SRG SSR idée suisse is no longer responsible for surveying radio, TV and Internet usage in Switzerland, but the independent Mediapulse Foundation was founded in Bern on Tuesday, as the news agency SDA writes in a press release. Former NZZ publishing director Marco de Stoppani chairs the foundation, which is under the supervision of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC).
The independence of the new organization is reflected above all in its structure. In addition to de Stoppani, the Board of Trustees consists of six representatives each from SRG, private TV and radio broadcasters and the advertising industry. Together with de Stoppani, two foundation board members from each of the three interest groups form the Mediapulse Board of Directors. The foundation has assets of CHF 50,000 and receives CHF 2 million a year for its work from reception fees.
It had been clear to SRG for several years that only an independent research center for media research would be viable, SRG Radio Director Walter Rüegg told SDA. The role reversal from sole owner to minority member of the Board of Trustees had not been easy.

In the latest Sunrise TV commercial, customer Urs Walder realizes that the southerners are not exactly at a loss for words. Advico Young & Rubicam advertises the Sunrise International option for Sunrise. With the new option, all Sunrise Mobile customers can make international calls at landline prices. An advantage for customers like Urs Walder, who actually only wanted to make a quick call to his mother-in-law and then the whole family wanted to wish mom a happy birthday. Costs that give Urs Walder a headache, but not for long thanks to the new option.
Print motifs and POS measures flank the TV commercial. The campaign starts on April 23. 

 In the opinion of the ombudsman, a Rundschau report on the excesses of the shooting scene was not differentiated enough. Achilles Casanova considers the complaints from shooters to be justified, bearing in mind that the report was important, as reported by the SDA news agency. Six shooting sports and shooting organizers had protested to the ombudsman against the article in the Rundschau of 28 February. They complained that the report "Feuer frei: Scharf schiessen als Hobby. The hidden realm of marksmen" was tendentious and defamatory. The report covered combat shooting, pub shooting in cellars with plenty of beer consumption and self-defense courses in gun factories.
In his statement, however, Casanova backed the Rundschau editorial team. The aim of the article was to show that there are other aspects of the scene besides the seriously organized shooting clubs. Such a report has a place at a time of controversial discussion about the revision of the Weapons Act.
Nevertheless, he considered the complaints to be justified. Both in the announcement and in the report itself, there was undifferentiated talk of 600,000 shooters. The editorial team had not specified that these were mainly members who had nothing to do with the activities shown.

 Just like in a real newsstand, readers can order any of the last ten issues of anthrazit via the anthrazit homepage. Anthrazit not only reports on the Internet and new media, but is also breaking new ground in terms of distribution. The magazine has opened an actual online kiosk on its own website: Readers can buy Anthrazit individually online at the click of a mouse. One issue costs the same as at a real newsstand (6 francs). Delivery is free of charge in Switzerland. The current issue and the last ten issues are available in the online kiosk.

 Convincing redesign of lawn product packaging has won the race. Last year, the Schweizer cosmic Bern brand invited two other agencies to pitch for the redesign of the packaging for lawn seeds, pesticides and fertilizers. After various evaluation processes and tests at the POS, the Bern agency won the day. The umbrella brand strategy is also consistently implemented on the packaging. The clear and simple design ensures better consumer guidance through the wide range of different turf products in future thanks to additional color coding. For the 2008 season, Cosmic is redesigning the entire Eric Schweizer turf range with around 60 packs.

 
Unfortunately, a mistake crept into yesterday's newsletter. An embarrassing mix-up on our part between Tamedia and Trimedia Communications. Of course Trimedia was meant in both articles and not Tamedia. We would like to apologize for the error and are sending out the two articles again today in a corrected version.

 Job advertisements in the Swiss press boomed in March. Income from job advertisements increased by 45.2 percent. On the other hand, the press suffered a 3.4 percent drop in commercial advertisements. Overall, the daily and weekly press saw a 7.5 percent increase in advertising revenue in March, as reported by the SDA news agency based on the latest Wemf advertising statistics. Advertising revenues in the Sunday press fell by a total of 0.5 percent. In the financial and business press, income from advertisements fell by 6.5 percent. By contrast, income from the general press increased by 5.7 percent. In terms of page volumes, the specialty press recorded a drop of 12.2 percent and the trade press also closed down 6.4 percent.

 The Sunday edition of the Mittelland Zeitung has brought three experienced journalists on board. The team around editor-in-chief Patrick Müller has thus been strengthened and is working diligently on the concept of the newspaper, which will appear for the first time on September 16, 2007. Arthur Rutishauser has been head of economics at the Sonntagszeitung since 2003 and previously worked as a journalist at the same paper. He began his journalistic career at the Berner Zeitung. At the Sunday edition of the Mittelland Zeitung, he will become deputy editor-in-chief and head of economics. The second high-profile addition is Kurt Emil Merki, who previously worked for the Aargauer Zeitung as head of media until mid-2003 and then moved to Blick as head of the society department. In the Sonntag team, he will be responsible for society, media and background. Othmar von Matt will be head of politics for the new Sunday edition. He is currently head of the Facts news magazine.

 Microsoft and its agency Wunderman Zurich organized a major business partner search show at this year's Swiss Marketing Day. The aim was to allow all marketers to experience the benefits of good CRM solutions at first hand. Because without customer insights, you hardly know your customers at all. Informative solutions such as those from Microsoft are the basis for every successful customer relationship, the company writes in a press release. Wunderman has demonstrated these informative solutions using the example of personal ads, because here too, inadequate information about a sought-after partner can only lead to the desired relationship with a lot of luck.

Label Communication is the winner of a competition for advertising agencies in French-speaking Switzerland. The agency was able to convince the Edipresse Group with its vision of an information technology reorientation of the two print media Tribune de Genève and 24heures, which now belong to the new, multimedia-oriented generation of information titles. The strategic goal behind this is to develop the leading daily newspapers in their respective regions into actual information platforms. The advertising campaign launched by Label Communication announces a new media breed, the agency writes in a press release. Two funny robot dogs in the colors of 24heures and the Tribune de Genève embody the values represented by the two media - proximity to events, modernity and mobility, the statement continues.
 

 The directing duo Begbie, VDW Award winner Eric Hillenbrand and Caspar-Jan Hogerzeil are now working exclusively for Condor in the Swiss market. Swiss director Pierre Monnard can now also be booked via Condor Films, as detailed in a Condor Films press release. According to Philipp Petersson, Head of Commercials, the expansion of the director pool is not yet complete. Further new additions, some of them internationally renowned directors, will be announced soon. The company intends to offer an exclusive range of directors in the advertising market in future.

The Zurich-based consulting team at Trimedia Communications is pleased to announce the arrival of three new employees. According to a Trimedia press release, Esther Syfrig, Nadine Sauter and Matthias Rutishauser have joined the existing team. Esther Syfrig, a qualified PR consultant, is joining Trimedia as a Senior Consultant. The 37-year-old health communications specialist will use her broad expertise to expand the life science and health care sectors.
Nadine Sauter has many years of agency experience and most recently worked as Communications Manager for Kuoni. In addition to client mandates, the 30-year-old will manage her own marketing projects and contribute her experience in marketing and corporate communications.
Matthias Rutishauser most recently worked for the SDC and was previously in charge of various marketing projects at Expo 02. As a Junior Consultant at Trimedia, the 30-year-old will be able to apply and expand his knowledge of event communication and media relations in his new working environment.