The Federal Council plans to sell its Swisscom shares
to sell the company and, to this end, on Thursday
Department of Finance to make the necessary legislative changes without delay.
to be drawn up. With this project, the Federal Council wants to give Swisscom a
greater entrepreneurial scope for action on the telecommunications market
provide. At the same time, the federal government can
Privatization to avoid future entrepreneurial risks. The
Meanwhile, the communications union and the SP are already threatening to
the referendum if the parliamentary majority approves the sale.

(pr) ePayment continues to gain in importance: just in time for the Christmas season
Accarda launches the electronic voucher (eVoucher) with web portal.
The holder of the gift card can easily top up their balance via a web portal.
manage. The new e-voucher is already being used by a fashion chain with 50
branches. Accarda AG is a company of the Swisscom Group.
The credit card-sized card is rechargeable and can be used by the customer as a
gift voucher or convenient means of payment. The
gift card is more modern, more attractive and more flexible than the
paper voucher. It enables secure, simple and cashless payment.
Shopping in every store and online. The customer always has the
Overview and security: The current balance of the card can be checked via the Internet.
can be called up; a negative balance is not possible.
Accarda's voucher system enables retailers to replace the
previous paper vouchers. The retailer does not need any additional hard
or software and can use its existing infrastructure at the point of sale
use. Blackout AG is the first store chain to use the new eGutschein.
The company is active in the jeans and leisure fashion sector and operates
with around 300 employees, has 50 branches in Switzerland.

Since August, Constant Pochon has been part of the
Western Switzerland team of Go Uni Advertising. Previously, Pochon was among others
for the Heimann, J. W. Thompson and Young & Rubicam agencies, as
Advertising Manager for the Tages-Anzeiger and for the Berner Zeitung as well as
worked as a director at Publicitas. Go Uni-Advertising is a
specialized media agency for advertising at universities and
Universities of Applied Sciences in Europe.

The former German Chancellor
Gerhard Schröder becomes personal advisor to Michael Ringier. From
January 2006, he is to advise Ringier in particular on political matters - such as
in its expansion in Eastern Europe - as the publisher
announced at a media conference. Events are also planned.
Schröder will not have an explicit function within the Group, but will be
have an office at the headquarters in Zurich. How much time the former head of state spends in
Michael Ringier could not say how much he will invest in this task, for the
salary, he simply declared: "Mr. Schröder was a great
modest man and he will continue to be so." Schröder
also wants to work as a lawyer in his Berlin law firm and
write a book about his life. His last political office was
according to a Ringier press release on November 23 with the withdrawal from the
Bundestag has given up.

For the current year, Ringier expects
an increase in sales of 10 % and a similar development in the
Pre-tax profit. As CEO Martin Werfeli explained to the media on Thursday
said that the Zurich-based media group does not expect to see any
significant setbacks: "It may still snow, but the snow will
It will no longer hail," says Werfeli.
Michael Ringier was also confident. "We currently need
no big strategy meetings," said the publisher; the strategy
is underway - with Eastern Europe at the center. We see many
opportunities to grow. The next major project is the already
daily free newspaper in Prague, which according to Werfeli will be published next
Monday starts. According to an annual review of the
Ringier Corporate Communications has already launched 12 new titles.
or line extensions in Eastern Europe: In Slovakia the
teen magazine IN, the Sunday newspaper Novy Cas Nedela, the
People magazine Novy Cas Ludia and the puzzle magazine Novy Cas
Krizovky; in the Czech Republic Blesk Krizovky, Blesk Hobby, Nedelni Sport and
the dating guide Ex, in Romania the women's magazine Libertatea
pentru femei, in Serbia Blic Ljubavni roman (romance novels) and in
Hungary Blikk Romantika (ditto) and Blikk Nök (women's magazine).
On the other hand, the daily newspaper Mai Nap was discontinued in Hungary. For
the expanding list of titles, Ringier intends to expand its printing capacity in
Eastern Europe.
"On a more modest scale", the company is also hoping for growth
in China and Vietnam, Michael Ringier continued. Investments
are also increasingly flowing into Switzerland. The printing sector is to
market area to the southern German region. In the print media
The most pressing question is still how to get started
into the free newspaper market. "We have not yet come to an answer
came," explained Martin Werfeli. Just as little was said about the
expansion of the Cash media network. In September, the
publishing house was looking for sponsors with the "Cash Daily" concept, which offers a
evening free newspaper and a daily TV program. According to
Werfeli has sponsors, but the search continues and the hope is that by the time
to reach a decision next spring.
A series of measures are therefore being planned for the short term,
In the longer term, Michael Ringier is concerned about the emerging
Generation change in media use worries. Using the example of
Chancellor election in Germany, he explained how newspapers today are
Internet, radio and television often only offer old news. One
Ringier does not yet have an answer to this question either: "It is pointless to
ten-year strategy, because what will be in ten years?
I have no idea," explained the publisher.
Stefano Monachesi

