When the split edition for the district of Horgen was introduced in spring 2005, the Tages-Anzeiger offered the district municipalities to print the official advertisements free of charge. In return, the newspaper offered to print the municipal council negotiation reports in full and in full. Now, with the introduction of further split editions, a letter has been received by the district councils in which the Tages-Anzeiger withdraws its offer, as the Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes. The letter stated that, for capacity reasons, only individual municipal council topics would be covered editorially. Outraged by this news, the municipality of Langnau withdrew its official advertisements from the Tages-Anzeiger. In future, these will only appear in the Sihltaler and on the municipality's website. As the municipal council writes in a press release, it can be assumed that the newspaper has been misused as a springboard into the regional market.
In the past, other municipalities have already withdrawn from the offer - or not accepted it at all. Thalwil, for example: according to municipal clerk Martin Pallioppi, they did not want to become involved in a one-sided dependency. The municipality of Richterswil has also done without free advertisements since the beginning of 2006. If the Tages-Anzeiger does not change its practice, Richterwil is pushing for a joint strategy to be developed with the Horgen district municipal presidents' conference.

Internet giant Yahoo has won a partial victory in the ongoing battle for market share in the online advertising business. A consortium of seven newspaper publishers, representing 176 newspapers across the USA, has agreed to a partnership that will focus on content, advertising and technology. The publishers involved are Belo, Cox Newspapers, Hearst Newspapers, Journal Register, Lee Enterprises, MediaNews Group and E. W. Scripps. No further details were initially disclosed.  
As the New York Times reports, the first phase of the deal consists of the newspapers publishing their job ads on Yahoo's jobsite Hotjobs.com and using the Hotjobs technology there for the online ads on their own websites.
The envisaged long-term goal of the new partnership is to make all of the newspapers' content searchable and indexable on Yahoo. This would make local news part of a large information network - to the benefit of readers and advertisers. Next year, the plan is to start publishing news and local ads in Yahoo's network. Yahoo will provide newspapers with event data, map search, search technology and other tools for their websites. Yahoo's technology will also help newspapers to sell online advertising.
 
The new agreement comes at just the right time for Yahoo. The internet giant had to accept a drastic reduction in profits as a result of weakening advertising business and lost the trust of many investors (see
). The deal also strengthens Yahoo's position vis-à-vis Google. As far as advertising is concerned, Google recently launched an advertising service that allows classified ads to be placed in 50 US daily newspapers (see ).

The aviation company Tag Aviation Europe has commissioned the French-speaking Swiss communications agency to reposition its corporate identity and develop communication tools. According to a press release, the agency wants to focus on redefining the values in order to reposition the brand in the European market. The airline's strengths in the charter, management and maintenance of business jets are also to be clearly highlighted. Theoreme was founded in 1986 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Since October 30, e-advertising, a subsidiary of Affichage, has had a new eBoard site at Lausanne railroad station. An additional 90,000 people in French-speaking Switzerland can now be reached week after week with electronic advertising messages. The continuous expansion of the network already includes the cities of Zurich, Bern, Basel, Geneva and Lausanne. Affichage founded its subsidiary e-advertising, which now employs seven people, in 2000.

The two radio marketers Media One Contact and Régie Networks Léman have agreed a partnership to promote the medium of radio in French-speaking Switzerland. The stations concerned are One FM, Lausanne FM, Europe 2, Nostalgie Leman and NRJ Leman, which have a combined daily audience of 300,000 listeners. The new marketing partnership offers advertisers advantages in the form of bundled and target-group-specific packages. The new offer will be supplemented with direct marketing and event measures.

Sven Christinger (34) joined the creative team at Zurich communications agency Prime Communications as Art Director in November. After completing his graphic design apprenticeship and studies at the HGKZ and the ADC Creative School, the creative worked as an art director at Publicis. Before moving to Prime Communications, he was jointly responsible for various Migros campaigns as Art Director at Exxtra Kommunikation.
 
