Group figures A tough cost-cutting program has brought Tamedia back into the black. But the worries have not yet been forgotten. After the much-maligned "Kallschlag", the rigorous cost-cutting measures of Group CEO Martin Kall, profits are growing again. For the first half of 2004, the Zurich-based media company reported a consolidated net income of 18 million Swiss francs. A loss of 3.8 million was incurred in the previous year. The black figures are largely due to restructuring measures. Further declining sales were offset by the reduced
operating expenses can be compensated for. This applies above all to the traditional print business. Although newspapers lost CHF 4.1 million, they also saved CHF 20.4 million. In the case of magazines, the CHF 4.9 million shortfall in income was offset by a CHF 19.3 million reduction in expenditure. The newspaper sector was thus able to
almost quadrupled its operating result (from CHF 6.1 million to CHF 23.1 million). Magazines, which were in the red with CHF 11.1 million in the previous year, made a profit of CHF 3.5 million.
Only one Tamedia title managed to increase its turnover: Schweizer Familie recorded an increase of 4.2 percent on the previous year to CHF 18.5 million. The Tages-Anzeiger was also surprisingly solid. The decline of 1.8 percent to 108.6 million francs is only slight compared to the slump in advertising volumes of
10 percent, according to the advertising statistics of the Swiss press for the ten major Swiss-German daily newspapers. However, advertising manager Fridolin Holdener is not overly optimistic: The Tagi is doing "a little better" than other papers because it is the one that is most likely to benefit from campaigns that are otherwise limited to weekly titles, he explains. However, daily newspapers remain a difficult place.
Electronic media gaining groundThe news magazine Facts continues to plow particularly hard ground. It has lost a further 22 percent of its turnover and still earned 11.3 million francs. Facts already reported a decline of 18 percent in its 2003 annual accounts. The relaunch at the beginning of April seems to have had little effect on the advertising market so far.
In contrast, the electronic media are showing encouraging trends. For the first time, they posted a positive operating result before depreciation and amortization (CHF 200,000). After depreciation and amortization, a minus of 3.8 million remains. Electronic media is the only division to report rising sales, up 6.2 percent to 25.3 million. At 5.5 percent less expenditure, this was also the area where the least savings were made. The Belcom stations Radio 24 and TeleZüri in particular brought more money into the coffers. Their turnover grew by over a fifth to CHF 13.3 million. Online activities reported record growth of 71 percent or CHF 1.8 million. Radio Basilisk, on the other hand, earned 7.5 percent less. The production company Condor Communications lost CHF 2.2 million - a third of its turnover - due to a lack of major orders from the entertainment sector.
Despite restructuring, the Services division with printing and distribution did not improve its business figures. Sales (including own orders) fell by CHF 20.6 million to CHF 101.2 million. Meanwhile, expenses could only be reduced by 18.7 million, so that last year's profit (1.4 million) in the first half of 2004 was only
loss of 800,000 francs. Before depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), the division is still in the black. This is the first time that Tamedia has reported positive EBITDA in all four divisions.
On the stock market, however, this good news did not give rise to any fantasies. The Tamedia share price has fallen by around 4 percent since the half-year figures were announced.
Stefano Monachesi

Chips The Zurich-based advertising agency Catsky & Partner has won the technology group Unaxis as a new client, beating the previous account holder in a competitive presentation, according to a press release. The presentation focused on the strategy and creation for an international specialist campaign on chip production, which will be used next year in Europe, Asia and the USA. Unaxis employs over 6500 people worldwide. The company, formerly known as Oerlikon-Bührle, has its headquarters in Pfäffikon SZ.

Pierre C. Meier on new players in the over-regulated TV marketThe new Radio and Television Act (RTVA), which was crammed through the National Council in a monster debate in the spring, goes easy on the SRG. A majority of politicians do not want strong competition to the SRG. So they are making cosmetic changes, relaxing advertising guidelines and graciously offering local broadcasters the prospect of money from the licence fee pot. No one is entirely satisfied, but the protest is limited. A good federal compromise: the existing market partners have come to an agreement. The latest proposal for educational television, which is supported by the President of the Conference of Directors of Education, is also easily capable of winning a majority. This has already been submitted to the Council of States Committee for Transport and Telecommunications (KVF) and is to be considered in the current RTVA consultation. According to the SonntagsZeitung, the project is to be financed by advertising on the one hand, but also by at least one percent of the SRG fee money. These thirteen million francs would not really hurt SRG, even if Armin Walpen describes the request as a "misappropriation" of its funds. One more new old market partner to come to an agreement with.
Now, however, new players are shaking up the field of electronic media and disturbing the peace. Triple play (voice, data and moving images via a single channel) is the buzzword. Cablecom gave the starting signal with its entry into the telephone business. In return, Swisscom wants to get involved in the television business through its Internet subsidiary Bluewin. Swisscom CEO Jens Alder dreams of 400 channels and mobile television use. It is therefore only logical that Cablecom wants to expand its service channel into an actual channel and has submitted a corresponding application for a license extension (see also page 16).
The new RTVA over-regulates the electronic media,
based on today's technical conditions. However, it in no way takes into account what will be feasible in the near future.
> Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief

Sexuality The Lucerne youth group Whynot wants to encourage young gays and lesbians to come out. Although tolerance towards gays and lesbians has increased, same-sex relationships are by no means accepted everywhere. As coming out is an important step, those responsible at Whynot have chosen it as this year's campaign theme. The Lucerne youth group is a contact point for 16 to 25-year-old homosexuals who are looking to share their experiences with like-minded people. As in the past, the Zurich agency Publicis provided Whynot with creative support and designed five poster subjects. These portray young gays and lesbians who, like turtles, stretch their extremities out of their protective shells or torsos to express their feelings.
Five years ago, Publicis even recruited Swiss ex-misses for Whynot appearances - at that time, the Lucerne youth group was still aimed exclusively at gays.
Protective armor: Coming out is a delicate matter.
Simone Keller

Marketer The Zurich-based radio marketer Spot Promotion AG will cease its current activities at the end of the year. This was announced by sole owner Hansruedi Kölliker on request. He explained that he wanted to reorient himself and that it was still unclear what would happen to the company itself. Kölliker, who two weeks ago told Werbewoche that he had confirmed "loose but long-standing contacts" with PubliGroupe, which is interested in the radio market, has now left open whether these contacts have deepened in the meantime. At the time, he had said that he was not completely ruling out a cooperation or joint venture with PubliGroupe.
(mk)