The editorial director of the Baselbieter
local television station NW1, Niggi Freundlieb, was dismissed on Thursday.
has been made. NW1 Chairman of the Board of Directors Christian Heeb confirmed a
News platform Onlinereports.ch reports to the SDA. According to
Onlinereports will be terminated at the end of January; at his own request
Freundlieb was released with immediate effect. The background
of the measure remain unclear. The termination letter apparently contained
no explanation. Heeb did not want to disclose either to the news platform or
to comment on this to the SDA. However, he did tell the agency that Freundlieb
had "done nothing wrong". Pressure to save money was also not the reason.
Freundlieb himself suspected to Onlinereports on the basis of
verbal statements that the Board of Directors wanted to "break new ground"
and leaner structures. For him, the termination was completely
surprising and incomprehensible. The editorial team is now
the previous co-director Corinna Zigerli. As assistant
Urs Hobi, former longtime head of the city department of the Basel
newspaper, on a contract basis.

Since the beginning of November, Markus Gut
the sales team at Brunner Druck und Medien in Kriens. In the last
ten years, he worked as sales manager at S-Medien in Sursee.
In recent months, Brunner Druck und Medien has also adapted the
infrastructure. According to a press release, the market can now
personalized images in the prepress stage and other innovations in the
digital printing can be better served. The range is complemented by a
Image database where customers can access their data online
can.

The legacy of the collapsed
Kirch empire is distributed. With the film financier and
Rights trader Epsilon Motion Pictures has acquired the insolvent KirchMedia
sold the last operating company, reports the
SDA news agency. The buyer is the German film distributor Kinowelt.
Both sides had signed a corresponding agreement, and the
The creditors' committee unanimously approved the transaction, the
KirchMedia announced on Thursday. After the bankruptcy of the former
media mogul Leo Kirch, which dominated the German media landscape in April 2002.
KirchMedia, the heart of the group, was gradually shaken up.
has been smashed.

At its Annual General Meeting
the Board of Directors of Basler Zeitung Medien elected Otto
Meier, CEO of PubliPresse, as a new member. At the same time, the
longstanding members Gaudenz Staehelin and Fritz Schuhmacher from the
Board of Directors. As a result, the Board of Directors of Basler
Zeitung Medien is composed as follows: Matthias Hagemann (President), Beat
Meyer (Delegate), Ruth Ludwig-Hagemann, Otto Meier, Peter Merian and
Hans-Peter Rohner.

If you miss the deadline for the
ADC judging 2006, you can be happy: The ADC is taking
is still accepting submissions for a short time. All submitted works
on January 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the World Trade Center at
Leutschenbachstrasse 95 in Zurich Oerlikon can be visited, the
Judging will take place on January 24 and 25. And on January 29
the cubes in gold, silver and bronze will be presented in the film podium at the
Nüschelerstrasse in Zurich.

The purchase of branded products abroad brings markedly cheaper
Prices. Thanks to the innovative shopping concept of the Swiss company
Simple Buy also makes purchasing abroad easier
uncomplicated, risk-free and customer-friendly. The price advantage: 20 to
30 percent! (pr) In the increasingly globalized
economy, the global corporations produce there, where the
labor is the cheapest. At the same time they sell their
Products on the high-price island of Switzerland overpriced. The global corporations
earn a golden nose in the process, while we lose our jobs.
tremble. Are we consumers reduced to powerless
Degraded as extras of globalization? No! How would it be if
the
consumers used the same techniques as the global corporations, and
would buy where the prices are best? Simply global
Buying branded products globally. Going it alone, the effort required
big, but now there is a simple and safe alternative: Simple
Buy!