With Sven Christinger, Prime Communications now employs 30 specialists in public relations, advertising, brand identity, corporate publishing and online communications. The agency for corporate and brand communications manages mandates from around 30 companies and is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.

The SRG’s additional funding requirement of 63.5 million has been the subject of discussion for weeks; in the *Sonntagszeitung*, SRG Director General Armin Walpen has spoken out for the first time, providing new talking points. He revealed when and why job cuts might occur and how the SRG is currently faring in the advertising market.  
If the planned fee increase of 2.50 francs per month, or 31 francs per year, does not go through, the SRG would, according to Walpen, «have to cut programming, lay off staff, and forgo investments.» He did not specify which programs would be affected, only that the program for Romansh speakers would certainly continue. However, whether a separate Romansh children’s program would be introduced would depend on the fee increase. According to Walpen, a wage freeze is not currently under consideration; employees are entitled to fair compensation. The nine-member executive board has, however, foregone base salary increases for 2006 and 2007.
 
Furthermore, he defends the costly overhaul of the SRG’s brand identity. Given the large number of offerings, image plays an increasingly important role, Walpen said, adding that good branding is essential to the organization’s survival. Walpen also denied that the sharp decline in advertising revenue would lead to a license fee increase, noting that the figures for the last quarter were extremely good, meaning the loss in advertising revenue would be less than expected. Walpen also spoke about a new model that is to be tested in Ticino starting in 2008. Under this model, RTSI will be reorganized into so-called “factories” that produce programs on demand for TV, radio, the internet, and mobile devices. It is conceivable that such a model could also be implemented in German-speaking Switzerland—but whether and when that will happen remains to be seen.

The case of the multiple rape of a 13-year-old girl in Zurich-Seebach is still in the news. The fact that the acts were filmed and disseminated is once again prompting discussions about bans on porn advertising. Some comments on the topic on International Children's Rights Day on Monday, November 20.  
The Sunday newspaper rightly castigates the school in Seebach, which knew about the escapades of the main perpetrators but did not intervene. Especially as the school management did not have the backbone to comment to the media when they got wind of the fact that the same perpetrators had already massively harassed a girl at the same school. The headmistress had previously categorically denied that there was a problem at school.
 
As the two known assaults in Zurich-Seebach were filmed and distributed on cell phones, criticism of the media and advertising industry is also being voiced. For example, FRD member of the Council of States Rolf Schweiger is calling for a ban on advertising cell phone porn on television. This will once again cause a stir - but it cannot be denied that these industries create and disseminate sexualized content, thus creating an oversexualized media reality. Anyone who denounces this is more likely to be ridiculed as a prude than taken seriously. This was evident when the EPP campaigned for a ban on sexist advertising and was met with mockery and derision from the industry. The efforts were stranded in the Federal Council (see
). The condemnation of a porn provider and the head of Star TV for failing to protect minors in connection with advertising for porn downloads via MMS was also commented on very critically. Media freedom was seen as being curtailed and parents were called upon to take more responsibility (see ).  
Sure, the condemned are a pawn sacrifice, offered up by a helpless court against the prevailing doctrine. Sure, bans are generally not the solution. But the advertising and media industry could use the International Children's Rights Day to hold itself accountable. Children - and they are children at least up to 16, even if they drink, smoke pot and consume pornography - must have the right to discover their sexuality for themselves, and they should also have the right to be introduced to it responsibly by society. What this means for the advertising and media industry cannot be regulated by the courts, but only by responsible industry representatives themselves.

As in previous months, the advertising market was again at its best in October. At 7.9 percent, the month was well up on the previous year. Cumulatively, the 2006 advertising year is now 6.7 percent up on 2005, as Media Focus announced on Saturday.  
The strongest gains in October were made by television with 23.8% and the daily press with 20%. Despite a very good month overall, there were also a number of losers: teletext lost 33.4%, cinema advertising 26.4% and business was also poor for consumer magazines, with the result being a drop of 14.7%.
 
