Tamedia spokesman Peter Hartmeier on the forum press and his new bossForm weakness yes, crisis mood no: The Tages-Anzeiger has overcome its low point, comments Peter Hartmeier on its poor Wemf figures. At the same time, the Tamedia spokesman pleads for an industry-wide departure from circulation cosmetics. In 2001, the Tages-Anzeiger recorded a record-breaking drop in circulation of almost 7 percent. Peter Hartmeier, how long will the free press continue to fish in the advertising waters of your flagship?
Peter Hartmeier: Based on the experience of other newspapers in comparable European cities, we should now have bottomed out. However, whether this hope is justified or deceptive depends very much on global political and economic developments over the next few months. After September 11, for example, the Tagi circulation suddenly stabilized. This stabilization at a somewhat lower level continues to this day and is reflected above all in newsstand sales, which are trending upwards.
The Tagi legacy has only been seriously crumbling for two years. In Stockholm and Gothenburg, Metro made the established titles bleed a lot longer. Are you so optimistic about the Swedish free pioneer's failure in Switzerland?
Hartmeier: Last year, I took a close look at commuter newspapers during the World Association of Newspaper's "Leader" training course. Metro and 20 Minuten are not based on sustainable business models. Our industry needs both pillars of income, reader revenue as well as advertising revenue. That's why I don't believe in the long-term survival of this type of free newspaper. However, in the face of journalistic competition, they force us to engage in self-critical reflection: have we missed the opportunity to develop new types of newspapers for new target groups?
Perhaps the Tagi also suffers from another genre problem. As a forum newspaper, it has certainly fallen behind polarizing opinion papers such as Blick and NZZ.
Hartmeier: Forum newspapers are more important and successful today than ever before. In our increasingly pluralistic society, there is a growing need to know what other people and interest groups think and do. In addition, the diverse city of Zurich, with its millions of inhabitants, needs an overarching regional identity. The Tages-Anzeiger sees the creation of this identity on a daily basis as one of its central tasks. Such an integrative effect is completely absent from the two more nationally oriented newspapers mentioned above. On the other hand, you are right about the generally increased demand for clear, pointed opinions. The journalistic tenet that newspapers are the only consumer product that people buy in order to be annoyed by them - at least occasionally - is more relevant today than ever before. The fact that we have engaged critical minds such as Roger de Weck and Daniel Cohn-Bendit...
...is probably mainly due to the new competitive pressure on Sunday.
Hartmeier: As a liberal, I am happy to admit that the appearance of the lifted "old
Auntie" helped me out a little.
According to the press release, Tamedia has decided this year for the first time not to exhaust the usual scope for certification and has fixed the Tages-Anzeiger at exactly 250,000. However, this measure, proudly declared as a "paradigm shift in circulation management", looks more like a flight forward.
Hartmeier: You're completely wrong. With this step, we want to initiate an important and overdue debate that is particularly close to our hearts. With our new accreditation policy, we are fighting against the rampant free mentality in the industry, whether it concerns commuter newspapers or the circulation cosmetics practiced with free subscriptions. The same applies to the Internet, where we, like other publishers, now clearly admit that we have offered our services and content for free for too long. Our online archive has been subject to a charge since February, and other areas will follow. Journalistic independence and quality simply have their price. "Maximum revenue per subscription" is therefore our motto.
Speaking of quality: Du circulation plummeted by 16.6 percent in 2001. How long can and will you continue to make your shareholders pay for this intellectual fig leaf?
Hartmeier: This outlier can be explained quite simply. The year before last, a special issue on Gottlieb Duttweiler boosted the total circulation to such an extent that the loss now looks bigger than it actually is. Incidentally, the maxim of generating profits across the Group in no way precludes the publication of a niche product for the cultural elite. On the contrary: without a healthy core business, there can be no independent top quality in the style of Du. And Tamedia is a top-quality company at heart.
The 8 percent drop in operating profit is more indicative of a dip in form. Is your Focus savings program still running? And when will the recruitment freeze be lifted again?
Hartmeier: All operating processes were reviewed under the name Fokus. This optimization process is nearing completion. However, the hiring and investment freeze will remain in place until further notice. The figures for the first quarter leave us no room for maneuver.
Next week, Martin Kall will take office as Tamedia CEO. Rumors are circulating that he will initially sweep with an iron broom internally and will not spare loss-making traditional titles such as Du or Spick.
Hartmeier: Changes of power and generations always trigger all kinds of talk. After ten years with Michel Favre at the helm, a new era begins for Tamedia on April 16. But I don't think it will be as revolutionary as some people hope and others seem to fear. Martin Kall will spend the first few weeks completing an induction program drawn up by Group Management, which will familiarize him with all the internal details. An abrupt change of strategy is therefore hardly to be expected.
