Fee splitting The allocation of fees in 2006
does not satisfy all radios. But soon everything will be different. That's why
most of them keep still.
Never before has the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) distributed so much
Fee money to private radio stations as for the year just begun: 8.1
million francs, 7.2 percent more than in 2005. 18
commercial and 7 non-commercial stations can enjoy
of the official financial blessing. However, there are major differences.
As a general rule, the non-commercial broadcasters receive a total of
less, the commercial broadcasters more money than last year.

What is striking about the commercial-free radios is that they are either clearly
receive fewer subsidies (by -6 to -27 percent) or then massively
more than in the previous year (+25 percent). At the commercial stations
on the other hand, most channels are up significantly (by 7 to 29 percent),
seven radios are at about the same level as in 2005
(between -2.9 and +4.4 percent), and only one fell significantly:
Radio Central. And not for the first time. The station has been broadcasting since 2002,
when he still received 375,000 francs, continuously less money
and today receives 57.6 percent less support than before.
four years ago.

Although Bakom discloses and also shows its award criteria,
which radio receives money for what is a matter of course for Central Managing Director Alfons
Spirig is not clear why his radio, of all things, which is used as a mountain radio
nine VHF transmitters for broadcasting almost nothing.
he receives. He also points out that Central has two regional
program window and is reporting increasing market shares. Nevertheless
the station is also rated quite low for this criterion.
And he receives nothing for further training. Against the award
Spirig therefore lodged a complaint with DETEC, as he had already done in 2005, but
The complaint is still pending.

New regime probably from 2007
Marcel Regnotto, responsible for fee splitting at Bakom,
justifies the allocation of the amount for Central as follows: The
Central Swiss broadcaster had no offer in terms of further training in 2005
and therefore did not receive any contributions. For the valuation of the
A new distribution key was applied for 2006 for the distribution area.
which areas with a low population density are more
into account. However, the regions supplied by Central are mostly
more densely populated. The transmitter is therefore worse in this respect.
than in the previous year. Other regions, on the other hand, benefited
Take Graubünden (Radio Grischa) or the Upper Valais (Radio Rottu), for example.

However, Regnotto points out that the new RTVA will in any case result in a
system change is imminent. All radio regions would have to be
The tendering process is based on a fixed date for each region.
fee-splitting share for several years, which is to be determined with
is linked to a performance mandate. Anyone who therefore opts for a region
in advance, find out in advance what annual amounts can be expected.
be.

The forthcoming new regulation is also the reason why the
Association of Swiss Private Radios (VSP) to this year's
fee-splitting allocation. It is assumed that
the new law comes into force on 1.1.2007 and more money for everyone
radio stations will be distributed, says VSP Vice President
Martin Muerner.   

How the contributions are calculated
According to the current RTVA, the total amount for fee splitting is
at around one percent of the annual income from the
Reception fees. Of this, 55% goes to private radio stations and 45
percent to local television stations (see also WW 6/06).

The funds are allocated to the radios according to certain positions.
30 percent of the funds will be used for the technical distribution of the radios.
and journalistic quality is subsidized. The latter is subsidized according to the
Number of employed journalists with an entry in the professional register (BR)
of the journalists' associations, but support is also given to
Expenses for external training.

The remaining 40 percent is used for radio operating costs (15
percent), for commercial-free channels (15 percent), for the compensation of
particularly strong foreign competition and for the public response
(in terms of market share).

Markus Knöpfli

In the dispute over unauthorized advertising with Boris Becker's picture, the Munich Regional Court on Wednesday ordered the publisher of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung FAZ to pay the former tennis star 1.2 million euros plus interest. Becker had demanded 2.3 million euros because his picture was shown without his permission on a fictitious front page in the advertising campaign for the launch of the paper.

After a total of eleven years at Lesch+Frei, Walter Tagliaferri is leaving the Zurich advertising agency at the beginning of March 2006. Tagliaferri has worked for the agency for the last six years as Managing Director Consulting. After careful consideration, he decided to take on a new professional challenge, Tagliaferri explained his departure to Persoenlich.com. According to managing director Thomas Lüber, the tasks Tagliaferri was in charge of have been distributed internally. The management will be taken over by the two current partners Peter Lesch and Thomas Lüber, as reported by Persoenlich.com.

