Sacha Wigdorovits is launching ".ch", a new free daily newspaper for German-speaking Switzerland, on September 19. The paper will be published in the morning like the commuter newspaper 20 Minuten, but will not only be distributed but also delivered to households. It will be launched in the cities and conurbations of Zurich, Berne, Basel, Lucerne and St. Gallen, with Winterthur and both shores of Lake Zurich also being served. Regional split editions are published for the individual conurbations. 70 percent of the initial print run of 425,000 copies will be delivered to homes before 7 a.m. and placed in 35,000 newspaper stands at the entrances to properties. Wigdorovits told Werbewoche that he also wanted to reach people who drive to work with this measure. The Basel-based company Direct Mail Company DMC, an associated company of Swiss Post, is responsible for distribution. The other copies will be placed in boxes on the public transport network and distributed by colporteurs.
Wigdorovits told Werbewoche that the advertisements will be handled by the company itself. "A collaboration with Publicitas is not planned at the moment."
".ch" is published in tabloid format and focuses on the three subject areas of news, sport and service/lifestyle. According to the communiqué, the newspaper is primarily aimed at 19 to 59-year-olds, urban men and women interested in current affairs. The newspaper design was created by graphic designers Ralph Schraivogel and Jürg Candrian. The ".ch" logo was developed by Markus Gut and his creative team at the Publicis agency. On the positioning of the paper, Wigdorovits explained: "We clearly want to position ourselves higher than 20 Minuten and Blick." The new free newspaper is not intended to be a tabloid, but a quick-read newspaper with quality.
According to a press release, ".ch" will be launched with an editorial team of 38 and 17 employees. Caroline Thoma, the former publishing director of the Sonntagszeitung, will be the managing director. The editor-in-chief is 44-year-old former business and sports journalist Rolf Leeb, who previously wrote for LNN, Blick, Schweizer Illustrierte and Neue Luzerner Zeitung. Leeb is also a board member of Wigdorovit's consultancy Contract Media. Marcel Siegenthaler will become Deputy Editor-in-Chief. The 39-year-old previously worked for Blick as head of news, editor-in-chief and head of sports. Wigdorovits told Werbewoche that most of the other editorial and publishing positions have been filled, but recruitment is still ongoing. "We want competent people who are prepared to fight".
According to the press release, ".ch" will be politically neutral and will refrain from editorial commentary. However, the concept includes regular columns by external experts. These include Thomas Held, Director of Avenir Suisse, football expert Alain Sutter, actor Stefan Gubser and Oliver Stock, Swiss correspondent for the German business newspaper Handelsblatt. "We want to give ourselves our own face with the columnists," emphasized Wigdorovits. More columnists will be engaged, "people who live up to our claim of making a quality newspaper". It is still unclear whether publicist Kurt W. Zimmermann will be a permanent columnist. He wrote an article for the zero number.
According to the press release, the project is backed by "private investors from Switzerland and abroad". The NZZ am Sonntag assumes that the amount invested is between CHF 50 and 60 million. Five of the investors are also on the Board of Directors of the publishing company that publishes .ch. Hans Ziegler, Chairman of Swisslog and Erb reorganizer, is Chairman of the Board. Other members are Phonak President Andy Rihs, the Viennese publishing manager Michael Grabner, the Vorarlberg publisher Eugen Russ and the former UBS manager Werner Bonadurer. Sacha Wigdorovits, who himself invests in ".ch", is a delegate of the Board of Directors.
It is not yet clear whether media entrepreneur Jürg Marquard is involved. "I'm not saying anything at the moment," Marquard told the NZZ am Sonntag. According to Wigdorovits, in addition to the people on the Board of Directors, there is a group of other investors who do not wish to be named. They are not purely financial investors; they are entrepreneurs. On the one hand, the investors have bought shares, on the other hand they are granting a loan to the new company, whose name is not yet known. Wigdorovits told the NZZ am Sonntag that he wants ".ch" to break even in three to six years.

 On June 25, the German news magazine Spiegel publishes a supplement for Switzerland for the first time. The supplement will be 50 pages long. The articles will report on "small, big Switzerland", Gerhard Spörl told Sonntagsblick. Spörl is responsible for the test edition at Der Spiegel. The articles were researched in particular by three Swiss people in the Spiegel editorial office in Hamburg: Beat Balzli, Mathieu von Rohr and Samiha Shafy. Der Spiegel and the Swiss magazine Facts had previously held talks. According to Sonntagsblick, the German magazine wanted to take over the subscriber addresses of Facts, but this failed due to different price expectations. Facts is currently struggling; according to the Ringier-Sonntagsblatt, the newspaper, which was founded in 1994, made a loss of eight million Swiss francs last year. Editor-in-chief Andreas Durisch did not want to comment on this, however.

 The new free newspaper «.ch» will be competing with the commuter paper 20 Minuten. Sacha Wigdorovits, founder and initiator of the new newspaper, was himself involved in the launch of 20 Minuten. According to media data, the free newspaper published by Tamedia reaches 1,170,000 readers nationwide (MACH 2007-1). The new newspaper is launching with a circulation of 425,000 copies. Wigdorovits believes there is room for another free newspaper. ’I expect them to coexist, not to compete for market share,’ he told Werbewoche. He sees room for growth in both the advertising and readership markets. At the start of the project, he spoke with people from the advertising industry—from agencies and media planning firms, for example. ’Everyone was unanimous in their opinion that there’s still room for a second free morning newspaper,« Wigdorovits continued. However, he has great respect for Tamedia and 20 Minuten: »It won’t be a walk in the park!«.
However, the new newspaper «.ch» will differ from the competition in many ways: Wigdorovits emphasizes that he intends to produce a quality publication. In addition, the goal is to appeal to a broader target audience than the relatively young readership of 20 Minuten: The target audience is 19- to 59-year-olds. By distributing the paper in front of residential buildings, the aim is to reach more drivers and women. Home delivery also means the paper reaches readers sooner.
Media planner Urs Schneider writes in the NZZ am Sonntag that the new free newspaper certainly has potential. In the advertising market, «.ch» will become a serious competitor to regional newspapers. Tages-Anzeiger editor-in-chief Peter Hartmeier shares this view and expects that the major regional newspapers will certainly feel the impact of a new free newspaper in the advertising market. This will intensify competition.