In the medium term, however, we can expect one or two innovations from your new German boss. Given his background and Tamedia's need for growth, an expansion abroad would be an obvious step, for example.
Hartmeier: As a cosmopolitan person who has traveled a lot as a journalist, I find it extremely exciting what is in store for us in the person of Martin Kall. However, it remains to be seen whether the upcoming renewal is synonymous with internationalization. Interview: Oliver Classen

Charles Bongard and Tom Glanzmann are starting out on their own under the name Bongardglanzmann Kommunikation, and the new advertising agency will begin operations in Bern on May 1. The 32-year-old Bongard can look back on training as an advertising assistant and further training as a web designer and web publisher SIZ. After working for the Bern advertising agency Contexta, he joined Postfinance in June 1999 as a marketing communicator.
Glanzmann, 26, also brings training as an advertising assistant and further training as a copywriter/concept developer to the company. Until the end of March, he worked as a consultant, copywriter and concept developer at John Schmid Werbeagentur AG.
This experience determines the division of labor in the young company: Glanzmann will write texts and keep the upper hand creatively, Bongard will take care of the web projects - and both are well versed in consulting. Graphic work is outsourced to a network of freelancers.
Glanzmann believes that the start-up opportunities for a small agency are intact, even in less rosy economic times: "All large agencies have had to lose ground. Even large clients now tend to spread their budgets across several agencies, including smaller ones." He also senses a need for closer personal contact between advertisers and clients: "You often hear that people no longer put their heart and soul into advertising. We want to change that. This also includes going out for a beer with clients." (ba)

Wemf circulation figures for 2002 show further circulation erosion due to commuter newspapersBy Daniel Schifferle Commuter newspapers have taken another hit: according to the latest Wemf circulation figures, the Tages-Anzeiger has fallen to its lowest level since 1977. But readers also ran away from the business press in German-speaking Switzerland. The magazine market in French-speaking Switzerland had to digest a veritable shock.
Commuter newspapers once again left deep marks in the certified circulation figures for 2002. However, a whole series of titles such as Blick, Aargauer Zeitung and even NZZ no longer had to let their hair down as in the previous year. Only the Zurich Tages-Anzeiger and the Basler Zeitung were really shaken up in the third year after the commuter newspapers entered the market.
However, this was substantial. The Tages-Anzeiger had announced that circulation would fall again after last year's massive drop. However, the severity of the slump is still surprising: over 18,100 copies (-6.8%) were sold this time - that's a third more than the previous year's loss. All in all, the Tages-Anzeiger has lost almost 30,000 copies of its circulation in just two years - absolutely unprecedented dimensions in the history of the traditional paper from Zurich's Werdstrasse, which has thus fallen back to its 1977 level.
After all, Tamedia has turned the debacle into a nice round figure: exactly a quarter of a million copies have been certified. The new circulation should not only be memorable, but also provide a solid foundation for the future. At least that's what Tamedia spokesman Peter Hartmeier promises. The bottom of the trough
has now definitely been achieved (see interview on page 5).
The Basler Zeitung, which last year emerged virtually unscathed from the battle with the commuter newspapers, has suffered a really painful decline. Now, however, the Basler Zeitung has lost over 5400 copies (-4.7%) in the final tally. In addition to the commuter newspapers, BaZ publishing director Daniel Sommer also blames the editorial expansion of the Baslerstab for the losses. "While the Baslerstab was even able to improve slightly, we have to assume that it also hurt BaZ," says Sommer. The situation at Basler Zeitung has generally become more difficult: in retail sales, in retaining subscribers and in advertising emails for new subscribers.
Berner Zeitung only temporarily in fourth place
The perpetrators themselves, the commuter newspapers, are not presenting any current circulation figures this year. We won't be seeing any more of the Metropol, which was discontinued in February, anyway. But we still don't expect to see any annual circulation figures from 20 Minuten either. "We would like to, but the Wemf is not ready," explains 20 Minuten publishing director Rolf Bollmann. Above all, the reduced circulation during the school and university vacations poses problems. As an indication, Bollmann cites an average circulation of just over 28,000 copies. However, he has to wait for the Wemf (Mach Basic) readership figures in the fall for Wemf-approved figures that would allow comparisons.
The Berner Zeitung (BZ) has had quite an event this year. It took a giant leap past Südostschweiz to become the fourth-largest daily newspaper in German-speaking Switzerland. This is made possible thanks to the newly added headlines Thuner Tagblatt and Berner Oberländer, which are certified together with the BZ for the first time. With the two new titles, the BZ now has 16,2202 copies (+18.7%), putting it just 8,000 copies behind the NZZ. However, its position in fourth place is short-lived. This is because the Mittelland Zeitung has been on the move since January. With around 200,000 copies, the newspaper association comprising Aargauer Zeitung, Solothurner Zeitung, Oltner Tagblatt and Zofinger Tagblatt is already in third place, just behind Blick and Tages-Anzeiger.
