Since Monday, Cablecom's information channel in German-speaking Switzerland has had a new look. The network operator wants to make the use of digital television more accessible to the general public. The channel can be received in its usual slot in the analog channel line-up. The program schedule is based on moderated information blocks of around five minutes each: the "Cablecom Easy" and "Cablecom News" shows. They show the program and use of Cablecom's digital offering. Following the information blocks, there is a live switch to one of the various digital channels for around 20 minutes.
The content of the info channel is being developed step by step. An expansion of the info channel for the French and Italian language regions of Switzerland is planned for the medium term. The new info channel was conceived and realized in collaboration with the Zurich-based conception and production company Crossmotion. 

Vorarlberger Nachrichten, the "Newspaper of the Year 2006", is going one step further in terms of reader participation: the daily newspaper is launching a readers' advisory board. The committee comprises 30 people. The application phase started on Monday and the selection will be based on socio-demographic criteria. With the readers' advisory board, Vorarlberger Nachrichten wants to "become even more sensitive to the concerns, worries and suggestions of its readers", said Editor-in-Chief Christian Ortner according to SDA.
The advisory board meets with the editor-in-chief every other month to offer criticism and suggestions and to discuss new projects with the editorial team. Daily contact with the editors can be maintained via e-mail.
In last year's "Newspaper of the Year" award, the jury praised the newspaper's citizen participation models (see
).

 The Dutch organ donation show, which has been extremely controversial for weeks, was nothing but a media coup. The allegedly terminally ill donor is an actress. The question is: why the fuss?  
"We won't be giving away any kidneys here, that's going too far even for us," said presenter Patrick Lodiers on Friday evening on the television station BNN. The woman presented as the terminally ill Lisa was an actress, but the three candidates for her alleged donor kidney were actually waiting for a donor organ. However, they had been informed that no organs were to be allocated in the show. According to Lodiers, the station wanted to use the show to draw attention to their lives and their problems. The presenter made the revelation at the moment when Lisa was supposed to choose one of the three candidates for her kidney. The announcement of the show had led to heated discussions about moral standards in the Netherlands and Europe. BNN founder Bart de Graaff died five years ago after years of waiting in vain for a donor kidney. Let's see if the media frenzy now improves the situation.

 The Federal Supreme Court has upheld a decision by the Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television (UBI) that commercials shown on the television channel Star TV for downloading porn videos to cell phones are illegal. The commercials are harmful to minors and violate programming law.  
The commercials were broadcast after midnight during commercial breaks of the now discontinued erotic program Lovers TV. Following the UBI and the District Court of Zurich, the Federal Supreme Court has now also ruled that the commercials went beyond what was "permissible in terms of broadcasting law from an erotic point of view". Various sexual practices were shown unambiguously and the genitals were only covered pro forma. The pornographic effect was exacerbated by the crude comments. People are depicted in a vulgar and primitive manner as mere sexual objects, and inhuman behavior in the sexual sphere is glorified as common, positive and worthy of imitation, according to the Federal Court's reasoning.
 
According to a report by SDA, Star TV notes that the Federal Court shares the UBI's strict view that the advertising spots examined in their specific form violated the morality requirement under broadcasting law. However, unlike the UBI, the Lausanne judges do not believe that all advertising for adult services via MMS is inadmissible because portable communication is primarily aimed at a young audience. The Federal Supreme Court clarified that TV advertising for corresponding MMS is not prohibited in principle. It is not the broadcaster but the provider who is responsible for compliance with the protection of minors when downloading the advertised sequences.

The Zurich-based direct marketing specialists at Fisch.Meier showcase the diversity of the summer destination Flims in an ad featuring a pair of magic pants.   
Those who decide to spend their vacations in Flims can expect a lot, write Fisch.Meier in their press release. Because those who venture into the mountain world wear pants of a special kind: the further up the guest goes, the longer the leg dress becomes. This underlines the variety of possibilities offered by the Grisons vacation resort: From the Vorab glacier at 3,000 meters, the route descends via the Alps to the village and finally to a swim in the famous Lake Cauma at around 1,000 meters. The length of the trousers changes over the different altitude levels and thus adapts perfectly to the diverse mountain and bathing experiences in Flims. Advertisements in daily newspapers and magazines as well as posters at selected pedestrian locations can be seen immediately.

Anita Göggel joined the direct marketing consulting team at Blickle Directmarketing in Embrach on May 14, 2007. Göggel has many years of experience in direct marketing, particularly in the areas of business addresses and databases, according to a press release. She is currently completing the SAWI/IAA communications manager training course.

