Bern Radio BE1 is looking for partners and the Anzeiger Region Bern is looking for a new concept. Since the Competition Commission (ComCo) approved Espace Media's acquisition of a stake in Bund Verlags AG at the end of January, the dust seems to have settled somewhat at Bund and Berner Zeitung. Radio BE1, on the other hand, remains tense. Operations are continuing as before. However, the station, in which Espace Media was not allowed to participate according to the Competition Commission, has now been separated from Bund Verlags AG and integrated into Freie Presse Holding, where the regional newspaper commitments of the NZZ Group are bundled. "But it makes little sense on its own," says Beat Lauber, Head of Regional Newspapers at the NZZ Group. That is why cooperation with third parties is being considered. "After the Weko decision, around half a dozen interested parties got in touch," adds Pepe Wiss, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BE1 owner Radig AG. He mentions NRJ and "possibly" Tamedia. He does not want to comment on other companies. "We want to decide by the middle of the year," says Wiss. "We are open to everything," says Lauber. The main focus for BE1 is the cross-media strategy, which they want to continue with the federal government if possible. This is also crucial in the search for a new partner. "We are not under pressure," says Lauber. BE1 was only slightly in the red in 2003, if you deduct the cross-subsidies from the federal government. And this year, BE1 has a balanced budget.
Before changes at ARB
The situation is different for Anzeiger Region Bern (ARB). The Competition Commission has not commented on it, which is why it remains part of Bund Verlags AG. Espace Media and PubliGroupe are now sharing the ARB deficit. It is the cumulative result of the decline in advertising and the annual guarantee sum of CHF 3.7 million to the ARB publisher Verein Region Bern (VRB, 14 municipalities and the city of Berne). This will remain the case until the end of 2005, when the contract with the VRB expires.
But the ARB is set to change. "We are in the process of preparing a new tender for the fall," says VRB Managing Director Isabelle Meyer, who does not disclose any details. But it is already clear that the ARB will have to undergo major changes in order to find a new concessionaire. Not only will the guarantee amount be significantly lower, but the existing non-competition clause will probably also have to disappear. If it were to remain in force, Espace Media, for example, as publisher of the free newspaper Berner Bär, would not be allowed to apply for the ARB concession. And even Bund Verlags AG is no longer beyond all doubt now that Espace Media is also involved.
The most efficient solution would be to integrate the ARB into the Berner Bär as an official publication organ. However, this is currently not possible: Bernese gazettes are not allowed to have any editorial content apart from official announcements.
On March 6, Pepe Wiss, until recently Director of Bund Verlags AG, said he had "handed in the keys" in Berne and relocated his office to Zurich, where he is now working with Beat Lauber, a regional head of the Bund publishing house.
projects. The commuter newspaper projects in Lucerne and
St. Gallen? "So far I haven't been involved in Lucerne, and I haven't spoken to the people in charge in St. Gallen either. But
That's exactly the kind of project I'm there for," says Wiss.
quiver, he does not want to say. Except that he will remain Chairman of the Board of Radig AG (BE1). In Bern itself, ARB Product Manager Christof Ramseier is now the direct contact for the Anzeiger. (mk)
(Almost) anything is possible: change is just around the corner at Anzeiger Region Bern and Radio BE1.
Markus Knöpfli

Newspapers The Basler Zeitung (BaZ) is having its new look tailored by Kurt Schwerzmann. The Zurich-based firm Schwerzmann & Rothenfluh has been awarded the contract for the design concept and work is due to start as early as next week.

Advertising festival With 228 entries, the Spotlight International TV spot and advertising film festival has seen an increase of 25 percent. The festival, at which the spots are judged by an expert jury and a 2,000-strong audience jury, is being held in Friedrichshafen instead of Ravensburg for the first time this year. The event will take place on April 17.

Oliver Classen on the publishing appropriation of weblogs.At his appearance at the German Publishers' Congress last October in Berlin, Arthur Sulzberger Jr. warned urgently against an "amateurization of media content that threatens the existence of the media". For once, the New York Times editor was not referring to a decline in journalistic quality, but to the fascinating Internet phenomenon known as weblogs.
In these online diaries, early adopters write about their love lives, the global political situation or whether they have witnessed a car accident or terrorist attack. And with the latter at the latest, they reveal themselves as a complementary source of information for media producers and consumers. Just how seriously US publishers are now taking such private platforms à la blogger.com is shown by the declaration of intent by Sulzberger's digital boss to the specialist service Media Post to integrate the best peer-to-peer journalism "where possible and sensible" into his own business. Here in Switzerland, only the Tages-Anzeiger has so far recognized the signs of the times. It is no coincidence that its US correspondent has been operating a personal, interactive "notebook" for several weeks now. Both visually and technically, this was embedded in the Tagi site - and has since brought it many new visitors. The main reason for this is that, unlike in print, every entry can be commented on immediately and unedited.
Weblogs therefore appear to increase the "community" of traditional media brands. Whether this also applies to "credibility", the second basic publishing resource, is doubtful, however. (Unless the anarchic free medium is moderated.) And how money can be earned professionally with the new amateur forums is completely up in the air. But it's better to reach for them today and perhaps twist a little in the process than to be left in the dark (again) tomorrow when they really start to sparkle.
> Oliver Classen, Editor

