For the 12th time, the Ad Spot Award honors the best low-budget and non-profit commercials.Ad Spot is looking for the best low-budget commercials Works produced after January 1, 2001 are eligible for submission. The upper limit for the low-budget category is a production budget of $100000. The deadline for entries is March 22; the awards will be presented in Rome on May 24/25. Information is available from Italian organizer ADEE at [email protected] or tel. 0039 055 450 240.
ASW presents new website The Alliance of Swiss Advertising Agencies (ASW) has redesigned and greatly expanded the website www.werbeleistungs vertrag.ch. Since the end of February, individual sample files of the model contract and an overview graphic can be downloaded. Questions about the advertising service contract can be asked by e-mail, and will be answered on the website a few days later. Links to relevant collections of laws and an online order form for the entire contract round out the offering.
Cresta Awards seeks work The international creative competition Cresta Awards is being held for the tenth time this year. Works can be submitted until April 12. Further information is available on the website or directly from Nancy Ross, info@
crestaawards.com. Switzerland is represented on the Cresta Grand Jury 2002 by Jean Etienne Aebi. Jean-Remy von Matt, Jung von Matt, also sits on the jury.
Expo NormExpand International, globally active display manufacturer from Sweden, strengthens cooperation with Expo Norm AG in St.Gallen. The requirements of Expand International demanded an own production facility in St.Gallen for the service of print webs for Expand folding displays or quick screen roll displays. Further information can be found at www. exponorm.ch

In 2001, the operating income of the Zurich media group Tamedia fell by 8 percent to 754 million Swiss francs.News Tamedia income falls by 8 percent
The Print Media division suffered a decline in sales of 9 per cent to CHF 647 million. With a minus of 4 per cent, the decline in the Services division was somewhat less pronounced, where Tamedia achieved sales of CHF 79 million. Electronic media recorded growth of 19 per cent, with revenues rising from CHF 23 million to CHF 28 million. According to Tamedia, the main reason for the decline in the print sector was the fall in job advertisements. However, orders for commercial advertisements also decreased in 2001. In electronic media, the acquisition of the Belcom Group was responsible for the marked increase in sales. In the Services division, printing revenues decreased; the acquisition of the book service had a positive effect. Detailed information on the 2001 financial year will be published on April 23.
Dispute in Neuchâtel The minority shareholders of the Neuchâtel daily newspapers L'Impartial and L'Express, PubliGroupe and publisher Marc Gassmann, want to take legal action against the planned sale of the newspapers to the French publisher Hersant by majority shareholder Fabien Wolfrath. Wolfrath refuses to grant them the right of first refusal. No agreement could be reached at a meeting of the two shareholder groups, Georges von Csernatony, Planning Director of Publi-Groupe, told SDA. Publi-Groupe and Gassmann now want to go to court "as quickly as possible".

