Press Frutigland will have its own newspaper at the beginning of 2006. The Frutigländer will be published on Tuesdays and Fridays and will only report on local news, with Egger AG in Frutigen and Müller Marketing & Druck in Gstaad behind the project. Müller publishes the Saanen Anzeiger, which is based on the same concept. Egger publishes the Frutiger Amtsanzeiger, which is distributed weekly without editorial content. The publishers want to reach 6000 to 7000 subscribers within five years.

MAN Roland, the world's number one in web offset and a leading manufacturer of sheetfed presses, has drawn a positive balance at China Print (which took place in Beijing from May 11 to 15, 2005). "China Print was great for us, both in terms of the quantity and quality of visitors and contacts," summarizes CEO Gerd Finkbeiner.
Press supplier Koenig & Bauer (KBA) confirms that China Print is increasingly making a name for itself as an international trade fair for the Asian region. In addition to Chinese trade visitors, the KBA stand welcomed visitors from India, Malaysia, Korea, Thailand, Australia, Vietnam, Pakistan and other countries. This internationality was also noticeable in sales: In addition to 13 medium- and large-format presses to Chinese printing houses, KBA was able to sell two presses to Thailand at the trade fair.

Advertising market Gross advertising revenue in the electronic media developed less dynamically in April than in previous months, with the Goldbach Electronic Media Index (GEMI) showing an increase of one point to 310 points for TV, radio, Internet and teletext combined. In February, the increase amounted to three points, in March even four points. Despite the slowdown, electronic media are still outperforming the overall advertising market. The latter's index stagnated at 163 points in April.
Teletext continues to stagnate
Radio advertising showed the least spring fatigue. Its index rose from 268 to 270 points. Television and the Internet, on the other hand, only gained one point each. The teletext index remained unchanged at 198 points, continuing its ongoing stagnation. In the overview of the first four months of the year, radio is also the fastest-growing category (+12 points). Television gained a total of seven points, online advertising six points. After slight ups and downs, teletext is back in the same position as at the beginning of the year.
The Goldbach Electronic Media Index is calculated annually by advertising marketer Goldbach Media. It shows the monthly development of advertising expenditure in the electronic media and in the overall market since the introduction of the first TV advertising window in 1993. The index is based 100% on the survey of gross advertising expenditure in Switzerland by Media Focus. The monthly seasonality is filtered out of the time series in a two-stage process.
Radio advertising gained the most in the index and is also ahead in the overview of the first four months of 05.

Stefano Monachesi

People Barbara Siegrist is to become deputy editor-in-chief of Migros magazine. She will take up her new position at the beginning of September and is currently Head of the Entertainment Department at the commuter newspaper 20 Minuten. Prior to that, she worked for the society and savoir-vivre sections of the Tages-Anzeiger, was head of department at the Zürich Express and at the women's magazine Meyer's.

Digital printing Océ is expanding its portfolio in the digital sector with the Océ CPS800 color printing system, which is said to offer stable print quality over the entire print run, making the device suitable for reprints or new editions. Identical results can even be achieved across multiple systems. The Océ CPS800 requires no calibration, which has a positive effect on productivity.

Prepress With pdfToolbox2, Callas Software is launching three of its latest plug-ins for Adobe Acrobat 6 and 7 as a bundle. pdfToolbox2 offers many options for editing and optimizing PDF documents for output with the included tools pdfLayerMaker (creates PDF page objects as layers), pdfColorConvert (converts RGB and spot colors to CMYK) and pdfCorrect (corrects errors/prepares PDF/X).

Transportation: The airline Swiss is partnering with the Zurich-based internet service provider MitLinks for its online marketing campaign in the greater Berlin area.The campaign includes integration on the Berlin.de and Berlin-online.de portals, promotions in the online sections of Berlin’s daily newspapers, and partnerships in newsletters and the «Berlin Club» community. It will run in June.