The two largest advertising markets, vehicles and finance, were in good shape: both recorded growth of over 20%. However, some of the other key markets also recorded very strong growth: Energy (+50%), Cosmetics/Toiletries (+28%), Cleaning (+96%). The clothing (-24%) and, in particular, tobacco products (-67%) markets were weaker in October than in the previous year.
 
As in the previous month, Migros is the leader in the ranking of the largest advertisers. It is followed by Coop, L'Oreal, Procter & Gamble and Swisscom. Media Focus has been measuring and recording gross advertising investment in the traditional advertising media of print (newspapers/magazines), television, radio, posters, cinema, teletext and the Internet in Switzerland since 1990. Media Focus is a joint venture between the two global market research companies IHA-GfK AG and ACNielsen SA/Nielsen Media Research.

As part of a strategic realignment, NZZ is restructuring and expanding its range of services. In the coming weeks and months, numerous changes, some of them significant, will be implemented. These include a new bundle structure at NZZ, the launch of the new lifestyle magazine Z, the discontinuation of the NZZ ticket, a new series of events and a cross-media newsroom.  
As the management of the publishing house announced on Friday, a joint news and editorial team for NZZ and NZZ Online is currently being set up on the organizational side. The aim of this cross-media newsroom is to provide readers with high-quality information. This also involves measures to improve reader guidance on the front page of the NZZ.
 
In general, the publishing house's flagship is about to undergo some changes. The bundle structure will be partially reorganized and thematically expanded. For example, the previous car supplement is to be enriched with aspects of modern mobility. In future, the tourism supplement will also cover leisure and recreational activities, for example with information on excursions and experiences. At the same time, NZZ Online will gradually build up a leisure and entertainment offer, the core of which will be an agenda database that will replace the NZZ Ticket.
 
February will see the launch of Z, a new lifestyle magazine that will focus on the finer things in life in large format. It will be delivered monthly as an exclusive supplement to the Saturday edition of the NZZ. Z will replace the NZZ supplements on fashion, watches and jewelry, which have been very successful in the reader and advertising market to date.
 
At NZZ Online, further targeted development is underway in the Internet/mobile area. With the recently launched job platform NZZexecutive in combination with the corresponding print product, the publisher is aiming for a leading market position in the area of management and specialist functions. The commitment to the recently launched services NZZ Mobile and the student platform NZZcampus will be strengthened.
 
Spring 2007 will also see the launch of NZZ Podium, a new series of podiums and events. The NZZ intends to build on the successful public events held as part of the 225th anniversary celebrations. In future, lectures, debates, readings and topical political events will be held several times a year.
 
The realignment will result in job cuts in individual areas. Most of these will be achieved through early retirement, although some redundancies will be necessary. A social plan has been drawn up for those affected. NZZ aims to have completed the restructuring by the end of the first quarter of 2007.

The independent creative agency Freiburghaus und Partner from Bern is starting the new financial year with a whole series of new clients.
 
 
As the Bern agency reports, it is covered from A to Z with new accounts: from A for Avaya Switzerland, a client from the IP telephony sector and Aerni Haar Kleid Bar Spa, Bern, to C for the IT distributor from Bern, Computerlinks, or the Sport & Wellness Center CTS Biel-Bienne, to S for the Swiss Veterinary Association, also in Bern, or S for the Swiss Travel Agency Association from Zurich, but also V for Valiant Holding Bern or Y for Ytong, a building materials company from Zurich.
 
 

Who doesn't know them, the typography freaks who spend hours, even days, lovingly selecting or creating the perfect typography? The media union Comedia is organizing the Day of Typography on 25 November for them, but also for those less obsessed.  
This year's Day of Typography is entitled "Eurotype" and sets out in search of the question: Is there a European typographic language? The speakers will present works that deal with the identity and typography of Europe. For example, the visual appearance of the Theater am Neumark in Zurich. Other topics include Czech and Slovakian typeface design and the design of euro banknotes. The short film Fast Type-Slow on the history of Swiss typefaces will also be shown. Anyone who is interested in images, information and visual media design is invited to take part in the Typography Day on Saturday, November 25 at the Technopark. For information and registration, please use the links below.