International For the eighth time in a row, a Budweiser TV commercial was voted the most popular commercial of the Super Bowl.two years after Janet Jackson's
naked breasts, the Super Bowl was not only the sporting event of the year,
but also a commercial show of superlatives. The commercial breaks
during the event, which lasted almost four hours, included, like every
year, the best that the American advertising industry has to offer.

For the Christmas of US advertising, only the best of the best is allowed on the
screens flicker. After all, the idea and implementation have to
100 stripes of the spot cascade stand out. No matter what the cost. Far beyond
The clients paid an average of 83,000 US dollars for the project.
for the media costs alone. But with over 100 million viewers
and viewers and their positive attitude towards the
interruption advertising, such amounts are virtually impossible for the multinationals.
Peanuts.

Six Bud spots in the top ten
In addition, the investment for image enhancement or
Product launch more than paid for. Like the Amen in the church
the live broadcast is recycled dozens of times - the
Commercials, of course. From the evaluation in the print media and
a popularity hit parade (conducted by USA Today since 1989) to
to countless blogs and the official online archive. The latter
(www.ifilm.com/superbowl) is probably not entirely coincidental that Bud Light
be sponsored.

The beer brand of the Anheuser-Busch Group had its first
the "Magic Fridge" commercial, in which a Bud Light
Filled refrigerator made to disappear thanks to the rotating wall system
its owner does not realize how in the adjoining apartment
the residents are just waiting to take a few bottles of beer from the always
the reappearing magic cabinet. The Bud Light strip
continues the tradition of the house, because for the eighth time a
Anheuser-Busch commercial voted the most popular of the evening. And: The
Viewers have seen five other commercials from other brands of the same brewery in
voted into the top ten.

Luca Aloisi

Multimedia specialist Assai Interactive has brought the rainforest hall at Zurich Zoo online for Viseca Mycard. In addition to the print edition of Mycard, which was produced by Wirz Brugger Lüthi, anyone who wants to get a taste of the jungle without having to go to the zoo can do so via the Internet thanks to Assai. At www.viseca.ch/mycard, an interactive journey of discovery is accompanied by animal and jungle sounds. Great importance was also attached to didactic content: Visitors learn a lot of interesting facts, from ecological construction methods to the largest nature reserve in Madagascar and how the rainforest hall at Zurich Zoo makes species conservation possible.

Media With a literally creative,
but simple print campaign, Ruf Lanz announces very product-specific
the topics of the NZZ monthly supplement. The obligatory question right from the start: Why for
advertise the NZZ-Folio when other free supplements do not?
It is not only well positioned with NZZ subscribers, and with
Existing and potential advertisers could use the media data and a
Thematic calendars provide a sufficient overview and arouse interest.
Publishing director Ueli Oswald agrees: "Our readership is
actually tall, with above-average education and high purchasing power."

In this respect, one could draw the conclusion that lower advertising expenditure
could work just as well with a more targeted media strategy. Oswald
However, he points out that, unlike many supplements, the Folio
is not published weekly, but only monthly. With the
appearance cadence and the current media half-life, the
known product benefits supported with additional efforts
to remain "on everyone's lips". In view of the good
The benefits of his title are the prerequisites for corresponding
advertising campaigns that also attract attention in the reader market.

Skepticism was not justified
Up until a few weeks ago, many people were talking about the funny
radio spots for the NZZ-Folio, in which disarmingly moronic texts by
Hits translated into German and performed in prose on the
more sophisticated monthly magazine of the NZZ. Courageous at the
idea, which won several awards, was above all the departure from the
media-strategically plausible and no less excellent
Print campaign dramatizing the literary quality of the Folio
became. How is it possible for a monthly publication on the fleeting
Medium radio commercials? You can, if the concept and the
The skeptical clients noted that the implementation of the project would be conspicuous. Because
The response in the print media was not lacking. Despite the successful
experiment, you now return to the display.