Well-known brand products significantly cheaper In the
Internet, the prices for internationally available
Compare branded products easily. It quickly becomes clear: In
foreign online shops, especially in the USA, can be found many
Branded goods at massively lower prices than on the high price island
Switzerland. Nevertheless, many consumers in this country are hesitant to invest in
to buy from any unknown webshops abroad. Comes the
goods really on? Are counterfeits even being planted? To whom
do you contact with a complaint? Are the personal
Payment data safe from misuse? Often enough unexpectedly put into perspective
high shipping and customs clearance costs the hoped-for price advantage. And the
most US webshops only accept shipping addresses in the USA. Thanks to
The young Swiss company is now offering an innovative shopping concept.
company Simple Buy an uncomplicated, transparent and above all
risk-free processing of online purchases abroad. The basis for this is
a close cooperation with selected suppliers in the USA: These
U.S. online stores carry a special
Offer with transparently itemized prices and costs: So
experiences, for example
the customer residing in Switzerland before placing the order.
Total cost in Swiss francs for delivery to his door. At
This way, prices can be compared directly with offers from Switzerland.
compare. And the comparison shows that the Swiss customer in the
Store Simple Buy's U.S. partner stores at significantly lower prices
on average, prices are 20 to 30 percent below those of the
Swiss market prices, mind you including all costs for shipment
and customs clearance. Shopping as safe, easy and convenient as in the
Switzerland But shopping at Simple Buy's partner stores is not
only cheaper and the selection larger. Simple Buy also ensures
Safety and customer satisfaction, because Simple Buy provides from the
Switzerland to provide customer support for the US partner stores: If a customer has
a question about his order or would like to submit a complaint or
a suggestion, he does not need to go to the trouble of contacting the supplier.
in the USA, but can simply contact Simple Buy in
Switzerland. Would like
the customer returns the goods, he simply sends them to Simple
Buy in Switzerland. Even the place of jurisdiction is in Switzerland. Also
The payment security is convincing: The customer trusts his sensitive
Payment data not to the store involved, but exclusively to
of the payment institution involved in the ordering process. He pays
that is, at the virtual bank or post office counter, not in the store. Finally
Simple Buy takes care of the 30-day money-back guarantee, which is offered by
granted to all participating U.S. partner stores. The decisive
Advantage for the customer: He makes his purchase directly from the
low-cost provider in the USA. The comprehensive customer service provides
but Simple Buy, a company based in Switzerland. The Swiss
Company Simple Buy does not sell anything itself, but removes all risks
of cross-border purchasing. With sophisticated logistics
and the use of state-of-the-art web-based tools Simple
Buy an efficient, secure and fast supply chain from the supplier in
overseas to the customer in Switzerland. For all kinds of problems Simple
Buy as a customer-oriented contact and problem solver. For
Consumers in Switzerland will be able to enjoy shopping in the
abroad thereby as safe, easy and convenient as at home! This
customer-friendly and forward-looking concept, Simple Buy is applying in
a first phase in cooperation with Vitamincourier.com on
Branded products from the nutritional supplements (branded vitamins,
minerals, supplements). These are exclusively
known
Branded products, such as the proven vitamin preparations from Centrum. Or
Olay's vitamin line, which is not yet available in Switzerland, the
is aimed at the beauty-conscious woman. These items can be the
Customers uncomplicated and around the clock in the online store
order from the US partner company (www.vitamincourier.com). Very soon
will be more partner stores (for skin and oral care, clothes, shoes,
sporting goods) will be added and the product range will be successively
expanded. All partner stores are linked on www.simple-buy.ch.

The German television channel RTL is planning the
complete takeover of the news channel N-TV. As the RTL Group
announced on Thursday, the channel is acquiring from co-shareholder CNN
the remaining 50 percent and thus increases its own shareholding.
to 100 percent. It is now up to the antitrust authorities to approve the takeover.
to approve. N-TV was founded in 1992 and reaches more than 5,000 viewers a day.
million viewers with a focus on news,
Business and talk.