The previous granting of distance-independent preferential prices at the post office and the special promotion of small-circulation titles should cost the Confederation CHF 80 million a year. The Council of States is maintaining this, but unlike the National Council, it wants to focus on the special promotion of small-circulation titles and part of the member press. According to the Swiss Press Association in its communiqué, the indirect promotion of the distribution of press titles throughout Switzerland at favorable conditions is a proven and important means of state policy for maintaining press diversity in Switzerland. Swiss Post has repeatedly announced that it will raise the price level for delivery accordingly if the contributions to press subsidies are reduced.
The Swiss Press Association fears an increase in price pressure, particularly on small and medium-sized titles, which would not be adequately offset by the special subsidy. The association is demanding that any federal subsidies that may be lost should not be passed on to publishers, as was the case at the end of the 1990s.

Publigroupe subsidiary Web2com is launching a new online planning tool in consultation with Net-Metrix to replace the old "MA Comis-Onlineplaner". The background to this is the introduction of a new research model regarding Internet use in Switzerland, which was realized with the founding of the research company Net-Metrix (see "Net-Metrix AG founded"
). Web2com's planning tool will enrich the information published by the new research company with additional data such as advertising formats or prices. This means that the tool can in turn be used by agencies and advertising clients for professional online media planning, according to a press release.
The new Internet research from Net-Metrix comprises four research modules: Net-Metrix Audit (authenticated access data on sites), Net-Metrix Profiles (information on site users for media planning), Net-Metrix Tracking (strategic tool in the Internet sector) and Net-Metrix Base (basic information on general Internet use). These modules are comparable to the online research already used in Germany by the AG für Onlineforschung. The May data of the Net-Metrix-Audit was published last Friday (see
). Before Net-Metrix was founded, Wemf published data on online usage. In the past, Web2com had additionally enriched this data (advertising formats, prices, gross and net reach, GRP, OTS) and integrated it into the "MA Comis Onlineplaner" planning tool.

 After viewers of "Schlag den Raab" had already proven a full five hours of seat leather on Saturday night to see if Raab would be defeated by his opponent, the show broke off in the middle of a question. Imagine that: It's long past midnight, for hours viewers had already been holding out in front of the flicker box, and connoisseurs of the show unanimously concluded it had been one of the most exciting - ever. But shortly before the finale, the coitus interruptus occurred: in the middle of a question, the show broke off, and instead viewers got to see the preview of "Ball & Chain," an action comedy from 2002. Swiss viewers never found out whether candidate Peter was able to defeat the TV presenter, while in Germany the show ended as normal. The Swiss were cheated out of the end because of the proverbial Swiss punctuality: Raab was already 90 minutes behind schedule, which is quite considerable and clearly too much for the program designers at Pro Sieben Switzerland. What's too much is too much. And so Swiss viewers were unable to watch challenger Peter pocket a million euros. They were also unable to vent their anger directly, as only the telephone answering machine at Pro Sieben Schweiz answered the phone. That, at least, is understandable from the point of view of those responsible for Pro Sieben Schweiz.

 The Swiss-American provider of Internet television, Zattoo IPTV, has entrusted Goldbach Media with the online marketing of its programs in Switzerland. Goldbach is thus expanding its range of convergent electronic media.  
With good picture quality and a large selection of channels, Zattoo currently offers 350,000 registered users a real supplement to conventional television. The Internet channel offers over 50 national, international and global TV channels. With immediate effect, Goldbach Media is taking over the marketing of the innovative advertising opportunities on Zattoo. In a press release issued on Friday, Goldbach describes the optimal placement as five to seven-second commercials that are played while switching from one channel to another. The spot is supplemented by an interactive area that allows the viewer to interact directly with the advertiser's product or offer. Internet targeting also makes it possible to address specific target groups: Zattoo users' profile details can be used to take thematic environments into account, meaning that a tour operator can, for example, book all placements in a travel or tourism program. With Zattoo, one of the leading providers of peer-to-peer Internet TV, Goldbach Media is offering IPTV advertising opportunities in Switzerland for the first time. According to Martin Radelfinger, Head of Business Development at Goldbach, this is an ideal complement to traditional TV advertising. The combination of TV and Internet opens up new, interesting advertising formats and advertising processes for customers and agencies.

 A scandal at the Davos newspaper: because the chemistry between the editorial team and the board of directors is no longer right, the paper is losing its entire three-person editorial team. At least that's what outgoing editor-in-chief Hanspeter Thurnherr told Radio Grischa. 
After the Board of Directors of Buchdruckerei Davos AG (Budag) terminated Thurnherr's employment with the Davos newspaper at the end of August after three years, editor Brigitte Schärer and editor Walter Bäni are now also throwing in the towel. According to the SDA, Schärer will officially continue to work for the twice-weekly local paper until the end of September. Editor Walter Bäni has not been working for some time for health reasons and will not be returning to the editorial office.

 Gérard Tschopp was unanimously elected to the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting of Swiss Txt on June 6.  
Tschopp graduated in political science from the University of Geneva and went on to study law and economics. In 1977, he turned to journalism and worked at RSR, where he became head of the information department in 1984. He has been Director of RSR since 1999. The Board of Directors of Swiss Txt is now made up as follows: Ingrid Deltenre (Director SF DRS, Chairwoman), Gilles Marchand (Director Télévision Suisse Romand TSR, Vice-Chairman), Willi Burkhalter (Central Secretary SRG SSR Idée Suisse) and Gérard Tschopp (Director Radio Suisse Romand RSR).