After ten years abroad, Pius Walker returns to Zurich and founds "the smallest agency in the world".London is known for its cabs, pubs and queuing. "People there are specialists in queuing. This is especially true for jobs in an interesting advertising agency," recalls Pius Walker. Nevertheless, the young Swiss made it back then. "It was my dream to be able to work in one of the creative capitals of the world one day," says Walker, still proud of his two years at Leagas Delaney. "In London, top-class advertising can be found in such a high concentration like hardly anywhere else in the world," he enthuses. Of course, Walker has not only been able to realize his dreams of working abroad and now founding his own agency thanks to patiently lining up his job search. His references before London included four years at Springer & Jacoby in Hamburg. He first worked there in the agency's founding office. Later, he was mainly responsible for advertising for Mercedes at another branch of the group.
Walker started out with an apprenticeship as a graphic designer at Advico Young & Rubicam in Gockhausen. This was followed by two years at GGK in Zurich before the point came when he said to himself: "It would be interesting to go abroad for a year."
Walker sees the fact that it took ten years as his capital. "You can absorb a lot," he knows. In London, the AD lived together with film school graduate Patricia, who later became his wife, in an apartment measuring just 26 square meters in order to save as much money as possible for further cultural enjoyment. This included a year-long trip around the world, before London was followed by another new experience with a year as CD and managing director of a unit at Scholz & Friends in Berlin.
Now the Ikea shelf with the large collection of books on art, film, photography and, of course, advertising has found its permanent home on Blaufahnenstrasse in Zurich.
The new company is simply called "Walker". And what is supposed to set "the smallest advertising agency in the world" apart from a conventional freelancer's office?
"We are like an orchestra that is put together anew for each piece," says Walker, explaining the network of freelance teams he has come to know during his years of traveling. With this wide-ranging infrastructure, Walker does not want to offer "a standard formation" that can be used both for
Jazz as in classical music with the same people all the time.
They want to play for clients who "don't necessarily have budgets in the millions, but still want international quality". This requires good commercials and a good strategy - but "not a big office", the advertiser is convinced.
Pius Walker believes that the time for such start-ups is very good. Many old patterns are breaking up and there is a need for action. But those who simply want to ride in the slipstream of the big players are unlikely to succeed. "We want to offer alternatives with a different structure and a different network."
Walker has not taken a single customer with him from previous jobs. Nevertheless, one major order is already in the bag. He has produced two commercials for Düring's toilet duck and a new cleaning cloth from the company. In one, a tourist drags his toilet with him on a trekking trip to China. This tackles the seemingly thankless subject of cleaning with a lot of lifestyle and humor. For WC-Ente, the new style has paid off with an almost dreamlike and therefore "unfortunately unquotable increase in sales".
For Walker, this initial success is an encouragement to contact a few other companies that have so far "attracted attention" with no or only mediocre advertising.
Pius Walker is pursuing clear goals with his network: "We want to

offer alternatives."
Andreas Panzeri

Private TV The Eastern Swiss broadcaster Tele Top can be received on both Flawil cable television networks from this weekend. Together they have around 3800 subscribers and thanks to this expansion, Tele Top now reaches 86.8 percent of the 362723 households in the concession area.

Household appliances With immediate effect, Lowe, Zurich, is responsible for communications for Electrolux Switzerland.household appliances With immediate effect, Lowe, Zurich, is responsible for communications for Electrolux Switzerland. It received the mandate via its international network, which was entrusted with the account for Europe and North America by Electrolux in 2003. According to consultant Tony Hrnek, the main task in Switzerland will be adaptations. To date, a large part of Electrolux's communication has been realized in-house. Lowe's first work on the "Makes life a little easier" umbrella concept will be published shortly.

Social Advertising Euro RSCG Switzerland's commitment to Tibet has a long tradition. Now the agency has come up with a new motif on behalf of the Swiss-Tibetan Friendship Association: A red-colored staple in the middle of the youth magazine Word closes the lips of a Tibetan monk. This is intended to remind young readers that "Tibet's calls for freedom" are already being stifled in their throats. It remains to be seen whether Euro RSCG will win a Lion in Cannes with this idea. In any case, McCann-Erickson already proved in 2002 that the inconspicuous staples attract attention at the advertising Olympics: Her Generali ad with eight staples was awarded a silver medal in Cannes.