Sunday market with deceptive stability
The Sunday market shows a very stable calm before the storm. The Sunday press on both sides of the language border is on a solid footing. All titles - SonntagsBlick, SonntagsZeitung (SoZ), Le Matin Dimanche, dimanche.ch - held their ground at a high level.
However, the reported situation in German-speaking Switzerland is a reflection of the past that will look very different next year. With the launch of NZZ am Sonntag on March 17, a new chapter has begun in which SoZ in particular could lose ground. The augurs agree on this. The fact that neither the SoBli nor the SoZ have experienced any real growth is not a good omen for the hoped-for expansion of the market for Sunday readership in German-speaking Switzerland. And this has not been the case for years. This could be an indication of a saturated market in which a new competitor can only attract readers at the expense of existing titles.
The daily press in French-speaking Switzerland, which was badly hit last year, was relieved.
Le Matin Semaine, which in some cases had been in massive decline in recent years (-3.4% last year), has recovered (+0.6%). The smaller newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland, which had also been in reverse gear in the previous year, also made up ground: La Liberté (+2.7%), L'Express (+1.9%), Nouvelliste (+1.5%), La Presse Riviera-Chablais (+1.6%), L'Impartial (+1.0%) - they all posted positive developments that are worthy of note.
The daily press in Ticino gave just as little cause for concern, remaining absolutely stable this year.
Consistently lean times for the business press
There is only one piece of really good news from the Swiss weeklies: Weltwoche has found ground under its feet. After almost uninterrupted falls in circulation in previous years (2000: -8130 copies or -8.8%), this time it is making a positive impression. It is even entering its next era with a slight increase of 750 copies (+0.9%). This begins on May 8 as a magazine. By then at the latest, however, renewed circulation turbulence is certain - whether upwards or downwards remains to be seen.
The heyday of weekly newspapers from the business sector is clearly over. The abrupt end to last year's stock market highs and the economic slump have also brought the wild growth era of individual titles to an abrupt halt. With the exception of the French-speaking Swiss Bilan (+761 copies or +4.0%), all titles have suffered losses.
Finanz und Wirtschaft (FuW) was hit hardest by the stock market boom. The circulation climber of previous years (2000: +4350 copies or +8.9%), which had benefited from the stock market boom like no other business paper, shrank this time by 2657 copies (-5.0%).
Only Cash was even more dramatic. With a loss of 3,683 copies (-5.1%), the business newspaper made the biggest dive in its history. Last year was undoubtedly a year of crisis for Cash. The hapless successor to Gisler, Fred David, who stepped down after just nine months, was unable to give the paper the necessary boost.
However, other business newspapers did not fare much better. HandelsZeitung lost 1026 copies (-2.8%). Bilanz even had to live with 2171 fewer copies sold (-3.8%). Stocks' result is also rather disappointing, but hardly to be expected given the stock market situation. The newcomer, which should really still be in full growth just one and a half years after its launch, is certified at 26,282 copies. This is even slightly less than the provisional certification from the previous year, when the financial magazine reported 26,996 copies.
"Stocks has never been called into question," explains Ralph Büchi, head of the HandelsZeitung publishing group. Rumors to the contrary have no basis whatsoever. "Stocks is and is regarded as a successful launch. Even at our parent company Axel Springer in Germany," adds Büchi and adds: "The magazine is rock solid."
For the other titles in the Swiss magazine market, there is everything from shock to relief. The good news first: Facts is returning to growth after a worrying decline last year. However, with the additional 2133 copies sold (+2.1%), the gap from the previous year has not yet been fully filled. According to Tamedia spokesman Peter Hartmeier, the gain at Facts is mainly due to the "increasing loyalty of subscribers".
A veritable shock has reached us from the magazine landscape in French-speaking Switzerland. L'Hebdo lost a hefty 5424 copies or a whole 9.7%. This means that the decline in circulation already observed in previous years has reached a dramatic low point this year. In the French-speaking Swiss magazine market, the program title TV8 also suffered a massive decline, losing 2962 copies (-5.3%). But it is not only L'Hebdo and TV8 that are not giving Ringier Romandie much joy at the moment. L'Illustré also went into reverse, losing 1526 copies (-1.6%).
One consolation: there were also bright spots among the French-speaking Swiss magazines. Bon à Savoir, for example, continued to gain ground and increased by 2700 copies (+2.7%). In addition to the aforementioned Bilan, Animan magazine can also be pleased with its increase of 1056 copies (+4.8%). At last Tuesday's annual media conference, Michael Ringier nevertheless expressed his satisfaction with the circulation development of his French-speaking Swiss titles. With regard to the particularly hard-hit magazine L'Hebdo, he said that the magazine had now been significantly revised.
