In the MACH Special issue of the Media Trend Journal on the MACH Basic 2007-1 figures, which is also enclosed with the current issue of Werbewoche, an unfortunate error has crept into the pre-press stage.  
In the article "Edipresse and Axel Springer lose" from page 35 onwards, an (old) standing sentence text was not deleted. As a result, a paragraph from the last issue of MACH from September 06 was included in the article. It states that "Gerhart Isler is one of the two main shareholders of the publishing house(...), that there are still three hot spots after Filippo Leutenegger's departure(...) and that a candidacy by Leutenegger next spring (i.e. now) could be tempting under these circumstances". The inclined reader will have quickly noticed that these statements were made last fall, but have now accidentally found their way back into the magazine and are of course no longer correct. The editorial team and publisher would like to formally apologize to the persons concerned and to the publisher Axel Springer for this annoying mishap.

The Central Swiss television station Tele Tell will have a new look and more programs from 2 April. The evening news program has also been brought forward, and Tele Tell will be given a new overall look at the beginning of April. Logos, studio equipment, advertising bumpers and program suits have been completely renewed and modernized. According to the regional broadcaster's press release, the new studio design with Central Swiss subjects is intended to convey a clear identification with the region to viewers.
The news program "Aktuell" is now broadcast at 6 p.m. so that Tele Tell's 152,000 viewers get their news hot and up to date when they get home. In addition to the well-known lifestyle and Swissdate programs, there are a few new additions to the main programs. These include "Report", which consists of documentaries and reports, and "Sara macht's", a talk show with Sara Bachmann. The sports program has already been expanded with an additional automobile review.

 From July, RTL II will be the first German-language free TV channel to show the spectacular twelve-part series "Rome". With over 100 million dollars, 3,000 extras and the largest film set ever built, it is the most expensive production of the American series giant HBO to date.  
Even the sober Frankfurter Allgemeine went into raptures: "Rome is one of the great television experiments of these days." The series by Bond director Michael Apted ("The World Is Not Enough") immerses viewers in ancient Rome at the time of Caesar in a visually stunning, detailed and, above all, authentic way. The series is not another sandal ham, but shows Rome as it has never been seen before: as a crowded, noisy, vibrant place where great wealth existed alongside abject poverty. HBO produced the mini-series together with the BBC, RAI and EOS Entertainment - with great success: in England, "Rome" delivered one of the best results in the broadcaster's history with a 27% market share at prime time, and it also achieved a top result in the USA. Only the Italians spurned the classy TV fare, where "Rome" achieved a market share of just 10 percent.

 The recently launched event pitch for the European Football Championship celebrations in Austria and Switzerland has brought to light an unpleasant phenomenon: free pitches. Uefa refuses to pay for the presentations, but nevertheless owns the rights to the concepts presented, even if the respective agencies come away empty-handed. Protests are now being voiced.  
As the Handelsblatt reported on Thursday, pitches such as the current one for Uefa are becoming a problem for the event agency sector. On average, an event agency spends one million euros per year on participating in tenders - with an average turnover of around 6.5 million euros, that's a lot. In an open letter, the industry association Forum Marketing-Eventagenturen protested against the Uefa tender - but the agency in question did not budge.
 
And why should they? The constantly growing number of agencies gives clients a free pass to poach ideas at zero cost. Market entrants will do anything for a job. Fighting back and demanding compensation would be tantamount to a forfeit. Free pitches are also commonplace in the advertising industry. However, this is not serious, as Lothar Leonhard, head of the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather, confirmed to Handelsblatt. His agency never goes into free pitches, a reimbursement of costs - on average 15,000 euros - is appropriate. Although this does not cover the actual costs, it underlines the seriousness of the tender. It also automatically limits the number of agencies invited - five pitch participants would be ideal. "A free pitch is always at the expense of an agency's paying clients," Leonhard also points out.

  Swiss Television SF has acquired the rights to broadcast the 64 matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. SRG SSR idée suisse did not wish to disclose the price for the broadcasting rights on Thursday. According to an SRG communiqué, an agreement between FIFA and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) forms the basis for the purchase of the television rights. This agreement regulates the allocation of television rights for medium-sized and small EBU nations, including Switzerland. The agreement applies not only to SF, but also to the other SRG television channels. FIFA and the EBU entered into a similar agreement for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Switzerland was also awarded the exclusive rights, as SDA writes.

The editor-in-chief of Sonntagsblick will take over as head of the Blick and Sonntagsblick sports editorial teams with immediate effect. Ringier Verlag announced in a press release on March 29 that Marc Walder will take over as head of the sports editorial department of the Blick newspapers. In his new role, the St Gallen native will be responsible for redesigning the two sports sections of Blick and Sonntagsblick. During this interim period, the 41-year-old will continue to work as editor-in-chief of Sonntagsblick.
Marcel Siegenthaler is stepping down as head of the sports editorial team at his own request. Having worked for Blick since 1999, the 39-year-old will be at Walder's disposal for one month.