Photography The Selection vfg is the best selection and annual documentation of Swiss professional photography. The Selection vfg competition in conjunction with an exhibition is being held for the seventh time this year by the vfg Association of Photographic Designers and is aimed at professional photographers. An international jury of experts (Katrin Freisager, photographer, Zurich; Seiichi Furuya, photographer, Japan/ Graz; Jean Luc Iseli, rédacteur en chef images, Ringier, Lausanne; Horst Moser, owner of independent medien-design, Munich; James Reid, Photo Editor, Wallpaper, London) has selected the 18 best works (122 images) in the categories "Advertising Photography", "Editorial Photography", "Fine Arts" and "Free" from the 451 works submitted (with a total of over 2700 images). These are considered "representative" for the year 2004.
With detailed information on the photographers, "The Selection vfg" catalog is a working tool for advertising agencies, art buyers, photo agencies and picture editors. The catalog is published by Verlag Schwabe Basel, which has once again been won as a sponsor alongside EWZ - die Energie and Das Magazin.
Gabi Vogt and Julian Salinas made it into the top 18 in the "Advertising" category.
Julian Salinas specializes in portraits and people photography. He earns his money "partly in advertising", but also works editorially for Vogue, for example. He photographed a reportage about H. R. Giger and IWC for Max in Germany. His
Musician portraits for Das Magazin. He also does exhibitions and books "on the side". "You can define photography as art, but you don't have to. I see it as a craft," says Salinas.
His latest book shows people in the Tbilisi subway. The illustrated book was realized thanks to a grant from the Christoph Merian Foundation and was named one of the "most beautiful books in Switzerland" by the Federal Department of Home Affairs. In 2004, Salinas spent six months in Paris on an art scholarship from the canton of Baselland. There he photographed a work about transvestites and transsexuals. These pictures will be shown at Art in Basel in June. In Paris, Salinas also organized a fictitious casting for a music video. Over a thousand people wanted to be photographed.
Gabi Vogt came to advertising because the creative team at Jung von Matt/Limmat liked her thesis. "Presenting your portfolio to an agency doesn't achieve much. It's more about personal recommendations," she says. After school, "it wasn't easy to gain a foothold in the industry". However, Gabi Vogt was still able to produce portraits of children for the NZZ Folio during her training. She prefers to work with young people and children. This specialization has since led to another commission for a Migros campaign. "That's how it goes from job to job."
For the photos in the magazine campaign, which will be shown at The Selection, it was a stylistic device that the images "appear casual", even though they are staged. Gabi Vogt is now represented by the agency DS Photographers. She also works in the editorial field for Beobachter, Facts and Aargauer Kuratorium. With an art scholarship from the Canton of Aargau, Vogt will be photographing in Paris this summer.
The Selection vfgThe Selection vfg exhibition at the EWZ-Unterwerk Selnau in Zurich from June 4 to 19, 2005 from 12 noon to 8 p.m. presents the 18 best works of the past year. The Selection vfg will open on June 3 with the Opening Night, at which the Magazine Photo Prize will be awarded and the vernissage of the catalog will be celebrated.
The prize money amounts to CHF 10,000. All works will be presented on www.the-selection.ch after the vernissage.
Julian Salinas sees himself as a classic advertising photographer. He is represented by René Hauser and has worked for Swisscom, UBS and Sport Tipp, for example. Salinas came to photography via a classic apprenticeship in an advertising studio in Basel.
After an apprenticeship as a decoration designer, Gabi Vogt attended the preliminary course at the University of Art and Design in Zurich and graduated in 2003 with a degree in photography. The campaign for Das Magazin is her first major advertising work. It was commissioned by Jung von Matt/Limmat.
The pictures for the Smart Wear fashion line were taken in Japan.
The client was the erdmannpeisker agency in Biel.
Travesty in Paris.
Staged snapshots of Zurich.
"Stay tuned" captured in pictures.
Zurich with an artistic eye.
Gabi Vogt enjoys working with young people.
Andreas Panzeri