The cooking and certain women's titles also cause problems
The Swiss-German magazine market was not spared from bitter disappointment. The cultural title Du lost a whopping 4348 copies (-16%). And Tamedia's other niche product, the ad-free Spick, also suffered a massive decline (-7938 copies or -15.0%).
Meyer Verlag in Jona can hardly be satisfied with the current development of its titles either. The cooking magazine Chuchi slipped by no less than 9,301 copies (-8.7%), falling below the magic 100,000 mark for the first time in over ten years. However, publishing director Max Frei is convinced that the bottom has now been reached. "The change of editors (from Annemarie Wildeisen to Hanspeter Eggenberger) and a greatly improved concept will counteract the decline in circulation," he explains. However, the AZ Media Group, for which Wildeisen recently began producing the magazine Kochen, expects exactly the opposite. Some of Wildeisen's fan base will switch from Chuchi to Kochen, they are convinced. A small consolation: the other two cooking magazines, Le Menu and Saisonküche, have also lost significant circulation.
Verlag Meyer again had circulation problems with its women's magazine Meyer's, which also fell below the 100,000 mark for the first time. However, the loss (-6653 copies or -6.4%) was almost halved compared to the previous year. With this year's Taucher, however, Meyer's should now also have bottomed out, says Frei. "After the decline in 2000 caused by a relaunch, circulation has fully stabilized in 2001," he explains.
In contrast to Meyer's, the other Swiss-German women's titles have held up well. Annabelle was able to stabilize its circulation after years of decline last year. Bolero was also able to maintain its circulation at exactly the same level as the previous year. The home magazine Annabelle Création was certified for the first time, with 10,2866 copies sold.
There are still no circulation figures for AZ Fachverlage's sports magazine. Even two years after its launch, the magazine, which is often revealing in terms of its female charms, has not yet provided any insights into its own sales figures - which is certainly no indication of outstanding results. "But we will certainly certify next year," promises publishing director Riccarda Mecklenburg. But AZ Fachverlage was not blessed with circulation luck in other respects either: Fit for Life was down by 869 copies (-4.1%) and still certified at just over 20,000.
KI Konsumenteninfo AG was badly hit this year. Its leading magazines K-Tipp and Puls-Tipp were on a downward trend for the first time in their history. And massively so. K-Tipp lost no fewer than 41496 copies (-10.9%). The ad-free Saldo from the same publisher, on the other hand, only attracted 20002 additional buyers (+14.2%). This means that the bi-weekly consumer titles published by KI Konsumenteninfo suffered a net loss of over 20,000 copies. However, René Schuhmacher's publishing house also has strong young horses in its stable. K-Spezial, which is published four times a year, climbed by 24,316 copies (+30.7%). K-Geld (six times a year), which is certified for the first time, sold 42,974 copies. The SRG-related niche product Radiomagazin from KI Konsumenteninfo is also performing well at the moment. It realized an increase of no less than 11450 copies (+36.6%).
The laughing third next to K-Tipp and Saldo is Beobachter (+0.3%). Its lead over K-Tipp, which was still at 50,000 copies three years ago, has now shrunk to 2,200 copies. The leap back to the top of the Swiss-German magazines is within reach. But whether the Beobachter will succeed this year is still up in the air given its internal tensions and uncertain future.
The program press has not had a good year. Buyers ran away from most programmies. TR7 from Jean Frey AG lost 5002 copies (-2.9%). And the Ringier magazine Tele was also in decline by 3800 (-1.4%). In the economically gloomy past year, there seems to have been little appetite for program guides in general. This is also indicated by the dip of TV8 in French-speaking Switzerland discussed above. TV Vier probably bears at least some of the blame for the slide in German-speaking Swiss program guides. However, the four-week program guide published by the Vierwaldstätter Verlag, which has been trying to shake up the Swiss-German programming market since March 2001, is not certified. And no information on current developments was available from the publisher either.
Self-declaration with reservations The circulation figures shown are based on self-declaration by the publishers. As not all figures had been checked by Wemf by the cut-off date, April 1, it cannot be ruled out that there may still be slight changes for some titles. Wemf will publish the official circulation bulletin in May.

Zurich's Zoo disco club on the banks of the Limmat opposite the Bauschänzli was the christening venue last week for the joint website of the scene magazine Forecast and the internet portal Tilllate.com.Shortlist Forecast till late!
By Beat Fritsch
Up to now, the two companies have done the same thing relatively independently of each other: announcing parties and reporting on them. One tended to do this on paper, the other on screen.
The print product Forecast has long since established itself on the market and offers a diversified range of products. The Tilllate.com portal, founded in 2000 by students initially as a hobby - it is now a limited company - proved to be a high-flyer, with the party pictures section in particular quickly becoming popular. People from Tilllate scour every major rave for photographic prey.