The Zurich-based communications agency won the German Direct Marketing Award 2007 and was awarded bronze for its Saab campaign, a mailing campaign commissioned by Saab, a long-standing client of the agency. According to Fisch Meier's press release, the mailings are intended to encourage recipients to take a test drive at Saab. They contain personalized business cards that identify the respective recipient as a test driver. Fisch Meier, who specialize in dialogue-oriented communication, are aiming for a strong involvement of the recipient with this message.
A total of 57 marketing ideas were honored at this year's German Direct Marketing Award, 25 of which were awarded bronze. Fisch Meier Direkt's mailing campaign is the only foreign work to win an award.

The Austrian agency Skills establishes a PR competence center that focuses on Arab countries. The consultancy services include public relations, lobbying, intercultural communication and business coaching - a model for the future? the pace of development in the Arab world is tremendous.
Islamic or Sharia banking is flourishing, in the middle of the desert Dubai is the international economic hub par excellence and Al Jazeera will soon overtake CNN's audience figures. Everyone wants a piece of the pie - the negative headlines that dominate Western reporting on the Arab world do nothing to change this.
The PR agency Skills is hot on the trail of new trends and needs. According to an SDA report on Thursday, it has put together a team that specializes in the needs of the booming Arab economic region. Under the name "Skills Center Arab World", a native Egyptian and two Austrians offer strategic PR consulting as well as intercultural communication and negotiation coaching for decision-makers in business and politics.
The target groups are companies from the German-speaking world that are active in the Arab world and Arab institutions that are active in Austria. Skills consultant Jürgen Gangoly asserts: "The entire export industry, the tourism sector, but also public bodies and institutions can benefit from our expertise." The agency currently supports the Egyptian Tourist Board and the Helnan International Hotels Group, which operates in Egypt and Morocco.

 Four months after the launch of the 100-second news bulletin for cell phones, Swisscom has around 40,000 subscribers. The service got off to a flying start, but interest has since waned.  
According to the news agency SDA, Swisscom spokesman Carsten Roetz confirmed a report in the business magazine Bilanz on Thursday that the 40,000 subscriptions had already been reached within a month. Roetz cited the unexpected run on the cell phone service as one reason for the significantly slower growth. On the other hand, some customers jumped ship when the service, which was initially offered free of charge, became subject to a fee (nine francs per month). Advertising also declined. Nevertheless, Swisscom is satisfied and will continue the service, said Roetz. The Kurz-Tagesschau broadcasts all the most important news and weather forecasts from 7 am to 11 pm. It is produced by Swiss Television and presented by Katja Stauber, Cornelia Boesch and Franz Fischlin.

According to the knowledge magazine GDI Impuls, entrepreneurs today should focus on niche products rather than mass-produced goods. The trend that began online is continuing offline and is affecting more and more industries. In the latest issue of its GDI Impuls magazine, the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute focuses on "Breed small livestock! - Why you have greater success with niche products than with mass-produced goods". According to an SDA report from Thursday, the 80/20 Pareto principle no longer applies in the exciting markets of the future, but rather the rule of the long tail, according to GDI Impuls. The former meant that 80 percent of market turnover was achieved with 20% of the goods. However, with the change from the long end of the demand curve - the long tail - the small cattle of niche suppliers now produce more profit overall than the big companies' bestsellers.
Individual requirements are crucial
Mass-produced goods are meeting individual demands less and less often, which has led to a change in the strategic foundations of retail. When Wired's editor-in-chief pointed this out in online retail, it was referred to as the Anderson rule. When the turnaround also became apparent in offline retail, the rule of the long tail emerged.
The long-tail effect means that consumers are no longer oriented towards the masses, but are looking for offers that lie dormant deep in the niches where they can be found quickly and easily online. Internationally renowned authors shed light on this trend in the latest issue of GDI Impuls magazine.

Overweight? Water under the bridge. As part of a campaign by Health Promotion Switzerland, slim snowmen were built in various ski resorts, and over the last few weekends in Laax and Klosters you could marvel at thin snowmen instead of round ones. Alongside the slimmed-down, wintry figures, signs revealed that you burn the energy of two chocolate bars when building a snowman. According to a press release issued on Thursday, the aim is to make skiers and snowboarders aware that a few runs down the valley do not make up for a greasy meal in the mountain restaurant.
The Zurich agency Jung von Matt is responsible for this campaign, which is part of the Health Promotion Switzerland campaign. Since the beginning of the year, the Swiss have been encouraged to exercise more and eat more consciously.

 Last year, the Independent Complaints Authority (UBI) received 22 complaints, four of which were upheld. This is revealed in the authority's annual report.  
According to an SDA report, three complaints concerned radio broadcasts, the others TV broadcasts. By far the most complaints, nine, were made against Swiss Television (SF). However, the radio stations DRS 1 and 2, Ticino television TSI, Tele Züri, Presse TV, U1 TV, Star TV and Swiss TXT were also among the complainants. The complaints mainly concerned information broadcasts; in the case of U1 and Star TV, the complaints concerned commercials for downloading porn videos to cell phones. 
 
The new Radio and Television Act, which comes into force on April 1, will bring changes for the UBI. Among other things, legal entities are now entitled to lodge complaints if they are affected by a broadcast to the required extent. The appeals body will still have to examine the legality of the content of editorial broadcasts that are the subject of a complaint. In the event of repeated infringements, it may impose new fines. However, the UBI is no longer responsible for advertising spots.