Digital printing Epson renews its product range and relies on a new ink systemIn times of floods of digital images and where vacation photos are increasingly being printed at home on photo paper using inkjet printers, good black and white photos stand out. In addition to the correct implementation, however, the question arises as to where or how these black and white images are best printed. Most inkjet printers, most of which are equipped with four color cartridges, are less suitable for this - but certainly not if you want to achieve a certain standard of quality. New color system
The new UltraChrome K3 (K3) color system developed by Epson is capable of outputting black and white images - even if the output of these monochrome images was not the main focus when developing the inks. The K3 color system integrates a total of eight color ink cartridges. In addition to the colors cyan, magenta, yellow, cyan light, magenta light, light black and two black inks - one for matt or glossy media - the new Light Light Black ink as the eighth color significantly improves the gray balance and thus reproduces skin tones faithfully. The advantage of the new ink system (in conjunction with new printers) is that both "true" black and white prints and high-quality color prints are possible within a single printout using a single printer. With the K3 inks, Epson has also succeeded in significantly expanding the color space and now also covers the color space that was reserved for the silver halide crystals embedded in previous photographic materials. The ink should also last longer: On suitable media, Epson claims up to 75 years for color prints and up to 200 years for black and white prints.
Update for the printers
In addition to the new UltraChrome K3 inks, Epson will be launching new, matching inkjet printers in the coming months. The company is targeting "ambitious amateurs" and professionals so that they can create professional black and white, color and fine art prints. Epson is launching the Stylus Pro 4800 printer in June and the Stylus Pro 7800 and Stylus Pro 9800 in the autumn for the photography, proofing, digital fine art (high-quality reproductions) and technical visualization segments (e.g. POS materials). With these inkjet printing systems, the company covers the formats A3+ to B0. In addition to single sheets, the inkjet printers can also be used to print on roll materials.
The new entry-level specialist for semi-professional applications in A4 format is the Stylus Photo R2400, which also relies on the advantages of UltraChrome K3 ink technology.
One for allIf you are looking for a multifunctional device in A4 format (borderless) and want to do without the K3 inks and the highest color quality, you can still fall back on the new Epson Stylus RX700 in June. This device combines a scanner (with transparency unit), copier and printer in one. The RX700 is equipped with everything that makes the heart of technology enthusiasts beat faster: From the integrated 2.5-inch color monitor, integrated memory card reader and support for common memory cards, PictBridge/USB Direct Print to direct printing from Bluetooth camera phones and other compatible Bluetooth devices (using an optional Bluetooth adapter, however) to the high-speed USB 2.0. interface (PC and Mac) and scanning and saving directly to a memory card or to a connected CD-R or Zip drive, everything is integrated. Jürgen Franck
UltraChrome K3 ink from Epson Compared to the UltraChrome inks, Epson has optimized all components (pigments, resin for the pigment coating) in the new K3 ink technology. Key features are the consistency and the (small) size of the pigments, which is crucial in terms of reflective properties and print quality. The colored pigments are optimized so that the Epson UltraChrome K3 inks cover a much larger color space than the previous Epson UltraChrome inks.
With CMY, Cyan Light, Magenta Light and three black colors, the eight-color Epson Ultrachrome K3 system covers a larger color space.
Epson Stylus Pro 4400 and 4800.
RX700.
Epson Stylus Pro 7800 and 9800.
R2400.
(jf)

Awards II Exxtra Kommunikation celebrates a victory at the International Food & Beverage Advertising Awards (FAB), the largest international creative competition for food and beverages, where its TV commercial for Crème d'Or, a Migros ice cream brand, has won an FAB Award.