Private television provider Cablecom has submitted a license application to OFCOM for its own TV channel. On 14 July, Cablecom GmbH submitted a license application for a regional language TV channel. In a circular letter on the hearing of the new application, OFCOM writes that the new license is to be used for a "regional language information channel". Cablecom's concept states that the cable network operator will no longer be able to broadcast only cablecom-relevant information on its existing information channel as before, but also more in-depth topics on society, tourism, weather, leisure and sport. The hot subordinate clause reads: "It should be possible to broadcast sponsored and advertising-supported content."
In other words: Cablecom no longer just wants to distribute the programs of others, but wants to actively enter the TV market itself. What worries the competition is, of course, the network operator's pole position in the race to win the favor of zappers.
Channel 3 or 30
Until now, the info channel was programmed at the far end of the program. Will the newly upgraded channel now be moved to the front? Which of the smaller private channels will it displace? Dominik Kaiser, President of the Board of Directors of Elevator TV, for example, is concerned. This company has a license application pending with Bakom for the provision of a regional youth television channel. Cablecom has so far - as in other cases involving private broadcasters - refused to allow distribution via its cable network, claiming that it has no space for the analogue distribution of further television channels.
Paul Grau is also less than happy about Cablecom's license application. His Star TV has benefited from significantly better viewer ratings since it took over TV 3's previous position at the top of the Zapp scale. Will it stay that way?
The Bakom hearing is no easy task for Walter Bosch. The busy entrepreneur and media man is also a member of the Board of Directors and shareholder of Star TV and a member of the Board of Directors of Cablecom. According to the RTVA, the license for a TV channel can only be awarded to
applicants domiciled in Switzerland. The shareholder of Cablecom GmbH is Cablecom Luxembourg with its registered office in Luxembourg.
This company in turn has CCom Holdings in Gibraltar as a shareholder, which in turn is a subsidiary of Cablecom Holdings AG. The new licensee is therefore "Swiss-controlled", as Cablecom claims in its application. According to another view, U.S. investors have the say at Cablecom.
First program preview
The viewer potential of the new channel is estimated at 1.1 million viewers.
francs. The planned new content includes, for example, tourism information with paid presentations of excursion destinations, hotels and "special offers". Concert information can be placed via a "partnership with event organizers". Most interestingly - because the content is completely open - the application states that the new broadcaster can enter into partnerships with program providers and thus also wants to offer "new TV formats".
The program is broken down into 70 percent information, of which 60 percent is own work and 10 percent culture. They are to be covered with 30 percent in-house contribution. For entertainment, 20 percent of the program is planned with 10 percent in-house contribution.
The comments in the hearing on Cablecom's TV license application must be returned to Bakom by September 3, 2004.
Swisscom goes TVUnder the motto "What TV can be", Swisscom subsidiary Bluewin is also entering the television business and - like Cablecom - is thus becoming a player in the digital "triple play" (telephone, Internet and TV via the same channel and provider). However, this is not as an additional program provider, but purely as a "TV content aggregator" and "video service provider". In a market trial lasting from September to December 2004, "Bluewin TV" is the first Internet provider worldwide to test the potential of "Internet Protocol Television Technology" (IPTV) developed by Microsoft.
In this first step, "Bluewin TV" will bring video on demand into the homes of 630 representatively selected subscribers via telephone cable in addition to the 4 SRG channels, 21 other free TV stations and 5 pay TV providers. In addition to an Electronic Program Guide (EPG), the set-top box required for this also offers the option of skipping commercial breaks using the "Live Pause" button. According to project manager Michael Zumsteg, this function was "met with curiosity rather than rejection" by the broadcasters. Conversely, IPTV opens up completely new ways for "the interactive, precise and correspondingly efficient TV advertising of the future". (oc)
Cablecom no longer just wants to distribute the programs of others, but wants to actively make TV itself.
Bluewin also wants to get involved in the TV business.
"Both remain distributors "Triple Play media consultant Andreas Hürlimann* on the motivations and options of Swisscom and Cablecom.
WW Mr. Hürlimann, is the neck-and-neck race in the TV business between Cablecom and Swisscom a pure
Infrastructure competition?
Andreas Hürlimann That is the case. The fact that the public may currently have a different impression is due to the fact that Switzerland, with its very high broadband penetration rate of over 20%, is an ideal test market for triple players offering telephony, Internet and TV from a single source. The lowest price level for broadband Internet connections in Europe also has a favorable effect. Even if Cablecom is planning steps towards its own program and Swisscom has acquired its first broadcast rights with The 13th Street, SciFi and National Geographic: Both companies will ultimately remain distributors.
The existing Swiss TV market players therefore do not need to fear any new competition.
Every infrastructure operator dreams of one day earning money with their own content and programs. The reality, however, is determined by the rights holders in Hollywood, Munich and elsewhere. And they want to keep the transmission of their premium content under control. The small Swiss market allows for two or three niche approaches at best, nothing more.
If not profitability, what is triple play about for Swisscom and Cablecom? Prestige or customer loyalty? Both may play a certain role. What is more important, however, is that Swisscom could only make gains in its home market through such business expansions. And Cablecom's entry into the relatively high-priced telephony market in this country is certainly linked to the growth expectations of investors.
What expectations can the advertising industry have of the new players and their products? For clients and their agencies, digital innovations such as time-shifted television and personal video recording are an extremely double-edged sword. The new technology not only makes it possible to fade out interruption and hinge advertising blocks, but also interactive forms of advertising and precise target group communication. In purely technical terms, consumers could use IPTV to select not only their programs but also their product interests. It remains to be seen whether the Swiss advertising industry will therefore support these new services or whether cannibalization fears will gain the upper hand.
What seems certain, however, is that the pending revision of the RTVA is already lagging miles behind this development.
Quite right. In my opinion, instead of this patchwork, we need firstly a sober infrastructure law - in the sense of an extension of the Telecommunications Act to all relevant areas - and secondly a general media law with a separate SRG annex. Anything else would ignore technological developments and the market. Interview: Oliver Classen
*Andreas Hürlimann is Partner and Global Head of Telecommunications, IT and Media at Arthur D. Little in Zurich.
Andreas Panzeri

Market research Coop, Globus and Helvetia Patria placed the most popular advertisements in the Swiss media in the second quarter of this year.
Best of SouthwestAffinity of the ads among supporters in the "bourgeois corner"
Gold (167) Emmi Caffè latte (Schmid Riedmann & Partner)
Silver (161)McDonald's The New Happy Meal (Heye, Zurich)
Bronze (156) Raiffeisen Member Plus (Pucci Sulzer)
In collaboration with the market research institute Demoscope, Publimedia presents readers of Werbewoche with an extract of the results from the Advertising Index (AX-Print) five times a year. This index (see below) is a module of the Market Radar and measures the popularity of advertisements. The boxes on the left and right show the ads that were most popular with the relevant psychographic target group. The three subjects that performed best among the entire sample, i.e. all four target groups, are shown under the title "Top Three".

