The "Ein Dorf nimmt ab" format broadcast by Swiss television is being sold abroad several times. As SF announced in a press release on Monday, the Basel-based production company Allcomm has succeeded in selling its format to four European and one US broadcaster. For these purposes, Allcomm has signed an international distribution deal with the British company All3media. All3media is the UK's largest independent television distribution and production company. It has offices in Holland, Germany, the USA and New Zealand. All3media's main shareholder is the private equity firm Permira, and the format, which will be called "Village on a diet" in English, involves an entire village deciding to slim down together. The series was broadcast in spring 2007 as part of "SF bi de Lüt" with the village of Eglisau.

 On Monday, Swiss television launched its new four-language high-definition channel HD Suisse. The channel offers television at the cutting edge of technological development. HD suisse broadcasts in widescreen format, with surround sound and a picture resolution almost five times higher than conventional television channels. The new channel will give broadcasters the opportunity to gradually prepare for the routine broadcasting of their programs in HD quality in 2012, according to a press release. The channel currently offers a potpourri program made up of parts of all SRG channels. This includes live sport, events, top programs and additional international HD productions. The primetime offerings between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. vary thematically depending on the day of the week: Documentaries on Monday, TSR offerings on Tuesday, TSI on Wednesday and SF and TvR on Thursday. Concerts and operas are on the program on Friday, feature films and series at the weekend. The first highlight of the HD suisse program offering will be the broadcast of the Spengler Cup at the end of December. Next year, the focus will be on broadcasting the Euro 08 matches.
The technical requirements for receiving HB suisse are an HD-capable television with an integrated or external HD receiver (set-top box). HD suisse can only be received digitally via satellite and cable.
Most of the approximately 250 Swiss cable TV companies are now distributing the new channel via their networks. This means that more than two million households across the country can already receive television in high-definition quality, the association Swisscable announced in a press release on Monday. In addition to HD suisse, most cable TV companies offer the programs Sat.1 HD, Pro7 HD, Anixe HD and Astra HD. Further channels are to be switched on as soon as they are available.

On November 1, 2007, Claudio Lumbiarres took up his position as product manager in the acquisitions department of Star Plakat. This division of the Zurich-based poster company specializes in the purchase and construction of poster sites. The 22-year-old Lumbiarres previously worked as an internal sales assistant at Publiconnect. He gained further media experience during his apprenticeship at Publicitas Zurich. Star Plakat claims to be the Swiss market leader in petrol station advertising.

 The Federal Council elections will take place on December 12, which will be explosive due to the controversial re-election of Federal Councillor Blocher and the Greens' demands for their own seat. The private broadcaster 3+ is getting involved in political reporting on the occasion of this election and is presenting a 30-minute "Elephant Round Table" with the party leaders of the SVP, SP, FDP and CVP four days beforehand. The two outgoing party presidents Hans-Jürg Fehr (SP) and Ueli Maurer (SVP) will engage in a verbal exchange of blows with FDP President Fulvio Pelli and CVP Vice President and Councillor of States Bruno Frick from the canton of Schwyz. The political talk show entitled "Hickhack unter der Bundeshauskuppel - Wer bleibt, wer muss gehen?" will be hosted by former "Arena" presenter and FDP National Councillor Filippo Leutenegger. With this program, 3+ wants to make a contribution to the formation of public opinion, according to a press release. Polittalk is presented in cooperation with Wahlen.ch and will be broadcast on Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 6.10 p.m. on 3+.

This week, the exchange of blows in the free newspaper landscape, which has already been branded a newspaper war, will enter a new round with the launch of News. There are already around 1,500 boxes for the new paper. However, they present themselves in a completely unwarlike manner, namely in innocent white. Since Peter Wanner's letter campaign at the latest (see ), we know that some publishers still see the latest newspaper offspring as a wolf in sheep's clothing. The fact that Tamedia & Co. have dressed their new bride in white will probably do little to change this. However, the innocence of the news box at Zurich's main railway station was not stolen by the angry publisher from Aargau, but by passers-by who use the dispenser as a container for empty cigarette packets, paper faggots and used kebab wrappers. It remains to be seen whether the paper, which launches on Wednesday, will bring more content.

 49-year-old radio and parliamentary editor Rolf Camenzind is to become the new Head of Communications at the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO). He succeeds Hardi Gysin, who is retiring at the end of the year. Camenzind earned his journalistic spurs at the Luzerner Tagblatt, the Schweizerische Politische Korrespondenz (SPK) and the Solothurner Zeitung before joining Radio DRS in 1988. Since 2004, he has been reporting on domestic political issues as Federal Parliament Editor. He will take over from Hardi Gysin at the FSIO on March 1, 2008, as announced by the Federal Office.