Local newspapers With four bundles and more color, the Willisauer Bote sets out to conquer the Wiggertal.
The Lucerne hinterland is becoming too small for the Willisauer Boten. With a coverage of over 70 percent of households, growth is hardly possible. The local newspaper (circulation: 10715 copies) is therefore expanding into the Wiggertal. From the end of April, it will be published with the split edition Wiggertaler Bote. "We see potential in the Lucerne part of the Wiggertal," says publishing director and editor-in-chief Josef J. Zihlmann, who prefers to speak of a headline paper. The Willisauer Bote has been under pressure for years to expand its presence in this region. However, the area around Reiden and Nebikon is not a journalistic wasteland: the weekly newspaper Der Oberwiggentaler has been published there for 100 years. Until the end of 2003, the two titles were combined with the Trienger Anzeiger in the Nord-West-Kombi.
Merger offer rejected
For Zihlmann, the Oberwiggertaler cannot be compared with the quality standards of the Willisauer Boten. However, he does not want to displace anyone and has also held talks with the competitor about a collaboration. However, nothing came of it.
This is confirmed by Othmar Meyer, publisher of the Oberwiggentaler. There had been discussions about whether the two newspapers could be merged. "But that didn't come about from our side," says Meyer. He takes the invasion of the Willisauer Boten into his home territory in his stride. "The Zofinger Tagblatt also tried to expand here once. Today it is concentrating on its core area again." However, the situation should not be underestimated: "Every paper in its own area is a competitor, right up to the local newspaper."
The Willisauer Bote uses the launch of the split edition for a comprehensive relaunch. The paper will be in four colors throughout. The new
The new layout was developed by local designer Roger Wermelinger, who himself completed his training at the Boten. In the future, the local newspaper will comprise four bundles instead of one: Mantel, Hinterland, Wiggertal and Sport. The only difference between the two editions is the front page, where region-specific topics are touched on.
The publication frequency will be reduced from three to two times a week. This will make it easier to fill the four frets. This step also takes the pressure off the editorial team to keep up to date. "With three issues a week, we always had to chase after the daily newspapers," explains Zihlmann. Now background reporting from the region can take center stage. The weekend supplement Quattro will no longer be published.
or integrated into the newspaper as a reportage page.
Full-time positions instead of traineeships
The publisher does not want the reorganization to be seen as a cost-cutting measure: "We are healthy and are not under financial pressure." The Willisauer Bote will expand its editorial output. Three trainee positions will be converted into full-time positions.
However, the company's own printing press is shut down and the Neue Luzerner Zeitung AG takes over the printing of the Boten. The capacity of the old press was limited to 32 pages with one spot color. Alternatively, four pages could be printed in four colors, but this reduced the size to 24 pages. "If Migros and Coop wanted to advertise in color at the same time, for example, we were pretty much blocked," says Zihlmann. The Willisauer Bote also had to repeatedly turn down advertisements for this reason. The relaunch now creates space for everyone.
Traditional paperThe Willisauer Bote was founded in 1887. Since 1922, the local newspaper has been published by the Willisauer Bote Medien und Print cooperative. It has around 950 members - according to publishing director Josef J. Zihlmann "right across the board, from workers to directors". Until now, the newspaper has been published in the Willisau district and the neighboring Rottal valley on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. From the end of April, it will switch to Tuesdays and Fridays. 9500 copies of the Willisauer Boten and 6500 copies of the Wiggertaler Boten are printed. Josef J. Zihlmann (the J. distinguishes him from his father of the same name) has been running the paper since 1976.
Last fall, he was elected to the board of the Swiss Press Association. There he will take over the planned Social Partnership department. (sm)
Movement in the hinterland: The Willisauer Bote expands into the Wiggertal.
Stefano Monachesi

When media studies was still called "newspaper studies" and community building was still called "striving for a sense of community", Ferdinand Tönnies (1855-1936) laid the conceptual foundation for what we now call sociology in his 1878 (!In his work "Community and Society", published in 1878 (!), the self-taught farmer's son analyzed with unparalleled lucidity how the latter can emerge from the former in the first place, namely through "mental willingness to come together." Using pairs of opposites such as solidarity and freedom or trust and suspicion, Tönnies exemplifies how and why feelings of community and identity arise. And - almost as important for media "community builders" - how these can disappear just as quickly if overused. (oc)
> Community and society. Basic concepts of pure sociology by Ferdinand Tönnies. Reprint of the 8th edition from 1935. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2000. 224 pages, 69 francs.