The attractively designed magazine is published by Friedrich Reinhardt Verlag in Basel. Walter Krucker is responsible for the editorial work. Rotblau replaces the previous FCB club magazine Hattrick and is to be "expanded into an ambitious monthly magazine", says Josef Zindel, Head of Public Relations at FCB.Bessere Werbung. "We believe that the biggest bottleneck for better advertising lies at the interface between the client and the advertising agency," say Holger Jung and Jean-Remy von Matt in their book "Momentum - Die Kraft, die Werbung heute braucht" (Lardon Media AG, Berlin. ISBN 3-89769-031-4). After ten years at Jung von Matt, the authors decided to "write down what they had learned and pass it on". Many weekends and vacation days had to be used for this book (350 pages with many illustrations). They therefore dedicate it to their families - and also to Ambassador Thomas Borer, a loyal client, in des-
Berlin residence where it was presented.
Pool fever. Five new radio pool combinations from French-speaking Switzerland are listed in the Radiotele-Dok. Confusing: the previously most popular pool Top Romandie (NRJ, Nostalgie, Framboise, Lac, One FM and Lausanne FM) is now called Top Romandie I, but the name Top Romandie still applies to the first four radios. Jeunes and Adultes, the two target group modules, will also no longer exist; the Genève pool (Lac, Nostalgie, NRJ), the Vaud pool (Framboise, Nostalgie, NRJ) and a Lausanne FM/One FM pool will now be offered. The new constellations are based neither on customer needs nor on strategic battles between the clear-channel radio stations Lausanne FM and One FM and the others. According to information from the industry, the reason is a personal dispute between two radio exponents.
Shopping and sex. The British advertising agency M&C Saatchi is now revealing the secret of the women's handbag. The agency uses the purple purse for advertising in the lifestyle magazine Cosmopolitan. After 30 years on the market, the magazine is still number 1. Just like the topic on which the magazine spills the most ink.
Stylish lessons. The Flims Laax Falera snowboarding school, which has been in business for over 15 years, is the largest school of its kind in Switzerland. In keeping with its colorful and above all youthful target audience, the snowboard driving school also impresses with a wide range of different courses for snowboarders. Recently, pupils at the snowboarding school have also been able to be transported to their lessons in style. Thanks to the mountain gondola labeled by Publicis, which looks like an American school bus. With this advertising coup, the snowboarding school has practically annexed the entire Laax infrastructure, as the "School Bus" runs right outside the front door of the snowboarding school, whose headquarters are located in the valley station of the Crap Sogn Gion cable car.
Creative boredom. With "a healthy dose of self-confidence and humor", Bolzern Kommunikation in Lucerne created this campaign, which aims to communicate dormant problems relating to "the most natural thing in the world" with joy and humor. The ideas were passed on to the Federal Office of Public Health, where they were "very well received". Unfortunately, they had "no use for them at the moment". Now the subjects have been published in the card-for-free system at Timbuktu in Lucerne. AD: Kim Sokola. Concept: Erich Rava. Photo: Simon Bolzern.
Powerpool launched. In Radiotele's 2002 documentation, the Powerpool between Radios 24 and Zürisee is listed with the addition "in foundation". However, Belcom manager Christian Stärkle confirms that the pool is already officially on offer. The catch: Radio Zürisee is already a member of the Leaderpool with Top and Grischa and is not likely to join any other pool at present. Top and Grischa are therefore considering legal action. The Competition Commission (Weko) is also currently reviewing the Powerpool - out of concern that Belcom owner Tamedia could become dominant in the Zurich market. However, the Competition Commission wanted to prevent this when it demanded that Tamedia sell its Zürisee shares.
Editorial

Farewell to the dirty image
"You've won - open this letter immediately." Direct marketing (DM) owes its grubby image to pushiness like this. Unfortunately, there are too many "false pastors" in this industry, warned David Ogilvy back in the 1970s. But it was also Ogilvy who later tried to convince the advertising establishment to take direct response advertising more seriously and not just treat its representatives as stooges. "Direct Response - my first love and my secret weapon" was the title of his polemic against the advertising guild's arrogance. Like no other, the American advertising guru succeeded in setting new standards in terms of business conduct and professionalism in every branch of the communications industry. No wonder, then, that he felt like a lone DM shouter in the desert...
Viewed impartially, DM and traditional advertising complement each other ideally. In times of integrated thinking, neither side can call itself the "supreme discipline" any more. Direct measures are now part of the campaign briefing in everyday advertising. And even at association level, a rethink has taken place: Recently, the industry association of Swiss advertising agencies (BSW) decided to accept the unloved competition into its ranks. Lester Wunderman, father of the DM, who was recently inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame, also proves that "coupon tinkerers" can be destined for higher advertising consecration. Read more about the triumph of the DM industry on pages 12 and 13.
Samuel Helbling, Editor-in-Chief