Under the retained claim "The magazine for readers", the
agency Ruf Lanz has developed a new, ingeniously simple but all the more striking
campaign: Based on the headline "The most interesting thing that
can be made from letters: NZZ Folio", the creatives with Art
Director Katja Puccio did what the Folio editorial team does -
Letters become living stories in a surprising way
put together. Using the characters of our alphabet
new symbols that reflect the theme of the upcoming issue.
to the point.

For the "Young & Old" theme, two Bs are arranged in such a way that the
one like a young, well-proportioned man, the other B like one of the
what a bosom shaped by gravity looks like. For the magazine about
TV series, an r with a dot was enough to remind the viewer of a
To make people think pistol. Or: For the topic of "lies", Puccio added
Pinocchio with two letters and a punctuation mark. 2006
ten pictograms on vanilla yellow are intended to literally inform about the upcoming
NZZ-Folio theme into the picture. The icing on the cake are the
accompanying measures such as postcard sets or e-cards. Further
Ideas like the Scotsman of Loch Ness - two J and two U - can be
be curious.   

Luca Aloisi

Column Media groups are important corporate citizens. And compliant ones, as Google's self-censorship in China shows. Super RTL, of all companies, is now setting a counter-accent when two highly decorated representatives
of our globalized future meet, this can have a
This could mean a relapse into the Middle Ages. This is what happened at the end of January
of the World Economic Forum (WEF), where the founder of the currently
financially strongest media company and the deputy prime minister of the
the world's largest future market in a five-star back room.
together. In the spirit of Davos, i.e. "committed to improving
the state of the world" (the official raison d'être of the WEF)
Larry Page and Zeng Peiyan probably talked mainly about the few
days before the launch of google.cn.

In reality, the deal, in which Google has the human right to
Freedom of information and opinion versus lucrative market access
at least made the media world a little bit worse.
The very Internet search service that was once launched with missionary
zealously warned against purely profit-oriented thinking and with the company motto "Do
nothing bad", is now practicing deliberate self-censorship in order to
to secure their slice of the lavish China cake. This
abandonment of any socio-political responsibility and
all Enlightenment ideals would have to be the duty of every halfway
Make media people first angry and then activist.

Why not boycott Google?

Should be. Because in fact, between the lines of the numerous,
but toothless comments more malice than genuine indignation. "Now
the last Wall Street wonderboys of the New Economy are also gone.
the harsh reality of business," is the
The main message, especially in the business and trade press. Such
Cynicism with which many colleagues trivialize Google's treason,
is an even greater, because collective, scandal than the obscene
Opportunism of a former pacesetter and sympathizer of the
Industry.

Textile and sneaker manufacturers see themselves in the
Sweatshop suspicion confronted with increased media calls for a boycott.
There are no such appeals from media companies, although the
Manufacturers of such an abstract product as publicity today only
more cowering to concerted consumer power.

The fact that human rights organizations have not yet
was launched is a pity, but it is also
telling. For even Amnesty International (AI) obviously dares to
no confrontation with Google - probably because this also represents a global
Players like AI a few ranks on the all-important search lists
would cost.

By contrast, Super RTL is currently at the top of Google's list.
provided, of course, that you combine the search term
"Corporate responsibility" with "media" or "advertising". The
The German children's channel has adapted the British Media Smart initiative and caused quite a stir.
No wonder, since this is advertising education in schools
for 6 to 12-year-olds. The non-profit association is sponsored by
from Lego, Masterfoods, McDonald's, Nokia and other child-friendly companies.
corporations. This is an unmistakable indication that it is - as
with Google's self-censorship - here, too, it's about anticipatory obedience
deals.

Albeit a much more sympathetic version. Because against such
Prophylaxis campaigns against further advertising bans from Brussels or
elsewhere, there is nothing wrong with this in principle. Except for the
The fraudulent labeling with which Super RTL boss Claude Schmitt
initiative was recently reinterpreted as the "socio-political empowerment of our children".
No matter, the main thing is that the media companies finally see themselves as
"Corporate Citizen" - and act accordingly.