Depending on the industry, the brand equity of a listed company today can amount to up to 70 percent of its market value.> Cheridito's dissertation not only provides an overview of common brand evaluation methods, but also develops its own tried and tested approach.> Brand valuation. A conceptual and empirical study of Swiss public companies by Yves Cheridito. Haupt Verlag, Bern 2003. 340 pages, 68 francs.

Radiocontrol Although Publica Data launched a new territorial definition for local radio stations at the beginning of the year, the jumble of terms has not yet become any smaller: "broadcasting area", "reception area", "licensed area": Until now, radio stations have struggled with a jumble of terms when reporting their audience figures, which they themselves were often unable to understand. Although all of these area descriptions define the area covered, they use very different criteria. The aim was to put an end to this confusion when Publica Data (PD) introduced the standardized term "coverage area" on 1 January (see box on the right). The standardized area description should finally allow the performance characteristics of the individual radios to be directly compared with each other, but the result at the moment is not clarification but additional confusion. The marketer Radiotele continues to use the old area map with the "transmission areas" arbitrarily defined by the stations. This is despite the fact that the radio clock has been measuring according to the new "distribution areas" since January 1.
Felix Kilchsperger, Head of Sales at Radiotele, defends the approach. "As long as no listener figures are published for the current year, our map is the right one. Today we are still working with the data from 2003, and as long as this is the case, the old terminology also applies to us." The Goldbach Media map, which is based on the "concession areas", came too early, according to Kilchsperger.
Definition of Bakom preferred
IP Multimedia (Switzerland) has also not fully adapted its territory map in line with the PD's ideas. The official terminology "distribution area" is not used here either, but rather the term "license area". Giordano Giordani, Head of Media Research at IPM, explains that an agreement was reached with the PD on the use of this term. "The state-defined 'concession area' is the best way to put an end to the confusion. The new term 'distribution area' sounds too similar to the abolished 'transmission' and 'reception areas'," says Giordani.
The dispute over the "right" regional map and the "right" term has led to intensive discussions between radio marketers and PD. The first tangible result: Felix Kilchsperger has agreed with PD that there will only be a single territory map in future. "As soon as radio figures for 2004 are published for the first time. That will be in July, when the 2004 half-year results are published," says Kilchsperger.
This is also confirmed by Rolf Müller, Managing Director of PD: "By the time the next semester figures are out, no other cards will be allowed to circulate. This is a consequence of the switch to license/distribution areas." This is also in line with the wishes of the Swiss Private Radio Association (VSP). "We have to work towards specifications that enable direct comparability of the stations, otherwise the exercise makes no sense," says VSP Vice President Martin Muerner.
Include foreign countries too
However, his efforts for a more realistic reporting of radio data go further. For example, he is calling for a switch to reporting listenership for the "whole of Switzerland". Muerner is looking to the future with his demand. It will become relevant when radios can one day be received throughout Switzerland thanks to expanded transmission technologies such as DAB, satellite reception or simultaneous listening on the internet. "As soon as this is the case, it will be almost impossible to avoid identifying all of a radio station's listeners outside its own language area."
According to the VSP vice-chairman, even the foreign countries close to the border should be included in the audience measurement. "Basel 1, Basilisk, Munot and Regenbogen rightly refer to the large audiences they serve on the other side of the border, but which are not attributed to them," emphasizes Muerner. However, the implementation of this wish is likely to encounter some difficulties. This is because transnational research agreements prohibit the PD from carrying out audience measurements across borders. However, the last word has not yet been spoken and further clarifications are now being made.
"Not relevant for planning "The disputes about the "correct" terms and area maps do not affect media planning. This is because it is primarily based on the Wemf areas (WG) and the agglomerations. "Neither the level of 'concession areas' nor that of 'distribution areas' are relevant to us.
relevant," explains Monica Jäggi, co-owner of Konnex. The selection of stations is always based on a prior geographical analysis. "For a local campaign, I first define the area to be covered and then select the appropriate radios." For a national campaign, on the other hand, the Wemf WGs serve as the basis for planning. "Here it is important to achieve a similarly strong reach in all WGs," explains Jäggi. (dse)
Little-loved "broadcasting area "Nobody really feels comfortable with the new official term "broadcasting area" for the territorial delineation of local radio stations (WW 2/04). Clarity is expected from the term "license area".
area", the "state-guaranteed" standard definition of the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom). PD boss Rolf Müller also has nothing
However, if the term "concession area" continues to be used: "We also work with it." The new term was only necessary
This is because there are exceptions, such as in the Zurich agglomeration, where local radio stations cover large additional areas beyond the "license area". (dse)
Preparatory work for new measurement areas on track: IPM has already converted its radio map to "license" and "distribution areas".
Daniel Schifferle