Netloop AG, the web agency of the Basler Mediengruppe (BM), is closed.news Netloop liquidated
According to Netzticker, the liquidation of the company is to be completed by July 31. Andreas Zipfel, technical project manager at Netloop, explained the closure to Netzticker as a result of recent developments at BM. According to Zipfel, two employees at BaZ Online will now be responsible for the online presence of the remaining BM titles.
"Facts-Talk" on Tele Züri Tamedia's local channel Tele Züri is launching the half-hour discussion program "Facts-Talk" in mid-April. It will be broadcast on Thursdays instead of "Talk Täglich", as announced by Tele Züri and the news magazine Facts. Facts-Talk" will be hosted by Facts editor Eva Nietlisbach Jaeger.
RSR makes gains The programs of the French-speaking Swiss radio station RSR achieved a total market share (MA) of 59.2 percent in French-speaking Switzerland in 2001, 2.2 percent more than in the previous year. The audience figures were calculated for the first time using the Radiocontrol measurement system. The first program of Radio Suisse Romande (RSR) achieved an MA of 35.7% and is the top station. The Espace 2 and Couleur 3 stations achieved 4.1 and 4.5 percent MA respectively. The ranking of private radio stations is headed by the French station Nostalgie with an MA of 4.1%.
Press release Switzerland is being closed down
The Swiss branch of the news and PR service Pressetext Europa (PTE) is being dissolved. The Swiss management, co-founders Pascale Sigrist and Andreas Gloor, are leaving PTE after their goal of a management buyout failed. Pressetext Switzerland is integrated into the Pressetext Group. The internet platforms Pressetext.ch, Pressetext.de and Pressetext.at will be managed and controlled from Vienna in future. Pressetext founder and CEO Wilfried Seywald justified the closure of the Zurich site with high costs.

The IAA President-elect promotes the World Congress in BeirutThe 38th World Congress of the International Advertising Association (IAA) will be held in Beirut from May 21 to 24. Lebanese Jean Claude Boulos, who will be elected Executive President of the IAA in two months, whetted the appetite for his home country during a flying visit to Zurich. On March 4, he presented the IAA's Swiss Chapter with the program and the list of prominent speakers for the world congress, which not only reads like a Who's Who of the international advertising and media world, but also features political greats from the Middle East. In addition to Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, whom Boulos jokingly calls the Silvio Berlusconi of Lebanon, the Crown Prince of Jordan, the Lebanese Minister of Economy, and the Ministers of Information of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates are expected to attend. Under discussion will be recipes for overcoming the crisis after September 11, 2001.
Under his presidency, Boulos wants to establish the IAA worldwide as an institution for the self-regulation of advertising, which should thus be protected from legal restrictions. In Lebanon in particular, he attaches great importance to the association in this regard. Bruno Amstutz

Swiss abroad and a German colleague welcome the NZZ am SonntagAlthough it is not available there for the time being, the NZZ am Sonntag is also eagerly awaited in other German-speaking countries - especially by homesick Swiss and industry colleagues. Geri Aebi: The weekend has shifted forward, with people starting it on Friday afternoon. Instead, Sunday marks the start of the new week. After retailers, publishers now also have to take account of this new social sense of time. The FAZ has been doing this with growing success since last October, the NZZ is now following suit and even Der Spiegel is testing the switch to Sunday. Only in Austria is everything staying the same. All the more reason to head back home. In short: I'm looking forward to the Sonntagsblatt from Falkenstrasse - and to the fact that the Zurich newspaper makers are streets ahead of their Viennese colleagues when it comes to contemporaneity.
Urs Rohner: Anyone who dares to launch a Sunday newspaper these days must either be particularly intelligent, extremely ambitious or highly self-confident. The makers of NZZ am Sonntag are all of these things at the same time, and rightly so. No other newspaper would have more reason to believe that it could succeed in the Swiss Sunday market. No other publisher would have been so ambitious in these difficult times, and no other new newspaper could offer its readers as many intelligent pages as the NZZ am Sonntag promises us. I am looking forward to it.
Jean-Remy von Matt: As I've been Swiss abroad for almost three decades, my perception of the Swiss media landscape is largely based on childhood memories. Back then, my father received the NZZ three times a day, in the morning, at lunchtime and in the evening. As a child, I took three newspaper editions a day for granted. So I interpreted the reduction to two and later to just one edition as a failure and already expected that one day the NZZ would no longer be published at all. So it's all the better to hear that things are now bravely moving forward again and that there will soon be seven issues again - albeit not per day, but per week.
Thomas Garms: I wish my colleagues in Zurich a good start in an extremely exciting segment. There is hardly a better job for a journalist than making a newspaper for Sunday. Because all the stylistic devices are available, and you reach the reader in a situation in which he is well-rested and in a good mood. There is room for intelligent, sensual seduction in the head and stomach. Especially those who often only get short fodder during the week want to enjoy clever thoughts, exciting images and profound stories on a Sunday. The journalistic breakfast table should be set accordingly: as stimulating as a cup of coffee, as fresh as a crusty roll, as colorful and tasty as a nice selection of homemade jam. Survey: Oliver Classen