The Nightlife Internet community now has 26,000 registered users and registers over 1,800,000 visits with 15 million page impressions per month.
Roger Baur, Head of Marketing & Sales at Qualiclick, which markets Tillla te.com, thought that two companies doing the same thing should join forces. He brought the two providers together; the result can now be seen on the web. The two party databases have been merged and Forecast now provides additional content for the Forecast-Tilllate site. Simple, isn't it?
Various well-wishers from the party scene toasted with champagne at the christening basin. Tele-Züri weather presenter Raphaela Höhn hosted the short, official part.
Starfigaro Bruno Sommer and Jana Nyvltova were also there, and we have a correction to add: Jana Nyvltova does not have a promotion agency, as was written in the penultimate shortlist, but a recruitment agency specializing in advertising people, although she could have landed some promotion jobs after our misnomer. Since we are repeating the call for support for the young entrepreneur here, she will certainly forgive us for this lapse. And while we're on the subject of putting various worlds right: Incidentally, Jacqueline Joos is the advertising manager of Annabelle - and not the publishing manager, which is the job of Caroline Thoma. Scusate, ragazze.
Back to the champagne-soaked frenzy: young entrepreneur Andi Mossner from Advision took the opportunity to secure a discount on his wardrobe for life. At first, he only wanted to be in the photo with Sandra Haus and Rita Julmy from Bernie's. Then he spontaneously gave them a new advertising slogan - "Bernie's make people" - and reminded them that Peter Lesch had written and sold the slogan "Buying nothing is cheaper" for 80 francs. Mind you, this was around 20 years ago - the headline is still used to some extent today. But you would have to ask Lesch whether this is really true; Mossner is known for his fertile imagination. A feat, otherwise he wouldn't have become an advertiser!
Zoo manager Urs Kind was also always very busy. He could either be seen looking for empty glasses with a bouteille and sparrow hawk eyes or charming young women. In any case, he didn't have a moment's peace with the beauties present, who are otherwise rarely seen at the "Zoo". Not because they don't come, but the lighting in the club is usually so dim that most of the night creatures and cats present look gray.
Absolut Fritsch in front of the Wodkabatterie at Zurich's Zoo nightclub. The launch of the merged Forecast and Tilllate.com party sites was celebrated there. Anyone who wanted to prove their party expertise in Zurich came to the christening. Because parties are also the main content of the new site, people went home late.
Anyone else in the communications scene who organizes cheerful parties, whether with or without a special occasion, can be found at various events in 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.werbewo che.ch

What was the last cultural event you attended?Muse & Musse Ueli Oswald
Ueli Oswald: The birth of the NZZ am Sonntag in the Schiffbau, because I hadn't yet managed to visit the Hermann Hesse exhibition "Höllenreise durch mich selbst" at the Landesmuseum.
What are you reading right now?
Oswald: "Magic Hoffman" by Jakob Arjouni. A novel from my son's A-level literature list, which he warmly recommended to me.
Which CD do you currently prefer to listen to?
Oswald: My latest home-brew.
Which movie would you most like to see again?
Oswald: "The Sixth Sense", to find out whether the surprising ending was really not recognizable ahead of time.
What TV show did you fall asleep during the other night?
Oswald: My bad luck, I never fall asleep in front of the TV.
What is your latest discovery on the Internet?
Oswald: The same thing over and over again: I like it, but I could live quite well without it.
What could you never do without?
Oswald: I would have to try to know.
What do you do in a free minute?
Oswald: Counter question: Are there "non-free" minutes?
Love is...?
Oswald: ...something that doesn't blind you, but opens your eyes and heart.

The insolvency filing of KirchMedia GmbH has no direct impact on the programming and business operations of Sat 1 Schweiz AG.News Kirch insolvency I
This was announced by the Ringier media group, which holds a 50 percent stake in Sat 1 Schweiz. The other half of the shares belongs to the German Sat 1 GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of the listed ProSiebenSat1 Media AG. The insolvent KirchMedia GmbH holds 52.5 percent of ProSiebenSat1. However, according to Urs Rohner, CEO of ProSiebenSat1 and member of the Board of Directors of Sat 1 Schweiz AG, the ProSiebenSat1 Group is financed independently of the Kirch Group and has long been a profitable company. It is therefore not directly affected by Kirch-Media's insolvency proceedings. The broadcasting rights to the 2002 Soccer World Cup, which Sat 1 Schweiz acquired, are also not in danger. The rights have been secured and paid for, explained Marc Görtz, Managing Director of Sat 1 Switzerland.