Oliver Classen is press spokesman for the
development policy organization Berne Declaration. Previously he was
Media journalist and editor of Werbewoche, among others.

Food The industry organization Swiss Patat of the united potato industry is presenting new tubers from LangGysiKnoll.
must be imported in accordance with the WTO agreements, Mr. and Mrs.
Swiss only domestic tubers. However, not so much anymore
as in the past. In 2004, it was around 43 kilograms per capita - a little more than
Pasta.

In order to attract consumers of fresh and ready-made products and
producers, the processing industry and the retail trade, the
organization of the potato industry. In addition to its
product information and PR work, Swiss Patat continuously analyzes the
sales and, together with its in-house agency LGK, plans and realizes the
advertising campaign. And the latter is intended to be highly recognizable in the
be continued in the same style. After all, the different
peeled potatoes for a short time on the plate and have it with it
across the Röstigraben - Grand Prix de la Création Romande 2005 - like
across national borders: admission to the permanent
poster collection of the Hamburg Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe or the
Publication in Lürzer's archive.

LGK has started the new season with four new subjects. In addition
the headline ductus is opened to highlight further advantages of the potato.
communicate - low in calories, quick to prepare, suitable for
Pampering recipes.    

Luca Aloisi

Cross-media The AZ Media Group is stepping up its cross-media activities. An important component of this was and is the Everyday Life project.
Aargauer Zeitung, Wochenzeitung, Radio Argovia, Tele M1/TeleTell and
the Internet platform azonline.ch, has set up a new department
Crossmedia/Key Account was created. Integrated into this is the area
Online and the classifieds marketplace. According to the
successful experiences with the multimedia project Alltag mit
Crossmedia more serious than ever. "You can measure its importance by this,
that this is not just a staff position," explains
Christoph Marty, until recently publishing director of the Aargauer Zeitung and
now head of the newly created division.

This is organizationally subordinate to the company management. According to
Marty, the AZ-Medien Group has a number of media outlets in the Mittelland region.
successful newspaper titles, radio and private television stations. Alone
The cross-media networking of these media was previously open. The
Establishing a division is also the logical extension of the
everyday life project. Conceived as a cross-media experiment, the
Project comes to an end after nine months on February 28. The
Marty sees the results as positive: "The goal of finding advertising customers
new ways of communication to offer appropriate
has been achieved. "Everyday life has a lot of potential," says Marty.

In the everyday project, the creators succeeded in what initially seemed to be a
loss-making business: the company is in the black. Also
Everyday life inventor Jörg Meier, head of the company's own
editorial team, which consists of editors from all over the world.
various AZ media outlets, draws a positive conclusion: "We
have "held out in terms of journalism", and there has even been a slight
profit, he says.

The public response is impressive. The media contributions in the context of
the all-round journalistic support of the five-member Aargau
The Hagenbuch farming family from the hamlet of Werd in Rottenschwil came across the
Aargau has met with a sustained and record-breaking response from the public.
The ratings on Tele M1 alone soared to 70,000 viewers
per consignment and, according to Meier, were still putting in a lot of work before the end of the project.
on: "A strong value for regional TV." Journalistic perseverance
However, it is not only the media professionals who have a role to play. The media family
seemed to suffer badly at times in the crossfire of journalistic curiosity.
"It was very tough for the Hagenbuchs at times," says Meier, whose
pupils over the past nine months to become the best-known Aargau
family at all. Both the mother and the youngest
son had to take a media-free break of one week each.

However, the experiment received little national attention. After 27 of the
The most important contribution to the SonntagsBlick was the
interest on the part of the SoBli editorial team had lapsed. In addition, the
Posts with 1500 characters far too short and not prominent enough
placed in order to achieve the necessary attention, says
Meier.