FCBLK stages the strengths of the SonntagsBlick on the reading stageThe Wallisell agency FCB Leutenegger Krüll (FCBLK) is opening a new advertising chapter for the SonntagsBlick (SoBli). The current appearance is based on the newspaper texts. "If you look at the content separately from the SoBli's image, these are the best texts you can read on a Sunday," says Peter Leutenegger. According to Mike Krüll, the campaign was created with the launch of the NZZ am Sonntag in mind and is intended to prove people who underestimate Switzerland's most widely read Sunday paper wrong: In the spot campaign, which can be seen in cinemas and on television, well-known actors recite passages from the newspaper as if they were in a book. The eye-catching advertisements and posters with which FCBLK is making a creative (sentence) statement are just as close to the written language. page 6

Kiosk AG study: No disadvantages from commuter newspapersThe free commuter newspapers at the kiosks did not cause any disadvantages for Kiosk AG; customer visits even increased. This was the result of a study by Kiosk AG. Nevertheless, it has banned 20 Minuten from its kiosks (WW 09/02). The documents of Kiosk AG, which is part of the Valora Group, show that there were no advantages: In the first year of their existence, the two free newspapers caused the press wholesaler to lose CHF 4.4 million in sales. Kiosk AG has not yet been able to make up for this loss. Even the 13-month distribution of 20 Minuten and, initially, Metropol to 200 selected kiosks only kept sales stable at a lower level.
However, according to its own study, Kiosk AG did not suffer any further disadvantages as a result of the experiment, not even in the sale of print titles. According to the study, whether free newspapers were available at a kiosk or whether they were offered near colporteurs or boxes had "no negative impact" on the sale of magazines and newspapers at kiosks. On the contrary: "The distribution of commuter newspapers at the POS increases customer footfall and generates joint purchases." 31 percent of people who bought 20 Minuten at the kiosk also bought a newspaper and 8 percent bought a magazine.
Valora spokeswoman Stefania Misteli qualifies the study's statement: it is clear that there were tie-in purchases, she says. But whether these were "generated" by 20 Minuten or whether they would have been made anyway is unclear, despite interviews.
20 Minuten will remain banned from kiosks for the time being - "for economic reasons", says Misteli. "Space at the kiosk is a rare commodity that can be better used for other products." The documents state what these are: free brochures and catalogs, but not commuter newspapers and other papers "that compete with titles that are sold". Excuse me? This statement, which contradicts the study, suggests an attempt at printing. Misteli waves it away: the surprising decision was not based on any pressure on Kiosk AG, not even from Ringier. Markus Knöpfli