 Over the last few days, passers-by in some Swiss railroad stations have been rubbing their eyes. The reason was the brightly colored Papertour train from Swiss paper wholesaler Antalis.  
As the company writes, the composition included a paper exhibition, a lounge and a wagon for presentations. The aim of the paper tour was to sensitize consumers to the environmentally friendly use of paper. The presentations by specialists from the paper industry were attended by over a thousand interested guests such as print shop owners, advertising specialists and buyers from major paper consumers.

Shoe fetishists are very familiar with the problem: the new kicks may be sharp as a rat, but the blisters are painful until the shoes are properly broken in. Metzgerlehner's new campaign for Compeed shows that plasters don't have to be ugly, especially not on Bianca Sissing. The "New Shoes" campaign by Metzgerlehner for Compeed blister plasters from Johnson & Johnson adapts the TV commercial and realizes additional ads and POS measures for the Swiss market. To reinforce the fashion appeal of Compeed blister plasters and thus better reach the target group of fashion victims, Bianca Sissing was recruited as an ambassador. The ads are already on air, with POS activities and TV commercials starting in June.

Radio Zürisee increased its turnover last year to 4.17 million francs, a record figure according to a press release. The profit amounted to 141,000 francs. Due to the positive development, the Annual General Meeting decided to increase the dividend from five to seven percent of the share capital. According to the press release, Radio Zürisee's sister company, Radio Zürisee Werbe AG, under the management of Urs Lorenz, made a significant contribution to the financial success of Radio Zürisee. It is responsible for the station's advertising acquisition, marketing and promotion.
Radio Zürisee's audience figures also increased in 2006. The market share in German-speaking Switzerland increased by 0.1 percent to 1.9 percent compared to the previous year. The station also increased its daily reach, reaching 187,000 listeners.
Christoph Romer, Head of Business and Program, was bid farewell at the Annual General Meeting. Romer is moving to Zürichsee Medien, where he will take over a staff position. Urs Wickihalder was newly elected to the Board of Directors. He replaces Monica Vögele, who has announced her resignation after 15 years.

The first issue of Neue Ideen magazine was published on Friday. The publication by Filippo Leutenegger is aimed primarily at owners and tenants of single-family homes. The editor-in-chief is former Beobachter editor Marc Caprez. 
As announced, the magazine is not free (see
). But almost: Neue Ideen costs four francs individually, while an annual subscription costs 25 francs. Ten times a year, the magazine reports on various aspects, suggestions, offers and stories about the home. In the first issue published on Friday, Claude Nobs, founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, provides an insight into his four walls. There are also tips on upgrading the garden, environmentally friendly pest control, trendy parasols and financial issues relating to home ownership. Articles on education, health, cooking and travel round off the magazine. Former Arena presenter and Jean Frey CEO Filippo Leutenegger founded the Medienarena public limited company specifically for the publication of Neue Ideen. According to SDA, the first issue has been published with a print run of 750,000 copies.

  Polish television has censored an episode of the BBC series "Little Britain" in which a homosexual priest can be seen. The broadcaster cut out a scene lasting around a minute in which a priest kisses his boyfriend. A spokeswoman for TVP explained that they did not want to cause any controversy that would not do justice to the mission of a public television station. British viewers are more open-minded than Polish viewers and have a different sense of humor, the spokesperson continued according to SDA. The satirical series "Little Britain", in which numerous politically incorrect actors appear, has been running in the UK and other countries since 2003. In Poland, even the Teletubbies were recently suspected of homosexuality, but on Wednesday the conservative government's children's commissioner revised her opinion of the characters in the TV series. She referred to a sexologist who had apparently ruled out any harmful effects of the TV series on children's souls. The fact that the character Tinky Winky, who is considered to be male, always carries a handbag had caused irritation.

 The Board of Directors of the AZ Medien Group has appointed Roland Baumgartner as the new Head of Electronic Media. As of June 1, the current Managing Director of Radio Argovia will also assume responsibility for Tele M1 in Aarau and TeleTell in Lucerne. He is also a member of the Executive Board.  
The 43-year-old joined Radio Argovia in 1989 and has been Head of Central Services and Deputy Managing Director since 1990. He has been Managing Director of the radio station since 2002 and a member of the extended management of the AZ Medien Group since 2005. He is involved in various committees in the electronic media landscape, for example as a board member of the Swiss Private Radio Association, as a member of the radio specialist group in the Swiss Press Association and the coordination office of Swiss Radio Pool. Roland Baumgarnter replaces Florenz Schaffner, who is taking over editorial duties for the new Sunday edition of the Mittelland Zeitung.