(ww)

Commissioned film The countdown is on: August 28 is the deadline for the Edi competition for the best commercials, corporate films and video clips. In addition to the previous categories, the overall impression will now also be judged and awarded.commissioned film The countdown is on: August 28 is the deadline for the Edi competition for the best commercials, corporate films and video clips. In addition to the previous categories, the overall impression will now also be judged and awarded a prize. The award ceremony on November 15 will take place in the exclusive ambience of the Schauspielhaus am Pfauen. Information and entry forms can be found at www.edinet.ch.

Some organizers of promotional parties are more fortunate, others a little less so. Jean Frey Verlag is one of the latter with the second edition of the JF Summer Party, where it started raining cats and dogs right on time for the start. Nevertheless, quite a few people gathered in the courtyard of the publisher of Bilanz, Weltwoche, Beobachter and TR7. As we still know from last year, tents are put up there as a precaution, so that the party can't fall into the water. And since the summer break is only recently over, the people also had a lot to talk about.
Mediaxis owner Peter Hofstetter was said to have gone among the beer suppliers. With his horse-drawn cart, he had almost managed to break through the siege ring around SF DRS's Gotthelf House. Incidentally, the beer idea for the launch of the latest Feldschlösschen hop juice triggered quite a media response.
The party was actually also something like the first official appearance of Sandra Geiger and Roger Knabenhans for Jean Frey AG. Geiger will soon take over the publishing management of Bilanz and Knabenhans the management of TR7. Sandro Rüegger again took note of this with one laughing and one crying eye. On the one hand, he is looking forward to his new task as head of magazine advertising at Tamedia, but on the other hand, saying goodbye to his previous team is not exactly easy for him. Which can be guessed by the fact that Rüegger will hold the position at TR7 almost until the last day before his job change.
Beat Fritschgenoss a recreational program last week. With the summer party in the courtyard of Jean Frey AG, only one event was on the agenda. However, even a single event can lead to a heavy head the next day, especially when the bar is as well stocked as it is at Förrlibuckstrasse.
Colorful drinks set summery accents despite the rain.
New at Frey I: Daniel Strobel and René Hildbrand joined Roger Knabenhans (from left), future Managing Director of TR7.
New at Frey II: Sandra Geiger, with René Lüchinger and Michael Ebnöther (r.), will soon take charge of the balance sheet.

Budget dreams? Othmar Geeser (l.) and Lukas Roos (r.) from the advertising agency Festland with Jean Frey CEO Filippo Leutenegger.

Sabrina Arthur, Pascale Baumann, Ivana D'Addario and Sacha Baer (from left): Unfortunately, Thomas Enderling is missing from this photo.

Communication women among themselves: Nathalie Ziswiler from 4B-Fenster, Jasna Smojvir, Sulzer Sutter, and Tanya Barlogis (from left), KSSJ.

New vocation found: Beer supplier Peter Hofstetter with partner Cornelia Kristoffy (l.), Sonja Eberhard and Susann Rickenbacher (r.).

Enjoying the summer party despite the rain was the motto of Sonja Hürlimann (l.), Euro RSCG and Tina Näf, Head of TV at Aegis Media.

Philippe Meyer (l.), Senior Account Director at Publicis, with media specialists Jenni Best and Werni Baumann.

The shortlist author received a little coaching in Korean sign language from Sunny and Martin K. Parsons from Hyundai.

Papers for Media Research Day already written: René Schmutz (l.) and Harald Amschler (r.), Wemf, with Marco Peng, Data-Science.

Have light and space under control: Christian Burtolf, Oliver Königs and Thomas Mika (from left) from the lighting design company Reflexion.

Billposters and advertisers: Jürg Knecht (l.) of City-Lights and Beat Stähli (r.) of Clear Channel Plakanda with Peter Lesch, Lesch + Frei.

Has a lot to tell at the moment: Michela Krouzel from Cinecom, just back from a trip to Ecuador, met author Darko Milenkovic.

Sunny mood despite rainy weather among PKZ advertising manager Caroline Rösli (l.), golf fan Dany Kielholz, Exxtra, and Liane Gebert.