Otto Belz, Managing Director of perSens AG, on the purpose of specialist seminarsFrom March 20 to 22, the Swiss Marketing and Sales Manager Conference will take place in Interlaken for the 23rd time. This year, the focus will be on sales and how they are influenced by globalization and new technologies. For Otto Belz, this seminar has a model character thanks to the wide variety of speakers.how many participants are you expecting for this year's Swiss Marketing and Sales Managers' Conference?
Otto Belz: We are expecting 200 participants each time. As around 150 people had already registered by the beginning of February, we should have the same number of visitors again this year.
Who are you addressing?
Belz: Market-oriented managers, i.e. people who deal intensively with marketing and sales issues. More and more managing directors of SMEs who are interested in these issues are also attending. It is also exciting that more and more employees from the same company are taking part so that they can then discuss and implement the lessons learned together.
Is it still appropriate to hold a three-day training seminar when anyone can get information from anywhere in the world via the Internet?
Belz: You come to Interlaken to be able to deal with a key marketing topic intensively and yet in a pleasant way. This year, the focus is on sales. Around 30 speakers will address and illuminate individual aspects of this general topic in their keynote speeches, impulse workshops and intensive seminars. No virtual seminar can offer this wealth of inspiration in a relaxed atmosphere.
You have invited speakers as diverse as Shawne Borer Fielding and the journalist and non-fiction author Wolf Schneider. What criteria are used to select the speakers?
Belz: We try to engage speakers who have demonstrated the highest level of professionalism in their field and at the same time put their heart and soul into what they do. Each of them is part of the message, even if some of them are a little more famous than others. A key strength of the event is the diversity of the speakers. You only get new impulses from people you have nothing else to do with and not from those who attend the same seminars.
What has changed in recent years with regard to the rules of the game in marketing and on the sales front?
Belz: Some superficial developments are changing the rules of the game: Increasing globalization, new technologies and, in many sectors, changes in customer behaviour are having a huge impact on sales activities. On a more fundamental level, it seems to me that we are realizing how important solid and well-thought-out concepts can be after a period of hectic activity. We can only be fast if the basics are right; sustainability is becoming increasingly important. Another change is emerging in that uniqueness is becoming more important. People are no longer trying to develop solutions for sectors, but only for individual companies. The question "What can we do to save this or that industry?" is no longer important, but only what the individual can do for their own company. Accordingly, people are also looking for solutions in a different direction.
Branding is also becoming increasingly important for Swiss companies. To what extent is this fact taken into account in your seminar program?
Belz: According to the key topic, brands and brand management are taking up less space this year than they did last year. Nevertheless, the attentive brand specialist will of course receive a whole range of suggestions for brand management.
In the foreword to the conference program, you write: "The rules for success in sales will be rewritten or rediscovered as forgotten truths in the coming months." What do you mean by this?
Belz: The tasks and role of sales are defined in a
Rethinking multi-channel marketing. The promising markets in Asia and Eastern Europe demand new approaches, changing customer expectations call for new forms of cooperation and, last but not least, the old issues of performance appraisal and remuneration need to be resolved anew.
One of the subtitles to the conference topic talks about the love-hate relationship in sales. What love-hate relationship is meant by this?
Belz: In many companies, I see how the sales department is held in high esteem, spared all structural changes and cost-cutting measures and successfully resists any new direction. In the same way, sales is often blamed for declining sales that it cannot influence, put under pressure and often threatened with liquidation. The decisive factor here is that the phases follow each other in quick succession and the climate can change very quickly.
What is offered to participants in the intensive seminars?
Belz: On this day, we only work on one topic. Accordingly, the participants receive much more implementation support. Interview: Anita Vaucher
Psychology also sells

Without a generous helping of psychology, there is no success in sales. This is documented by the list of speakers at the 23rd Marketing and Sales Managers' Conference in Interlaken. Horst Lange-Prollus, for example, will break down the "genetic code" of modern sales and Hans A. Wüthrich will explain the opportunities of "foolish marketing" in sales. In subsequent impulse workshops, some of the presentations will be deepened in case studies (Tabou, Hilti). At the end, however, the participants should also have realized that the personality of the individual is the key to successful communication. This is the thesis of Shawne Borer Fielding, Texan and actress. Further details on the conference (registration and prices) can be found on page 25 or at www.marktmanagement.ch