 The 54th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival kicked off on Sunday. Visitors to the festival can not only view the 25,660 works submitted, hope to win one of the coveted Lions or attend one of the numerous parties. There are also workshops on offer. As the organizers announced last week, speakers for these events include Manchester United and Al Gore. So until the end of the festival on June 23, those staying at home can ask themselves whether the Swiss advertisers will not only return home with new inspiration in their heads and Lions in their luggage, but also dribbling and protecting the climate.

 Just over a month ago, the industry portal Mediaforum.ch launched an online poll on the topic of "Mobility in the job market". The survey in the Swiss print and media production sector aimed to find out how willing people are to change jobs. The result was that a majority of 55% of employees are completely or mainly satisfied with their job. However, around 36 percent are prepared to change jobs at the next opportunity. Around 570 people took part in the survey. The detailed survey results can be viewed at .

 The NZZ Group wants to sell Bern-based Radio BE 1. It is looking for a buyer, as Pepe Wiss, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the station, confirmed to the Sonntagszeitung. The reason for the sale of the station, which was launched in 1983 as Radio Förderband, is the Radio and Television Act (RTVA), which came into force on April 1 of this year. This only allows two radio licenses per publishing house. NZZ already owns Radio Aktuell in eastern Switzerland and Radio Pilatus in central Switzerland via its subsidiary Freie Presse Holding. In both regions, NZZ has stakes in the most important press houses. It remains to be seen who will buy the Bern station. BE 1 made a profit of around half a million francs last year and has the most listeners in the capital. Tamedia, publisher of the Sonntagszeitung, also has to sell a radio station due to the new regulations in the RTVA. It will sell the Basel local radio station Basilisk. NZZ and Tamedia have now agreed on a "joint organization of the sales process", as the Sonntagszeitung continues. BE1 and Basilisk are therefore up for sale individually or in a double pack. The media companies intend to write to potential buyers as early as next week.

 
Advertising marketer Goldbach Media's first day on the stock exchange on Friday went well. The shares opened on the SWX Swiss Exchange at 51.05 francs, a good fifth above the issue price of 42 francs. The shares even went out of trading at a price of 57 francs. Both the bank and the company are very satisfied with the IPO, according to SDA, the lead bank Vontobel. Just under 40 percent of Goldbach shares have now been placed with the public.

 Scholz & Friend Zurich is in a champagne mood: At the New York Festivals International Advertising Awards, they took bronze with the "The Foot Massage Sticker" campaign for the Banana Fitness Park. Scholz & Friends received the bronze award in the "Display/Point of Purchase Support" category, as the agency announced on Friday. Scholz & Friends won a further four final places in the categories "Recreation", "Customer Services", "Entertainment" and "Best Illustration".

Thanks to the creative ideas of Publicis, the help of Mobile Technics and probably not least because of the basic federalist disposition of the Swiss, the APG campaign "Switzerland elects a new capital" was a great success. The above-average impact of the measures and a place on the shortlist for the Crossmedia Award 2007 are the just reward.
The innovative combination of different forms of advertising has demonstrably achieved maximum effect and synergies, APG reported in a press release on Friday. A total of 13,547 SMS votes were received from 7,270 people and the website recorded 106,060 page impressions from 49,718 visitors. In addition, the response in the media was above average (of course, Werbewoche
).
Now a thesis at the University of Zurich has taken a closer look at the impact of the campaign. A survey concluded that 83.7 percent of people liked the campaign. In addition, it has now been proven that the campaign was able to increase awareness of e-boards by 15 percent. According to APG, there was a 32% increase in the acceptance of text messages for participation in competitions. But that's not all the good news: The proceeds from the SMS service campaign, no less than CHF 3,500, were handed over to the street magazine Surprise a few days ago.

The product for which the Zurich advertisers have devised an online campaign, on the other hand, should actually go first according to the claim: The Oris TT3 Chronograph luxury watch. But that's not all: Matter & Gretener also designed a fast-paced online campaign for the luxury watch with a titanium case. According to the agency, this includes banners in various formats and is used internationally.

From June 17 to 24, the 54th International Advertising Festival will take place in Cannes. Advertising Week will keep you up to date on shortlist spots and Lions winners. Monday, June 18 Winners:
Shortlist:

Tuesday, June 19 Shortlist:

Winner:

Comments:

Wednesday, June 20

Agency of the Year:
Seminar Report:

 
Thursday, June 21
Shortlist:

Seminar Report:
Friday, June 22

Shortlist:
Seminar Report: 

 The executive of the municipality of Davos, the Small District Council, is demanding a clear commitment to its product from the publisher of the Davos newspaper. This is in response to the departure of the three-member editorial team. Editor-in-chief Hanspeter Turnheer was dismissed at the end of August because the chemistry between the Board of Directors and the editorial team was no longer right, as Turnheer told Radio Grischa last week. Editor Walter Bäni and editor Brigitte Schärer then resigned at their own request. The Small District Council is following this development "with some concern", as the SDA reported on Friday. The sudden exodus of the entire editorial team creates uncertainty about the future of the newspaper. The Small District Council is therefore demanding "a clear commitment to a strong local newspaper and to Davos as a location" from the publisher.