And goodbye: TR7 Managing Director Sandro Rüegger's last official appearance (with Francine Bruni) before moving to Tamedia.

Local radio One year after its launch, Energy Zürich has made strong gains. But there is a threat from youth radio. Energy Zürich has already achieved one important goal: the much-lamented radio monotony in the Limmat city is a thing of the past. "You can now address a young radio audience in the greater Zurich area, with clearly less wasted coverage," says Philipp Brunner, radio specialist at Optimedia. It was very different in the era before August 15, 2003, when Hitradio Z and Radio 24 were barely distinguishable from each other with interchangeable content and a virtually identical musical tapestry. "From a planning perspective, it didn't matter much back then whether you booked 24 or Z; it was more a decision of which image better suited the product," Brunner says. After slumps in the listener market in December 2003 and January 2004, the audience has now taken Energy Zürich to its heart. This is confirmed by the clear upward trend in listener numbers. In the first half of 2004 alone, the repositioned station was able to expand its audience by almost nine percent. Although the upswing is noticeable in all age groups, the station was able to generate above-average growth in the very young target groups, as desired. The biggest increase, 16.3 percent, was among 15- to 24-year-olds. But the 11.2 percent increase in the 15-34 age group also confirms the rejuvenation of the audience. Goodbye feeling of inferiority The clients can be doubly pleased about the gain, because the pricing is still based on the old listener figures. "By the end of the year, Energy Zürich will have ten percent more power for the same price," says a delighted Michi Frank, CEO of marketer IP Multimedia.
But what gives him the most satisfaction is the "internal motivation boost" that has become reality with the repositioning. "With Hitradio Z, we were just a supplement to Radio 24 and thus not an important player. But with the independent Energy Zürich, we now carry a flag of which we are proud," says Frank.
This is also reflected in the employees' increased self-esteem. "In the past, working at Hitradio Z was not an honor. That has changed radically. Identification with the station and belief in the program are stronger than ever. This is also the basis of success," says Jürg Bachmann, Managing Director of Energy Zürich.
A high level of motivation is also urgently needed, however, because the "hard work is now ahead of us to build on the success we have achieved so far.
to continue". "We want to position ourselves even more clearly in the 15- to 49-year-old segment," explains Bachmann. No more big leaps are to be made in terms of content; now it's a matter of fine-tuning the details. Particularly important: "In news, we have to get even better at finding topics that appeal to the majority." Format radio has weaknesses
But not all listeners enjoy Energy. Features that a format radio like Energy Zurich inevitably brings with it can be particularly annoying. "Due to the many repetitions of individual hits, listeners tend to change the station," criticizes Philipp Brunner of Optimedia. Bachmann does not disagree, but objects that even stations that refrain from playing the same pieces of music repeatedly are not immune to such effects. "Because then less popular tracks are also played, which also act as bouncers."
Since Radio 24 ceased to be the reference station to be outdone at all costs, making radio has become more satisfying, according to Bachmann, but not necessarily easier. The mainstream station DRS 3 in particular, which has trampled into the local radio stations' little garden, is being watched very closely, he says. "The SRG station can make life difficult for us, because they have completely different resources than we do," says Bachmann. And Michi Frank adds, "We demand a more restrictive handling of sponsorship on DRS 3."
However, the young target groups of Energy Zürich are also threatened by the Zurich youth radio station, which will be launched at the beginning of next year. "We consider it a clear task of the Federal Office of Communications to ensure that the new station does not take listeners away from either Radio 24 or Energy Zürich," Frank emphasizes.
NRJ is looking for a connectionIn the past few years, NRJ has succeeded in what the French radio giant had been waiting for for 17 years: It has acquired stakes in Energy Zürich (49 percent) and Basel One (24 percent). There is currently potential for entry into Sunshine and BE1, which are looking for new partners and are currently in the middle of the evaluation process. NRJ has also applied to both.
Above all, a stake in Bern's local radio station would make sense, because NRJ would then be represented in all three cities of the Golden Triangle. If the entry into the Bernese station does not succeed, the Europe-wide group wants to withdraw from Switzerland, rumors have been swirling in the rumor mill in recent weeks. Francis Rivollet, the CEO of NRJ Switzerland, calls this "pure nonsense." "It was never an issue to leave Switzerland, especially since we just made a major investment in Zurich." He adds, "We still have a clear interest in having a presence in large Swiss cities. But in any case, we respect the decisions of the Federal Office of Communications." (dse)
Stars like Christina Aguilera are also eye-catchers as cardboard figures.
Daniel Schifferle