NZZ am Sonntag launches with a massively expanded sales outlet networkBy Daniel Schifferle The final preparations for the launch of NZZ am Sonntag are in full swing. To ensure that the newspaper reaches the public smoothly, the distribution network has been massively expanded: Well over 1000 additional points of sale will be available at the launch.
The advertising posters are up, the communication machine is running at full speed. As one of the last links in the complex process of setting up the NZZ am Sonntag, distribution has been ramped up to the required level. This includes 500 new blue boxes, which have literally flooded German-speaking Switzerland in recent weeks and days. They fill the gaps in the distribution network where sales outlets are missing.
Together with the 200 or so normal boxes of the Werkstag edition, which will also dispense the NZZ am Sonntag on Sundays, this means that a total of over 700 newspaper vending machines will be available. But that's not all. There will also be a network of other alternative sales outlets, such as bakeries that are open on Sundays. According to Tobias Trevisan, Publishing Director of NZZ am Sonntag, around 1,300 addresses were evaluated for this purpose. "We select around half of these as additional sales outlets."
This selection was made together with Ringier subsidiary Mediamat, which is also responsible for the management of all NZZ am Sonntag newspaper boxes. Finally, the froth on the coffee is provided by a team of around 20 colporteurs. They will personally ensure that the new newspaper reaches readers at pedestrian locations in the larger cities. According to Trevisan, between 220000 and 230000 copies of the first issue will be printed. However, over 156,000 of these will go to NZZ subscribers.
Trevisan is convinced that the launch of the Sunday edition will not be a nail-biter. "We have everything under control." However, the competition is not likely to be entirely without trepidation. The SonntagsZeitung (SoZ) is bracing itself for losses. "Revenues from the reader market will shrink, that's clear to everyone," says SoZ publishing director Sandra Geiger. As far as advertising bookings are concerned, however, the signs are not pointing to a storm. With the exception of the Easter edition on March 31, the planned figures will be achieved.
Definitive effects only visible next year
However, the fact that ad bookings are generally weak in March has nothing to do with either the new Sonntagsblatt or the Sunday market itself. "March is not the strongest month for the other titles either," says Geiger. No information on the development of ad bookings was available from SonntagsBlick.
However, it would be premature to speak of definitive effects on the reader and advertiser market at this stage anyway. A lot of time will pass before these become visible. "Only when the introductory discounts are over and the recipients of the NZZ am Sonntag have to pay something for their copy will we really see what happens," Geiger points out. This will not be the case until the beginning of next year at the earliest.
The NZZ am Sonntag is certainly in a comfortable position when it comes to advertising bookings. According to Trevisan, the first four or five issues are booked up. But that's not surprising. All the hype, the novelty value, the additional attention, the price advantage - a wealth of arguments in favor of bookings in the NZZ am Sonntag.

Last week, tireless partygoers and other curious people from the communications scene flocked to the Toni-Molkerei-Lounge in the Westend - currently one of Zurich's hippest clubsBy Beat Fritsch , where you normally pay a whopping 35 francs to get in. The event was the first Xaver award ceremony, which is presented under the aegis of the Swiss Expo and Eventmakers association to recognize particularly successful events and trade fair presentations.
When an event is coming up at which other events are being awarded prizes, the event makers from the various agencies turn up in corpore. And then the event itself is mercilessly scrutinized and neither criticism nor malice is spared if something doesn't work immediately or even goes wrong. The dear industry - you can't please anyone!
Fuel was poured on the fire right at the start. The entrance area was a little cramped, so the crowds were slow to move in, and even an hour after the doors opened, many guests were still waiting outside. This in turn meant that the actual award ceremony started a little late. As a result, those who were already inside helped themselves to drinks at the bar to bridge the waiting time. This naturally resulted in the noise level in the bar area of the room being so high during the award ceremony that you couldn't hear much of what was happening on stage. Once again, the advertisers showed their naughtiest side and chatted their ears off to each other instead of listening to them.
Viva star presenter Mola Adebisi. They kept the noise level so high that the PA and microphone system simply proved to be too weak.
The alcoholic beverages of all strengths, from sparkling white wine to a triple vodka mix, were much to everyone's delight and were a highlight that easily made up for the negative points. Right from the start, the monitors hung throughout the hall were a real hit. The tickets for the event were sent out via the Internet - the personalized barcode then conjured up the name of the ticket recipient on all the monitors at the admission control, so that everyone in the hall knew that he or she had arrived. "But, but", complained a competent event specialist at the bar, "where is the protection of privacy? If we're going to have an exercise like this, we should have a live camera feed from the red carpet!"
There was also catering. Although it was good, it was served rather late. By this time, most people had already enjoyed their drinks so much that all feelings of hunger were suppressed.
Conclusion, and despite all the criticism: a huge crowd - everyone was there, drinks and a good atmosphere were mutually uplifting, and: The creators of the Xaver Award have probably succeeded in creating a new prize for communication achievements that will have a permanent place in the industry in the future. The jury was competent and the award-winning work deserved the awards. The accompanying party was also not without its flair, but exactly the kind of party that suits the industry's taste.
Beat Fritsch