Kirch insolvency II The advertising time marketer IP Multimedia is also calling for calm in the face of KirchMedia's insolvency. According to the company, numerous media reports on the financial situation of the Kirch Group have led to a certain amount of uncertainty. However, it assures that the ProSiebenSat1 Group and its stations are neither part of the KirchMedia insolvency proceedings nor directly affected by them. IP Multimedia will continue to market the Swiss advertising windows on ProSieben and Kabel 1 in the future.
Evening World Cup newspaper from 20 minutenDuring the 2002 World Cup, the commuter newspaper 20 Minuten is publishing an evening newspaper every day from Monday to Friday. Two hours after the final whistle (7.45 pm), the World Cup special with a circulation of 100,000 copies will be distributed free of charge at the main railway stations in Zurich, Berne and Basel.

Ruf Lanz creates space for further NZZ Folio editions and increases brand strength "We have never seen a campaign approved within 30 seconds and in unison," says Ueli Oswald, Head of Publishing NZZ Folio, about the new Ruf Lanz reader campaign. Such unanimity requires an unprecedented advertising presence that concisely reflects the product's value and philosophy. The advertisers pay Folio a flattering compliment and the readers confirm it: Derived from the high collection rate of the monthly magazine, Ruf Lanz exaggerates the consequences and prevents overflowing shelves with short versions of famous works. With this simple mechanism, the appearance should achieve a lot of sympathy and credibility. Eight beautifully designed subjects also keep the punchline fresh. page 9

Heinz Gantenbein, previously Managing Director of Radio Zürisee, is the new Chief of Staff of Radio DRSHead of the week "I want to be on the program front and also feel the DRS products "He says it with conviction: "I know that I am now in an apparatus with several hierarchical levels." Three days after taking up his post as Chief of Staff at Radio DRS, Heinz Gantenbein has already taken on the public broadcasting stable smell and is happy to announce "that I can make a difference here, because a lot has already happened". For example, "major steps" have been taken in the program area and the locations Zurich for DRS 1, DRS 3 and Musigwälle, Basel for Virus and DRS 2 and Bern for the news and sports editorial offices have been determined.
As Director Walter Rüegg's right-hand man, he wants to help ensure that new synergies are used to develop the programs as part of the restructuring. The soon-to-be 50-year-old sees his main task in the implementation of ideas that he now wants to develop with Rüegg.
He will need a sure instinct, for example when conflicts arise in the editorial offices - as is currently the case with
DRS 3 and Virus. It is therefore clear to him: "I also want to work on the program front, I want to see how the DRS products are created and also feel them."
Until Easter, Gantenbein was Managing Director of Radio Zürisee, but after ten years he felt he was "stepping on the spot". Although he had managed to expand the station's territory, last year he lost the partnership he had arranged with Tamedia. At the behest of the Competition Commission (Weko), Tamedia had to sell its 26.7 percent stake in Radio Zürisee due to the Belcom takeover. "That hurt," he says.
After studying and working as an assistant at the University of Zurich, Gantenbein was initially project manager for publishing marketing at Publimedia for three years, became central secretary at the Swiss Press Association in 1987, completed the Sawi training program to become a publishing salesman and was publishing director of the Zürcher Oberländer from 1989 to 1992. He was then approached by Radio Zürisee. "Radio has always interested me," he says - and today he is glad that he seized the opportunity.
So why did he switch to Radio DRS of all places, the competitor of all private radio stations? "For me, Radio DRS was never a competitor, but a different league. It was always a career advancement opportunity for our employees, and now it is for me too," he says. He is now also leaving restrictive things behind him. The "over-regulated media policy", for example, whose "small-mindedness" Gantenbein no longer feels so directly at Radio DRS. "There is also no more pressure from advertising clients and media agencies," he adds. Markus Knöpfli

The special-interest channel Star-TV is completely renewing its design.Star-TV is getting a new look In the first phase, the new off-air design was developed with a more contemporary logo. In the second phase, the entire on-air design will be renewed. The new station IDs and advertising bumpers are currently being developed. The Zurich-based screen design agency Frame Eleven is responsible for this.
No midday TV as early as summer At the beginning of February, SF DRS announced the cancellation of the programs "MittagsMagazin" and "MittagsTalk" for 2003 in order to save money. Now the programs will be discontinued at the beginning of the summer. The reason for this is that employees have already taken up new positions in the company, which SF DRS offered to do after the announcement of the cuts.

