Press The weekly newspaper WOZ has survived last year's crisis. Thanks to restructuring, a rigorous savings program and donations, Switzerland's largest independent left-wing newspaper has survived: "The WoZ has become leaner, more concentrated in terms of content and even more distinctive," the management recently announced. So now the WOZ has also fallen into the slimming trap, one might think. Anorexia in the print media is a real disease. Only lean editorial teams seem flexible enough to keep pace with the constantly changing demands of the modern information society, although the conditions at the WOZ are somewhat different. The consistent rejection of commercial appropriation, where content concerns take precedence over economic realities, has brought the paper an eventful history on the edge of the abyss from time to time. The last call for help was launched by the collective - the WOZ belongs to the writers - a year ago, just two years after the fundraising campaign that preceded the 2003 relaunch with a capital increase of 650,000 francs. Commentators wrote, not without malice, that it was wickedly ironic for a left-wing independent newspaper to fail because of real existing capitalism.
But now the crisis seems to have been averted. "The business is in balance," says Managing Director Christoph Eschmann. No new debts are being incurred. The WOZ collective also made a profit of 79,000 francs in the 2005 financial year, independent of donations. But that's not all: with a certified circulation of 14,233 copies and 113,000 readers, the WOZ achieved the highest circulation in its 25-year history this fall. Advertising revenue was also 7.5 percent higher than in the previous year and - the management is particularly pleased about this - major advertisers such as Migros, Coop and Denner are showing more and more interest in the title, whose environment has long been considered very attractive by advertisers. "An astonishing number of young readers read us," says Eschmann.
Over 15 percent are between the ages of 15 and 30, a structure that other titles in the dogged search for a young urban audience can only dream of. Why is that? "Political awareness is growing," explains Editorial Director Susan Boos. "Many young people are hungry for explanations, they want to understand what is happening in the world and are looking for perspectives for action." Boos estimates that the phenomenon of the commuter press, which has inspired many young people to read again, has also prompted some to pick up WOZ. The fact that journalistic content is now offered free of charge has not yet had any effect. "We are on the other side, we don't make printed television, there is work involved in the articles," she says firmly.
In the past financial year, WOZ reduced its operating expenses by around 10 percent and cut 5.5 jobs. 49 employees currently share 33.7 full-time positions. "The restructuring has presented us with major problems," says Susan Boos. After all, a self-managed collective has no bosses who can dismiss employees. Greater efficiency was required, the individual departments recorded their expenditure for the first time, departments were merged, for example "Scene", "Events" and "Culture" were merged and "Economy", "Domestic" and "Life" moved closer together.
Management was professionalized with a controlling system. "Today, we have precise control over every department," says Christoph Eschmann. However, the economic crisis has not yet been completely overcome, as the profit is still offset by debts of CHF 438,000. What can be done? No concrete measures are planned, as the real lifeline was put in place more than a year ago. Specifically: WOZ survives thanks to donations. Last year, over 100,000 francs were collected in the newly founded capital fund of the Pro WOZ support association. To date, the grants from the support association have totaled over 400,000 francs.
Obviously, the perspective for the survival strategy has shifted: "We want to move away from appeals for help," says Eschmann. The journalistic quality must therefore be ensured by subsidies from the sponsoring association. Despite its wide readership, the paper cannot survive on subscriptions alone. Susan Boos sees the role of WOZ as similar to that of a non-governmental organization. "We are a political force that is needed in the Swiss press landscape."
Conversely, the magazine has been and continues to be accused of making a name for itself primarily through its cries for help rather than through its content. The most pointed comments come from former employees. For example, Filippo Leutenegger, now CEO of Jean Frey AG, stated in Weltwoche that the former clientele of WOZ is now at the levers of state power and that the paper is therefore no longer fighting against the incrustation of the state and society. Susan Boos has a mild smile for this: "We are a living organism that is constantly changing." Fortunately, the generational change was achieved in good time and the company has not forgotten how to ask the right questions.
Left-wing press under pressureThe left-wing press is under pressure in Switzerland.
practically only the WOZ still exists. A number of workers' newspapers have disappeared over the past two decades. The left-wing press is also coming under increasing economic pressure abroad. The Berlin-based taz regularly commits ritual suicide to draw attention to its will to survive. Together with WOZ and Il Manifesto, among others, it publishes the cultural-political magazine Le Monde diplomatique. In France, the arms industrialist Lagardère has acquired the quality title Le Monde. Libération, with Jean-Paul Sartre as its first editor-in-chief, is now also owned by the financial investor Edouard Rothschild and the Chargeurs-Pathé group (textiles and cinema chain), among others. In Italy, Il Manifesto, L'Unità and Liberazione largely share the fluctuating market of the left-wing press. In the case of Unità, a friend of Berlusconi has so far failed in his attempts to acquire a stake.
René Worni
Picture: Managing Director Christoph Eschmann and Editorial Director Susan Boos