Zurich toy retailer Pastorini focuses on high-quality products. Instead of electronics and plastic, the traditional store focuses on education and wood. With the help of its new advertising partner JWT+H+F, Pastorini now wants to emphasize these virtues even more strongly. "Toys for a better world" is the new claim, which is intended to advertise the toys made from local wood, which are harmless to health and conducive to children's development. The poster campaign developed for this purpose shows the next generation of do-gooders making intensive use of Pastorini products. In addition to the posters, the pre-Christmas advertising campaign is complemented by a direct mailing in which the essence of meaningful toys from the Pastorini range of around 10,000 products is presented. The target group is the so-called "karma capitalists". In other words, people who like to afford good and expensive products and live as ecologically as possible to ease their conscience. The core target group are "karma capitalists" with children between the ages of 0 and 6 who are either their own or are to be given presents. Their addresses were filtered out of Pastorini's customer base and expanded to include addresses of potential buyers in the catchment area of the two Pastorini stores in Zurich City and Dübendorf.
According to a press release, the poster campaign and direct mailing are intended to correct Pastorini's woody image. Modern design combined with the depiction of natural play situations allows the traditional Zurich toy store to appear in a new light.
Responsible at JWT+H+F:
Remy Fabrikant (overall responsibility); Mike Krüll (creative director); Mike Krüll , Joni Müller (text), Isa McInnes, Valentina Hermann, Roland Buob (art direction); Vanessa Lehmann-Spalleck, Franco Elsener (consulting), Juventino Mateo (people photography), Harry Burst (product photography), Roland Buob (graphics) Responsible at Pastorini Spielzeug AG:
Christa Pastorini (Owner/Managing Director), Felix Schumacher (Owner/Managing Director), Monika Meier (Head of Catalog Department).

 Giuseppe Scaglione declares war on Roger Schawinski: The Radio 105 founder is bidding with the station RMC Züri for the advertised FM frequency of Radio Tropic. The plan is to offer a 24-hour full program aimed at
30 to 60-year-olds who do not feel served by the existing mainstream FM offering in Zurich, Scaglione's company Music First Network announced. RMC
Züri is to be built on the basis of Scaglione's Radio Monte Carlo, which has been broadcasting via cable for almost two years. The broadcasters will submit a corresponding license application to the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom) next Wednesday. RMC Züri is applying for the frequency of Radio Tropic, as this station is practically starting from scratch following the takeover of Roger Schawinski and therefore "cannot claim any customary rights or protection of its existence", the press release continues. The station will offer a 24-hour program for Zurich and is aimed at a modern, high-earning and above-average educated audience. The program will focus on the lifestyle of this target group. The music mix will consist of contemporary and sophisticated pop music mixed with "sound pearls from years gone by". RMC
Züri wants to present music styles that would have no place on commercial hit radio. In this respect too, the station's plans sound similar to those of Roger Schawinski. In the word section, RMC wants to
According to the communiqué, Züri will take a different approach to most of its competitors and, for example, completely dispense with "suckerism", radio plays or comedy elements. Hourly news, daily info magazines, discussion programs and reports on specific topics are planned. RMC Züri plans to employ around 30 people, half of them in the editorial department. Giuseppe Scaglione considers the chances of obtaining a license to be intactScaglione rejects the accusation that he is copying the programming of Schawinski's station Radio 1: "If anything, it's the other way round: with Radio Monte Carlo, we have long been producing the programming that RMC Züri is now also based on. He and his team want to adapt the Radio Monte Carlo program for Zurich. "What's more, we're not just targeting adults, we're focusing on lifestyle," Scaglione tells Werbewoche.
He considers his chances of receiving the license to be intact: "The race is still completely open. The Federal Office of Communications will examine the applications received and then decide - anyone could win the race". He wonders why Schawinski is so sure that it will receive the license. "We will only employ people once we have actually been awarded the license," explains Scaglione. The radio man left open whether he also wants to submit a license application for his station Radio 105. But it seems quite possible.
Roger Schawinski finds the concept cheeky "It's a bit cheeky how Giuseppe Scaglione wants to copy our "adults only" concept for Radio 1 subito," Roger Schawinksi told Werbewoche about Scaglione's plans.
"It's a shame that he couldn't come up with an original idea of his own". Scaglione had been fighting for years for the Zurich youth frequency, a segment in which he actually had a track record and on which he should concentrate. Now he is making a strange U-turn, Schawinksi continued: "I find this somewhat baffling, especially as he has no comparable journalistic track record to back up his grandiose announcements". Scaglione had recently asked Schawinski whether he would like to call his station Radio Monte Carlo, which the Radio 1 founder thought was more of a
"not quite a successful joke". "And now he's actually coming up with this project himself! I'm beginning to wonder what foreign interests and financing are behind his undertakings," explains Schawinski.