Ringier is taking legal action against the Basel Media Group (BM) with two lawsuits. The background to this involves, on the one hand, the purchase of the Winterthur printing plant (DW) from BM and, on the other, the collapsed Jean-Frey deal. According to Ringier CFO Martin Werfeli, the purchase of DW entitled Ringier to a specific print volume (though he declined to provide further details on its size or origin). However, BM now maintains that this volume is no longer valid following the sale of Jean Frey AG to investors. With the lawsuit already pending, Ringier seeks a court ruling on the validity of the relevant clause in the DW purchase agreement. The second lawsuit, which has not yet been filed, concerns a clause in the preliminary agreement regarding Jean Frey AG. In that agreement, BM had apparently assured Ringier of exclusive negotiations regarding Jean Frey AG; however, in Ringier’s view, BM violated this by conducting parallel negotiations with Swissfirst. Swiss-based C-Matrix becomes a member of Brodeur Worldwide. The Baar-based PR agency C-Matrix Group is now part of the Omnicom subsidiary Brodeur Worldwide, in addition to the BCom3/Publicis network Manning Selvage & Lee (MS&L). C-Matrix holds affiliate status; the company’s shares remain with management. According to CEO Alfred Köcher, the two networks have agreed to this dual affiliation because their business areas hardly overlap. Brodeur operates primarily in the IT and telecom sectors, while MS&L focuses on healthcare.
Grand Opening in Winterthur. On May 1, Viktor Giacobbo and Patrick Frey’s highly anticipated Casinotheater will open in Winterthur. After two years of renovation, the Casinotheater—which specializes in cabaret, variety shows, and comedy—is set to become the new venue for events such as galas, conferences, and banquets. Surrounding the stage is a modern restaurant with a bar and lounge area. To kick things off, the play «Die Eröffnung» will run for two weeks at the theater, featuring all the big names from the Swiss cabaret scene. Studer & Wohlgemuth is handling all advertising and consulting for the Casinotheater across all communication channels. The Zurich-based advertising agency is responsible for the entire visual identity, from the logo to
for promotional purposes in the theater, restaurant, and events sectors.
The Michelin Guide of Photography. The Association of Freelance Photo Designers (BFF) has presented its 33rd yearbook. This substantial illustrated volume once again surprises readers with a wealth of insights, retrospectives, and outlooks. Spanning 480 pages, this reference guide highlights the latest trends in photography. The editorial section features not only numerous ideas and information but also useful contacts. The book, often referred to as the «Michelin Guide» of German commercial photography, is being published this year with a print run of more than 110,000 copies. It can be ordered at www.bff.de.
Swiss Erotica Takes Top Honors. At the Lisbon Erotic Advertising Festival (LEAF), two Swiss entries were awarded bronze fig leaves. In the Transportation and Tourism category, the jury honored the ad «Go Further,» in which By Heart promotes cunnilingus for SSR Travel. The Publicis agency won its award in the Sports category with the ad «Good Technique Is Everything»: illustrations from the Kama Sutra instead of images of deep-snow slopes for the Flims Laax Falera snowboard school.
«Swiss» belongs to everyone. The simple brand name "Swiss" raises a few tricky legal questions. In an article in the NZZ, attorneys Martina Altenpohl and Chasper Kamer argue that the "Swiss" mark is either not eligible for protection at all or is eligible only to a limited extent. “The legal concerns primarily relate to the question of whether the mark is eligible for registration in the Commercial and Trademark Register, as well as the scope of protection for the mark, should it be deemed eligible for registration,” the two authors write. This is because marks cannot be registered as trademarks if they are part of the public domain. From this perspective, the term “Swiss” is purely an indication of origin. Since the debate over this interpretation is likely to continue, we can expect a fair amount of surreptitious advertising from resourceful copycats targeting the new Swiss in the near future.
Editorial: Just the advance invoice for now
Although one title—Metropol—has disappeared, commuter newspapers have not lost their appeal. The new WEMF circulation figures drive this point home in a dramatic way. In terms of circulation, the Tages-Anzeiger is now back where it was 25 years ago. But the Basler Zeitung has also been hit hard—a year late. Declines in single-copy sales, losses in subscriptions, and a drop in response rates to subscription ads—a veritable “commuter newspaper flu” with all the symptoms (see pages 16–17, 20–21).
But aside from a few struggling publications, Swiss newspapers and magazines are in good shape. What is striking, however, is the cluster of struggling titles at Ringier Romandie. The Western Swiss subsidiary is facing circulation problems with various magazines. In the case of L’Hebdo, the problem is particularly serious. Simply trying to offload it onto the market falls short of the mark. While Ringier’s magazines saw a marked decline, those from Edipresse were riding high.
However, the sharp decline in the financial press comes as no surprise. The gloomy sentiment on the stock market and in the economy has had a major impact here.
The stability in the German-speaking Swiss Sunday newspaper market is likely to turn out to be a false sense of calm. The leading Sunday newspaper, the SonntagsZeitung (SoZ), and
SonntagsBlick may be firmly in the saddle today, but its stagnating circulation figures also paint a picture of a Sunday newspaper market that is no longer expanding. It seems likely that there will be losers next year. With the SoZ, Tamedia—which has already been hit hard this year—is likely to be affected once again. Daniel Schifferle

Radio DRS 1 is making itself fit for a growing core audienceBy Ernst Weber Schweizer Radio DRS 1 wants to remain what it is: a station for Swiss-German listeners between the ages of 45 and 65 - and is rejuvenating its appearance. The first results of the formal and content-related renovation can already be heard.
