vogt from Graubünden, the radio pioneer is applying to the Federal Office of Communications for a license for Radio Südost. Stefan Bühler, former editor-in-chief of the Bündner Zeitung, is the owner of Casanova Druck und Verlag in Chur. Patrick Vogt, former program director of Radio Grischa, now works as a media consultant. The new station is intended to break the Graubünden monopoly of the Südostschweiz media group, according to a press release issued by SDA on Thursday.
Radio Südost is planning a regional 24-hour program for the region of south-eastern Switzerland, covering the cantons of Graubünden and Glarus as well as the St. Gallen Oberland. In terms of information, the focus will be on regional news. To this end, a network of correspondents is to be set up in five external studios.
The Italian and Rhaeto-Romanic languages should also be included. The contribution to the free formation of opinion is made through the high proportion of information. In addition, political, economic, cultural, social and topics from the world of sport will be addressed in a controversial manner, the press release continues.
Hanspeter Lebrument's Südostschweiz Mediengruppe, which is under attack from Radio Südost, currently operates the private radio stations Grischa and Engiadina and holds a TV license for Tele Südostschweiz. The radio and TV licenses are being put out to tender again by the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom).

 With ZüriLive, Zurich is to receive a radio station that focuses on fast information. RadioJay AG is applying for an FM radio license in Zurich with the station, as it announced. According to Managing Director Oliver Flueckiger, ZüriLive will break away from the traditional program grid of a radio station and broadcast the news exactly when it is relevant. A short news block will be broadcast on the hour and half hour, with mobile reporters transmitting reports live to the studio in between. The information offered will be supplemented with music suitable for the majority. The program is aimed at 15 to 39-year-olds. If ZüriLive is awarded a license for area 24 (Zurich), it is expected to start broadcasting at the beginning of 2009, according to the press release. Giuseppe Scaglione and Roger Schawinski are also applying for the same license area. RadioJay AG already holds a DAB+ license for the digital radio station RadioJay.