Aargau flooded Ticino
The cooperation with the ten media partners worked well,
among them Amag, Le Shop, Ikea, SBB and as main partner Charles
Vögele. One of the outstanding events was the "Raus aus
everyday life", an offer from SBB for a trip to the canton of Ticino
at a special price. Thousands of travelers bought a Ticino ticket
in one of the designated branches of the Charles Vögele fashion house, where
they were granted an additional ten percent off the product range. "We
have sent around 12500 people from Aargau to Ticino",
says Jörg Meier. The SBB even had to run extra trains.

In view of such figures, it is not surprising that the Hagenbuch family in the
Aargau now has a broad fan base. But what happens
what happens after the end of the experiment? Of course, the
AZ Media Group earn from cross-media offerings. The considerations
therefore revolve around two questions: Is the experiment of everyday life purely
commercially conceivable, or/and should it be used as a journalistic format?
be continued?

Next edition already in the works
Jörg Meier is currently developing further everyday ideas.
There has already been talk of a setting in the environment of a
small or medium-sized company. But it has to be profitable. "We
try to get hold of the money that the companies in the
rule on communication," says Christoph Marty. We have a lot
learned and will try to do an even better job next time with the media partners.
to be involved. Marty estimates that a further edition of the project with
two to three main partners and five to seven other interested parties.
company could become profitable.

The fact that the project is increasingly voyeuristic from the audience's
needs has not proven to be true. The separation between
journalistic and commercial aspects of reporting
Marty also sees this as unproblematic. "It's not one hundred percent
but we would be making a mistake as a media company if we wanted to
we are teaching a mature audience," he says. By May, the
The project was developed to such an extent that interested
companies as media partners in order to organize a media event next fall.
next version of everyday life in Aargau.

Advertising as if by itself
The focus of the Everyday Life project over the past nine
months the Hagenbuch-Tresch family from Rottenschwil. The
Constant monitoring by the media of the AZ Media Group led to a
A wealth of editorial reports, stories, service contributions and
Public events about everyday family life. Everyday events
such as school problems, tire changes or vacation plans could thus be
practically by itself with commercially motivated advertising intentions of the
partner companies involved in the project.

René Worni

Edipresse is involved in the launch of a new magazine for high-tech fans in Portugal. The magazine Stuff will be published by Edimpresa, a joint venture between Edipresse and the Portuguese publishing house Impresa. According to the communiqué, Stuff is set to become the leading magazine for electronics, high-tech and gadgets. A circulation of 270,000 copies is planned for the launch. In addition to newsstand sales, Stuff will be distributed with other Edimpresa titles.

As part of the "New Media" project, the publishing house intends to focus on digital products and new business models from a cross-country and cross-divisional perspective. Group Executive Board member Thomas Trüeb heads a newly established committee on new media, while Andreas Waldis has been appointed as operational project manager. From March 1, he will be responsible for the timely identification of relevant changes in the areas of technology, society, media and the advertising industry. To this end, he has at his disposal a monitoring tool used for the first time and a transnational network of scouts. Waldis has been a member of the RingierTV management team since 2002 as Head of Marketing & Sales. In his new position, he is organizationally part of the Corporate Communications department. 
The "New Media" committee, chaired by Trüb, evaluates the results and coordinates new projects in the digital world across divisions and countries, as Ringier announced. The committee regularly proposes new media formats and services to the Group Executive Board for concrete implementation. It will be made up of 13 to 14 people from the various divisions and countries who deal with digital products and new solutions in their daily work.

The fact that the two Unilever brands Rexona and Axe are now also available in Migros is being communicated with a major national promotion. The entire campaign is being announced by hostesses in Migros stores in German-speaking Switzerland and French-speaking Switzerland, who are handing out product samples and flyers. In addition to the 20 percent discount on the Rexona and Axe range, a competition will also be launched in which three weekly winners will receive Ex-Libris vouchers worth 30 francs each. The competition will run until the end of the year and will be conducted via cell phone: The answer to the competition question is sent with the keyword to the number 9889. The mobile interaction was implemented by mobile marketing specialist Activemobile, a subsidiary of Goldbach Media.