Furniture retailer "Come to Sweden" is Ikea's invitation to customers for the launch of the new catalog. The advertisements, TV and radio spots and
produces the Swedish passports Unikat.
countries are particularly popular as promotional platforms in the food retail sector. Even if these temporary promotions are usually limited to an extended and cheaper range and a few recipes, they are appreciated by both consumers and sales staff because of the more personal approach.Ikea's stores also have food departments. Much more than these, the furniture and, above all, the business philosophy practiced here create a link to the country of origin. The campaign for the launch of the new catalog is also based on the sympathy of the Swiss for the Scandinavian country: While Ikea thanked the Swiss for their many years of hospitality with an original commercial and several prize promotions for last year's "30 years of Ikea Switzerland" anniversary, this year they are going one better.
Invitation to Sweden
For the new financial year, which starts in September with the launch of the new catalog, the company is inviting the Swiss population to Sweden. "This is a national campaign that we are using to give the Ikea brand additional momentum at the start of the year," explains Carlos Friedrich, Head of Marketing at Ikea.
The new Ikea catalog and the 20-minute ad are intended to publicize the passport campaign. The home furnishings retailer's most important advertising medium should also attract the attention of the missing half a million households. Carlos Friedrich and advertising manager Beat Fingerhuth entrusted this difficult task to the Zurich agency Unikum, which succeeded in creating a quirky realization.
3.2 million fake passports
In keeping with the Ikea mission statement - "Why thinking differently makes many things possible" - the creative team developed the simplified
Naturalization for Swiss men and women, with which over
3.2 million fake Swedish passports issued for the doctoral period
are provided. They find their way to the new citizens by means of inserts, newspaper stickers, Ikea family mailings and catalogs. Biometric data has been generously omitted. Instead, the passport includes participation in competitions, Swedish bargains and information about promotions and events taking place in the six Swedish enclaves, explains CD Daniel Meier. Together with consultant Jan Maurer and copywriter Christoph Hess, he has created additional advertising material to accompany the passports. "We naturally shot the grotesquely amusing TV commercial in Sweden," says Meier wittily. In it, a family roams the idyllic Swedish countryside shopping for furniture.
natural landscapes and steps through a peculiar electric sliding door into the "open air" - onto the Ikea parking lot in Switzerland. The stores in Spreitenbach, Dietlikon, Pratteln, Lyssach, Aubonne and Grancia are designed to convey this lifestyle in its purest form. In addition to radio spots
The numerous POS measures in particular contribute to this. Every day, customers are introduced to a different furnishing theme from a Swedish perspective.
Unusual advertising ideas
The passport entry from September 6 contains a witty explanation for the Swedes' affinity for decorating: "Here in Sweden, women were already wearing the pants when the men were still sailing the seas in Viking ships. And because it was usually cold outside, they specialized in making the home cosy."
In addition, original competitions are designed to convert the increased visitor frequency into increased sales volumes. Anyone who buys a double bed mattress on the Family & Child theme day and has a baby seven to 13 months later will receive a free crib from Ikea. Is this also a Swedish tradition or a typical Ikea gag? The fact is that Ikea's success is not only based on low storage and transportation costs, the tricky do-it-yourself construction and the price orientation of the design. The unusual advertising ideas are likely to have contributed to the growth in sales (which have doubled in less than eight years to over 550 million Swiss francs). The campaign's new claim aims to take account of this different approach: 'Familiarly different' is intended to reinforce the Ikea spirit both internally and externally across the various advertising activities.
An oasis for the sleepless societyEquipped with an international Isopublic study, the new Ikea catalog is dedicated to the main topic of sleep. Across countries, the average person sleeps 7 hours and 6 minutes, with younger people and women sleeping longer and older people and men sleeping less. 36% are getting less sleep today than five years ago. However, this does not mean that the bedroom is used less: Other purposes include reading/studying (50%), romance (47%), relaxing during the day (43%) and entertainment such as TV and music (40%).
The "romance" category plays an important role. While in Iceland 72% are intimate in the bedroom, in China it is only 20%. Typical for Swiss bedrooms are latex mattresses and accessories, but not too colorful, after all, we would perceive this room as a personal oasis and island of romance, according to the study. (la)
Shot in Sweden, the grotesquely amusing Ikea TV commercial is intended to convey pure Swedish lifestyle.
Luca Aloisi