Distribution Swiss Post wants to try its hand at selling press again - and will become a competitor for Valora Swiss Post did not take the decision to return to press sales on a trial basis from June 13 and, according to a communiqué, to further expand "its traditional role as a partner to publishers" on its own initiative. A test that it had carried out from 1993 to 1998 was not profitable enough for this - "primarily due to the cumbersome processes", as Swiss Post spokesman Richard Pfister emphasizes. Sales, on the other hand, showed "that there was a need on the part of customers." Up to 1000 post offices involved
The new trial, which will initially be limited to 30 post offices and a maximum of 25 newspapers and magazines each, but can be extended to 1,000 offices if successful, therefore required an external impetus. "We at Ringier approached Swiss Post," admits Walter Lütolf, Head of Publishing Services at Ringier. The reason is simple: "Ringier publishes titles that are largely dependent on retail sales. That's why we have to use every possible channel for press sales." Pfister from Swiss Post confirms: "Publishers are looking for new sales channels and Swiss Post is looking for additional sources of income."
Ringier criticism of ValoraWalter Lütolf does not deny that the test with Swiss Post could also be seen indirectly as criticism of the press wholesaler role of retail giant Valora. "As a press wholesaler, Valora is not doing enough to open up new channels for press sales itself." According to Lütolf, however, this would be its "very own task", if only because it is well known that customers' purchasing behavior is changing and press sales at traditional kiosks have been declining for years. Ringier has therefore decided to look for additional distribution channels itself. "We have to sell - with or without Valora. That is our only goal. We are not interested in plaguing Valora."
No comment was available from Valora. "We have decided not to comment on this matter," said the press office. However, there should be no great surprise in the boardrooms, as Ringier CEO Martin Werfeli had already announced last November that his group was striving for "independence from Valora" in the distribution sector. Ringier wanted to break out of the "monopolized situation". The contracts with the press wholesaler were also terminated at the end of 2004.
A piquant fact: in the same breath, Werfeli had explicitly mentioned a second "monopolized situation" that he wanted to break away from: that of Swiss Post. The fact that Ringier and other publishers now want to use this for themselves is not a contradiction in terms. Neither is the cooperation with Valora: the latter is involved in the Alternative Delivery Organization for Magazines (AZO) project, a project which, as is well known, tends to be directed against Swiss Post and its tariffs.
This shows: Publishers, above all Ringier, have found a new way of dealing with the dominant logistics providers. They rely on Valora or Swiss Post when it is to their advantage - otherwise they will throw one or both of them out the door. Lütolf is also aware that the test with Swiss Post could provoke Valora's withdrawal from AZO. But he accepts that. "We're not obliged to share a table and a bed with the same partner and then go on vacation with them," he says.
Better framework conditionsThe question remains as to why press sales via Swiss Post should be more successful today after the failed attempt in the 1990s. Lütolf and Pfister emphasize that at the time the trial was "very complex" in terms of administration for both Swiss Post and the publishers, which is why the cost-benefit ratio was not right for both sides. In addition, Swiss Post now has more efficient processes and has also massively ramped up the convenience area. "Swiss Post is now the largest Swiss paper supplier," says Lütolf. And Pfister adds: "In 2004, the Swiss spent around 50 francs per capita on non-postal items". And something else is different today: Canal poste, Swiss Post's AdScreen service, can be used for promotion at the POS.
It is still unclear which publishers will take part in the post-test with which titles. Lütolf does not know exactly. The selection authority lies with Swiss Post as the product range provider. "We are interested in Swiss Post selecting the best-selling titles so that the trial is successful and can be extended at the end of 2005," says Lütolf. It is fairly certain that Tamedia will also take part in the trial. "You should never close your mind to a test," says Tagi publishing director Maili Wolf. Jean Frey also seems to be interested. This is despite the fact that no margin has yet been negotiated with Swiss Post. "We agree that both sides must first make an upfront investment," says Lütolf. In this respect, a direct comparison with the margin at Valora is not yet possible. Markus Knöpfli
Distribution Swiss Post wants to try its hand at selling press again - and becomes a competitor for Valora.

Job advertisements For the seventh time in a row, the Jobpilot index is pointing upwards: From February to April, it climbed by 3 points to 79 points, a modest increase compared to the 11-point rise in the previous quarter. The sub-index for job advertisements on company websites had a dampening effect. For the first time since July 2003, it fell by 6 points to 91 points. In contrast, the online job exchanges increased by 6 points to 72 points. A comparison with the Manpower Index shows that job searches are increasingly becoming the domain of the Internet. While the Jobpilot index continues to rise, the print media have been stuck in the doldrums for almost two years. The Manpower Job Index (standardized to the Jobpilot Index) even fell again in April by 2 points to 28 points.
Good news for job seekers in marketing, advertising and PR: the sub-index for the sector has risen by 12 points. Nevertheless, at 69 points, it is still at a comparatively low level.
(sm)