at the "Event for Events", because that's probably what you have to call an award ceremony for events. Xaver is the name of the prize that was awarded last week in Zurich, and the Xaver party - the first major event after a long break in February - was attended by pretty much everyone who is anyone in the event and party scene. An audience that is quite fond of drinking, but also ungracious when it comes to judging the performance of the competition.
We will locate those who will be seen at future award-worthy or industry-unworthy events at various events on the scene. Do you already have something to report? Pick up the phone (01 296 97 98) or hit the keys ([email protected]). Event tips and further shortlist images are available online at www.werbewoche.ch

Weltwoche won't lift the veil until April - May 8 is the deadline for the magazineBy Daniel Schifferle The launch date for the new Weltwoche magazine has now been set for May 8. However, the veil remains uncovered, as a zero issue will not be available until April. The good news is that, despite rumors to the contrary, Weltwoche will be certified at last year's level.
At least one uncertainty has been resolved: The starting signal for the new Weltwoche in magazine format has definitely been set for Wednesday, May 8. However, the normal publication day remains Thursday, with only the first issue falling on a Wednesday due to a public holiday. The design of the original project (WW 39/01) has also undergone only minimal changes. Under the leadership of Wendelin Hess, the magazine's former AD, the layout has been revised once again. "The design process that was put on ice in December is currently being continued. Weltwoche is also a classic magazine, and that's how it has to look. It is not comparable to Spiegel, Facts or Tages-Anzeiger magazine," reveals Weltwoche publishing director Uli Rubner.
This means that it will remain in the slightly larger format of 300 by 230 millimeters. The announced size of 96 to 104 pages is around a third thinner than that of Facts. And the matt paper used, which is designed to make reading less tiring, is similar to that of its sister magazine Bilanz.
The conditions for advertisers have also been finalized. The entire page is available at a standard rate of 13728 francs (b/w or four-color). This means that Weltwoche's thousand-contact price (CPM) will be around 10 percent more expensive than that of Facts. Rubner adds: "We are positioned higher than Facts and have a slightly larger page format, which benefits advertisers. In addition, the switch to the magazine and the increased promotional measures will greatly increase our reach, resulting in much higher contact figures than those known from the latest research results."
Rubner has a small surprise in store regarding the current circulation of Weltwoche. Following the uncertainties surrounding the new editor-in-chief and the sale of Jean Frey AG, a further decline was suspected. In its March 7 issue, WochenZeitung even claimed that the paid circulation had now fallen below 70,000. Rubner contradicts this: "We will most likely even certify slightly above the 84,206 copies of the previous year on April 1."
Wednesday still an option as future publication day
Despite this ray of hope, Rubner is not entirely sure whether the past few weeks have left their mark. Out of consideration for regular readers, the Thursday publication date has been retained. However, a postponement of one day was also intensively discussed. "Thanks to the Wednesday lottery, Wednesday is an excellent newsstand day," explains Rubner. It is therefore quite possible that we will return to Wednesdays at a later date.
Start of emissions and new discords

Swissfirst Bank AG completed the issue prospectus for the placement of 2 million shares in Jean Frey AG at a price of CHF 51 on Monday. However, the launch of the issue is already being accompanied by new discord. The Mittelland Zeitung wrote on Tuesday that practically the entire editorial team of the Beobachter had already spoken out in writing on March 4 against the deal initiated by Swissfirst and in favor of the solution that had previously emerged with Ringier. Michael Ringier's response: he can well imagine taking over the Beobachter in isolation or launching a new Beobachter together with the Beobachter crew. (dse)