Press funding CHP Managing Director Daniel Kaczynski does not want any hasty steps in the political arena.WW On August 17, direct press funding was rejected by the State Policy Committee of the Council of States (SC) - entirely in line with the Swiss Press Association (CHP).Daniel Kaczynski: "It was in line with the majority opinion that we as the CHP office have to represent. But we also have members, mainly small publishers, who would like to see direct press funding.
tions. At the 2002 members' meeting, it was decided that we would speak out against direct and in favor of indirect press funding. This was confirmed last year. In this respect, we are now pleased with the Commission's decision.
Conversely, the foundation for press promotion proposed by the Swiss Press Association (CHP) did not receive any support either. Why didn't you get your way with it?
You have to separate the two things. The Commission's decision was primarily about Andreas Gross's parliamentary motion calling for a change in the system from indirect to direct press funding - by means of media articles. The Commission has now said that it does not want this system change. It also looked to the future and searched for ways that are compatible with this fundamental decision. One possibility is our foundation or an extension of the Postal Services Act. But everything is still open in this respect. Our foundation model has not even been finalized yet.
Does this mean that the CHP has not yet presented the foundation model in the hearings with the Commission? The hearings were primarily about the media article, not about the foundation. But of course we said that we are currently working on an alternative. We were also asked to do so by the politicians.
But the association does not yet have a formulated draft for the foundation idea?we are almost there. We are waiting for the decision of the Council of States and will then make an assessment. Perhaps the whole thing will go back to the National Council (NR), which was the first council to approve the media article. In any case, we shouldn't rush things now.
Nevertheless, the CHP is always a little too late. The foundation idea was launched just five days before the NR debate on the media article, which was ultimately clearly adopted. And now you have failed to present the foundation idea to the SR Committee at an early stage.
The SR Commission did not focus on alternatives, but on the question of whether or not we wanted the media article and the system change. We are not lagging behind. Of course, in previous years the association often only reacted to politics, but now we are acting correctly by only fighting the media article for once. There are very few politicians who can deal with this complex issue in depth. That's why you always have to take one step at a time. We are making good progress.
The commission wants to continue the current reduction in postal taxes, but use the funds in a more targeted manner. This probably means: more for the little ones, less for the big ones, and nothing more for customer magazines such as Migros-Magazin or TCS-Revue. So she already has a certain alternative to the media article. Her idea, on the other hand, is not even under discussion. The stand type will then ...
The Council of States will consider the parliamentary initiative and ask itself whether the media article is needed or not.
And there is no point in presenting the foundation idea as an alternative to both the media article and the extension of the Postal Act?
No, because the question is a different one. In addition, the Commission's ideas are still at a very early stage - something has to be worked out first. In addition, we have also included the critical points you mentioned about the current system in our model. We are not in a vacuum.
Is it still the case that the foundation is primarily intended to provide financial support for press distribution, but also for training and data dissemination?
And should it continue to be endowed with 150 million francs? no, we are very unhappy with this amount. The figure came up once, but it was never specified as a target figure by our working group. We cannot demand an amount before it is clear who will make contributions and what the distribution key will look like. The amount is then a political decision.
The example of newspaper logistics, as implemented by Swiss Post and the publishers at the beginning of August (see WW 24/04), reduces distribution costs. This shows that the federal government was right to cut back on press subsidies.
The cut in postal taxes did not result in improved processes for publishers, only higher postal rates - a big chunk at a time when the industry was not doing particularly well. I don't know whether Swiss Post needed this impetus to improve its structures. Either way, the new logistics will not provide the same postal service with a leaner organization, but many newspaper subscribers and publishers will have to accept cutbacks, and some publishers will even have to accept additional costs.
Diverging ideasThe current press subsidy through the reduction of postal taxes (CHF 80 million per year) expires at the end of 2007. Two alternatives are under discussion. One is the media article favored by small publishers, which provides for direct federal support measures for press companies. The National Council approved it last year, but the preliminary consultation committee of the Council of States rejected it. It preferred to see a modified continuation of the postal tax reduction. For its part, the Swiss Press Association introduced the idea of a foundation for press promotion into the discussion a year ago. Among other things, it would support press distribution. (mk)
Contradicts the accusation of lagging behind politics: CHP Managing Director Daniel Kaczynski.
Interview: Markus Knöpfli