 On 5 June, the "Verein Job" and the "Nahtstelle", both organizations for the professional integration of young people in the canton of Zurich, announced their merger at a panel event in Sihlcity. The successor organization is called "Impulsis", and Wirz is responsible for its new name and visual identity.  
The brief for Wirz's creative team was the organization's objective: "By offering alternatives, we give young people who are unable to find an apprenticeship after leaving school the impetus not to lose motivation," André Willi, Managing Director of Impulsis, is quoted as saying in Wirz's press release. The simple logo, which is supplemented with the claim "Berufsintegration. Comprehensive." will be used on all of the organization's communication materials in future.

The French-speaking Swiss media group Edipresse is focusing on luxury and watches. To this end, it is founding a new, internationally oriented multimedia unit called Edipresse Luxes. Edipresse Luxes focuses on magazines, the Internet and event communication. The unit offers integrated solutions in the watch industry's most important export markets. Edipresse Luxes combines existing lifestyle publications of the Geneva-based publishing house: Tribune des Arts, a Swiss monthly magazine on art and watches, and the Paris-based quarterly fashion magazine Citizen K, which has also been launched in Spain. However, the Edipresse Group also has new interests: the watch magazine Gmt, which is distributed in Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine and the USA; the website Worldtempus, an encyclopedia of luxury watches; and the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, with which Edipresse already worked closely and which honors the best prestige watches in the world each autumn.
A massive increase in international activities is planned for the second half of 2007: The watch magazine Revolution will be launched in China and Hong Kong, and further licenses for a number of European markets are being examined. Gmt will be expanded to include an Asian edition, and the launch of Citizen K on the Russian market is planned for the fall.
Marco Cattaneo is the director of Edipresse Luxes. Before heading up various magazines in Spain, he was editor-in-chief of the Tribune de Genève. He was also involved in the launch of the Edipresse Group's online activities. Michel Horwath becomes Head of Marketing and Sales. He was responsible for the communication of the Edipresse Group and the marketing of a number of daily newspapers. Gabriel Tortella, founder and editor of the Tribune des Arts, advises the management on matters relating to the watchmaking sector.

In recent weeks, the media have reported the return of the brown bear to Switzerland. The brown giant migrated from Italy to the Lower Engadine, and now its tracks have been found in Davos. The Bernese advertising agency Contexta knows why. Anyone wondering about the bear's route, write the creatives at Contexta in a press release, has never drunk Calanda. Because for everyone else, it's clear that the beer, brewed from pure Graubünden mountain spring water, is worth any distance. The insiders in Calandaland, however, were prepared for the return of the bear, which is why they were able to react quickly with a panoramic advertisement in Friday's Blick. Watch out: Further measures are being planned so that the bear will reappear here and there.

Zurich-based Assai is expanding its creative team with three new employees, all of whom have multiple international honors. With Scott Wilms, Tobias Kreutzer and Daniel Roznovjak, the creative expertise in the areas of digital and dialog is being sustainably expanded. Scott Wilms gained international experience as an art director at major network agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi London and McCann-Erickson Frankfurt and worked for global clients, most recently at JWT+H+F. Meanwhile, Tobias Kreutzer completed an InterMedia degree at the FH Vorarlberg and then worked at Zednetwork in Zurich for one and a half years. Before joining Assai, he worked for three years as Art Director at Scholz&Volkmer in Wiesbaden. All good things come in threes: Daniel Roznovjak previously worked as a copywriter and concept developer for McCann-Erickson, Lowe Zurich and Scholz & Friends Berlin, among others. He was also the Swiss Young Creative in Cannes in 2004.

The television channel Sat.1 (Switzerland) joins the criticism of the draft for the new SRG license. Last Tuesday, Pro Sieben (Switzerland) had already taken a stand against it (see ). Like its sister channel, Sat.1 (Switzerland) complains that the draft license would allow SRG to greatly expand its advertising activities in Switzerland. The reason for this is the advertising opportunities on the SFinfo repeat channel and on the planned HDTV test channel.
The draft also contradicts the idea of the new RTVA, writes Sat.1 (Switzerland) in a press release. This regulates the coexistence of SRG and private broadcasters. Private broadcasters are to be given scope for development by restricting the commercial activities of the SRG.
However, the current draft would give SRG great freedom to further commercialize itself and thus squeeze out other broadcasters with its growing dominance. It is therefore urgently necessary to ban advertising and sponsorship on SFinfo and the HDTV test channel, according to Sat.1 (Switzerland). It must be ensured that these channels are used for their actual purpose, i.e. as a repeat channel or test channel.
SRG spokesman Daniel Steiner rejected a similar statement by Pro Sieben (Switzerland) on Wednesday and said that SRG would not be able to massively increase its advertising revenue, as it is not able to advertise online, for example.

Dance meets visual art at this year's Berner Tanztage. The 16-page brochure designed by Bern-based advertising agency Cosmic presents some of the works from the "Classe de danse" project on paper and invites you to view the exhibition.  
Perhaps for the last time, Bern is currently in a frenzy of movement during the Berner Tanztage. Inspired by the event, international artists are showing installations with moving and moving images from May 31 to June 30 in the Bernese gallery Madonna#Fust, in the Progr cultural center and during the dance days in the Dampfzentrale. Cosmic presents these works in an atmospheric brochure accompanying the exhibition.