On December 6, the first G-Star flagship store in Switzerland opens its doors in Zurich. JWT+H+F was entrusted with the entire opening communication. The Zurich-based creatives opted for a cross-media solution and pulled out various stops: firstly, they recruited models for G-Star fashion shows. JWT+H+F created a flyer for this, which was distributed in Zurich clubs. The young models were able to register on a specially created microsite. The fashion shows then took place in Zurich clubs on several Saturdays. The flyer designed by JWT+H+F to publicize the opening on 6.12.07 was distributed among the spectators at the fashion shows. Another step in the opening communication was a guerrilla fashion show: A fashion show was held in downtown Zurich a week before the opening, with the streets of Zurich serving as a catwalk. The guerrilla fashion show was accompanied by a film team that not only filmed the models, but also the reactions of passers-by. The film about the guerrilla campaign can also be seen on the G-Circle.ch website and will also be shown on monitors at the store opening, as the size of the store does not allow a fashion show. A media cooperation with Radio Energy is in place for the entire opening: Zurich's local radio station is providing editorial coverage. At the same time, a radio spot designed by JWT+H+F and produced by Energy will be broadcast, highlighting the opening date.
Responsible at G-Star:

Kerstin Walser. Responsible at JWT+H+F: Remy Fabrikant (overall responsibility), Mike Krüll (creative director, text), Isa McInnes (art direction), Franco Elsener (consulting), Sebastian Day, Christian Wirz (graphics). Pulse (Internet).

 He has been advertising his bedding for ages: The commercial with Mr. Fischer from the Fischer bedding factory in Wädenswil has become a cult spot over the years. Since the early days of TeleZüri, the owner of the factory has personally praised his quality bedding in the anachronistic commercial, the production of which customers can follow at any time by telephone appointment. Now the cult advertising figure Fischer has found a copycat. Beat Gattiker, owner of the Zurich-based winter sports specialist Snowboard Garage, has imitated the presentation and wording of his Wädenswil role model in a tongue-in-cheek commercial created in collaboration with the BMB agency. You can get a good snowboard from him for as little as 300 francs, and the boots are guaranteed to be made from the fur of dead animals, Gattiker proudly advertises, echoing Fischer's statements. The commercial can now be seen for a few days on TeleZüri. 
 

 
 
Responsible at Snowboard Garage:
Beat Gattiker (owner), Daniel Wattenhofer, Daniel Piccolruaz. Responsible at BMB:
Flavio Meroni and Stefan Ehrler (creation), Marion Schwager (consulting). Production: Natascha Meislitzer and Heinrich Reinacher (Markenfilm (Schweiz) AG). Director: Marco Lutz. Camera: Lukas Franz. Editing: Andy Ncube. Sound/music: Martin Stäheli (Kirschner Music).

 NZZ Verlag intends to source advertising for all titles from one agency from 2008. As a result of this change in strategy, the NZZ Folio budget will switch from Ruf Lanz to Publicis, which already advertises for NZZ, NZZ am Sonntag and NZZ Online. NZZ Folio was Ruf Lanz's first well-known client. It joined the creative agency shortly after it was founded in 2001, according to a press release. According to Markus Ruf and Danielle Lanz, the budget therefore "also has an emotional value".
NZZ Folio publishing director Ueli Oswald emphasizes that they were very satisfied with Ruf Lanz's work. The NZZ Folio campaigns by Ruf Lanz have won around 20 awards. These include gold, silver and bronze from the Art Directors Club Switzerland, the Golden and Silver Ear and nominations in New York, London and Cannes.

 Swiss television ended its big Sunday evening show "Die grössten Schweizer Hits" with dream ratings. The final show was watched by 1,158,000 people. This corresponds to a market share of 49.4 percent. The ratings were even higher when the winning song was announced: 1,416,000 viewers watched as "Dr Schacher Seppli" by Ruedi Ryman was crowned the biggest Swiss hit of 2007. However, Swiss television did not break a record with these viewing figures: the highest ratings to date for a Swiss production were achieved in mid-October by the film "Die Herbstzeitlosen" with an average market share of 58.2 percent for the entire length of the film (see
The six hit programs presented by Sven Epiney and the chattering team of experts Kilchsberger, Thurnher and Jordi achieved an average audience share of 42.5 percent, which corresponds to 936,000 viewers. This puts the series on a par with the casting show MusicStar. This was watched by an average of 1,047,000 people, Swiss television announced in a press release on Monday.