The same applies to radio stations as to many other media products: They have to think very carefully from time to time about how to adapt their programs to changing media consumption habits, otherwise they will disappear from the market along with their consumers - readers, listeners, viewers. The modernization of programming and station identity recently undertaken by public broadcaster DRS 1 should also be understood in this sense.
"Quality for the ear" is displayed with new music logos
According to its own figures, DRS 1 currently has a market share of over 40 percent - and the trend is rising. Women and men between the ages of 45 and 65 form the core audience. However, older people and listeners under the age of 45, who are not attracted to DRS 3 or 2 due to their somewhat conservative taste in music, also regularly tune in to DRS 1.
So that the current listenership can keep pace with the modernization and not suddenly feel like they are on a different station, the adaptation is being carried out gradually. In the formal area, the further development has so far affected the DRS-1 lead melody, various section jingles and section logos such as the news, sports and weather signets.
The new corporate sound design, realized by the Selmi recording studio in Zurich with a view to a contemporary overall musical appearance, is based on the updated version of the station's previous lead melody. It forms the common musical origin and home from which the updated acoustic identifiers have emerged in a wide variety of styles.
"We no longer live in the sixties of the last century. The core listenership of DRS 1 today is made up of a generation that listened to Jimi Hendrix and smoked joints back then," says recording studio owner Renzo Selmi.
The redesigned jingles were mainly those that have been on the air for years. Historically anchored jingles such as the signature tune of the "Nachtexpress", which has been broadcast in unchanged form for 30 years, were not modernized.
Word bridges are built to Ticino and French-speaking Switzerland
According to SRG listener research, DRS 1 is not primarily tuned in because of the music, but generally because of a certain range of words at a certain time. "We are not a music station," says Ralph Wicki, Head of Editorial U-Musik DRS 1.
In terms of content, the modernization will also have an impact on the music program, but will particularly affect the station's spoken word offering. It is hoped, for example, that a more pronounced regional focus of the program will provide new impetus that will lead to a deepening of listener loyalty.
Ralph Wicki describes the fact that DRS 1 broadcasts for the whole of Switzerland - in contrast to private radio stations, which cover a specific region - "as a trump card that we want to play".
"In order to anchor ourselves regionally, we want to provide more regional information from Ticino and French-speaking Switzerland, which we assume will also be of interest to listeners in other parts of the country," says Wicki.
The necessary infrastructure is already in place: The station has three large studios in Basel, Bern and Zurich and three smaller broadcasting sites in the cities of St. Gallen, Lucerne and Aarau. The station also employs correspondents in French-speaking Switzerland, Ticino and the canton of Graubünden. These positions will be strengthened in the course of this year. The fact that the regional concept is to be given even more prominence is also demonstrated by sections such as "Schauplatz Schweiz", which has been a fixed part of the program since 8 April.
"We don't want to lose listeners just because we didn't think about what we needed to change in terms of content and form in good time," emphasizes Wicki.

The consumer goods giant Unilever enters into a strategic partnership with the French outdoor advertising group JCDecaux.news Unilever billboards 100 million euros
The order volume of the partnership amounts to 100 million euros. Unilever will have exclusive use of JCDecaux poster sites in 22 European countries for five years. The countries involved were not disclosed. In Switzerland, the out-of-home advertiser is only present through its 30 percent stake in Affichage Holding. The collaboration is particularly significant for JCDecaux because Unilever has so far mainly relied on TV advertising for its main brands.
New regional journal for GraubündenSwiss Radio DRS is expanding its regional information. From next Monday, a new half-hour regional journal for the canton of Graubünden will be broadcast during the week. It is the seventh regional journal from Radio DRS. From next Monday, the broadcasts will be split into a Regionaljournal Ostschweiz and a Regionaljournal Graubünden from 5.30 pm. Radio director Walter Rüegg explained that the area covered by the Eastern Switzerland regional journal, with the cantons of St.Gallen, Thurgau, both Appenzells, Glarus and Graubünden, was extremely large.
Le Courrier with Il Manifesto The Geneva daily newspaper Le Courrier announces a collaboration with the Italian newspaper Il Manifesto. In future, Le Courrier will publish articles from the Rome daily on Mondays. With this cooperation, Le Courrier can compensate for its low circulation and insufficient resources, writes editor-in-chief Manuel Grandjean. Le Courrier, which has a circulation of around 7700 copies, has already been taking articles from the French monthly Le Monde Diplomatique for several years. Il Manifesto was founded in 1968 by the Communist Party. The newspaper now describes itself as independent.